Biocores: The Legendary Weapon Designer

X had been running on fumes for five days straight, scouring every inch of the archipelago for any trace of the prince. But no matter where he looked, no matter how deep they dug—there was nothing. The only explanation left was the one he refused to accept.

Disintegration.

The mere thought made his stomach churn. Nioh, erased from existence in a single explosion? Nobody, no remains, just—gone?

No. He couldn’t accept that. He wouldn’t.

The Monarch had been informed of the situation and would take action soon. That much was inevitable. But as X wandered aimlessly through the base, his feet carried him somewhere familiar—Nioh’s laboratory. He had walked this path countless times, always returning here after a mission, reporting back to the prince who never failed to have some new invention or scheme in progress.

Now, the silence weighed on him like a mountain.

A pang of grief struck his chest as he glanced around the empty lab. Dust had begun to settle on the machines, and instinctively, he reached out, wiping them clean with slow, deliberate motions.

"I’m sorry, kid," he whispered. "I was the one who pulled you into this..."

His fingers trembled as they brushed over the cold steel of the workbenches. Then, something unfamiliar caught his eye.

A covered object, neatly placed on the central workstation.