Indeed, your eyes glide to a particular notebook, spine worn and frayed. Flipping through its pages, you blink at a series of hastily written notes greeting your eyes; notes documenting experiments, procedures, and cryptic references to… “harnessing potential?”
The words are… dense, technical, but the underlying tone is clear: this was no ordinary research. (As if that weren't already obvious.)
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Solarus Research Institute - Internal Research Notes
Subject: Blackstone Analysis & Mutagenic Substance Discovery
Researcher: Dr. Elias Merton (Junior Researcher, Level 3)
Date: January 2000
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Entry 1 - Initial Contact with the Blackstone
The Blackstone was first discovered during an exploratory project involving dimensional fractures, but its nature is unlike anything we’ve encountered. Though its appearance is that of a solid, obsidian-like stone, its surface emits a subtle vibration that seems to affect the surrounding space-time itself. Per these properties, it is unlike a physical object in the traditional sense.
At first, the stone seemed inert, but after prolonged exposure to the particle accelerator during tests, a strange reaction occurred. A viscous, dark liquid began seeping from cracks in the stone's surface. This substance, which we have termed “Substance X,” appeared to have a strange and inexplicable property: it is highly reactive to organic matter. In initial tests, it dissolved a small sample of tissue, but the process didn’t stop there. The tissue seemed to... adapt, becoming something entirely different.
The liquid doesn't just destroy—it alters.
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Entry 2 - Unsettling Properties of Substance X
The properties of Substance X have become more disturbing. The liquid is not simply corrosive; it is mutagenic in nature. The first subject exposed to it was an animal—an amphibian. After exposure, we noticed rapid growth and transformation, resulting in an organism with enhanced physical traits—strength, agility—but also more disturbing, sexual characteristics. The creature’s libido was amplified to an extreme degree, demonstrating behaviors that were both aggressive and overtly sexual in nature.
We hypothesize that Substance X may be triggering some deep-seated biological drive, perhaps tied to a latent evolutionary function within the species. However, this raises troubling questions about its effects on human physiology: Does the same occur in humans? We have yet to test this theory, of course, but the evidence is mounting.
The goo—as crude as it sounds—has properties that are beyond simple mutation.
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Entry 3 - Human Trial Preparations
We’ve begun planning for human trials. The higher-ups are becoming more invested in the potential applications of this Blackstone goo, particularly as its effects seem to augment certain human functions: heightened physical abilities, faster healing, and—most concerning—an overwhelming surge in sexual urges. It appears that the mutation of the test subjects, whether animal or plant, is directly tied to their inherent biological drives, and the more they are exposed, the more these drives are enhanced.
Our lead researcher, Dr. Orion Morgenstern, seems especially eager to proceed, claiming that such physical and mental augmentation could be the key to unlocking what he describes as “human transcendence.”
I cannot help but feel uneasy, though, as I witness his growing obsession with the artifact.
Still, we are moving forward. The initial dose of Substance X will be delivered through controlled exposure—applied topically to a test subject. The procedure will be closely monitored, but I fear we may be on the precipice of something dangerous.
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