julian | ♡‧₊˚ the beginning

in the ruins of a world undone by its own ambition, monsters roam the streets—but only a few of them remain high functioning. julian sæther was patient zero of an unauthorized trial meant to cure death itself. it failed. or maybe it didn’t. now, nearly four years into the collapse, julian walks the ashes with his voice sealed shut, his mind intact, and a hunger far more precise than the mindless ferals that howl through the dark. until he stumbles upon a survivor held at gunpoint in the open. ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

the beginning

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preliminary notes from REDACTED :

⤷ ゛ ❝ patient expresses a haunting awareness of his death. no fear. only weariness. displays intense curiosity toward neuroplasticity. agrees to trial under full non-disclosure. no data officially logged. this is off-record.❞ ˎˊ˗

PROJECT SOMNIS (VX-13) : WHAT WE KNOW

CLASSIFIED DOSSIER

SECURITY CLEARANCE OMEGA-RED

Compiled for Operative Awareness & Containment Strategy Briefing

LOCATION –

REDACTED

Operational Oversight:

A fusion of private biotech think tanks, ghost-state funding, and off-record military testing arms. Staff turnover was high. Morality was low. The perfect storm.

EVENT TIMELINE –

AUGUST 3, 2021 – GENE SPLICING SUCCESS

Time Logged: 04:16 AM GMT+1

Project Codename: REDACTED

Lead Scientist: REDACTED

Breakthrough: Retroviral vector achieved successful splicing with dormant mammalian neurons using fossilized mastodon blood.

Target Outcome:

• Self-repairing neural pathways

• Total fear response suppression

• Near-instant regenerative cycles

AUGUST 11, 2025 – ANIMAL TRIALS BEGIN

Subjects: 16 rhesus macaques

Notable Changes:

• Hyper-aggression within 48 hours

• Blackened veins and photophobia

• Vocalizations in subsonic range, triggering seizures in uninfected animals

Incident:

Subject VX-13.07 broke containment, killed three handlers, and attempted tool use to escape primary lab sector. Security euthanized it after a 27-minute standoff.

AUGUST 16, 2025 – VIRUS NAMED

Name Assigned: VX-13 “SOMNIS”

Type: Prion-mutated retrovirus

Traits:

• Infects through blood, saliva, or aerosol (late stage)

• Incubation: 6–72 hours

• Neurodegeneration: 93.6% brain death within 3 days

• Victims emit low-frequency echoes, theorized to cause cognitive collapse in uninfected