"Safe…" Kratos muttered.

Abornim looked around at everyone. They had run for hundreds of kilometers. Though the sound of the helicopters still echoed faintly in the distance, it seemed the military was no longer interested in searching.

"Brother… you still haven't told me why you are here, who you really are, and what happened. Who are you?" Hercules asked, his voice deep and his eyes stern as they locked onto Abornim and Kratos.

"Fine. I'm from a different world—but I am still Kratos, your brother. And he…" Kratos pointed toward Abornim. "…is from outside. What we are about to tell you is connected to all of this."

The three of them stood deep in the forest, surrounded only by trees and low vegetation.

Insects and animals lurked around, yet none dared approach.

Even without releasing their aura, anyone could sense that Abornim, Hercules, and Kratos were terrifying beings.

"I'm listening," Hercules said after drawing in a fresh breath, his expression turning even more stern.

Fresh air… and the cool weather. It was perfect for this discussion—for this was not just about the fate of these three, but about the fate of the entire world.

"Father just informed me about the outside world," Kratos began. "According to him, our world is colliding with another. Very soon, a passage will open. Creatures from that world will be able to enter ours—and we will be able to enter theirs. Based on what father and the two of the three top Olympian gods discussed, the strength of that world is at least equal to ours. Our goal now is to gather the rest of the demigods and approach humanity. We'll need all the help we can get."

Hercules raised an eyebrow.

What did this mean?

That their world wasn't the only one in existence? That beyond their skies, other worlds existed—just as strong, perhaps even stronger?

His eyes wavered as he struggled to comprehend it.

But then, just as silence fell, a familiar voice cut through.

"Kratos… where's the girl?" Abornim asked, making Kratos freeze.

"Which girl?" Hercules asked, clearly in the dark.

"Shit…" Kratos muttered.

"Hercules, we need to get to the military base. The girl is a demigod—the daughter of Poseidon," Kratos said, and Hercules' expression instantly hardened as he realized how serious this was.

"No. Maybe it's fine this way," Abornim suddenly said, making both Kratos and Hercules stop in their tracks.

"What do you mean?" Hercules asked, confused, and Kratos mirrored his reaction.

"Humanity has to help us, right? Then letting them see the true capability of a demigod will be the first step in winning them over," Abornim explained.

The two brothers stopped to think.

Finally, Hercules responded. "Not a bad idea… but I know how humans operate. They'll put her through tremendous experiments. She'll be treated like an animal."

Kratos furrowed his brows. Humanity truly was like that, wasn't it?

"Sacrifices have to be made," Abornim said indifferently.

**********

At a secret underground military base

Rose's eyes opened slowly. The first thing she felt was cold metal pressing against her back. Her wrists and ankles were locked by restraints thicker than iron, humming faintly with energy. She tugged once—the chains rattled but did not break.

Bright lights burned into her pupils. Around her, men in white coats scribbled notes. Their faces were masked, but their eyes betrayed curiosity, greed, and fear.

On a platform above, a man in a dark military uniform leaned forward. General Varkas. His voice was low, but it carried through the chamber.

"Begin."

A scientist nodded and pressed a button. Electricity surged through Rose's restraints, arcs of blue lightning crawling over her skin.

Her body convulsed—but she did not scream. She bit down hard, teeth grinding, veins glowing faintly with a strange oceanic light.

"Voltage at sixty thousand… still resisting."

"Push it further," Varkas ordered.

The current doubled. The lights above flickered. The walls themselves trembled with the raw force tearing into her.

At last, Rose let out a guttural roar—not of pain, but of fury. The sound shook the glass observation panels. Several scientists flinched. One even dropped his clipboard.

"She's not breaking…"

"She's adapting," another whispered.

General Varkas' lips curved into a thin smile. "Good. Let's test the limits."

The restraints shifted. Mechanical arms lowered from the ceiling, tipped with blades, needles, and drills. They pierced into her flesh, drawing blood, trying to cut, trying to measure her durability.

The steel bent.

One drill snapped clean against her ribs.

Her body jerked against the chains, and a guttural sound rumbled in her chest—half scream, half growl.

"Stronger alloys," a scientist muttered. "She's beyond baseline parameters. Her muscle density… it's off the charts."

Another arm swung down, smashing into her skull with the force of a sledgehammer. Her head whipped back—but she remained conscious, her eyes glowing with the fury of a storm.

"She endures blunt trauma without fatal damage," one recorded, his voice shaky.

"Test regenerative capacity," the General commanded.

A long blade shot down, stabbing through her abdomen. Blood splattered across the floor, crimson and thick. Rose's body writhed as the pain surged through her—but within seconds, the bleeding slowed. The wound began knitting together before their very eyes.

The scientists gasped.

"Incredible… she's healing."

"Faster than projected."

But then came the moment they had all been waiting for.

Her restraints groaned. The chains began to crack, splintering under the sheer pressure of her strength. The entire chamber trembled as her muscles bulged, her skin glowing faintly with a watery-blue aura.

"She's breaking free!" someone shouted in panic.

"Hold her down! Increase containment!" Varkas barked.

The energy surged again—this time enough to fry half the systems in the room. Monitors exploded in showers of sparks. The restraints shattered, one by one, until finally Rose stood. Blood dripped down her torn body. Her hair was wild. Her eyes were no longer human but glowing with Poseidon's divine fury.

Silence.

The scientists froze. The General remained calm, though a bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

Rose took one step forward, and the floor dented beneath her bare feet.

Another step—and the temperature of the entire chamber seemed to drop, the air filling with a crushing weight.

She opened her mouth, her voice low, hoarse, but chilling.

"You think I am an animal? That you can break me?"

Her chains dangled from her wrists like ornaments, dripping blood onto the floor.

The lights above shattered as her aura surged.

And in that instant, everyone in the room realized—this was no experiment.

This was the beginning of a nightmare.

*****************************************************