Atlantis’ Legacy : The Magical Awakening

Chapter 3

Dark Dawn: A Year of Torment and Blood

In the Midst of Nowhere, at an Unknown Time

Amidst an oppressive silence, broken only by the echo of heavy footsteps against damp stone, the place resembled an underground labyrinth, dimly lit by flickering torches casting restless shadows on the bloodstained walls. The air was thick, saturated with the scent of blood, sweat, and death, as if it carried the lingering echoes of past screams.

Here, in this accursed place, Ares found himself after being bought from the slave market. The man who purchased him was known as Victor Grivane, a sorcerer infamous for his cruelty and experiments on living beings. Even among those who tolerated unethical practices, his reputation was one of dread. Yet, for those who sought power at any cost, he was a necessary evil.

The facility, known as "The Dark Dawn Laboratory," was merely a façade for something far more sinister than one could imagine. It served as a center for experiments aimed at unraveling the secrets of innate magic, studying magical genetics, and extracting the maximum potential from children born with special abilities. There were dozens of children, spanning various ages—some barely five, others around ten—all reduced to mere test subjects.

When Ares was thrown into his cell, everything was cold—the stone, the air, even the faces surrounding him. Yet, one person stood out in that dark cell—a boy, a year older than him, with wide eyes that still carried remnants of hope. His name was Leo, and he was different from the others. Though physically frail, his smile had not yet faded.

At first, Ares paid no attention to the boy. He cared for nothing. His only thoughts were survival, endurance, and escaping this place. But Leo talked a lot—about the mother he had lost, about life beyond these walls, about the sky he hadn't seen in months. Over time, Ares began to see something in him that he didn't find in the others—a boy not solely driven by fear but by hope. Perhaps, had it been anyone else, he would have ignored them entirely. But something deep inside compelled him to protect this child, just as an older brother would.

Days became routine—mornings began with distant screams, nights ended within cold walls. The experiments were brutal, conducted every few days, where children were taken one by one, some never returning. It was a relentless nightmare with no escape.

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Victor Grivane cared for nothing but results. He sought "magical evolution," believing that humans had yet to reach their full magical potential. To achieve this, he used children—those without protectors—as tools to unearth these secrets.

Ares was different, and Victor knew it the moment he laid eyes on him. When he ran his hand over the boy's frail body in the slave market, he felt an unusual presence, something he had never sensed before. Sorcerers could sometimes perceive magical energy, but this child… he was unlike any other. There was a darkness, a depth within him—an abyss of power.

That was why Victor took him, determined to test him and uncover whatever potential lay hidden inside.

During the first few months, Ares resisted, doing everything he could to mask his true nature. But his eyes—the eyes of Lovai—betrayed him every time. They gleamed with an undeniable brilliance. Even when he feigned weakness, an aura surrounded him that could not be extinguished.

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One night, they took Leo for an experiment. As usual, he did not return that day. Ares sat in the corner of his cell, ignoring the sinking feeling in his chest. But something told him this time was different.

The next day, they brought Leo back. But not as he was before. His body was burned, disfigured, barely able to breathe. When they threw him back into the cell, nothing remained of the child who always smiled.

Ares could do nothing but watch. He sat motionless as Leo's chest rose and fell one final time… and then stopped. His eyes emptied of life forever.

He did not feel anger. He did not feel sadness. Only a vast emptiness, as if something inside him had shattered beyond repair.

It was then that he understood the truth—humans were nothing more than greedy, cruel beings, forever chasing power, even at the cost of innocent lives.

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That night, as he lay on the cold ground, a memory surfaced… his mother's face—Lily Evans—before she was torn away from him.

She whispered to him softly as he rested against her, in the prison cell of the Potter Manor where they were held captive. Despite the darkness surrounding them, she always radiated warmth.

"Don't forget who you are, Ares… No matter how cruel this life is, don't let them take your soul from you."

But he couldn't help but wonder—was he still himself? Or had this place begun to consume him entirely?

The Transformation – The Beginning of the End for the Facility

Months passed, and Ares began to understand more about the facility—its weaknesses, the guards' routines, the possible escape routes.

What Victor didn't know was that Ares was not just an intelligent child—he was a prodigy. His innate magic granted him an exceptional ability to analyze and adapt.

One night, when sudden screams echoed through the corridors, he knew his time had come. The Dark Dawn Laboratory was not the only place where such atrocities occurred, but tonight… tonight was different.

There had been a breach. And he knew that chaos meant opportunity.

As flames erupted in some parts of the facility and the guards scrambled in confusion, Ares stood up—for the first time since arriving in this hell, not as a victim, but as someone who had chosen how this chapter of his life would end.

He was only seven years old, but he was no longer a child.