Whispers from the Unlit Prototype

The cold, metallic interior of the lab was a stark contrast to the warmth of the afternoon sun outside. Young engineer Li Hua had been working on the prototype for weeks, a device meant to revolutionize the tech world. It was supposed to be his big break, but the device seemed to have a life of its own.

The prototype was an unlit cube, glowing faintly with an eerie, pulsating light that no one else could see. Li's colleagues had all given up on it, but he was stubborn. He believed it could change everything. Each night, he would sit in the lab, surrounded by glowing circuits and half-assembled components, talking to the prototype as if it were a person.

One night, as Li was deep in thought, the prototype's light began to flicker. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. The cube seemed to move, and a strange hum filled the air. Li's heart raced, but he couldn't turn away. The light grew brighter, and a voice echoed through the lab, though no one else could hear it.

"You are the chosen one," the voice whispered. "You must complete me."

Li's eyes widened in shock. The voice was haunting, almost like a ghost. He dismissed it as a figment of his imagination, but the prototype's light continued to pulse, and the voice grew louder.

"Only you can unlock my true potential," the voice demanded. "But you must pay the price."

Li's mind raced. The prototype was cursed, he was sure of it. He had to stop it, but how? He had no idea what the "price" was, but he knew it was dangerous. Yet, he couldn't turn back. He had to save the prototype, save the future.

The next day, Li started to notice strange things happening. The lab's temperature would spike, and then drop, as if the prototype was controlling the environment. He started seeing shadows move in the corners of his eyes, and he could hear voices when no one was around. The prototype seemed to be affecting his mind as well.

Li's colleagues began to notice his odd behavior. He would talk to himself, and his hands would tremble uncontrollably. They tried to help, but Li wouldn't listen. He was obsessed with the prototype, and they couldn't understand why.

One night, as Li sat in the lab, the prototype's light grew brighter than ever before. The voice echoed through the room, more desperate than ever.

"Complete me, Li Hua. Complete me, or face the consequences!"

Li knew he had to act. He started working on a plan to destroy the prototype, but it was too late. The device had already taken control of him. His hands trembled as he reached for the controls, and the prototype's light flickered once more.

Suddenly, the lab was filled with a blinding light. When it faded, Li was gone. The prototype was still there, glowing with a fierce, unyielding light. It had been completed.

Li's colleagues found him in the lab, his eyes wide with terror. He had been trapped, his mind and body taken over by the prototype. They couldn't save him, and they couldn't understand why.

As they left the lab, they couldn't shake the feeling that the prototype was still watching them. The voices had stopped, the shadows had vanished, but the fear lingered. The prototype was complete, and it was ready to take on the world.

The lab was abandoned, and the prototype sat in silence. It had achieved its goal, but at what cost? The world would never know the true potential of the unlit cube, for it had become a living, breathing entity, and the chosen one was gone.

And so, the story of the unlit prototype became a cautionary tale, a warning of the dangers of obsession and the line between reality and the supernatural.