"Discard all the rest."
"The research has been a success. The ultimate weapon has been created. Humanity's victory is assured."
"This one seems to be semi-conscious. It can hear our thoughts."
Green translucent liquid surrounded a boy as he opened his eyes. His first instinct was to breathe as he felt his body give out without oxygen. The water provided diffused oxygen to him.
"This specimen seems to be healthy as well. It is a shame that our research is over."
The boy banged on the glass. He knew that he was going to be terminated if he did not do something.
Due to never using his body before, his muscles had not developed enough. Yet, his feeble looking hands could barely damage the high-quality glass he was encased in. Even a crack appeared on it.
He peered at the scientists outside his tank. They were taking notes while glancing at him.
"Wait a minute. This one is not completely useless yet. Even though your research is complete, you cannot abandon a homunculus which is healthy and living."
A woman with long yellow hair and dark blue eyes said in a condescending tone.
She stopped the other scientists. The other scientists did not look happy but they did not object.
The glass finally gave out. He fell out of the broken tank onto the cold hard granite floor.
Every gasp for air felt painful. There were small shards of glass sticking to his forearms and knees. But not a single one could pierce into him.
The girl extended her hand forward and helped him up. Her strength was unnatural.
He tried taking a step forward. It felt unnatural but he grasped it.
One of the scientists threw a white towel at him. Only then did he notice that he was completely naked and wet from the fluid in the tank.
"You can call me Aria."
She glanced down and blushed slightly.
She raised her hand and a red hexagonal structure formed above her hand. She took out some clothes from it.
"As much as I like staring at you right now, you should wear these."
He quickly changed into the clothes. It felt a little big for him.
He looked around the laboratory in wonder. The devices were strange and too advanced for him to understand.
"The specimen is completely engaged with his core. His body is stable. The core inside him is entirely savage just like you, Miss Aria."
The scientist who said that examined the boy.
"Let me give you a name. Or do you want to choose a name for yourself?"
"I wish to name myself."
His voice felt strange to him as he heard it for the first time as well.
He thought of a name.
'Should I go with something simple or something extravagant?'
After thinking for a minute, he decided his name.
"My name is Edoran from now on."
Aria laughed.
"What kind of stupid name is that?"
Edoran blushed.
"Try to initiate your core, Edoran. Feel its power flowing through you. You are the only battle homunculi created in our lab other than Geneva-0567932-C, the Warmonger."
Edoran focused on his core. He put his hand to his chest trying to feel it.
"Pfft. You idiot. Our cores are in our heads, not in our hearts."
He blushed again and focused on his core. It was a golden orb with a green light glowing inside it. Power coursed through his veins.
The wet fluid around him evaporated as heat developed in his body. Energy flowed as he felt stronger.
His atrophied muscles grew bigger and so did his body.
"People of the Orion lab, as you know that my father is the owner of this place, I am sure you would not mind taking Edoran here with me."
"No Miss Aria, you can take him with you." The senior scientist said.
She patted him on the back happily and took Edoran by his hand.
"My nephew needs a bodyguard for the company he is starting and you are perfect."
Edoran was shocked but he did not say anything as he was already happy to escape from his demise.
"Wait a minute, Miss Aria. You forgot the resolute collar."
The chief scientist gave Aria a black collar with an orange light glowing around it.
"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that. Can't have this one running around as it wants."
She put the collar over Edoran. He tried to resist but it already attached itself to his neck. It transformed into a black tattoo on his neck.
He rubbed the tattoo attempting to remove it.
Aria smiled at him and took out a pin. She pricked her finger with it and poured it on the tattoo.
"IT BURNS!!!" Edoran screamed as he fell to his knees. The tattoo was burning through his skin.
"It is alright. Now come on, we should head to my house soon. My nephew's inauguration party should have started by now."
Edoran looked at her as though she were crazy.
'This bitch. She just burned my neck. I cannot work as her slave. This is worse than death.'
He tried to punch her. His tattoo started burning his neck fiercely. He screamed and scratched his neck due to the unbearable pain.
"It is a no-go for you to attack me or anyone in my bloodline with your collar. If you try it again, I will make sure your core is removed and used as a fucking battery."
She smiled and lifted Edoran.
He whimpered and looked at her with fear.
"Please let me go. I have never harboured any ill intentions towards you. Am I not human just like you? How can you enslave me like this?"
"Never harboured any ill intentions? You just tried to punch me. You are the property of the Faulkner family now."
She channelled her energy into his tattoo and forced Edoran to move along.
They travelled in a small truck with Edoran in the back crouching and staring at the world outside the lab.
It was more green rather than cities and buildings. He could see some skyscrapers and houses but they too were surrounded with greenery.
"Enjoying the view, huh? This is Greenglow country. It provides 79% of the world's agricultural produce. The city has only five management companies for handling the savages in the city. Rest are all for sustainable agriculture."
Savages were mutated creatures created due to a biological component A-076thz also known as Stabilis missing in the atmosphere. A bio-war wiped it out entirely in North America. Humans, animals, insects and plants, all were transformed into savage, mindless creatures.
The gas that caused the deficiency of Stabilis spreads continuously to other continents as well.
Humans have found no cure for the gas. People have gained natural resistance towards the gas but once turned, the possibility of recovering was zero.
"Here, that is the factory for processing the savages' corpses. Savages have been a blessing as well with the weaker ones becoming our main source of food and energy."
Savages multiply very fast and in massive numbers. They solved the most threatening problem, food scarcity in times of war.
They possessed energy cores which gave out more energy than a nuclear power station. Even the smallest and the weakest savages produced a lot of energy from their cores.
Their bodies were processed into various items as well.
This allowed humanity to survive better and fight against the bigger savages.
After an hour, they finally reached a huge mansion-style house. It seemed old yet well-maintained.
He could see two people standing outside the main gate. They were armoured in blue full-body suits.
Not an area was left open. Their whole body was covered.
One had a huge, bulky armor with a heavy cannon in his hand while the other had a sleek yet formidable armor with a halberd.
"Miss Aria, I hope you had a good time in the laboratory. Young master Harold has been waiting for you in the study."
"Thanks for telling me, Jen. Check this out, this is a battle homunculus that I got for Harold."
Saying that, she pointed at Edoran. The woman in the sleek armor gazed at him but he could not see her expression under her helmet.
The one in the bulky armour raised his cannon and took out a small orb from its side. It was blue in color just like his armor. He kept it near Edoran and it started radiating light.
"So it is true that battle homunculi have a completely savage energy core." He said in a curious voice.
"Yes, he is from Orion lab as well. He is a top-class homunculus of similar calibre as the warmonger."
Both of the guards looked at Edoran intensely.
'I feel angry with them looking at me like I am a prized possession but I cannot do anything to escape with this collar.'
Aria took him inside the mansion. It was made of some yellowish wood.
A teenage boy walked towards them with a smile.
"Auntie, you are finally here. I have waited for so much time for you to come. The party is about to start soon and you have to get ready soon. Grandfather is about to come soon."