CHAPTER 79: OTHELLO, LORD VINE, AND HYBRID ZERO

Othello stood still, his gloved hands folded neatly behind his back, watching the thing in front of him with a faint, clinical smile.

The creature paced like a caged beast, its movements jerky and unpredictable, the chains at its wrists and ankles clinking against the cold stone floor.

The magic suppressing cuffs glowed faintly, threads of enchanted silver etching faint lines of light across its darkened skin.

They were the same kind used by the Investigation Authority, stolen during one of his ’field acquisitions,’ though that was hardly an admission he would make in polite company.

It had been a week since Juniper Rowe had ceased to exist. Now, only this remains. A rabid, snarling abomination wearing her skin like a costume that had been designed for it.

Her once bright blue eyes were now pools of bottomless black, with faint red veins spiderwebbing out from the corners.

Her lips curled back to bare teeth far sharper than nature had intended.

She, or rather, it, snapped at the air between them, testing the invisible barrier of the spell that kept it contained.

Each time, the magic shimmered faintly, pushing her back with a spark of pain. Othello’s smile only widened at her frustration.

He didn’t look away when the air at the far end of the lab thickened, shadows bleeding into the shape of a man seated upon an impossibly high throne.

The darkness clung to him like armor, writhing and shifting with every movement. The illusion was as solid and oppressive as the man it represented.

Othello dropped into a deep bow, head bent low. "Lord Vine."

The voice that came from the shadows was like a whisper under the skin, low, smooth, and carrying a weight that made the air in the chamber seem colder.

"Othello," the figure rumbled, his eyes, two points of burning silver, fixing on the chained hybrid. "Is it ready for deployment?"

"Yes, my lord." Othello replied with unshakable certainty, lifting his head just enough to meet that gaze. "Her biology is stable, and the fusion has taken root. The serum worked as intended. Hybrid Zero is fully functional and combat capable."

Lord Vine leaned forward on his throne, resting his chin on one hand. "Good. You’ve done well, Othello."

"Others might not be able to see it, but we just achieved a victory that will help humanity stand against the tide that seeks to drown it."

"The sacrifices made today will be the foundation of the new order tomorrow. The Kingdom of Camelot is weak, poisoned sick by the same people meant to uplift it, making it rot from the inside."

"But soon," his voice deepened, thick with promise, "soon, they will see the truth. They will see what must be done. And they will thank us for doing what they could not."

The darkness rippled behind him like the beating of wings. "Juniper Rowe was a pawn. A necessary offering. Her blood, her potential, her very being, spent for a greater good the world is too blind to yet comprehend."

"Let them curse our names now. Let them scream ’monster’ and ’traitor’." He paused, and the air seemed to shiver. "One day, they will kneel and acknowledge our gloriousness."

"Yes, my lord." Othello said with reverent conviction.

Lord Vine’s head tilted slightly. "Deploy the hybrid. Let the people taste the future you have built. Let them understand what is coming."

And just like that, the illusion dissolved into smoke, the silver lit eyes winking out until only the torchlight of Othello’s laboratory remained.

The researcher turned back to the creature, straightening his glasses. His grin widened, teeth flashing under the light.

"Hybrid Zero." He said softly, almost fondly. "That is your designation. The first of a new era... and my greatest creation."

His voice climbed into manic joy. "Through you, my legacy will be sealed into history. A creature of power, majesty, and inevitability!"

With a flick of his wrist, he wove a complex series of runes into the air, the symbols glowing an ominous violet. A portal formed beneath the hybrid, shadows spiraling outward like the opening eye of some ancient beast.

The hybrid snarled and struggled as the floor seemed to fall away, but Othello wasn’t finished. Another spell bloomed in his palm, and with a hiss of released magic, the cuffs and chains shattered into fragments of silver and iron.

"You will be free, Hybrid Zero," he whispered, "but only in the way a storm is free."

"To destroy everything in its path."

The portal swallowed her whole.

Far above the eastern market of the capital, the air shimmered.

The fabric of reality split with a sound like tearing clothes, and a swirling portal opened in the empty sky. A figure dropped through, plummeting toward the cobblestone below.

There were screams as she fell, and a few seconds later, she hit the ground with a thunderous crack, spiderweb fractures tearing through the street beneath her.

The impact sent merchants sprawling, their wares scattering across the market stalls.

"Gods above!" Someone shouted. "Is she hurt?"

Several robed mages, the city sentries, rushed forward, their hands already glowing with healing magic. A small crowd began to form, curious murmurs rising into a concerned buzz.

The girl didn’t move at first, her hair falling over her face. Then, slowly, she raised her head.

The breath caught in the nearest mage’s throat.

Her eyes were not human. They were pools of endless black, depths swirling with a faint red glow, the gaze of something ancient and hungry.

The crowd’s murmurs turned into panicked gasps. People stumbled back, knocking over stalls in their rush to get away.

"She’s— She’s a demon!" Someone screamed. "A demon in Carthage!"

The mages staggered back a step, defensive runes springing to life around them.

Hybrid Zero’s lips pulled back in a wide, aggressive snarl. Her chest swelled, and then she reared her head toward the sky.

The roar that tore from her throat was nothing human. It was a sound of pure dominance, a challenge to the world itself. The cobblestones vibrated underfoot, windows rattling in their frames.

For a moment, silence filled the eastern market as everyone watched in awe and fear.

Then chaos erupted.