Entry #4

Louis adjusted the collar of his coat, brushing the dust off his shoulder as he stared out the window of his study.

“Claudio hasn’t visited Celine since he went back to the capital,” he muttered. “Did something happen?”

He turned to his loyal servant. “Alfredo, please watch over my sister while I visit Claudio.”

“Of course, young master,” Alfredo said with a small bow.

The streets of Atrium were quieter than usual. Louis’s boots echoed as he walked, and a chill clung to the air.

“Strange,” he murmured. “There used to be more people… especially those suffering from the plague.”

He arrived at a modest townhouse nestled between shuttered shops and soot-stained stone. The door bore no name, only faint chemical smells escaping from within.

Knock. Knock.

A muffled voice came from inside.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Louis.”

A pause. Then: “Come in.”

Claudio’s lab was a mess of vials, half-burned papers, and scribbled formulas stretching across every surface. Claudio stood at the center, stirring a bubbling solution with robotic calm.

“How are you?” Louis asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.

“Great,” Claudio said flatly, never looking up.

“I heard your father was buried while you were away in the capital.”

Claudio didn’t flinch. “So?”

“Doesn’t it pain you? You missed his last moments.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Claudio said, voice cold as steel. “I’ve moved past him.”

Louis stared. “When will you visit Celine?”

Claudio wiped sweat from his brow. “Later. I’m working on a new version of the serum. Stronger. More effective.”

Louis nodded slowly. “Very well… I’ll take my leave.”

As Louis exited the townhouse, a sudden blur passed him—a boy darting into an alleyway.

Curious, he followed.

In the dim passageway, he caught up to him. “Hey! I saw you at Claudio’s place.”

The boy turned, face pale with fear. “Please don’t take me back to him!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I thought he was a god,” the boy said. “He wore such fine clothes. He spoke so gently… but now—he’s not a man. Not even a god. He’s insane!”

Louis crouched beside him. “That’s a heavy claim. I need proof.”

The boy—Giuseppe—held out his hand.

A sudden whoosh. His hand ignited into fire.

Louis stumbled back, eyes wide. “What in the hell?!”

“He did this to me! He wanted to see if I could handle it. He called it a test! Now he wants to see how far it goes.”

Louis’s blood turned to ice. “Celine.”

Without another word, he ran.

“Celine!” Louis burst through the doors of the mansion. “Alfredo!”

Alfredo appeared instantly. “Young master—what’s happened?”

“Where’s Celine?”

“In her room, sir. Resting. I’m afraid… her condition has returned.”

Louis’s voice faltered. “No…”

He ran to her room. Celine looked up weakly as he entered.

“Louis?”

He kneeled at her side. “Celine, did Claudio come to see you?”

She shook her head. “No… not since he left.”

Louis took her hand. “From now on, I forbid you to see him.”

Celine blinked. “Why?”

“I need to know what he’s really doing.”

That night, Louis returned to Claudio’s lab.

The door creaked open without resistance.

“Louis?” Claudio turned, smiling. “You’re back. How’s Celine?”

“She’s worse. I thought you cured her.”

Claudio walked to a shelf, removing a glowing vial. “I’ve developed a newer solution. This one should do the trick.”

“Can we go inside?” Louis asked calmly.

“Of course.”

The lab was suffocating—too warm, too quiet.

“I’ve heard rumors,” Louis said slowly. “About… human experimentation.”

Claudio narrowed his eyes. “Trust me. Everything I’ve done has been for the sake of healing. I’m working with honor.”

“Then show me,” Louis said. “Your lab.”

Claudio hesitated… then turned, beckoning him.

Downstairs, in a dim-lit room, Louis saw him.

Giuseppe—chained to a chair, trembling, bruised.

“Please…” the boy whimpered. “No more…”

Louis froze. “Claudio! This is the boy—what are you doing to him?!”

Claudio frowned. “He’s just… a minor inconvenience. I needed to test the solution.”

Louis stepped forward. “Release him. Now.”

Claudio sighed. “I don’t need him anymore. The serum’s ready for Celine.”

Louis rushed to Giuseppe and untied him. “Run, boy. Run!”

Giuseppe bolted up the stairs, into the night.

Claudio’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

A glass shattered. Claudio hurled a vial at Louis’s back.

The liquid sizzled—burning through his coat, searing into flesh.

Louis screamed, dropping to his knees.

“This is all for Celine!” Claudio shouted, stepping forward.

Louis coughed, struggling. “Do you really… think… she’ll love you after I tell her what you’ve done?!”

With a surge of pain and fury, Louis tackled Claudio, sending them both crashing into shelves. Chemicals spilled. Flames sparked.

The lab began to burn.

“No!!” Claudio cried. “My work! My masterpiece!”

Louis dragged himself out through the smoke, bloodied and scorched. Behind him, Claudio vanished into the fire.

Outside, Giuseppe stumbled through the streets, his breath shallow.

“Kid, are you okay?” a passerby asked.

“Stay away!” Giuseppe cried, backing up.

FWOOOSH.

Flames burst from his hands, uncontrollable.

The man recoiled. “Heavens! A demon! This child spews fire!”

“No—I didn’t mean to!”

The fire devoured Claudio’s house, but the man himself emerged from the rubble.

His coat smoldered. His eyes burned with madness.

Louis, barely able to stand, confronted him in the ash.

“Give up, Louis,” Claudio said. “You’re injured. Weak.”

“I’ll never give up,” Louis hissed. “Not after what you’ve become.”

“I’m still your friend,” Claudio offered. “If you just understood—”

“Why did you use that boy? Why use my sister?!”

“In every great experiment,” Claudio muttered, “there has to be a guinea pig.”

Louis stared in disbelief. “So Celine… was one of them?”

Claudio didn’t answer.

Louis's burns worsened. He swayed on his feet.

“We’re done,” Claudio said. “You’ve made your choice.”

“Claudio!!” Louis screamed. “CLAAAUUUDDIIIOOO!!”

Darkness took him.

Louis jolted upright with a scream.

He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, pain pulsing through every nerve.

“Where am I?!”

The door burst open. A medic ran in. “You’re awake! Thank heavens!”

Louis shoved past him. The ship rocked beneath his feet.

“A ship?” he muttered. “Why am I on a ship?!”

The sea stretched endlessly beyond the deck.

And somewhere, Claudio remained—alive, dangerous, and more determined than ever.

Entry# 4 End