Chapter 8: Impossible Compatibility
"What am I looking at?" Mikhail asked, standing directly behind Dr. Genesis’s workstation. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on the stream of information flowing endlessly across the massive monitor before him. Three adjacent screens displayed rotating blood cells magnified thousands of times over, strands of genetic markers twisting through holographic models, molecular structures, and endless columns of figures that would have looked like meaningless symbols to anyone without advanced medical training. None of what he was seeing made any sense to him.
Dr. Genesis adjusted her glasses with one hand while tapping several commands across the illuminated keyboard with the other. The display shifted immediately. New graphs expanded across the screens, accompanied by a series of highlighted anomalies, irregular protein structures, and cellular abnormalities pulsing in crimson.
"These are Miss Dawson’s test results, Your Highness," she replied, never taking her eyes off the monitor. "I’ve reviewed them three times myself and had two senior analysts independently verify the sequencing. Every result came back identical." She paused, her composed expression tightening ever so slightly. "To be honest, Your Highness... I’ve never encountered anything quite like this before."
Mikhail’s eyes narrowed. "What exactly does that imply?"
Dr. Genesis inhaled quietly, her expression unnervingly solemn. "It implies that Miss Dawson’s blood is fundamentally abnormal. Every test we’ve performed places it outside every known biological classification currently documented within the Empire." She hesitated, carefully choosing her next words. "I’ve never seen anything remotely similar. However..." Her gaze lifted from the screen to meet his. "One thing is certain. Miss Dawson is not human."
Silence settled over the laboratory.
Across the room, Nikolai, who had been sitting casually, instantly straightened and uncrossed his legs. "Does that mean she’s a werewolf?" he asked.
"That’s impossible," Mikhail cut in immediately, his voice flat and absolute. "We maintain a complete registry of our kind dating back centuries. Every birth, every bloodline, every of our offspring is accounted for." His expression remained hard. "There is absolutely no possibility that Miss Dawson belongs to one of our bloodlines without us knowing."
"Prince Mikhail is right," Dr. Genesis agreed, adjusting her glasses once more. She enlarged several microscopic images until they filled the central screen. "Miss Dawson is not a werewolf." She pointed toward one image. "Werewolf blood possesses distinctive regenerative cells, heightened mana saturation, and a unique cellular density that no other species exhibits. Those characteristics are entirely absent here." Her finger shifted to another display. "Miss Dawson’s blood behaves differently. It appears almost entirely quiescent on the surface. Its cellular structure doesn’t resemble human blood, nor does it resemble that of a werewolf. It appears to belong to an entirely separate biological category."
Mikhail scoffed, his patience visibly wearing thin. "Then what exactly is she?" he demanded. His gaze remained fixed on the glowing monitor before snapping back to the doctor. "Enough with the medical terminology. Speak in the language we can understand." His lip curled in obvious disgust. "Don’t tell me she’s a witch?"
Dr. Genesis remained completely unbothered by his tone. She calmly adjusted her glasses before replying, "No, Your Highness."
"Witches are simply individuals who have learned to manipulate mana through study, talent, or inheritance. Magic does not alter their biology or rewrite their DNA. Anyone can practice it, provided they possess sufficient affinity for mana. Whatever Miss Dawson is... witchcraft cannot account for it."
"For Goddess’s sake, then what is she?" Nikolai demanded as he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to stand beside his brother. "More importantly..." His eyes settled on the frozen image of Starlight’s blood cells. "Is she even compatible enough to mate with a werewolf? And is it safe to let her set foot inside the Academy?"
Mikhail watched the doctor closely as she raised a hand.
"As I’ve already stated, I’ve never encountered a specimen like this before, and I won’t have any concrete answers regarding her origin until I’ve had time to conduct further cellular and genetic analyses." She paused before turning back to the monitor. "As for compatibility..." A strange expression crossed her face, one that was equal parts fascination and disbelief. "I can state with complete confidence that she is more than compatible."
Even she seemed reluctant to say the words aloud. "If such a thing is even scientifically possible, Miss Dawson exceeds every compatibility threshold we’ve ever recorded. Not even two pure-blooded werewolves exhibit the level of biological compatibility her blood demonstrates."
Mikhail’s silver eyes flashed with sharp disbelief, the muscles in his jaw tightening. "What is that supposed to mean, Dr. Genesis?" he demanded, every word clipped and controlled despite the storm brewing beneath his composed exterior.
"Are you losing your mind, Doctor?" Nikolai demanded, his brows knitting together in disbelief. "How could anything on this earth be more compatible with a werewolf than another werewolf?"
Mikhail found himself in complete agreement. The very idea contradicted everything they knew about their own species. Werewolf blood had always recognized only its own.
At best, it tolerated human blood long enough to establish a mating bond before gradually forcing the weaker biology to adapt. That was simply how their nature worked. Their race stood at the very peak of evolution. There was nothing above them, and certainly nothing more compatible with a werewolf than another werewolf.
"If you’ll allow me to explain," Dr. Genesis said calmly, raising a hand before either prince could interrupt again. She turned back to the workstation and enlarged another series of recordings on the monitor. Several short laboratory videos appeared alongside microscopic scans. "The discovery itself was entirely accidental."
She selected one of the recordings.
"During routine compatibility testing, we isolate blood samples from different subjects and analyze their cellular responses under controlled conditions. Miss Dawson’s blood had already been collected and sealed. One of my assistants was simultaneously processing a werewolf sample from our compatibility database." She paused as the recording replayed. "While transferring the samples, a single drop of Miss Dawson’s blood was accidentally spilled onto a sterile observation slide approximately two centimeters away from the werewolf sample."
The video zoomed in.
"At first, we believed the movement was caused by vibrations from the equipment," Dr. Genesis explained as the recording continued. "But then Miss Dawson’s blood began to move. It didn’t spread randomly," she continued. "It traveled with purpose, migrating toward the werewolf blood. As though it was being drawn to it."
She enlarged another frame.
"The werewolf sample had already been sealed inside a transparent testing chamber, making physical contact impossible. Yet Miss Dawson’s blood continued pressing against the chamber wall." Her voice grew quieter, carrying unmistakable fascination. "It behaved almost... eagerly."
Nikolai stared at the recording without blinking as Dr. Genesis opened another file.
"I believed contamination was the most likely explanation, so I repeated the experiment under even stricter conditions." Another video filled the screen. "This time, both samples were placed on separate sterile slides under identical environmental conditions."
The recording began.
"The moment the slides were positioned close enough..." She pointed toward the screen. A tiny crimson droplet slowly shifted across the glass. "It moved again. It crossed the surface entirely on its own before merging with the werewolf sample."
Both princes remained speechless.
Another recording followed. "I repeated the experiment eleven times." Each video showed the exact same phenomenon.
"Every single trial produced identical results."
She enlarged the final microscopic image.
"The two blood samples didn’t reject one another. There was no cellular conflict, no immune response, and no degradation."
Even after watching it countless times herself, disbelief still lingered in her voice. "Instead, they fused seamlessly. The cells began functioning as though they had always belonged together. It was almost as if the two samples had become one single, flawless organism."
Silence swallowed the laboratory as Dr. Genesis finished her explanation.