It had been buried deep—hidden away, locked behind multiple layers of security, and encrypted three times over.
There was no title, no clear summary. Just a single label that read:
"Project Ascendance – Phase IV: Human Integration Trials."
He should've left it alone.
He knew that now.
And a part of him, even now, desperately wished he hadn't opened it.
Inside the file were countless medical records. Detailed brain scans, advanced genetic matching reports, and logs about how certain minds responded to neural testing.
All of them led to one terrifying conclusion:
"Extract and combine powerful genetic traits from selected individuals inside the Spire. Goal: create the next generation of superior beings."
The people they chose weren't random.
They were from ancient, powerful bloodlines.
They had rare abilities—some even impossible to measure.
They were elite. Born gifted. Chosen without their consent.
Some had disappeared without a trace.
