Chapter 01 The Breaking Point

Deep within Mountain Kuro, buried beneath layers of reinforced concrete and steel, lay the most advanced and classified research facility in human history—Helios-9 A.K.A the Concrete Coffin. It was a fortress of science, a prison of knowledge, and a ticking time bomb all in one.

The facility was encased within a titanic concrete chamber, a man-made tomb constructed to contain catastrophic experiments if they ever spiraled out of control. The entire structure was suspended on enormous steel pillars, drilled deep into the mountain’s bedrock. If a Code Red was ever issued, the pillars would detonate, sending the entire facility plummeting into the concrete abyss below, sealing it shut forever.

The world was not supposed to know what happened inside those walls. Not the governments funding the projects, not the desperate people clinging to hope, and certainly not the small, quiet town nestled at the base of Mountain Kuro.

The roar of a sleek black car echoed through the mountain pass as it screeched to a halt at the front gates of the Concrete Coffin. The driver barely had time to stop before Ichiban flung the door open and leaped out, her lab coat flapping behind her like a cape. Her sharp, determined eyes were fixed on the facility’s entrance, her mind racing with the words her assistant, Kaiju, had shouted over the phone.

“The experiment showed results! You need to see this! After months of staying dormant, it finally shows activity!” 

She sprinted through the security checkpoints, her ID badge swinging wildly as she bypassed the usual protocols. The guards knew better than to stop her—Ichiban was the heart and soul of the facility, and when she moved, the world moved with her. She burst into her lab, her breath coming in short gasps, only to find Kaiju standing over a table littered with data sheets and glowing vials of liquid.

“What happened? What did you see?”

Kaiju turned to her, his face pale but excited. 

“The liquid—compound 86! It reacted! It’s stable, and it’s spreading faster than we anticipated. But… there’s a problem.”

Ichiban’s eyes narrowed as she grabbed the data sheets, scanning them. Her heart sank as she realized the truth. The liquid wasn’t a solution—it was a catalyst. Instead of halting the crystallization consuming the planet’s core, it accelerated it. Her hands trembled as she dropped the papers.

“This… this is the opposite of what we needed. This isn’t a cure—it’s a death sentence.”

The realization hit Ichiban like a sledgehammer. Years of work, countless sleepless nights, and the weight of the world’s fate—all for nothing. Her frustration boiled over, and with a furious scream, she swept her arm across the table, toppling a mountain of books and scattering papers across the floor. Kaiju flinched but stood his ground, his own frustration bubbling to the surface.

“Ichiban, calm down! We can fix this! We just need a little bit more time! Look for other options. We just need to adjust the formula—”

“Fix it?! More time?!” Ichiban roared, her voice echoing through the lab.

 “There is no more time! We don’t have time to fix it! You understand what’s at stake better than anyone! The government is going to announce it to the world in a few months—the planet’s core is crystallizing. The surface will follow. We have one year, Kaiju. One year before the entire planet is consumed!”

Kaiju’s face fell, but he refused to back down. 

“Then we work faster! We don’t have a choice! We need to try again! If we don't, everyone dies! The life on the planet will die! No one will survive if we don't do something about it!”

Ichiban slammed her fist on the table, her eyes blazing.

 “It's pointless! Have you forgot about the rich? The chosen ones? Who will fund all of this!? Eel Shmuck already has his colonization project ready. His ships will launch soon, and he’ll leave 90% of humanity behind to die. In few months everything will turn upside down! Do I even need to tell you how people will react to the news? We ran out of time, Kaiju. Out of options. We tested all combinations, all materials, nothing worked. This! Was! It!"

She took a deep breath and continued, "Maybe... if we could start over... somehow with something we haven't think about trying...”

“Then we don’t waste another second!” Kaiju snapped, grabbing the vial of the failed experiment.

 “This is useless. We start over right away!”

Before Ichiban could stop him, Kaiju stormed over to the sink and poured the liquid down the drain. Ichiban’s eyes widened in horror.

“Kaiju, no! You idiot, don’t—”

But it was too late. The moment the liquid hit the water, a violent reaction erupted. The sink exploded in a shower of crystal shards, and a massive crystalline formation began to grow at an alarming rate. It spread like wildfire, consuming the pipes, the floor, and the ceiling. The lab shook as the crystals tore through the room, their blood-red, jagged edges gleaming ominously.

Ichiban grabbed Kaiju and yanked him back toppling on the ground. 

“What have you done?! That liquid reacts violently with water! You’ve just triggered a catastrophe!”

Kaiju stared in shock as the crystals continued to grow, their relentless expansion consuming the entire lab.

 “I… I didn’t... I didn't mean this to happen.” 

Ichiban’s mind raced as she pushed herself off the ground, her hands trembling but her thoughts razor-sharp. She grabbed the intercom mounted on the wall.

"Emergency! Experiment gone wrong in lab 7! We have crystallization spread! I repeat! Emergency! Cut the water supply to the labs! Now! I repeat, shut off all water sources in Helios-9 IMMEDIATELY! Prepare to activate Code Red if the crystallization spread does not halt!"

Before she could hear a response, the entire Helios-9 facility quaked violently, the force of it throwing Ichiban back to the ground. A violent shockwave tore through the walls. The reinforced steel beams screamed under the pressure. Somewhere deep in the facility, something ruptured. The alarms blared to life, their screams echoing through the corridors. The power flickered, the white neon lights stuttering before dying completely, plunging the lab into darkness. A moment later, the red emergency lights flared to life, casting the room in an eerie, blood-red glow.

Muffled explosions reverberated through the thick concrete walls and floors. The lab shook again, and Ichiban could feel the vibrations coursing through her body. She scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding.

Kaiju stumbled toward her, his face pale and his voice trembling.

 “What the hell is happening?! How could such a small dose cause all of this?!”

Ichiban didn’t have time to explain. She didn’t even have time to think. The liquid’s reaction was beyond anything she had anticipated, and now it was spiraling out of control. She grabbed the intercom again, her fingers pressing the button as she shouted into it.

“This is Ichiban! Report! What’s happening out there?!”

For a moment, there was only static, the crackling noise filling the lab like a sinister hiss. Then, faintly, she heard voices—screaming, panicked voices. Gunshots rang out in the background, sharp cracks of rifles discharging, echoing through the speakers. A strangled voice came through the intercom, desperate and broken.

The words were warped, broken by static and something far worse—a sound like tearing flesh, like bone splintering against steel.

“Help… please… we need help…” The voice was barely recognizable, choked with pain and fear.

 “Something… something’s appearing… showing up… I don’t know what it is, but it’s—AAAHHH!”