The cover cloth is pulled away, and the audience gasps. Behind reinforced glass lies Peter — not asleep, but awake, eyes glowing faintly like two green stars. Chains of silver light bind his wrists, humming with captured magic.

Dr. Griffiths’ voice cracks slightly as he speaks. “Decades of myth, of children’s tales, and yet… here he stands before you.”

He steps closer to the chamber, lowering his voice. “He hasn’t aged a single day since the day I found him in the forest behind my home. I’ve measured his heartbeat, his breath, even the particles he exhales — none of them belong to any species known to man.”