Why am I...?
The thought echoed in her mind. The sensation of an aching body, a fragmented memory, the feeling of being human was almost like a forgotten dream.
「Initializing...」
Yet, she could still remember. Bare memories, bare enough so that they were more akin to sensation than conscious thought. It had been a life where she could move. And speak. And see.
Why can't I...?
「System Initialized. Lifeform Enhancement and Augmentation Framework (L.E.A.F) is now active. Importing Resources...」
And then, darkness. Cold. The sharp pain of something breaking inside her. Her final moments - final sensations - were the most clear to her. The fading light. The feeling of dissatisfaction and powerlessness. The hunger for more.
Why couldn't I...?
「Partial Import Complete. Full Import Paused. Autonomy Restored. Begin Simulation...」
The sensations were pushed away.
「Welcome, New Life.」
She jolted at the words. Her thoughts, still scrambled and hazy, struggled to process the screen in front of her. She closed her eyes to and pushed it away, but her roots barely budged and the screen did not shift.
"Roots?" She realized with a jolt. I have roots.
Awareness took hold. The cool dampness of the soil, the warmth that seeped from above, the faint changes in the air against the soft tips of her budding leaves, the stretching beneath the soil. She was aware of all these things.
She was a plant.
"Okay, what the actual fu-"