"AAAAARRHHHHHH!"
My scream echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls and mirroring back at me through the large glass in front. My eyes fixated on the reflection—my reflection.
[Is that really me?]
My whole body was skinned, raw nerves exposed, glistening under the harsh, sterile light. The sight alone made my stomach churn. It was terrifying, revolting, like staring at a nightmare come to life.
[I can't look… but I can't look away.]
"Hehehe, how do you like this?"
The man's voice pierced through my thoughts, his twisted grin widening.
"Magnificent, isn't it?"
He laughed, his laughter cruel and wicked, like the devil himself.
I couldn't respond. My mouth was dry, my throat raw from screaming. All I could do was hang there, suspended in agony, waiting for the next wave of torment.
And it came, mercilessly.
-Poke.
A sharp jolt shot through me as his finger poked one of the exposed nerves on my abdomen.
-MMMOORRRR! GAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
My body convulsed violently, my muscles seizing up from the sheer intensity of the pain. It wasn't just physical. It was as though my soul was being torn apart, piece by piece, every nerve screaming in agony.
[W-what is this pain?!]
It was unlike anything I had ever felt. Every touch sent a shockwave of suffering through me. With my regenerative ability suppressed, there was no relief, no escape.
[Will I die from this?]
The thought crossed my mind for a brief moment, but it was quickly drowned out by fear.
[No, I can't die yet. Not like this.]
Tears streamed down my face, mingling with the blood that covered my body.
[I'm sorry. I'm sorry!]
[Please… please forgive me…!]
I begged. I screamed. I sobbed. But it was pointless. The man's laughter drowned out my pleas, echoing through the room like a cruel melody.
"Let's try something else, shall we?"
His voice was dripping with sadistic excitement. He moved away for a moment, rummaging through his table of instruments. When he turned back, an airgun was in his hand.
My blood froze.
[No… please no…]
Before I could even beg again, he aimed the gun directly at my exposed torso.
[Just being touched hurt that much… if he shoots me with that…]
The very thought made my heart race, my mind spin. I couldn't even imagine the pain.
-Pftt!
The first shot hit me directly in the abdomen, sending a shockwave of agony through my body. The force knocked the air out of my lungs, leaving me gasping, choking on my own blood.
"GAAAHHHHHHH!"
Foam began to form at the corners of my mouth, my body convulsing with every shot. My mind was a blur of pain, my vision blackening around the edges.
-Pftt! Pftt!
The shots kept coming, each one worse than the last. My body jerked violently with each impact, but no matter how much I screamed, no matter how much I bled, I didn't die.
[Why… won't I die?]
My body wasn't regenerating. It wasn't healing. But I wasn't dying either. I was trapped in this endless cycle of pain, caught between life and death.
-Pftt!
Another shot, and my body spasmed once more. The foam in my mouth thickened as my muscles seized, and then, mercifully, everything went black.
[Am I dead?]
But no… I wasn't.
Somewhere in the black void of unconsciousness, something inside me snapped.
[I will kill.]
The thought was sharp, clear, cutting through the haze of pain. It echoed in my mind, over and over.
[I will destroy.]
I could feel it now—something awakening inside me, something dark and twisted. It coiled around my very soul, feeding off my anger, my fear, my hatred.
[I will live.]
Even in this darkness, I could feel it—my body changing, evolving.
When I finally opened my eyes, everything felt different. My mind was still foggy, but something was clear. My body, once weak and broken, felt... powerful.
My hair. It was no longer black. I could see it in the reflection, now a pale, ashen gray.
[What... happened to me?]
A strange sensation washed over me, a mix of fear and exhilaration.
[I will kill. I will destroy. I will live.]
I didn't understand my words. I didn't understand anything anymore. My mind was blank, a vast emptiness where there used to be fear and pain.
And yet, in that emptiness, one thing remained clear.
[I will do anything to destroy everything that stands in my way.]
The words echoed in my mind, over and over again. A mantra.
Suddenly, laughter bubbled up from deep within me.
"AGHH! HAHAHAHAHA!"
It was strange. The laugh wasn't mine… and yet, it was coming from my mouth. My body moved on its own, trembling with manic laughter.
[I didn't do that. I didn't laugh. Why…?]
I tried to move, but I couldn't. My body felt foreign, like I was trapped inside it, watching everything unfold from somewhere far away.
"Ah, I knew it," the man's voice sounded distant, like it was coming from the other side of a wall.
"Light is best appreciated in the flesh."