Ares crouched near the fused remains, his breath slow and steady, but his mind was far from calm. The glowing remnants of Aetheric organs embedded within the decayed bodies pulsed faintly, a lingering testament to the suffering they had endured.

  The system chimed in again, its glitchy text flickering across his vision.

  [Analysis… Confirmed: Aetheric Organ extraction. Process involved forced synchronization. Estimated cause of death: Organic failure due to energy depletion.]

  Ares gritted his teeth. These people hadn’t just been killed—they had been drained, used like disposable fuel. The forced integration of their Aetheric organs had allowed the energy to persist long past their deaths, creating the strange pulsating effect he had witnessed.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  System: [Additional data recovered: Subject Integration was a method of… (corrupted text)… designed to extend energy supply when natural regeneration was insufficient.]

  He narrowed his eyes. That meant whoever had built this place had struggled with power limitations. Even Aetheric energy, for all its strange properties, wasn’t limitless. It could be drained, exhausted—even forcibly extracted.

  His stomach twisted at the thought. He had read about horrifying experiments in history—forced medical procedures, human sacrifices.

  If this place had been used for summoning experiments, then whatever they had been trying to bring into the world must have required an immense amount of energy. But why resort to such horrific methods? Did they lack natural Aetheric sources? Or was there something darker at play?

  His gaze drifted back to the glowing remnants of the Aetheric organs. Even after death, they still held traces of energy. It was a cruel irony—these people had died to fuel something greater, but in the end, all that remained were flickering embers of their stolen power.

  Whatever had happened here, it wasn’t over. The echoes of the past were still whispering in the ruins, and he intended to listen.