DC: Crystalizing

Adrian knew what Cadmus had done to him. His eidetic memory ensured he could never forget it. 

They had turned his body into a prototype, refined to the peak of human physiology without any training. Strength, speed, endurance—he had it all, but it felt like a cruel joke. A blade handed to a child. Dangerous, but in the hands of someone untrained? Limited. Reckless. He'd need to fix that. He needed training, discipline, a way to actually use what they'd given him. 

But the other thing… the Artifact. 

That was the real problem. 

Some alien parasite, Cadmus had said. Something old, dangerous, and beautiful. It had been designed to let him manipulate crystals, though it never worked. Adrian had tried dozens of times to activate it, focusing, screaming, begging for it to do something. Anything. Nothing. By the time he escaped Cadmus, he'd written it off as a failed experiment. 

But now at the present as his scream tore through the warehouse as the blade pierced his hand, a searing pain exploding through his nerves. The cold steel pinned him to the ground, the weight of the sword forcing his body to still, though his mind screamed at him to move, to fight, to survive. But then came the other sensation—something worse, something unnatural. His skin around the ring began to ripple, as though alive, the flesh shifting and bulging as emerald-green crystal erupted from his veins like jagged, living shards. It wasn't just pain anymore—it was consumption. His body felt hijacked, his blood boiling as the crystal spread up his arm, covering his shoulder and creeping toward his face. 

Adrian knew the feeling of siphoning all too well. He had used Lou's magic ring a few times. Each time, it had left him slightly drained, like a runner catching his breath after a hard sprint. Manageable. Predictable. 

But this time? This time was different. 

The crystal had grown, warped into something massive and unnatural, manipulated by the Artifact's alien power. Bigger crystal, bigger draw. It wasn't just siphoning his energy—it was ripping it out of him. Every cell in his body screamed in protest, his muscles locking in agonized spasms as molten fire seemed to flow through his veins. 

And then the laser. 

It tore from him with the force of a thunderclap, a searing beam that burned through the warehouse like it was paper. The light was blinding, the air humming with power so intense it felt like the whole world might break. 

Adrian barely registered it, his mind already spiraling into darkness. His knees buckled, and the last thing he felt before unconsciousness claimed him was the Artifact's unrelenting pull, draining him dry. 

The ground rose to meet him, and everything went black. 

In the nightmare, Adrian floated in a vast, unearthly dimension. Crystals jutted out in impossible directions, their jagged edges glowing faintly with different hues. The space was wrong—shapes bent and twisted in ways that defied logic. The more he tried to focus, the more it hurt. 

His reflection appeared in one of the crystals. At first, it was just him. Then, it wasn't. The face staring back at him wasn't human anymore. His eyes glowed emerald, his body coated in black-and-yellow crystalline armor. 

"Let go," a voice boomed, reverberating through the space. 

Adrian turned, and a massive crystalline being loomed before him. Its form was ever-shifting, fractals splitting and merging, shards breaking off and reforming. Its face—or what he assumed was its face—had no features, only a smooth surface that reflected his own terrified expression. 

"What… what the hell are you?" 

"Let your body yield to the beauty of the crystals. Let us thrive together." 

"No!" Adrian shouted, stepping back. The jagged floor beneath him shifted, cutting into his boots. "I'm not letting you take me over." 

"Then you will break," the voice said, its tone almost… amused. 

The crystals surged toward him, piercing his body, his mind, his soul. 

Adrian woke with a start, his heart pounding and his breath ragged. His head throbbed, his muscles ached, and his back was still damp with sweat. He blinked, taking in his surroundings. 

Steel bars. Concrete walls. The faint stench of bleach and urine. 

"Finally awake, nigga," a raspy voice drawled. 

Adrian's head snapped toward the sound. Across the cramped cell, an old man sat on the top bunk, his gray hair cropped close to his scalp, his eyes yellowed with age. He grinned, revealing a mouth full of stained teeth. 

"Where am I?" 

"Where you think, boy?" the old man replied, chuckling. "You in Slabside South, the shittiest little prison Blüdhaven's got. Welcome to the bottom of the barrel." 

Adrian groaned, trying to sit up. His entire body felt like it was wrapped in lead weights, and his leg screamed in pain from the bullet wound. He forced himself upright, stumbling toward the bars. 

"Yo!" he shouted, banging on the metal. "I need a phone call. Lawyer. Something." 

The old man laughed, the sound dry and bitter. "You rich, nigga?" 

Adrian turned to glare at him. "No." 

"Then sit your black ass down," the man said, shaking his head. "You think this is Gotham? Nah. In Blüdhaven, you gotta pay to play. Cops don't care about no phone calls unless you greasin' their pockets. And with that dark-ass skin you got? Oh, boy, you better get comfy. Blüdhaven ain't just hell—it's where all the bastards, racists, and power-hungry pieces of shit in America come to play." 

Adrian didn't respond, his head still pounding. He slumped onto the lower bunk, cradling his face in his hands. 

"Name's Tommy, by the way," the old man said. "So, what's your plan, nigga? You gonna survive, or just sit there lookin' pitiful?" 

Adrian sighed. "I don't need a plan. Not yet." 

Tommy cackled. "Oh, that's rich. You think you're the first young buck to walk in here talkin' big but thinkin' small? Boy, you better figure somethin' out quick. Rule number one: don't be a lone wolf. Join a gang, or you'll end up someone's bitch." 

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.