They all continued along the path toward the last floor of this inverted tower. Upon reaching the door, they placed Dior's credential. Once again, the light on the door changed from red to green, and a click sounded, indicating that it was open and ready for them to enter.
Meanwhile, on the same floor—inside the seventh floor—Doctor Laos was observing the monitors alongside his three assistants and Doctor Swang, watching the effects the substances were having on Aiden's body. His blood pressure, neurons, and other organs, along with his immune system, were in complete turmoil, struggling to fight against them.
"Do you think the boy will hold up?" Swang asked Laos, naturally affirming her response. "This boy, according to the analysis, is one hundred percent an excellent test subject. One of his parents wasn't part of my father's experiments. He comes from the other side, the place where certain beings live. Perhaps he is one of them. In my father's notes, I found a lot of information about it. If everything continues as it is, the boy will be able to lead us to that place, and we'll be able to obtain what we need to continue creating more Metalux, as my father called them, for our cause."
"So, the Metalux? And what are those things?" Swang asked.
"Inside that place, there are stones of various colors, and each of them, in liquid form, has the ability to grant powers. Depending on their color, they can confer strength, magic, telepathy, attacks, machine control, and countless other abilities. My father named these the Metalux. But if you want something greater, like a supreme being, you must gather them all. According to my father's writings, this will give rise to the supreme being, but for that, we require test subjects because not many people can endure it. There have been numerous cases that ended in failure or turned the subjects into horrific creatures," explained the doctor. "The perfect beings he called Anglux, though he only managed to create one, which didn't survive long, as he recounts in these writings. The imperfect ones, or rejects, he called Reudux, and there are many of them scattered around with monstrous forms. But if all goes well, we can use this child as a stabilizer due to the gene he carries from that race that lived in that place thousands of years ago and hasn't been seen since. However, those stones continue to grow there, according to what my father indicates in these reports."
One of the assistants informed him:
"Sir, the boy's levels are critical. It seems he won't make it, and he might not survive."
"Nonsense, the boy is capable of doing it," Laos responded, annoyed.
"Everything alright, Doctor?" Zeus inquired through the monitors.
"Yes, sir, we're almost there. We'll soon have what my father desired and what you desire."
"Glad to hear that, Doctor. We'll head over to see the project come to fruition up close. I'm waiting for the order from the worker robots since there was an issue with the elevator, but once it's fixed, we'll meet, and I expect to see great results."
"Yes, sir, and thank you for the opportunity you've given me," Laos said respectfully to Zeus.
"Sir, we have intruders. The silent door alarm has been triggered," one of the assistants reported after spotting Podbe's group entering on the monitor.
"So, this group was responsible for destroying the elevator..." Zeus muttered to himself. "The dog and that girl are with them, so they're here for the boy."
Zeus looked at the two men who had captured Aiden and gave them a clear order through the monitor:
"You know what to do. I don't want any complications."
The two men exchanged glances and headed straight toward the intruders.
Meanwhile, Aiden continued to endure excruciating pain throughout his body. Suddenly, a sinister aura began emanating from him, causing all his hair to stand on end, spreading out in every direction as if forming the tail of a peacock. The chair he was strapped to shook violently, as though trying to break free from the floor.
Aiden's friends burst into the room and were immediately confronted by Zeus's henchmen, who were ready to attack. But before they could make a move, the aura surrounding Aiden unleashed a massive shockwave that reached even those five hundred meters away from the machine. The impact struck everything and everyone, knocking them unconscious—except for Podbe, whose hardness ability was still active.
Zeus lost visibility of the room where the experiment was being conducted. Frustrated, he contacted his head of security through another monitor.
"Is the elevator fixed yet?" he demanded.
The security robot responded promptly:
"Yes, we've just finished repairing the elevator tracks."
"I'm heading down there right now with my eight associates," Zeus announced.
Everyone followed Zeus as he made his way to see the results of the experiment up close. They descended to the parking area, where robots awaited to take them to the lowest level. In one corner, Adia's robot, Tron, heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, Tron hid behind a column, transforming into something resembling a trash can or similar object to blend seamlessly into the environment and avoid detection.
The nine of them boarded the elevator, heading down to the deepest basement level. Meanwhile, on the seventh floor, Podbe began sniffing the air, picking up Aiden's scent. Using his detective mode ability, he navigated through several hallways until he found the room. Inside, he discovered the boy, who had already broken free of the chair and was now floating midair, enveloped in a dark and menacing aura. The dog approached cautiously, hoping to snap Aiden out of his state, but it was no use—the boy remained unresponsive. Aiden hovered in the air, still wearing the helmet, with shackles binding his hands and legs and tubes connected to his body, pumping liquids into him. Podbe dodged the invisible waves radiating from Aiden and attempted to use their mental link. As he did, Reia had a sudden bad feeling, and the dog's mind turned dark, seemingly transporting both of them inside Aiden's consciousness.
Once they rose from the ground, everything was shrouded in darkness, with a neon red light streaking across the floor and walls. Reia and Podbe were in their human forms, shouting the boy's name multiple times, but receiving no response. Hands emerged from the floor, attempting to grab them, but Podbe used his "Firehead" to disperse them momentarily.
"We're inside a mind. You can imagine your attacks being stronger here. There's no time limit or mana depletion," Reia explained.
"You're right," the canine replied, unleashing a massive attack that seemed to burn the entire area.
"Don't overdo it either," Reia said, looking at him with a hint of frustration. "Let's keep searching for Aiden."
After following the path for a while, a cloud in the shape of a woman drifted past them, and the red light began to fade. They saw the same cloud carrying Aiden in its hands toward a neon-blue pathway. Both ran after him, calling his name, though the boy heard nothing except the cloud. He entered the bottomless blue pit, and when Podbe and Reia tried to follow, it was sealed shut. Both were saddened by their inability to reach Aiden.
The cloud approached them and spoke:
"Do not worry about him; he will be fine. It is time for him to discover the power that belongs to him," it said in a melodic and warm voice that made them both relax.
"Are you his friend, then?" Podbe asked the cloud.
"Yes, ever since we met, I've felt as though I've always known him and should stay by his side," the cloud responded.
"I see. Though you look very different from how you appeared in Aiden's memories. Do me a favor—take care of him. He still has a long journey ahead," the cloud instructed.
"I will. I won't abandon him—I give you my word," Podbe replied. "You're no enemy. I sense the aura of a kind person."
"Ha, ha," the cloud chuckled, "good. Then follow this path—it will lead you to him."
On the other side of the pit, a hole with descending stairs appeared.
"Go to him," the cloud urged.
"You seem familiar," Reia remarked thoughtfully. "Have we met before?" she asked.
The cloud simply replied,
"Hurry, or the path will close. We'll have time to talk later," and vanished into thin air.
Reia and Podbe, still in their human forms, quickly descended the stairs as the opening began to seal above them. They reached the end of the path and saw Aiden being engulfed by the same neon-blue light. Suddenly, he turned to see who was calling him and why they were calling his name. He saw a young woman and the boy accompanying her.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"It's us, Aiden—Reia and Podbe," the artificial intelligence said. "This is our mental representation. It's me, your Podbe. I've come to rescue you."
He looked at them again and this time recognized them, as he saw Podbe in his puppy-like form due to the clothes he was wearing. Anyone might have thought he looked like a caveman or something similar.
"Where are we?" he asked, confused.
"I think we're inside your mind," Reia said, somewhat uncertain.
"I see, so this is like a dream. Look at me, I'm glowing," he commented.
"It's not a dream," Reia and Podbe responded in unison. "This is happening outside of you as well," Reia explained. "You need to wake up, Aiden. Come on, do it," the dog urged.
"And how do I do that? I don't know," Aiden said.
"Maybe if I gave you a few electric shocks, like I do with Podbe when he doesn't listen to me," she suggested sarcastically.
"I don't know, but maybe if this is my mind, I can make all this light explode and radiate throughout the place. It might work."
"Well, we've got nothing to lose," Podbe remarked.
"But just to be safe, we should hide behind that wall," Reia suggested.
"Alright," the dog agreed, and both of them went to take cover while Aiden unleashed an explosion of the light surrounding him.
Everything began to turn blue, but in a more intense shade than before, and even the boy turned blue. Inside himself, he kept repeating, "this is a dream," over and over until he released all his power throughout the room. Once it was done, everything turned white.
Meanwhile, outside, in the spot where Aiden had been standing, a kind of portal began to form and activate. From it, colorful gem-like stones can be seen. Doctor Laos regained consciousness, and upon seeing this, he exclaimed excitedly:
"Yes, finally I'll be able to continue your research, Father! And perhaps, I might even improve it!"
A broad smile spread across his face as he surveyed the scene, with everyone lying unconscious on the floor, including Aiden and Podbe.
"Everyone has the opportunity to have a new beginning. No matter where you are heading, if you move forward with love and happiness, you will always find a new dawn."