Soul Convergence Year 3,000,000(1,000,000,000 AD), Tyren Empire Hospital

"Look, honey, our baby's opened his eyes. Isn't he adorable?" Elara Nyx, weak from childbirth, gently stroked the newborn as she spoke to her husband.

The baby's large eyes were a bright, clear blue, like the sky.

Kael Vale gazed at the child and sighed. "I can only hope he passes the genetic mutation test. Please, let him not be an Esper. I just want him to live a peaceful life."

"Ever since the Esper Alliance lost the war, Auraxis has gone completely mad! He's sworn to wipe out every last Esper, even babies. But how can you stop human evolution?"

Just then, the door creaked open, and a slightly plump head nurse, Margaret, stepped into the room.

"Dr. Kael, congratulations on the birth of your child. However, by order of His Imperial Majesty, even your child must undergo a Soul Energy fluctuation test. The Phantom Guard under Auraxis doesn't show mercy."

Following her, a high-tech crib was wheeled in.

The crib glowed with a silver-white light, surrounded by a semi-transparent shield, silently floating in mid-air.

Kael spoke in a low voice, "I understand. But please, give me five more minutes. I'll take the baby to the lab myself."

"But..." The head nurse hesitated.

"Are you telling me my newborn can't even have a sip of his mother's milk?" Kael's gaze suddenly turned cold, his eyes locking onto hers.

Margaret felt a chill run down her spine. She lowered her head, and after a brief silence, she whispered, "Alright, Dr. Kael. But the Phantom Guard is already waiting in the lab."

With that, the head nurse quietly left the room, and the door slowly closed behind her.

"Don't be like that, Kael. Margaret's just following Auraxis's orders. She doesn't have a choice," Elara, still weak, tried to calm him down.

"It's fine, love. I just need to prepare. More and more babies are being born with genetic mutations, and Auraxis won't allow these Espers to go unchecked. I don't want our child to become one of his killing machines."

Kael paused for a moment, a determined look flashing in his eyes. "If our child really is an Esper, I want to try something I've been working on."

"You mean that machine? But it hasn't even been tested! We have no idea where it'll send him. No way, Kael. I won't let you do something so reckless!" Elara clutched the baby tightly, her voice filled with helplessness and fear.

At that moment, a loud bang shattered the tense atmosphere as the door was kicked open.

A Phantom Guard, clad in black powered armor, strode into the room. The golden patterns glowing on his suit stood in stark contrast to the two armed guards behind him, making him look like a cold, imposing figure—an outcast in the darkness.

"Dr. Kael Vale, by order of the Emperor, hand over the child immediately for testing," he said coldly, his voice devoid of any emotion, as if delivering a mechanical command.

Elara trembled, clutching the baby tightly to her chest, her eyes blazing with defiance. "I will never let you take my child!"

The Phantom Guard paused for a moment, then a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes behind the visor. "Your resistance is pointless. We don't have time for this."

"Please, Erevan, I know it's you. Even if it's just for whatever we once had... I'm begging you, don't hurt my child." Elara's voice shook as she pressed herself against the wall, her face drained of all color

If it weren't for this desperate moment, she would never beg like this. 

Not to this twisted animal who had stripped her bare, humiliated and tormented her countless times in front of others.

"Elara, don't be so tense. Just hand the child over. He might not even be a genetic mutant," Erevan, the leader of the Phantom Guard, extended his hand and smiled, trying to ease the tension.

But Elara didn't relax. She held the baby even tighter, her eyes still filled with deep fear.

"Everything you're doing now is futile," Erevan said coldly, turning away for a moment. His voice suddenly became as icy as a winter wind.

He turned back, his gaze locking onto the trembling Elara.

In an instant, his right arm unfolded, transforming into a sleek, high-tech weapon. The metallic surface gleamed under the lights, cold and menacing.

The barrel of the gun glowed with an ominous orange light, flickering like a deadly warning. A red laser dot quickly locked onto Elara's forehead, a chilling omen of death.

"Your choices no longer matter," Erevan's voice was merciless, crushing any remaining hope.

"No!!" Kael tried to rush forward, but the two Phantom Guards behind him held him tightly, rendering him immobile.

The room fell into a deathly silence. No sound. No pain. Just a flash of orange light, and Elara, who had been trembling moments before, suddenly went limp, her arms falling open as if her life had been severed in an instant.

There were no visible wounds on her body, except for a single red dot on her forehead—a mark of death. The baby slipped from her arms, landing quietly on her legs, seemingly unaware of what had just happened.

A surge of uncontrollable rage ignited within Kael. Despite being restrained, he struggled desperately to break free, his body lunging forward with all his might.

But the Phantom Guards forced his face down onto the hospital bed, holding him in place.

Erevan bent down, casually picking up the baby from between Elara's legs as if he were lifting a small animal. A chilling smile crept across his face as he whispered, "Let's go, Dr. Kael Vale. It's time to head to the lab. And by the way, the new powered armor you designed is quite impressive."

"Erevan, you cold-blooded bastard! I swear I'll kill you!" Kael roared in fury, his voice filled with despair as the two Phantom Guards dragged him up.

Erevan slowly raised the baby by the neck with one hand, lifting him high into the air as if preparing to snap the infant's neck with a casual twist.

He turned his head, smiling once more at Kael. "Dr. Kael Vale, any last objections?"

In that moment of shock, Kael realized he was powerless to resist. He glanced back at his wife's lifeless body slumped against the wall, and it seemed as though he had made up his mind. In a low voice, he said, "Let's go. We'll go to the lab."

"Good choice, Dr. Kael Vale." Erevan cradled the baby in his arms, gently pinching the child's cheek as he slowly walked toward the door.

The hallway outside the hospital room was eerily quiet, as if even the air had frozen. But as Kael stepped out of the room, his eyes fell on the wall once more, and his heart filled with shock.

A slightly overweight nurse, completely naked, lay lifelessly by the wall. A stark, glaring red dot between her eyebrows, along with the semen trickling from her vagina, bore witness to the events that had just transpired.

The distance between the hospital room and the lab was just a single hallway.

Normally, this lab was Kael's favorite place to work.

But today, that short distance felt like an eternity—one he dreaded crossing.