The northern region of Eldryn felt different after Lucien's second encounter with Alaric.
The forest hadn't changed.
The trees remained ancient.
The shadows remained deep.
The silence remained unsettling.
Yet something had undeniably shifted.
Perhaps it was because Lucien now knew someone was there.
Not a beast.
Not a monster.
A person.
A person searching for answers.
The realization made every trail feel deliberate.
Every mark feel meaningful.
Every mystery feel closer.
Beside him, Garfield lazily walked through the undergrowth, occasionally stopping to investigate whether a particular rock looked edible.
Unfortunately, the answer was usually yes.
Lucien had long abandoned any attempt to understand the creature's dietary habits.
Some mysteries were beyond even him.
The afternoon sun filtered through the canopy above as he carefully examined another symbol carved into stone.
This one differed from the previous markings.
The lines were rougher.
More recent.
Almost rushed.
Someone had made this recently.
Very recently.
Lucien crouched beside it.
Studying.
Analyzing.
Thinking.
His fingers brushed against the grooves.
Then he froze.
The mana inside the symbol was still active.
Weak.
Fading.
But active.
His eyes narrowed.
Someone had been here.
Not days ago.
Hours.
Garfield suddenly stopped moving.
The cat's ears twitched.
Its golden eyes focused ahead.
Lucien immediately rose.
His hand moved toward the sword hanging at his waist.
The forest became quiet.
Far too quiet.
Then came a voice.
Weak.
Hoarse.
Tired.
"...Another one."
Lucien turned.
And saw him.
For a brief moment, his mind failed to process what he was looking at.
The figure sitting beneath the massive roots of an ancient tree appeared human.
Mostly.
Dark hair.
Pale skin.
Thin frame.
Perhaps sixteen years old.
Perhaps younger.
It was difficult to tell.
Yet something felt wrong.
Not visibly.
Not immediately.
But undeniably.
His skin seemed slightly translucent.
Faint crimson lines occasionally appeared beneath it.
Like veins carrying light instead of blood.
Most unsettling of all were his eyes.
One silver.
One black.
Both completely exhausted.
The young man slowly lifted his gaze.
Then laughed.
A bitter laugh.
The kind that carried no joy.
"You're a child."
Lucien remained silent.
Observing.
The stranger looked at Garfield.
Then at Lucien.
Then at the sword.
Finally, he sighed.
"Well."
He leaned his head against the tree.
"At least you're not another researcher."
The words immediately caught Lucien's attention.
The young man noticed.
Of course he did.
"You've met him."
Not a question.
A statement.
"Alaric."
Lucien's grip tightened slightly.
The stranger smiled.
A small smile.
One filled with weariness.
"He talks too much."
That answer surprised Lucien.
Because there was no hatred.
No anger.
No resentment.
Only exhaustion.
The young man slowly looked toward the sky above.
For several seconds neither spoke.
Then Lucien finally asked:
"Who are you?"
Silence followed.
Long.
Uncomfortable.
The stranger stared upward.
As though considering the question for the first time.
Eventually he answered.
"I don't know."
Lucien frowned.
The answer sounded absurd.
Yet the young man seemed completely serious.
"I wasn't given a name."
His expression remained calm.
Almost detached.
"I was given a number."
A chill traveled through Lucien's body.
The young man smiled again.
This time without humor.
"Subject Zero."
The forest grew silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Lucien felt something unfamiliar.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Discomfort.
Because for the first time since arriving in Eldryn, he encountered someone who looked human.
Someone who spoke like a person.
Someone who thought like a person.
Yet who had never been treated as one.
Subject Zero slowly closed his eyes.
"I suppose you're wondering what I am."
Lucien didn't deny it.
The young man chuckled.
"That's the same question everyone asks."
His fingers moved toward his chest.
Toward a faint crimson glow hidden beneath torn clothing.
"The answer is simple."
The glow intensified.
For a brief moment, the surrounding mana trembled.
Lucien immediately sensed it.
The same energy.
The same corruption.
The same presence.
The same feeling that had existed inside the wolf.
Inside the bear.
Inside the black stones.
But stronger.
Far stronger.
Subject Zero noticed Lucien's reaction.
"You felt it."
"Yes."
Another smile.
Smaller this time.
Sadder.
"Then you're smarter than most."
The young man looked toward the distant north.
Toward the ruins.
Toward the place Alaric continued investigating.
"I am proof."
Lucien remained silent.
Subject Zero continued.
"Proof that his theory works."
The words lingered.
Dangerous.
Heavy.
Meaningful.
For the first time, Lucien realized Alaric wasn't merely researching the Other Side.
He was experimenting with it.
The implications were enormous.
And terrifying.
Subject Zero laughed softly.
"I know what you're thinking."
His mismatched eyes shifted toward Lucien.
"You think I'm a monster."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Without hesitation.
Without thought.
Subject Zero blinked.
Genuinely surprised.
Lucien continued.
"Monsters don't suffer because of what they are."
The forest fell silent.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Subject Zero looked away.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
One Lucien couldn't identify.
Perhaps because he had never seen it before.
Perhaps because Subject Zero himself had never experienced it before.
The expression of someone being understood.
For the first time.
Garfield slowly approached.
The cat sniffed Subject Zero.
Then climbed onto his lap.
The young man froze.
Completely.
As though unable to process what had just happened.
Garfield yawned.
Turned around.
And went to sleep.
Subject Zero stared at the cat.
Then at Lucien.
Then back at the cat.
"...What is wrong with this creature?"
Lucien shrugged.
"Nobody knows."
For the first time since meeting him...
Subject Zero genuinely laughed.
And for just a moment.
Only a moment.
He looked less like an experiment.
And more like a boy.
Unfortunately.
The moment didn't last.
A violent surge of crimson mana erupted from his chest.
Subject Zero's eyes widened.
Immediately.
Lucien felt danger.
Real danger.
The young man's expression twisted.
Pain.
Agony.
Terror.
Not directed outward.
Directed inward.
As though he were fighting something inside himself.
"Run."
The word barely escaped his lips.
The crimson light intensified.
The ground began to crack.
Trees trembled.
Mana spiraled violently around his body.
Subject Zero looked at Lucien one final time.
His voice broke.
"Please."
The corruption spread.
The silver eye began turning black.
The forest itself seemed to recoil.
And for the first time since entering Eldryn...
Lucien understood.
The battle was about to begin.
End of Chapter 12