A tall man with graying hair and sharp eyes stood behind a polished wooden desk, flipping through a set of papers. He tapped the edge of the stack against the desk, then called out, "Get Madagascar ready."
From the far side of the room, his assistant froze mid-step. "Madagascar?" the assistant asked, his voice uncertain. "But sir, I thought we were saving him for the final stage."
The man looked up, his gaze cutting through the assistant's hesitation. "Plans change," he said firmly. "Madagascar is to fight that boy, Jin, next. Submit his name to the pit's narrator immediately."
The assistant nodded, his hesitation fading. "Understood." He turned and left the room, his footsteps quick and purposeful.
The man leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled as he stared out the large window behind him. "I wonder why he insisted on fighting you Jin,Let's see if you're truly worth the attention, Jin," he muttered, a faint smirk crossing his face.
The Locker Room
Jin sat on a bench in the small, plain locker room, wrapping bandages tightly around his hands. His blade rested beside him, glinting faintly under the overhead light. The muffled roar of the crowd echoed through the thick walls, but Jin's focus didn't waver.
Seiji leaned against the wall nearby, watching Jin with an unreadable expression. After a moment, he spoke. "That ability you used earlier. Who taught you?"
Jin paused, tightening the bandage on his wrist. "No one," he said simply. "But Jon, my teacher, helped me refine it. He pushed me to make it what it is now."
Seiji nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "And your parents?" he asked, his tone casual but probing.
Jin stilled for a moment before answering. "I never met them," he said quietly. "I don't know who they are."
Seiji's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't press further. "I see," he said simply, his voice low. He crossed his arms, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he murmured to himself, "Interesting."
The New World
Dr. Rend walked briskly through the sleek halls of the laboratory, his long white coat trailing behind him. Beside him strode Nicklaus, silent and composed, his presence commanding without effort.
"Your timing is nearly up," Dr. Rend said, his voice sharp but not unkind.
Nicklaus glanced at him but said nothing.
As they turned a corner, one of Rend's assistants hurried to catch up, a clipboard clutched tightly in his hands. "Sir," the assistant said, slightly out of breath, "you've received new orders?"
Dr. Rend smirked, his eyes gleaming with something close to excitement. "Yes," he said. "It's time to test the F Prototypes."
The assistant hesitated. "But sir… they're not like the others. They're… not fully human."
"Exactly," Rend replied, his voice smooth. "They're advanced. Stronger, faster. They don't possess the weaknesses of human bodies, and yet they are adaptive in ways no ordinary machine can match. They're perfect for what comes next even though I call them Failure"
The group stopped in front of a large steel door with the word Blackstone etched across it in bold letters. Dr. Rend placed his hand on a scanner, and the door slid open with a soft hiss.
"Come," Rend said, stepping inside. His assistant followed, the faint hum of machinery growing louder as the door sealed shut behind them.
Dr. Rend gestured towards the large containment room labeled Blackstone as his assistant hesitated just outside the thick glass. Inside the room, the F Prototypes stood motionless, their grotesque forms towering over the space. Their faces were devoid of human expression, their skeletal frames covered in what appeared to be flowing, corrupted liquid that dripped endlessly from their jagged forms.
"These," Dr. Rend began, his voice filled with a twisted sense of pride, "are the Eidolons. They are the culmination of years of refinement. Unlike CP0 or Broken, they are not tethered by the weaknesses of human biology. These… creations are inhuman in every way imaginable."
The assistant leaned closer to the glass, his breath fogging the surface. "Eidolons? They look… otherworldly."
Dr. Rend smirked. "That's the point. Their design is meant to evoke fear, to dismantle the will of any enemy before they can even think to resist. They are obedient only to me. No thoughts, no words, no hesitation. They understand only one concept: destruction."
He stepped forward, pressing a small button on the console in front of the glass. With a loud hiss, the gates to the containment room began to release. The Eidolons shifted their heads downward, all their glowing red eyes locked on Dr. Rend. The assistant took a step back, unease washing over him as the figures bent their bodies toward Rend in eerie unison.
"They do not speak," Dr. Rend continued, his voice unwavering. "They do not reason. They will not falter. The only thing they know is to follow my command and attack whatever stands in their way." He paused, a faint grin forming on his lips. "And this is merely the beginning."
The assistant hesitated before speaking again. "But, sir, are they ready? What if they lose control?"
Dr. Rend turned his head sharply, his eyes narrowing. "They don't lose control. Because they don't have any to begin with. They are perfect."
As he said this, one of the Eidolons raised its head fully, revealing its grotesque grin and an unnatural aura that seemed to warp the very air around it. The assistant shuddered.
Dr. Rend walked toward the control panel, looking over the data streaming in from the Eidolons. "Soon, these will be unleashed into the field. But for now, let them stretch their legs."
With that, he pressed another button, and the Eidolons began to move. Silent. Deadly. Controlled.