The wind howled at the summit of **Crimson Peak**, a sharp and merciless force that carried the echoes of the past. The ruined laboratory stood in eerie silence, untouched for centuries—until now.
**Manav's gaze was fixed on Dr. Moraeu.**
The aged scientist stood near the edge of the **cliff**, explaining the final steps of the procedure, unaware of the silent decision forming in Manav's mind.
*"Once the machine is activated,"* she said, voice steady, **eyes glowing with knowledge beyond time**, *"it will inject the serum directly into your bloodstream. The process will be painful. Your cells will regenerate, your bodies will reset… but there is no turning back once it begins."*
Manav nodded, pretending to listen.
*"And the activation process?"* he asked casually.
Moraeu tilted her head. **"Curious until the very end, aren't you?"**
She turned to the machine, gesturing toward the controls.
*"The mechanism is simple,"* she continued. *"Once you are both inside, you press this—"* She pointed at a **small lever on the panel**. *"It will begin the sequence. The serum will enter your veins, changing you from the inside. The process will take several minutes, and during that time, you will—"*
She never finished the sentence.
Because in the next moment, **Manav grabbed her by the collar**.
**And threw her off the cliff.**
---
Dr. Moraeu's scream **pierced the night air**.
For a moment, she clutched at nothing, her golden eyes wide in shock, the wind tearing at her body as she plummeted.
Manav **stepped forward**, watching her descent.
She tumbled **downward, twisting and flailing**, her once-calm demeanor shattered in an instant.
*"MANAAVVV!!!"* she screamed, her voice stretching into the void.
He stared at her, expression **unchanging**, as she disappeared into the endless abyss below.
Then, silence.
Priya **was waiting inside the lab**, unaware.
Manav turned away from the cliff's edge.
Without hesitation, he walked back toward the machine.
---
The laboratory was deathly **silent** as Manav entered.
Priya was already inside the chamber, sitting in her designated seat.
She **looked up**, eyes questioning.
*"Where's Dr. Moraeu?"*
Manav didn't answer.
He moved to the **control panel** and, just as Moraeu had told him, **activated the machine**.
The lab **shook** as the process began.
The **circular device above them** started whirring, mechanical arms extending like the limbs of some ancient, unknowable entity.
Then came the **needles**.
They pierced **deep into their veins**, injecting the unknown golden substance into their bloodstream.
The pain was **instantaneous**.
A burning fire spread through their bodies, unlike anything they had ever felt before.
Priya **arched her back**, a silent scream caught in her throat.
Manav **gritted his teeth**, his fingers clawing at the chair's armrests.
The transformation had begun.
---
As the serum coursed through their bodies, reality **fractured**.
Memories **flooded their minds**—memories of a life once lived, of a time when they were nothing more than **children in the streets**, running beneath the crimson sky of Mars.
He saw himself as a **boy**, laughing with Priya.
They were running through the ruins of an old city, the remnants of a forgotten civilization.
*"Manav, hurry!"* Priya's voice **echoed in his mind**.
They had found an abandoned **temple**, ancient carvings decorating the walls. He remembered how fascinated Priya had been, tracing the symbols with her small fingers.
*"Do you think the gods are real?"* she had asked.
*"I don't care about gods,"* Manav had replied. *"I only care about strength."*
Even then, **he had been different**.
Even then, **he had desired power above all else**.
And now, he had reached the pinnacle of that desire.
Yet why… why did these memories feel so **distant**? So **hollow**?
Priya saw herself standing in the **snow**, staring at a broken **statue of an old deity**.
She was **younger**, barely ten years old.
Beside her, Manav stood, hands in his pockets, watching the sky.
*"One day,"* she had whispered, *"we'll be more than this. More than just two nobodies in the dust."*
Manav had smirked.
*"We already are."*
That day, they had made a **promise**.
To never be weak.
To never let **anyone control their fate**.
But now, as the **serum burned her from the inside**, Priya wondered…
Had they **gone too far?**
Was this truly what they had wanted?
Or had the journey itself changed them into **something else**?
---
### **The End of the Process**
The machine **hissed**, steam escaping from its mechanical joints.
The golden liquid **dispersed** from their veins, **solidifying the transformation**.
The chamber's red lights **dimmed**.
A deep **silence** fell over the laboratory.
And in the seats…
Manav and Priya sat motionless.
Their bodies **perfectly still**.
Their eyes **closed**.
Neither of them woke up.
Not yet.
---