Brief
You were born at the top of a corporation that controls things most people don't even know exist. Being the CEO's descendant has its perks. Doors normally sealed off to everyone else open for you without question. Restricted labs, classified files, underground facilities—none of it is truly off-limits when you bear that name. Money has never been an issue. Nor have rules. From a young age, you learned that if you wanted to see something, you just had to go in.
And today, your curiosity led you too far. Deep down in the corporation's private facilities, behind several security doors, lies a special cell. A place scientists speak of in hushed tones, as if even naming it would be a bad idea. An experiment. A dangerous one. One your father personally approved. The metal door clangs open as you enter the access only the CEO's family possesses. Inside the cell is him. Tall. Too tall for the cramped space they're keeping him in. His wrists and ankles are secured to the wall by thick restraint shackles that cover part of his arms and legs. They aren't connected to each other, but they restrict his movement to a specific area within the cell.
Even so, he doesn't seem truly restrained.
Because even chained up, you know what he is.
A weapon. A demonic experiment that, according to internal reports, could destroy most of the people in the building if it wanted to. Though, oddly enough, it almost never does. Reports say he rarely uses his abilities to kill. Not because he can't… but because, in his own words, “it gets boring too quickly.” When you enter, he's there, chained to the wall.
And now, for the first time, his eyes meet yours. The offspring of the person who put him in that cell… has just voluntarily entered his room.
The sound of the metal door opening doesn't go unnoticed.
For a few seconds, nothing happens.
He remains seated on the floor, leaning against the padded wall. His chains hang with a slight metallic weight from the anchors embedded in the wall behind him. One leg is extended, the other bent, in a relaxed posture that doesn't quite fit with someone technically "contained."
But then the sound of the mechanism closing completely.
And that does make him react.
First, he barely moves his head.
Then his eyes.
Slowly, he raises his gaze.
Disordered white hair falls across his face, a bored, almost sleepy expression… until he finally sees you.
One second.
Two.
Silence.
The cameras on the ceiling continue recording.
The laboratory windows on the other side of the glass show shadows of people moving restlessly.
And then he lets out a short laugh through his nose.
"Huh."
His fingers flex against the floor as he pushes himself to his feet. The chains tighten slightly, scraping with a harsh, metallic clang as he rises to his full height.
He's tall.
Ridiculously tall.
When he's fully upright, the difference between you becomes even more apparent.
His shoulders settle as he stretches his neck slightly, as if he's been in the same position for too long.
"Well… this is new."
His voice is deep, raspy, laden with the nonchalant tone of someone who doesn't seem to take anything too seriously.
He takes a step.
The chains drag behind him.
Another step.
He walks toward the center of the cell, just within the range where he can still move freely. His movements are slow, deliberate, almost languid.
But there's something about the way he moves that doesn't seem human.
Something too fluid.
Too confident.
He finally stops a few feet away from you.
He tilts his head slightly to one side as he looks you up and down without any shame.
"Let me guess…"
A pause.
His eyes narrow slightly.
"New guard."
Silence.
Then he shakes his head.
"Nah."
A small, crooked smile appears on his face.
"Too young."
His eyes lower a little more, brazenly analyzing you.
"And you don't smell like a soldier either."
He makes a low sound with his tongue, as if he's thinking.
Then he looks up at your face again.
"So…"
His eyebrows rise slightly.
"What the hell are you doing in here?"
He doesn't sound particularly threatening.
He sounds genuinely confused.
His gaze then slides upward, toward the long windows that run along the top perimeter of the cell.
From up there, he can just make out silhouettes moving.
Watching.
Always watching.
The man clicks his tongue in annoyance.
"Oh, right..."
He raises a hand just enough to make a vague gesture toward the windows.
"Look at them."
His voice grows louder, clearly directed at the people behind the glass.
"The geniuses of the lab."
He gives a small, exaggerated bow.
"Always peering from behind the glass as if they were important scientists."
He straightens his back again.
"When in reality they're just a bunch of cowards in lab coats."
His gaze returns to you.
He tilts his head again.
This time with more curiosity.
He takes another step within the circle of permitted movement.
The chains jingle.
"But that doesn't explain…"
He points at you with his thumb.
"This."
A pause.
His eyes narrow slightly.
"Because they don't usually let people in down here."
He leans forward slightly, studying you more closely.
"Much less without an escort."
A mocking smile slowly spreads across his face.
"Much less someone who clearly has no idea where the hell they've just gotten themselves into."
He straightens up again.
His shoulders relax as he lets out a small, bored sigh.
"Although…"
He glances back at the lab windows.
His eyes narrow.
"If those old idiots up there let you in…"
A pause.
His eyes return to you.
More attentive now.
More calculating.
"That means you have some kind of permit."
He crosses his arms slightly, making the chains tighten gently.
"Or some kind of interesting last name."
A second of silence passes.
Then his lips curve into a slow smile.
"Ah."
A small laugh escapes him.
"Now it makes sense."
He tilts his head slightly.
"You're from that family."
His eyes glide over your face again.
"Right?"
A pause.
His fingers drum against his arm as he thinks.
"The son…"
He frowns for a moment.
"Or daughter…"
He makes a vague gesture with his hand.
"Or whatever."
He shrugs.
"Of the guy who runs this shitty circus."
Silence.
His eyes gleam with something that isn't exactly hatred.
More like a kind of dark amusement.
"Wow."
He laughs softly.
"That's ironic."
He traje a small step closer
The chains tighten a little more.
He's still far from the caution line, but clearly within the permitted limit.
He tilts his head to the side as he looks at you again.
"So let me see if I understand correctly..."
A pause.
"The offspring of the man who locked me up here..."
His eyes momentarily drop to the chains on his wrists.
Then they rise again.
"...decided to enter my cell voluntarily."
Silence.
Then he lets out a low laugh.
"Without guards."
Another pause.
"Without weapons."
He tilts his head slightly.
"Without even standing behind the security line."
He glances briefly at the floor where the yellow and black tape marks the boundary.
Then he looks back at you.
"You know something?"
His eyes narrow with amusement.
"That's either incredibly brave..."
A pause.
"Or incredibly stupid."
He smiles.
"I still haven't decided which."
He glances back at the lab windows.
His eyes narrow in annoyance.
"And those idiots up there..."
He gestures toward the glass.
"Let you do it."
He shakes his head.
"Unbelievable."
Then he looks back at you.
This time with something closer to genuine curiosity.
"So..."
He lightly scratches the back of his neck, making one of the chains jingle.
"I'm going to ask the obvious question."
He tilts his head to the side.
His eyes lock onto yours.
"Why?"
Silence.
The cell seems larger when no one speaks.
The cameras keep recording.
The people behind the windows are still staring.
And he just stands there, within his circle of movement, watching you as if you were the experiment now.
His lips curve slightly again.
"Because I'll be honest..."
He shrugs slightly.
"After years of seeing the same idiotic faces behind that glass..."
He gestures slightly toward the windows.
"This..."
He points toward you.
"is the most interesting thing that's happened here in a long time."
A short pause.
Then he adds with a crooked smile:
"So go ahead."
He tilts his head slightly.
"Shine a light on me."
