Golden Melody

Special Chapter 4

Third person point of view

Meanwhile, at the Wolves’ Headquarters

Marie sat at a console, her enhanced reflexes allowing her to sift through multiple feeds and reports simultaneously.
She froze as her device pinged, displaying a new message from her creator.
Her brow furrowed as she opened it, her hybrid heart sinking as she listened to his words.

“Don’t look for me,” she muttered, her fingers gripping the edges of the console.
“What are you doing, Dad?”

She played the attached video, her sharp eyes scanning the footage. Ofreigha’s pale, terrified face flashed on the screen as she was covered in blood, topless and seeking for help in the dark streets of red city. Marie’s jaw tightened, her determination hardening.

She called Zaren and Diannah into the room, their faces grim as they joined her around the console.

"This is from Dad," she said, replaying the footage.
“It’s from Red City. He’s giving us a lead.”

Zaren folded his arms, his expression dark.
“And where is he now?”

“He said… he was still looking,” Marie replied hesitantly, avoiding their piercing gazes.
“He told us not to follow him. But I think he found her”

Diannah slammed her fist onto the table.
“That’s not good enough! If he’s in trouble, we need to help him.”

Marie placed a hand on Diannah’s shoulder.
“Right now, our priority is Ofreigha. Daddy knows what he’s doing, and if he says not to follow him, we have to trust him.”

Zaren studied the footage intently. “These streets… it’s near the church. If it’s their base of operations, they’ll have it heavily guarded."

Marie nodded.
“Then we’ll need to move carefully. take a small team to scout the area first. Diannah, gather the wolves and prepare for a coordinated assault if we find her.”

“And what about Damian?” Diannah asked, her voice softer now, laced with worry.

Marie’s expression hardened.
“If Dad's message is any indication, he’s planning something. And when the time comes, he’ll need us. But until then, we do this his way.”

Back in the Shadows

Damian followed his siblings into the depths of their hidden compound, his every step a calculated act of submission.
The walls around him pulsed faintly with energy, the technology a blend of alien craftsmanship and human ingenuity.

His little sister glanced back at him, her smirk returning as she noticed his conflicted expression.
“Don’t look so grim, Damian. You’ve made the right choice. Together, we’ll create paradise.”

Damian clenched his fists but said nothing, his mind working furiously to catalog every detail of the compound’s layout, every guard’s position, every weakness he could exploit.

In his heart, he repeated the same vow over and over.
As long as Ofreigha was in their hands, he would play their game. But when the time came, he would bring it all crashing down.

Ofreigha lay motionless on a metallic table, her breaths shallow, her once vibrant spirit reduced to flickers of defiance. The Zenips' doctors moved with calculated precision, injecting fluids and stabilizers to keep her alive.
Damian stood silently in the corner, his face a mask of indifference while his heart burned with rage and guilt.

The attending physician turned to him, their voice devoid of empathy.
“She’s stabilized. But the strain on her body is immense. If this continues...”

Damian cut him off with a sharp glare.
“Do what you must to keep them alive.”

The doctor nodded, stepping aside to reveal two incubators. Damian’s breath hitched as he approached them, his heart sinking at the sight of the tiny, fragile forms inside.
Two premature infants, barely clinging to life, floated in nutrient-rich fluid.
One had already perished, its small body lying lifeless in a separate containment unit.

“They were six months along,” the doctor explained clinically.
“Only two survived, but their chances are slim.”

Damian’s fist clenched at his side. He turned away, forcing himself to remain composed.

Ofreigha’s Recovery

Days turned into weeks as Ofreigha recovered, her body barely holding together under the strain of constant medical procedures.

His siblings had ensured Ofreigha’s suffering would not end, subjecting her to an endless cycle of pregnancies for their cloning experiments.
Every three months, they would extract the fetuses from her womb, discarding those deemed imperfect and keeping only what they considered useful.

Damian visited her whenever he could, sitting beside her as she lay in the darkened room.
He brought her food, wiped her brow, and whispered words of comfort she might not even hear.

One evening, Ofreigha opened her eyes, her voice weak but laced with gratitude.
“You... you’re not like them. You chose me... over everything else.”

Damian looked at her, his gaze heavy with unspoken emotions.
“ You’re special, Ofreigha. I swore to protect you, no matter the cost.”

She gave him a faint smile, tears welling in her eyes.
“Thank you... for saving me, even if it means losing humanity.”

Damian hesitated, then began to speak of his past, of the girl named Lianah who Ofreigha resembled so much.
He told her that after he had consumed Lianah's heart he had gained emotions and suffered a cursed.

“You remind me of her,” Damian admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
“But you’re not her. You’re stronger. You’ve endured what no one else could. And because of that, I won’t let them break you.”

Ofreigha’s eyes burned with determination.
“Then help me, Damian. Give me the power to end this. To end them.”

Damian nodded, his resolve hardening.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do it. But it will take time.”

Using the Zenips’ advanced laboratory, Damian began designing a humanoid vessel for Ofreigha.
Unlike Marie, who was a hybrid creation, this new vessel would be far more powerful a perfect fusion of human and Zenips biology, enhanced with advanced nanotechnology.
He called it Emery: Meaning "powerful," this name suggests strength and resilience in the face of new challenges.

“It won’t just be powerful,” Damian explained to Ofreigha during one of his visits.
“It will be your rebirth. This vessel will surpass even the Royal Zenips in strength and durability. But your soul will need to transfer into it, and that will take more than five years. Your current body won’t last that long.”

Ofreigha’s voice was a whisper, but it carried an edge of steel.
“I’ll endure. For as long as it takes.”

Over the years, Damian worked tirelessly in secret, stealing resources from the Zenips’ laboratories and incorporating forbidden technology into Emery.
He modified the cloning processes, taking genetic material from the Zenips’ own experiments to enhance the vessel.

He carefully explained the process to Ofreigha.
“When your current body withers, your consciousness will be transferred into Emery. It will be seamless, and you’ll awaken with strength beyond anything you’ve ever imagined. You’ll be their downfall.”

Ofreigha grasped his hand weakly, her eyes shining with gratitude and determination.
“Thank you, Damian. For giving me this chance.”

Damian nodded, his heart heavy but resolute.
“We’ll get through this. And when the time comes, we’ll burn their empire to the ground.”