October 15, 1975
What Carmen was told about his family wasn't the exact truth. Much of the truth was hidden from him, though it was known by others in the laboratory.
That day, when his mother died, his father was also the one to meet his end, intentionally.
A day like any other, Carmen spent the early hours in school and then returned home. He was presenting for biology, which was always a challenge. His exams were often returned with straight A's, but not when he was presenting. He had all the information he needed, but speaking in front of people was his weak spot. Ever since he was little, he had struggled with anxiety and stuttering. Despite this, he excelled in school. It was the only thing his mother was proud of him for. He wished she could accept his dream of becoming an artist, but she always dismissed it as a foolish hobby. She never did accept him, and now she was gone. Apart from that, his life was actually pretty good. No one ever made fun of him for stuttering during presentations, which was pretty unusual in schools. Infact, almost everyone he'd met was happy in his presence. Barely anyone hated him.
Back home, he was sitting on the old couch; the leather that enveloped it was slowly tearing apart. His mother went to get something in the basement, and there—the loud scream he remembered so clearly. The doors wouldn't open, he had to call the police. Yet the police never told him everything.
What really happened helped the researchers of The Eclipsed Abyss—specializing on creatures, proceed further. When the police came, they were shocked; a case they never encountered before. His mother back then, never slipped on the stars—she was eaten by a creature. Her husband hanged himself in the basement for unknown reasons, and with his death he turned into a creature. That wouldn't be so strange, except his end wasn't natural. Until then, people only transformed into creatures if their death was of an old age. But this was really unique.
Thanks to this case though, later Agnes had discovered that there was a way to turn Theodor into a half-creature without him aging to death.
February 12, 1976
12.2.1976, the day the case of Carmen's father finally reached Agnes. The day Theo's destiny got written in her mind.
"Dr. Jacobs It's been four months already," Dr. Sallow scrutinized the data on a holographic screen before him, not lifting an eye as Agnes approached him.
"Four months from what?" Agnes responded coldly, standing behind Dr. Sallow."The research I insisted on mentioning," Dr. Sallow sighed. "But you always cut me off and said you had no time".
"I recall now. I must apologize, the last months have been busy for me". She leaned over Dr. Sallow's shoulder and turned the screen off. "But I do have some time to spare now".
Dr. Sallow smirked, "Do you also recall when you did Theo the blood test but his results came differently. That he could be powerful, yet we would have to wait until his natural death?".
"Yes".
Dr. Sallow still stared in the direction of a screen that had already disappeared—each eye contact with Agnes he had exchanged appeared as if she was staring deep into his soul with the sharp eyes of her. "A young man's father had killed himself and turned into a creature anyways".
"Well that's strange," an evil smile began to form on Agnes' lips.
The last blood test Dr. Sallow has done to Theo before he descended to the shadowed abyss—The Eclipsed Abyss, was only an affirment that the results they've seen for the first time weren't just a system failure. And after more experimenting, they managed to find a way to repeat the strange case that once occurred.
As for Carmen, he was only taken to the orphanage because they had a lack of people for the Team D.