(Narrator POV)

Elga drifted in nothingness.

There was no ground beneath her feet, no sky above her head—just an endless sea of black, stretching forever in every direction. It wrapped around her like ice water, numbing her, drowning her, stealing all sense of time. She couldn't even feel her own heartbeat.

Her voice broke the silence, thin and trembling.

"Where… am I?"

The words echoed into the dark, but no answer came back. Only her own fear.

Her throat tightened. "Is this… the afterlife? They say humans go somewhere when they die. But me? Do I belong here too?"

Her lips twisted bitterly. A small, broken laugh slipped out, vanishing quickly into the void.

"No. Of course not. Even in death, they'd draw the line. Humans on one side… and monsters like me on the other side complete Darkness."

For a long moment, there was nothing.

Then the darkness rippled.

At first, it was barely noticeable—a faint vibration under her weightless body. But then it grew stronger, pulling, reshaping. The emptiness beneath her hardened. Cold metal pressed against her bare feet. A sterile, suffocating smell filled her nose—chemicals, blood, and something sharp, like rusted iron.

Elga's breath hitched.

"No… not here…"

The black void peeled away, replaced by walls of glass.

Her hands moved on instinct, pressing against the smooth surface. They were small hands—fragile, trembling. Not the hands of the soldier she had become, but those of a child.

She looked at her reflection and froze.

Wide Lion eyes stared back, wet with tears. Her golden hair was thin, matted to her scalp. Her frame was weak, wrapped in a plain hospital rag. She was no captain, no warrior, no lioness beast. She was just a little cub girl again.

The memory returned in full force.

Every injection.

Every blade.

Every scream.

The helplessness that had crushed her no matter how hard she fought.

And then came the sound.

The lab was alive again.

Children crying until their voices cracked. Women begging, clawing at glass walls until their nails tore away. The hum of machines grinding endlessly, a cold heartbeat that drowned out mercy.

Elga's knees shook. She pressed her palms against her ears, but it was useless. The voices burrowed into her mind, gnawing at her soul.

Footsteps.

Her whole body froze.

Calm, measured, echoing off steel floors. A rhythm she could never forget.

The chief scientist stepped into view. His white coat was spotless, his face serene, his smile gentle—too gentle, the kind that carried a stench worse than blood. He leaned close to her glass prison, his eyes gleaming with fanatic light.

"Elga," he said softly, almost as if he cared. "Grow quickly. We need you. With your womb, we can create a new humanity Nd you will become Eve of this new generation."

Her stomach twisted.The words were vile, too disgusting to belong in the mouth of anyone calling themselves human.

She had seen the truth before. Women collapsing, broken and discarded. The horror of becoming nothing more than a vessel. Even as a child, she had understood the meaning. And now, reliving it with the mind of who she was today, she understood far too well just how monstrous humans could be.

Her lips trembled, but then she clenched her fists.

Fear still gripped her heart—but anger began to burn through it, a steady flame refusing to be smothered.

"In your dreams," Elga whispered. Her voice trembled at first, thin as a thread… but then it steadied, sharp as a blade. "I will escape this place."

Her younger self had never spoken those words. But now, her spirit rejected the memory. This was no longer the past—it was a collision of who she had been and who she had become.

The scientist's smile soured into a sneer.

"Escape? And where would you go? You're a monster. The moment you step outside, the world will hunt you. They'll kill you… or cage you. That is your existence, Elga."

For a moment, her chest tightened. His words pressed down like chains, heavy and suffocating, threatening to drag her back into the glass prison.

But then—she remembered.

A man's face.

Kind eyes.

A smile that wasn't laced with pity or worship, but simple, stubborn acceptance.

Her heart stirred. Her voice rose, fierce and unshakable.

"You're wrong. I've seen it. A man who treats even a monster as his equal .. no he actually married one. And I know there are others like him. Humans who will accept me… for who I am."

The air cracked.

The walls splintered like brittle glass, fractures spreading until the entire lab crumbled. The cries, the needles, the scientist's laughter—all of it shattered into dust.

The void swallowed the fragments, leaving only silence.

Elga gasped. Her chest heaved as though she had broken the surface of deep water.

Her golden eyes snapped open.

And she woke.

Elga's eyelids fluttered. The world around her was hazy, colors bleeding into one another as her vision struggled to focus. Slowly, the shapes sharpened, and she recognized the sterile, colorless ceiling above her—the ceiling of a chamber she had once prayed never to see again.

Her chest tightened.

"So… I really am dead," she whispered weakly.

She tried to move, but pain ripped through her body like fire eating through dry wood.

"Ouch…" she hissed, collapsing back against the floor.

"Don't move too much, idiot. Your wounds will open again."

That familiar voice cut through the haze like a blade. Elga turned her head slowly, her lashes heavy, and blinked until the figure beside her came into focus. Fiona sat there, arms crossed and face stern—but her eyes never left Elga. And not only her. Sara was there too. Erika, Rika, Loid, Jenny, even several guards—all gathered close, forming a protective circle around her bed like a shield.

Elga's breath caught. "What… are you all doing here?"

Fiona let out an exaggerated sigh, as if trying to downplay the tension. "Isn't it obvious? Rika's healing you. The rest of us are making sure no one lays a hand on you."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "But… why? Why would you go this far… for a monster like me?"

"Ugh, there she goes again." Fiona rubbed her temples in irritation, though her voice trembled slightly at the edges. "Can't you shut up for once? My head already hurts just listening to your nonsense."

Elga's throat tightened, a knot forming that made it hard to breathe. She wanted to wipe away the tears brimming in her eyes, but her body refused to move.

And then—a gentle touch brushed against her cheek. Fingers wiped the tears away for her.

She turned her head slowly.

Sara was there, sitting close, her gaze softer than Elga had ever seen.

For so long, Elga had forced herself to say only Chief Sara. But in that fragile moment, the word that slipped past her lips betrayed her guarded heart.

"...Mom."

Sara's eyes glistened, but her smile was steady. "Yes, my little Elga."

The walls around Elga's heart shattered. Her chest broke open, and tears poured freely down her face as a sob ripped out of her throat. "Mom…I thought.. I thought no one loved me. I thought everyone hated me. But… today I found out I was wrong."

For years she had carried hatred like armor—against humans, against demons, against the entire world. She believed strength meant never needing anyone, never showing weakness. But now, lying broken and vulnerable, she understood what true strength was.

Sara leaned down and gathered Elga into her arms, holding her trembling frame with quiet certainty. "I know, my dear. It must have been so hard, carrying that burden alone, pretending to be Strong."

Elga clutched at her sleeve, her body shaking as the last of her defenses crumbled. Her voice broke, raw and small.

"I was so scared…"

The memory of Erza's cold, merciless strike burned in her mind. That battle had carved terror into her very bones—terror she could no longer mask behind anger or bravado.

But in Sara's embrace, for the first time, Elga allowed herself to simply be what she truly was—

a daughter.

Elga shifted her gaze to the others standing close by. Their worried faces made her heart twist, so she tried to hide behind her usual sharp tongue. She raised her claw and snapped,

"What are you all staring at? You want me to feed you this claw?"

The room went quiet. No one looked angry—only relieved that she still had enough energy to be her stubborn self.

But then her voice softened, uncertain.

"Wait… how do I even have this claw? I remember… Erza cut it off. She—she destroyed me."

Her eyes trembled as she stared at her own hand, whole again.

Fiona leaned forward, arms crossed. "Rika healed you. She nearly passed out, but she pulled it off."

"Rika… did that?" Elga muttered. She looked from Rika to the others, their faces carrying genuine relief and worry. Her throat tightened, but before she could speak,

a sudden chuckle broke the silence.

Fiona leaned back, smirking despite the redness around her face. "So… how was your fight with that monster?" she asked casually.

Elga lowered her gaze. "Fight? It wasn't even a fight. I didn't see a single slash. One moment I stood… the next, I was down. Defeated in an instant. It was terrifying…" Her voice trembled, and for the first time, she admitted it aloud.

Fiona's smirk softened. "Of course you were terrified. I know that feeling too, Elga."

Elga sniffled, trying to keep her tears from falling. But then she noticed something strange. Fiona's head—covered in red bumps, like someone had beaten her silly.

Her eyes widened. "And… what happened to your head?"

For a moment, Fiona froze, then waved it off with a shrug. "Oh, that? Nothing serious. Erza and I had a… friendly exchange of fists. She knocked me back into my senses."

Elga just stared at her. Then, despite the pain still burning in her body, a small laugh escaped her lips. It was awkward at first, then stronger, trembling in her chest until she couldn't hold it back.

The others exchanged glances—some smiling, some sighing with relief.

For the first time in a very, very long time… Elga didn't feel alone.

Elga's gaze swept the room, sharp and searching, her golden-lionness eyes alight with fury. Her voice trembled, barely more than a whisper, but it cut through the thick, tense air.

"What happened to… that human?" she asked, glancing around.

Sara's expression softened, calm and steady. She pointed gently toward a cocoon of shimmering ice crystals. Inside, Yuuta slept, his chest rising and falling in peaceful rhythm. Beside him, Erza sat silently, vigilant, her violet eyes never leaving him. Patient. Protective. Waiting for him to awaken.

Relief and determination warred in Elga's chest. She clenched her fists, muscles taut beneath her blood-streaked fur. Then, from somewhere in the distance, a golden-red gaze caught hers—the same eye she had seen in her memories behind the chief scientist. A spark ignited, fierce and burning, driving her forward.

"Stop!" several voices shouted in unison. "Elga, don't move!"

She didn't listen. Every step carried purpose, deliberate and unyielding. She passed Erza and Yuuta, who didn't flinch, didn't speak, as if nothing could deter her path.

Finally, she reached Allen, seated calmly on a sealed chair. His posture was composed, but the sharpness in his eyes betrayed a quiet wariness. The air between them thickened, charged with rage and the weight of countless sins.

Elga stopped just short of him, her massive frame trembling with controlled fury, blood streaked across her body like war paint. She leaned forward, voice low and deadly.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she demanded. "You were the one who gave them the idea… the humans… the ones who created this… this new humanity project!"

Allen's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile, the kind that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "Which one are you talking about?" he asked casually, though the glint in his eye hinted at far more. "I've sinned many times and decieved countless fool. Can you be more specific?"

"Site 22… Project Chimera," Elga spat, venom dripping from each word.

Recognition flickered across Allen's face for a brief, almost imperceptible moment. Then the faintest trace of amusement—and perhaps regret—touched his lips.

"Ah… now I understand why you look the way you do. So… you were the result of my sins," he said softly, almost to himself.

"Subharshi… Subharshi," he muttered under his breath, the tension between them thick enough to choke the room.

Every guard, every ally, even Sara and Other captains held their breath. The air was electric—fear, fury, and unspoken truths swirling in the charged silence.

And in that moment, Elga's claws flexed, her body a living storm of anger and determination, ready to demand the answers she had waited for her entire life.

To be continued…

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