As I cautiously followed behind her, I couldn't help but think, 'A flower, huh? I wish she was behind me. I'm backing the darkness right now, and I need to be careful. If something were to emerge from it, it could easily drag me away… But wait, she's backing me. Is she that foolish? She was even sleeping near a special subject just a few meters away. No, she was probably pretending, with the way she spooked me. But why am I being underestimated like this?'
Anger welled up inside me as I recalled the words of IQ120, 'The truth is that the value estimation I thought the captors placed on you isn't true.' Even after enduring five months without food, I still felt worthless. However, fear also gripped me as I remembered, 'The third went through what you are going to go through and died. So did the fourth, the fifth, and sixth before the captors banned their young from experimenting on special subjects. They all died at the hands of a starter.' Starters have caused the deaths of numerous special subjects, who have survived multiple experiments and tests. Should I just kill her and end this? I'm so close.
'No!' I screamed in my mind. She can read minds, and she would easily counter my attack. But does it really matter if I fight her and die? Wouldn't I be freeing myself from this hell? Is that what those four did? Even if I were to win, the adult would surely kill me in a gruesome manner. But I could end my own life before they arrive. It shouldn't be too difficult with the injuries I sustained from the fight. However, IQ120 would be left alone once again.
…I suppose that is his fate.
A sadistic smile spread across my face as a surge of energy unlike anything I had ever felt before coursed through my body. My eyes focused intensely, zooming in on my target, while my long-dormant claws suddenly found purpose.
I moved faster than I had ever moved in my entire life, my claws aiming for her head and neck with lethal intent. Just as I was about to strike, an unexpected surge of energy erupted from within her, causing me to miss. The force of my attack created a gust of wind, blowing her hair up, and throwing off my center of gravity. I stumbled and fell to the ground, the sheer force and speed behind my failed attack taking its toll.
As I quickly tried to regain my footing, a thought crossed my mind. 'Was I spooked by the energy, leading to my hesitation and failure? Or did the energy truly divert my claws from their intended path? Where did she learn such skillful manipulation of ener-' my thoughts blown away by the view before me, as a wave of memories long forgotten rushed into my mind, as if a spell had been broken.
What lay before me was the outside world, unrestricted by walls or bars. As far as my eyes could see, I beheld the beauty of flowers, trees, and grasses. The breeze gently rustled through my fur, and the sun shone brightly, illuminating the scene like the majestic star it is. I realized then how I had always taken this breathtaking vision for granted.
However, unbeknownst to me, behind my back, a storm was brewing. Her face, darker than the night, expressed a rage that even the sunlight couldn't dispel.