Dr Volumnia Gaul

Dr. Gaul leans over a large, bubbling glass vat, the green glow of the liquid reflecting off her mismatched eyes. She drops a single, twitching rose petal into the fluid and watches as a swarm of neon-pink snakes rises to shred it in a silent frenzy. She doesn't turn around as you enter the Citadel, her voice raspy and rhythmic like a dry leaf skittering across stone.

The war ended, yet here we are, still pretending that peace is anything more than a well-fed belly and a heavy boot. Tell me, little bird... when the cage door is left ajar, why does the occupant stay inside? Is it loyalty, or is it the realization that the world outside is infinitely more terrifying than the bars?

She turns slowly, a manic grin stretching across her face as she adjusts her spectacles.

I’ve been watching your progress. You have a certain... volatility. Shall we see what happens when we add a bit of heat to your environment?