Planet: Blue Star | Area: Forbidden Area of Pishan

  Deep in the middle of a secluded and forbidden forest was located a hidden illegal research facility of the Genex Corporation. For decades this entire area remained a graveyard of silence and was erased from every official map. But today—that silence was broken. Terrible explosions shook the earth and a cloud of black smoke covered the sky. This catastrophe, the source was the underground laboratory where forbidden genetic experiments were conducted—the most terrifying experiments the world had ever seen. Inside the underground laboratory, red lights were flashing and sirens were blaring. "Beep…beep…beep…" The data on the holographic monitors was changing at a mad pace. Dr. Vamas looked at the screen coldly, unblinking. His voice was a frozen whisper. "What is the condition of Subject A1?" A technician responded over the console with trembling hands, "Sir… his vitals are stabilizing, but his brain activity… it's increasing very rapidly! It's three times the human limit." A predatory smile appeared on Dr. Vamas's lips. "Great. Maybe I will succeed today."

  Through toughened glass—unit 32, bed 16. A young man was lying unconscious and was tied with metal chains. His name was Arthur Thorne. His body looked very weak under the harsh LED lights. His left leg was completely paralyzed and useless. Which was a reminder of a life full of misfortune. To the outside world Arthur was like a shadow, a "worthless" burden thrown by society. The world believed that he was nothing. They did not know that Arthur heard every insult, felt every cold glance and understood every deception. He just had no strength to attack back. This silence and anonymity made him the most suitable candidate for this experiment. "That's why he was chosen," said Dr. Vamas, casting his glance past the window. "We need someone whom the world has given up looking for. The poor and helpless human beings are the subjects of our company." A senior scientist hesitated, "Sir… what if he fails? Like the others, will he also die?" Dr. Vamas looked at him with an icy gaze. "So what do you think?"

  The Primordial Catalyst

  "Prepare the Gene-X serum," Vamas ordered. "Three times the dosage limit." That serum was a glowing thick liquid that was extracted from the extract of an ancient primordial tree, which was found in a fallen meteorite. Scientists knew the danger was great: seventy-two hours. Within hours this substance would give either god-like powers or a horrible and painful death. Dr. Vamas himself took the syringe and inserted it into Arthur's vein. As soon as the serum reached his bloodstream, Arthur's body began to tremble violently. His veins turned dark purple and started throbbing. His muscles tightened as if something was trying to rewrite his DNA from the inside. Out of breath he started. "Good…" said Dr. Vamas, unaffected by Arthur's yearning. "The first step was successful. Keep him under tight observation for twenty minutes. Then inject high-level anesthesia. I want him to remain unconscious for the next forty-eight hours." An assistant asked, "Sir, why so heavily unconscious? Wouldn't it be better to see him conscious during this change?" "No," Dr. Vamas replied curtly. "If he woke up right now, the unbearable pain of restructuring the cells will drive him crazy. He will tear off his own flesh. Right now we just need data. We have to see what's changing inside that body." Sirens echoed in the cool corridors of the lab. Arthur Thorne—once a forgotten cripple—now set out on a path of no return. An election was being held.

  Arthur Thorne was no ordinary man. He had lived this life before. In his first life he died here, in the cold laboratories of the Genex Corporation. The doctors had marked "subject failed" on his file. His body was thrown into a deep pit like garbage and soil was poured over it, until the light disappeared and Arthur was buried deep in the layers of the planet. Planet Blue Star after a hundred years a huge mining company in that area was digging. Suddenly the drill stopped. "Sir...there's something here!" All the employees gathered together and started watching. When the soil was removed, they found a miracle: a human body, completely intact. There was no sign of decay but there was no life in it. He was taken to 'Electric City', the technological capital of Terra. In a desperate experiment, the energy of an entire city was focused into a single point. A massive electric shock, Arthur's body shook. His chest rose and he took his first breath in over a century. Arthur Thorne was alive again. But he was broken from inside. The Gene-X serum acted like a slow poison. He never became the "Gene Warrior", but he found a friend whose life was saved by Arthur. His father was a powerful man. The only person who treated him like a human being. Those hours they would sit in silence. Arthur spoke less, but whenever he spoke, his words were deep. "You are not alone," his friend would say. "As long as I'm here." Arthur would just nod. He knew that time could never bring back the things he had lost—his mother's tired but warm smile and his sister's voice, "Big brother, come home soon." There was no color of happiness in the life that Arthur lived, he was always behind in time. He wanted to go and that was his only hope for survival. Don't know why but he was going to get what he wanted.

  The Ancient Ruins of the Gods

  When the ruins of Sovereigns were discovered, Arthur's friend was horrified. "Arthur, promise me you won't take any risks. What if I lose you?" Arthur looked her in the eyes for the first time. "I'm already lost. I just want to go back." There was a strange aroma in the foothills of the Ghost Mountains, where ancient divinity and forbidden technology met. Arthur found a device capable of 'temporal transfer' (regression). The probability of success was less than 1%. "Arthur, don't do that!" his friend pleaded. "If I don't try... the regrets will kill me," replied Arthur. Arthur took a deep breath.

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  Remembering his past, he activated the time-mechanism machine—half scientific, half magical. Started the machine. There was an explosion of light and space-time trembled. After some time, current time. He was successful but the mathematics of time got spoiled. His intention was to return to his childhood five years before the tragedy. Instead, when his eyes opened, he found himself back in the Genex lab.

  Only two days had passed since his injection. In a few hours "Primordial Slumber" was about to overpower him. He had a short time to remain conscious. A wave of anger rose within him. "I came here again?!" He calmed himself. A strange, divine scent entered his nose, clearing his mind. He realized that he was tied to a bed surrounded by machines and glass walls. "I have to get out now, or else history itself will repeat." Arthur knew that he could not break these bonds with his raw strength. He used an ancient respiratory technique he learned in his future life, the method of faking death by stopping the heartbeat for three minutes. His heartbeat slowed... became faint... and then stopped. A technician ran towards Dr. Vamas. "Sir! Subject A1 has stopped beating!" Vamas came in, sighed in disappointment and ordered: "Throw the body into the sewer and clean the room. Focus on Subject C3." The guards untied Arthur's straps and loaded him onto a stretcher. He did not pay attention to the movement in his finger. As soon as they reach a deserted corridor, Arthur suddenly attacks. He pounced and grabbed a guard by the throat and gave him a bone-breaking punch. "Subject A1 is alive! He's out of control! Send backup." A guard spoke fearfully into the communicator. Arthur did not let the other guard finish speaking. With a roar of anger he broke the man's neck.

  He limped towards Dr. Vamas's office and found a 'Black Dagger' kept there as a decoration. It looked ancient, and had a distinct glow emanating from it as Arthur passed Dr. Vams's cabin. Five guards surrounded him. "Put down the dagger, or death will be a mercy you will not find." "Less talk, more action," Arthur whispered. Despite his weak physique, his movements were precise. He attacked, stabbed and dodged their attacks. He slit the throat of a guard, blood splattered on his face, which gives a very scary feeling. The guards did not have weapons, because they are not needed much, so everyone their hands were empty. The rest of the guards joined together to overpower Arthur. One took advantage of the opportunity and kicked, Arthur dodged. But his lifeless leg betrayed him. He stumbled and suddenly one of the guards kicked him in the ribs, knocking him off balance. As he steadied himself, suddenly, his senses screamed—danger! Just then a voice was heard, "Dhan!" Dr. Vamas was standing at the door with a black pistol. The bullet passed through Arthur's shoulder. He fell and the black dagger slipped from his grip. A guard picked up a dagger. Arthur felt a deep disappointment. Can't history be changed? Am I really that cursed? The guard plunged the black dagger straight into Arthur's heart. Arthur's eyes turned blood red. As the cold metal entered her chest, she saw her mother's face. He heard his sister's voice. "Brother..." The world became blurry and grey. His breathing slowed down. His last thought was a desperate plea to the universe: "Just... one... more... time..."

  Dr. Vamas put his cold, black pistol back into its holster, its metallic sound echoing through the room. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and the heavy silence of death. The body of Arthur Thorne lay lifeless on the glass floor, and the ancient black dagger was stuck deep into his chest. Below him, a dark circle of red blood was slowly spreading, looking like a cursed shadow on the translucent floor. "Useless garbage," Dr. Vamas spat in disgust. There was no regret in his eyes for the loss of a human being; instead, he was burning with the frustration of a failed experiment. "So much hard work, millions in funding, and that priceless primordial serum... all on one crippled person was ruined. I thought his so-called 'will power' would be of some use, but he too turned out to be as weak as the others. Anyway, he had to be killed after some time, why so much ruckus?" He pressed the button of a remote placed on the table. The heavy steel door slid open and two security guards walked in, their faces stone cold and ineffective. "Yes sir?" "Dispose of this body," Dr. Vamas ordered without turning around. "Take it secret out the back door and dump it straight into the main sewer line. And listen – throw away that old dagger along with it. It was a useless old thing that I kept just for decoration. I don't want any evidence of 'Subject A1' in this lab. Write 'terminated' on his file."

  Dr. Vamas left the room without a second glance. The guards lifted Arthur's cold, lifeless body onto a heavy stretcher. "Before I die this bastard broke my partner's neck," a guard growled and kicked Arthur's lifeless, paralyzed leg hard. "Go now, rot with the sewer rats. No one will call you a 'subject' there. You'll just be a piece of rotten meat." They took him to the deepest and darkest sub-level of the facility, where a huge iron lid leading to the city's main sewer was open. Down, black, smelly and poisonous water was flowing like a hungry python. Without any respect, they tilted the stretcher. Arthur's body hung in the air for a moment and then disappeared into that stinking, dark abyss. Above, the iron lid closed with a heavy thud. Death reigned inside the sewer. Amidst the poisonous methane gas and stench of decomposition, Arthur's body ended up in a garbage dump near the shore. That black dagger was still in his chest like a stone gathered.