Dreambreaker

Chancellor's Plan

In the sterile, dimly lit assessment room, Simon lay motionless on the metal examination table, his body connected to a web of wires. The ambient hum of machines filled the air, their rhythmic beeping almost hypnotic. Chancellor Voss stood at the observation window, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the test results roll across the series of screens overhead.

"TEST RESULTS: PHYSICALITY: BELOW AVERAGE EMOTIONS: STABLE, LOGICAL PERSONALITY: COMPLIANT INNOVATOR SUGGESTED ROLE: EXCEPTIONAL. GOOD MATCH."

A thin smile curled across the Chancellor's face. "I knew it," he muttered under his breath. "The boy is exceptional. He's perfect."

Dr. Finch, a tall woman with sharp features and a calm, calculating demeanor, stood beside him, eyes focused intently on the data. Her lab coat brushed against the ground as she shifted slightly, noting the results with approval.

"His emotional stability is impressive," she commented, her voice low and clinical. "Despite all the conditioning and the trauma of separation from his sister, he remains...contained."

"Good," the Chancellor replied, turning his gaze from the screen to the unconscious form of Simon. "It means the modifications will take to him even more efficiently. No doubt, he will be an ideal candidate for the next phase of the program. His emotional detachment makes him perfect. His mind is pliable, but his ingenuity—it makes him lethal."

Dr. Finch adjusted her glasses and nodded. "We've seen great progress in the others as well. It's a delicate balance, allowing for autonomy and ambition while keeping them utterly devoted to The Regime. The genetic modifications work best when there's a spark of individuality—without it, the subjects tend to burn out. But Simon...he's more than just compliant. He's inventive within the constraints we've given him."

The Chancellor allowed himself a moment to imagine the full potential. "An army of dreamless, loyal soldiers, each one capable of channeling their unique darkness into something far more potent than mere weapons. The magic we've unearthed, combined with the science... It's extraordinary."

"Shall I proceed with the final stage of Simon's assessment, Chancellor?"

Voss waved his hand dismissively. "Of course. But I'll need him fully compliant before we begin the enhancement process. His consent is...important."

"Consent," Dr. Finch echoed with a hint of derision, "has a curious way of manifesting when we're finished."

---

Minutes later, they left Simon's unconscious body under observation, entering another chamber deeper within The Regime's experimental facility. As the doors hissed open, a thick cloud of cold, sterile air escaped. Inside, the atmosphere was starkly different from the calm testing room. This was where the real modifications took place—a dark, almost ceremonial room filled with the faint glow of unnatural light.

Rows of young subjects, aged 14 to 18, lay submerged in large glass tanks of liquid, their frail bodies naked and exposed. Tubes crisscrossed their pale forms, delivering a mix of strange concoctions—some scientific, others more sinister. The liquids pulsed through their veins with an eerie rhythm, keeping them suspended between life and death, while dark magic symbols etched into the glass tanks glowed faintly.

Some of the subjects writhed in their confinement, their bodies twitching involuntarily as the modifications took hold. Others lay completely still, their faces twisted in silent agony. As the Chancellor and Dr. Finch walked by, one of the nearby tanks sparked with life—the subject inside convulsed violently before their body stiffened, a gurgling sound escaping their lips. Moments later, the light in their eyes dimmed, and the tank was automatically drained of its liquid.

"Failure," Dr. Finch noted coldly, tapping her tablet. "Subject 039 couldn't handle the combination of enhancements."

The Chancellor barely spared a glance. "Dispose of it. We only need the strong."

They moved on, observing the few successful subjects. In one tank, a boy's skin had begun to darken unnaturally, his eyes glowing with an unholy light as dark energy rippled just beneath his skin. In another, a girl's fingers twitched, and the air around her tank shimmered with heat as though she were generating some sort of elemental force.

"These ones are responding well," Dr. Finch said approvingly. "Their natural desires and abilities have been amplified. It's as we theorized—each one manifests a unique dark magic, tailored to their deepest instincts."

The Chancellor paused, watching a nearby tank where a girl's body was surrounded by a swirling mist of shadow, her face serene despite the chaos around her. "And the loyalty?" he asked.

"Impeccable," Dr. Finch replied. "Their minds are hardwired for absolute devotion to The Regime. Their desires—their hunger for power—are kept in check by the conditioning. They may grow stronger, but they'll always know who holds their leash."

"And what of their abilities outside these controlled environments?"

Dr. Finch tapped a few buttons on her tablet, bringing up a series of projections. "Once the subjects are released into the field, we anticipate an exponential increase in their power. The dark magic intertwined with their systems will allow them to adapt quickly. They'll be able to harness their abilities instinctively, but never without direction from The Regime."

The Chancellor smiled again. "Good. Then we proceed as planned. I want this weapon perfected, and I want Simon at the forefront. His ingenuity will make him the greatest of them all. Once he consents, we'll have everything we need to crush the Dreamers and those who would oppose us."

Dr. Finch paused as they reached the final set of tanks, where a particularly volatile subject seemed on the edge of a breakthrough—or collapse. The boy's body was convulsing violently, and arcs of dark energy flashed around him, crackling through the liquid. His mouth opened in a silent scream, and a shadowy tendril burst forth from his chest, slamming against the glass. The tank shuddered under the impact, but held.

"Subject 051 is proving...unstable," Dr. Finch said cautiously, taking a step back. "The enhancements are too much for him."

The Chancellor's eyes gleamed with interest as he watched the chaos unfold. "Fascinating. But we must ensure Simon doesn't end up like this. Increase the sedatives. We need control, not chaos."

Dr. Finch nodded, tapping her screen again as the boy in the tank finally slumped back, subdued by the drugs. His eyes still glowed faintly, the promise of power beneath the surface.

"Once Simon is ready," the Chancellor said, "we'll create the ultimate soldier. One with the power to obliterate any Dreamer, to destroy any magic not sanctioned by The Regime. He will be the key to solidifying our control over this world."

Dr. Finch's lips curled into a thin smile. "With Simon at the helm, The Regime's victory is all but assured."

They turned away from the tanks, the sounds of liquid and faint groans filling the dark room as they exited. Somewhere deep within the facility, the faint hum of magic and science intertwined, a dark symphony of power growing stronger with each passing moment.