Cold lights illuminated the underground corridor.

  Rows of glass tubes lined the metallic walls, each filled with a glowing green liquid.

  Inside them floated creatures that should never have existed.

  Some had human faces but Krizardian claws.

  Others were twisted hybrids with animal limbs and distorted bones.

  A few barely resembled living beings at all.

  Machines hummed endlessly.

  Liquid bubbled inside the tanks.

  Every now and then, faint knocking sounds echoed from within the tubes—as if the creatures were still alive.

  Watching.

  Waiting.

  Prisoners of Spilri

  Leon, Lara, Liu, and the children of áris hung suspended in cylindrical energy capsules at the center of the laboratory.

  Their bodies were restrained by fields of glowing energy that drained their power.

  A hologram flickered to life.

  Gin appeared above them, smiling with arrogant satisfaction.

  “You believe you came here to stop me,” he said.

  “But this place…”

  “…is the mind of Spilri itself.”

  His holographic hand swept across the laboratory.

  “Every strand of DNA.”

  “Every experiment.”

  “Every creature here.”

  “All of it is the future of my people… and the end of yours.”

  Leon lifted his head.

  His black wings were scorched from the explosion earlier.

  But his gaze remained steady.

  “If this is your future,” he said quietly,

  “then Spilri’s fate is already sealed.”

  The Alpha Creature

  At the center of the laboratory, a massive cylindrical container began to open.

  Warning sirens filled the room.

  Cracks spread across the glass.

  Then the cylinder shattered.

  A massive creature stepped out.

  It stood nearly three meters tall.

  Its gray skin was lined with metallic circuits pulsing with energy.

  Multiple red eyes opened across its face.

  Its arms were long and powerful, ending in claws that crackled with raw energy.

  Krizardian traits were visible in its eyes and fangs.

  águs stared in shock.

  “What the hell is that?!”

  Gin’s smile widened.

  “The pinnacle of Spilri science.”

  “A creature forged from the DNA of warriors… beasts…”

  “…and even you Krizardians.”

  The creature slowly turned its head, scanning the prisoners.

  Controlled Chaos

  The Alpha Creature roared and began moving through the laboratory.

  Glass tubes shattered beneath its strikes.

  Control consoles exploded as its claws tore through machinery.

  Leon tried to summon fire.

  But the capsule absorbed the energy.

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  Lara raised her hands, trying to form a blade of light.

  The containment field swallowed the glow instantly.

  Liu summoned green chains.

  They appeared for only a moment before dissolving against the prison field.

  Nearby, Roco struggled against his restraints.

  “It’s draining our power!”

  “Every time we try to use our abilities…”

  “…it gets stronger!”

  Above them, Gin watched from the command tower, laughing softly.

  Jun Approaches

  High above Spilri’s burning skies, a small cloaked spacecraft pierced through the atmosphere.

  Inside the cockpit sat Jun.

  Two warriors from the Tribe of Stone stood beside her.

  Their armor was dark leather, marked with glowing tribal symbols.

  Jun tightened her fist.

  Her eyes glowed golden.

  “Espere aí, Liu”, ela sussurrou.

  "Estou chegando."

  Um leve eco de rugidos de animais vibrava em sua voz.

  Por um breve instante, asas de águia translúcidas apareceram atrás dela enquanto o navio mergulhava em dire??o à capital.

  O Ponto de Ruptura

  De volta ao laboratório, a Criatura Alfa destruiu uma das cápsulas de energia.

  O impacto fez com que rachaduras se abrissem rapidamente por todo o campo de conten??o de Lara.

  Os olhos de Leon se arregalaram.

  Suas asas se esfor?avam contra as amarras.

  "N?o a toque!" ele rugiu.

  A criatura voltou seus muitos olhos para ele.

  Por um instante, Leon viu seu próprio reflexo naquelas pupilas carmesins.

  O Resgate

  De repente-

  O teto explodiu.

  Chamas e destro?os caíram sobre o laboratório.

  Uma pequena embarca??o atravessou a estrutura superior.

  Jun saltou da abertura.

  Seu corpo se transformou no ar.

  Garras de tigre estendiam-se de suas m?os.

  Seus músculos se expandiram com a for?a de um gorila.

  Seus olhos se tornaram mais penetrantes do que os de uma águia.

  Atrás dela, seguiam dois guerreiros.

  Um deles se movia com a silhueta elegante de uma pantera.

  A outra, com a gra?a sinuosa de uma serpente.

  Jun desferiu um golpe estrondoso.

  “Tire as m?os deles… MONSTRO!”

  Seu soco atingiu o peito da Criatura Alfa, lan?ando-a para o outro lado do laboratório e destruindo vários tubos de conten??o.

  As luzes piscaram violentamente.

  Dentro de sua cápsula, Liu riu aliviado.

  “Eu sabia que você viria.”

  Jun se virou para ele.

  Lágrimas misturadas com fúria estampavam seu rosto.

  “Eu nunca vou deixar você morrer sozinho!”

  Suspense

  A Criatura Alfa ergueu-se lentamente mais uma vez.

  Seu corpo crepitava com energia instável.

  Uma onda de choque explodiu de seu núcleo, sacudindo todo o laboratório.

  Jun e seus companheiros assumiram posi??es de batalha.

  Ao redor da sala, os campos de conten??o que mantinham os prisioneiros come?aram a piscar.

  O holograma de Gin apareceu novamente.

  "Excelente."

  “Agora vamos ver o que acontece…”

  “…quando a fera encontra a fera.”

  As sirenes soaram.

  O laboratório tremeu.

  Os olhos de Leon brilharam subitamente com cinco cores diferentes.

  Fogo.

  água.

  Terra.

  Vento.

  Raio.

  As amarras que o prendiam come?aram a ceder.

  E o monstro se virou para ele.