[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjV_uJ0jNYU][center][h3]Somewhere, someplace, at another point in time...[/h3][/center][/url]

Evangelina wasn't like most children, ever since an early age, her gifted brilliance was apparent. She could speak full sentences even before her first birthday, and mastered concepts and knowledge years before her peers did. She was inarguably a bonafide genius, one of those rare few blessed with natural intellect far surpassing the common masses. Noticing their daughter's talents, her parents wasted no time in enrolling her into a special curriculum for gifted children, where their beloved Eve could hone her talents without being held back by her less shrewd peers.

Eve's intellectual endowments were only matched by her ambition, she was aware that not many could claim to share her aptitude for knowledge and the last thing she wanted was to squander such gifts with idleness. She wanted nothing more than to contribute to the nation she belonged to, the great Valheim Empire. One day, she'd stand side-by-side with the Empire's most distinguished scholars. As such, when she was scouted by none other than the esteemed Dr. Hojo as one of the select few to participate in his personal project, his 'magnum opus', she'd be a fool to refuse.

From those select few, even fewer survived the grueling qualification process, but Evangelina pulled through. She'd be working under Director Hojo's direct supervision, all she needed to do was sign the employment and NDA contracts. Well, she had come this far, why would she back down now? Sure, the clauses were strict, but why would anyone expect anything less from a top secret project? The young doctor was confident everything would be fine...

...or so she thought. Early in the project, it'd not be a lie to claim she had nothing but faith in their goals, but now, as she stood before a biofluid-filled tank containing the floating form of a young girl-... no, a [i]scaled chimera[/i] held in stasis, she began to experience doubts as a part of her conscience questioned whether she was doing the right thing. Was this... [i]thing[/i] even supposed to exist? No matter how she looked at her-... it, she couldn't convince herself in good faith that they hadn’t grossly violated the very sanctity of life itself. In their dogged pursuit of knowledge and breakthroughs, they had become so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't consider whether or not they should.

Then, as Dr. Eve struggled with the conflict between her ambition and her morals, the automatic doors behind her slid open, heralding the arrival of none other than her superior, Director Hojo.

[b]"Ah, Director,"[/b] Eve immediately assumed a professional demeanor, standing at attention and nodding politely at the older scientist, [b]"It's a pleasure to see you here."[/b]

[b]"Dr. Zhidkova..."[/b] Hojo approached her, carrying the ever-present aura of smug superiority with him, closing the distance between them before stopping beside her, gazing toward the only surviving subject of Project Grayscale, [b]"Magnificent, isn’t it? I expect great results from you, Doctor, surely it's a matter of triviality for someone of your talents, hmm?"[/b] Director Hojo curled a smirk, someone deemed capable by the narcissistic scientist must be exceptional indeed, [b]"Not to mention, you're the most compatible to handle this particular specimen."[/b] The dark-haired scientist proceeded to turn, heading toward the only exit of the containment chamber, [b]"After all, it's modeled from your genes."[/b]

[b]"Of course, Director, I'll not disappoint you."[/b] After Hojo left, the young researcher went silent, her knuckles trembling without she herself realizing it. This draconic monstrosity was her daughter and she her mother.

[i]What have I done...?[/i]