• Similarly to the Aethertech Sentinel project, multiple Races sought to test the boundaries between Astracel's magic and advanced technology. This time, the endeavor was shared between Humans and Ignarans. From this collaboration emerged Project Hybrid, an experiment designed to merge two Estalons of differing nature and observe the results of their forced fusion.

Inspiration

• The project was inspired by the Reti-Lompent, an Estalon whose form bore similarities to two distinct animals from Earth. While both the Tiger and Deer exist on Astracel, they did so peacefully, allowing a cross-species to be born when the two mated. From this discovery, researchers constructed a virtual testing ground capable of combining the DNA of different Estalons. Inside this simulated space, where a single minute equaled one hundred years, new forms were rapidly accelerated into existence. Not all Estalons proved capable of fusion, yet before the project's termination, an unknown number of entirely new species had already emerged.

Leaked Pyroclast Golem

• Although the project was meant to remain classified, numerous reports were leaked detailing one specific fusion known as the Pyroclast Golem. It was created through the merging DNA of a regular Golem and a Pyroclast Drake. Unlike its crystalline kin, whose cores were studded with violet gems, this towering hybrid housed a seething pool of magma at its center. Standing three meters tall, its molten core pulsed outward through its body, its only "eye" a circular pit of glowing lava. However, its destructive potential was deemed far too dangerous to contain. As a result, the project was immediately halted and eventually shut down.

Additional Hybrids

• While an unknown number of hybrids were created, three have since been discovered and studied in the wild. These species adapted safely to their respective environments without causing severe ecological disruption, allowing them to remain uncontained. These include the following.