In the depth of a ruined factory far from the clear skies and calm mountains steam hissed from broken pipes, and shadows moved like oil on concrete.
A man in a tattered lab coat stood over a bound test subject, scribbling down notes with a cracked stylus. The subject's body twitched as violet veins bulged across his skin. His eyes glowed red, and his breath came in ragged bursts.
"It's holding longer this time," the scientist muttered, brushing aside blood-flecked notes. "No full collapse yet. The demonic reaction is progressing predictably."
Beside him, the Tier 2 villain Veyrix stood with his arms crossed. His skin shimmered with a faint obsidian hue, and his left eye was a smoldering brand of fire and pitch. "Still looks like garbage to me."
The scientist didn't flinch. "He's alive. That's more than I can say for the last ten."
"Doesn't matter," Veyrix said, stepping closer. "We're not using it on fodder. The next dose is mine."
The scientist paused. "You sure? The enhancements are… unpredictable. Physical transformation. Power surges. Mental fragmentation. You'll look like a demon before you even fight like one."
Veyrix grinned, his teeth jagged like cracked stone. "Good. Let them scream when they see me."
A long pause settled over the lab. Then, Veyrix's tone shifted.
"What about the girl?"
The scientist raised an eyebrow.
"Nia. And the old man." Veyrix's voice was colder now. "We've confirmed their location."
"Ah. So the ghost really is alive," the scientist said, amusement curling his lips. "Chandler Flaning, the 'Phantom Wall.' Disappeared after the war, erased every trace. I thought he died like the others."
"Apparently not," Veyrix said. "And that girl… if she's with him, she's more dangerous than she looks."
"We'll take care of them both," the scientist said, turning back to his experiment. "Let the boy grow stronger. Let him taste clarity. When the time is right…"
Veyrix stepped into the dark, his body already rippling with the signs of a shift a dark, inhuman silhouette forming beneath his skin.
"We'll tear it all down."