The laboratory door creaked open, revealing a cold and sterile room. Flickering neon lights illuminated strange medical equipment and tubes filled with glowing green liquid. Jade, Gala, and Luna stepped inside, feeling the tension in the air.
A white-coated scientist approached them, carrying a box of shimmering syringes. "Welcome, soldier candidates," he said, his voice flat and emotionless. "You have been chosen to receive this serum, a revolutionary technology that will change your lives."
"What are the risks?" Luna asked, her eyes fixed on the scientist.
"The risks are minimal," the scientist replied, avoiding Luna's gaze.
"Just a little temporary discomfort. You will experience incredible strength and speed."
"Temporary discomfort?" Gala scoffed. "Don't kid me. I've heard stories of people dying from this serum."
"Those are just rumors," the scientist said, his voice rising. "This serum is safe and effective. You will become heroes."
Jade stared at the syringe in the scientist's hand, feeling doubt creep into his heart. "What exactly is in this serum?" he asked.
"Tears of the gods," the scientist replied, smiling thinly. "But trust me, it will change your life."
A high-ranking officer entered the laboratory, his face stern and uncompromising. "We have limited time," he said. "We need strong soldiers to fight the enemy. You are our last hope."
"Last hope?" Jade frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The enemy is getting stronger," the officer replied. "They have new weapons, a larger army. We need this serum and many troops to defeat them."
"But we still don't know anything about this serum," Luna protested.
"We don't know what will happen to us."
"You have no choice," the officer said, his voice cold. "It's an order from the kingdom. You must accept this serum."
Jade, Gala, and Luna exchanged glances. They knew they were in a difficult situation. They wanted to end the war, but they were also afraid of the risks of the serum.
"Alright," Jade said, sighing. "We'll do it. Sir, may I leave this with you? It's a message from my father." Jade handed over a cloth-wrapped box.
"I don't know where the royal blacksmith is. My father told me to give it to the royal blacksmith."
The scientist opened the box. Jade looked like he wanted to protest, but the scientist spoke before he could. "Sorry, I need to know what's inside."
"I'll give this to Mr. Demitria directly. He's the royal blacksmith," the scientist said after seeing the contents of the box.
That day, all of team 19 took turns sitting in the medical chair, feeling the syringe pierce their skin. The cold liquid flowed into their veins, sending strange sensations throughout their bodies. They groaned in pain, feeling painful and confusing changes.
The three of them lay weak on the laboratory beds, their bodies shaking and sweating. Screams and groans filled the room. The body's rejection of the foreign object lasted for several hours, an incredible torture.
Some people from squad 19 even lost consciousness immediately after the serum was injected. They eventually passed out one by one.
Four days passed. A vast room was visible, filled with beds where those who survived the serum injection lay. White-coated lab staff busily checked on the sleeping soldiers.
Jade woke up gasping for air, feeling strange sensations all over his body. His muscles felt stronger, denser, as if they had been implanted with new energy. He sat up, seeing Gala and Luna also awake, their eyes flashing with the same power.
Jade looked around, rows of beds neatly arranged beyond counting. Several people were also waking up in various corners of the large room.
"What happened to us?" Gala asked, his voice hoarse. Gala and Luna were not far from Jade, just a row apart.
"I don't know," Luna replied, her eyes narrowed, as if seeing something others couldn't. "But I feel different. I can see clearer, farther."
Jade clenched his fist, feeling the power flowing through him. "Me too," he said. "I feel stronger, look at these muscles."
A scientist entered the room and approached Jade, smiling smugly. "Welcome to the world of new power," he said. "You have received incredible power."
Several staff came to help the three of them stand. "Come on, we're moving to the cell defragmentation room," the scientist said. Jade was helped into a wheelchair.
The three of them were pushed in wheelchairs toward a room filled with glass tubes and cables with syringes attached. Many tubes were filled with soldiers who had woken up earlier.
In the tubes, they were pierced with needle cables, then submerged in glowing green liquid up to their shoulders.
"You can fully activate the new power, and you three are already in an active state," the scientist said, then paused and turned to Jade, Gala, and Luna. "But you can't even stand, can you?" Jade looked at Gala next to him. He did notice something strange about his body, besides the flowing power.
"You're experiencing severe muscle fatigue. That's why you can't even stand. But the power feels limitless."
"Even though you're using the new power, you're just humans with activation limits. That's why I brought you here. To complete the final stage."
"And you, you have something interesting to see, your muscle mass changed drastically," the scientist said, approaching Jade and touching his shoulder. He then looked at Gala and said, "Almost the same as this guy."
"So, what kind of power?" Jade asked, his eyes fixed on the scientist's.
"You might have a special power. Among the special powers, only 'All Rage' is visible to the naked eye. That's because your lower body muscles developed so significantly," the scientist replied.
"What about me?" Gala asked. He looked uneasy hearing Jade had a special power.
"I don't know yet, we'll have to examine you." Gala looked disappointed.
"Alright, you'll be prepared to enter the 'Myths Cybernetic' tubes. You'll undergo cell defragmentation for the next 24 hours." The scientist moved away from Jade and prepared the first tube.
"What is cell defragmentation?" Luna finally spoke, looking worried. The scientist turned to her.
"Don't worry, we're just injecting super micro robot cells to control the serum in your body. In other words, you'll be able to use the new power only when needed, and return to normal when not. Unlike your current state."
"You're experiencing severe fatigue side effects, which can shorten your lifespan if used continuously due to rapidly aging cells."
"Will our lives be shortened? Do we have a certain age limit?" Luna asked, looking more agitated.
The scientist sighed. He approached Luna, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Look at these ears, so beautiful. Are you from the Lalaluna continent?"
"Don't worry about age. Your two friends are the ones in danger if they stay in constant new power activation. They don't have cell regeneration as fast as the Talingan Aru people." Jade and Gala were shocked.
They had never known and were reluctant to ask Luna if she didn't want to talk. They just realized that behind Luna's beautiful hair, she had pointed ears. Gala was stunned, realizing Luna was a beautiful woman.
Luna gently pushed the scientist's hand away. "Alright, I'll do it." The scientist smiled, holding Luna's hand gently.
"You don't have to hide your beautiful ears. All nations agreed 1000 years ago, you are part of this world. You are human too."
"I know…" Luna replied softly, looking down shyly. She knew Gala and Jade saw her. And she had kept it a secret from her two friends.
The scientist moved on with his work. "How old are you, miss? At least tell me. Those two are your friends, right? They don't seem to know you very well."
Luna remained silent. The scientist turned and removed his ear flat cap and said, "My name is Philippe…" The three of them were shocked. The scientist had no earlobes.
"You…" Luna stared at Philippe, wide-eyed. "Yes, I've lived for 1400 years, and these ears are a testament to our people's dark past."
"Bornika is the only place that accepts us with open arms besides the isolated Lalaluna."
Jade spoke as Philippe was about to continue. "Luna, you're still my friend. Differences won't erase the fact that we're fighting together here. Right, Gala?"
"Y-yes…" Gala nodded, his cheeks flushed. The man was smitten!
"376 years… my age," Luna said softly. "Grandma! You're older than my grandma!" Jade laughed. Luna looked angry. So did Philippe, who returned to his work.
The three of them then entered the 'Myth Cybernetic' tubes that Philippe had prepared. After waking up the next day, they were completely recovered from fatigue, fit and ready to fight.
Everyone who woke up that day was taken to the training room, a large arena filled with strange equipment. There, they met a trainer, a burly man with scars on his face.
"I will train you," the trainer said, his voice gruff. "I will make you the strongest soldiers."
The training was hard and exhausting. They learned about war strategies, battle tactics, and weapon usage. They also learned to control their new power to maximize its potential.
Jade discovered that the new power gave him access to 'All Rage', a state of anger that drastically increased his strength and speed. Gala found that his muscle strength had increased significantly, allowing him to lift heavy objects and smash things with ease.
Luna found that her vision had improved significantly, allowing her to see far and predict enemy movements. Her special power was exactly like Jade's mother's, maximum power in the ciliary muscles of the eyes.
Only Gala had no special force. But that didn't diminish his determination to stop the war.
During the training, they got to know each other better. They learned about each other's backgrounds, dreams, and fears. They also learned to work together as a team, using their unique strengths effectively.
However, the competition between them remained. Gala, with his great ambition, wanted to prove himself the best. Luna, who had opened up a little, wanted to prove that she couldn't be underestimated. Jade, with his desire to end the war, wanted to prove that he deserved the new power.
The three of them returned to camp, eager to rejoin squad 19 and share the news. And show off their new powers. Amidst the hustle and bustle of hundreds of thousands of soldiers looking for their squad members, they entered the barracks, but found no one there.
Their squadmates belongings were neatly arranged next to their beds. "Where is everyone? Are we the last ones?" Gala was packing his gear. Jade and Luna were too. They didn't want to be left behind if squad 19 was leaving soon.
A soldier in a white Jindara royal helmet entered suddenly. Jade, Gala, and Luna stood up in formation.
"Soldiers! At ease!" the lieutenant said. "Listen up. You three are the only ones who survived the serum reaction and adapted."
The three of them were shocked! Their minds raced, only one certainty when failing serum adaptation. "Lieutenant…" Jade said softly, looking down sadly.
"Lieutenant Jack! Call me Jack…" Jack softened his tone. "Your friends were sent home in panzer drums. Sorry, they all failed and died in the process."
Gala clenched his fists, Jade sat down, eyes red. Luna looked down, gripping her left arm tightly.
"I will lead squad 19 from now on. We'll form a new squad, and 7 people will soon join to fill the empty positions."
"I understand how you feel. I went through this too. But we must stay focused! Two days and we leave! Now, rest."
Jack left the three remaining members of squad 19 to grieve, leaving without saying a word that was clearly pointless. He wanted them to reflect that war is not something fun with heroic cliches in a story. Many had not even drawn their swords, yet had already fallen.
Gala walked to sit on the side of his bed, as did Luna and Jack. "This is war, we're still in training camp and just got the serum," Gala said, starting the conversation.
"I will keep moving forward, our struggle with squad 19 cannot stop here. We carry the determination of our fallen comrades." Luna stood up.
"You know, mourning our friends won't bring them back. The only way is to go to battle. That way, our families and the families of our comrades will be safe at home."
"You're right, Luna," Gala replied. But Jade was still looking down sadly. He then lay down to calm his mind.
That day, the three of them mourned in silence. None of them mentioned the failure of the 7 members of squad 19, and this was all they could do. That night, Jade decided not to get close to anyone except Luna and Gala.
So did the other two. They didn't want to feel the pain of loss in the middle of battle. The new squad 19 was foreign to the three of them, but so be it. Two days passed quickly, the Jindara forces had been pushed back from the front defense line.
Today, they stood at the city gate, ready to depart for the battlefield. They looked at each other, realizing that their lives would change forever.
To the Battlefield
The city gate opened wide, revealing a dusty road stretching to the horizon. Jade, Gala, and Luna stood in front of the gate, looking towards the distant battlefield. Behind them, the Jindara forces marched with spirit, ready to fight.
"Here we go," Gala said, taking a deep breath. "The enemy's battlefield."
"Are we ready for this?" Jade asked, looking at Gala and Luna.