As Hide regained his memories of how he ended up in Eden's Garden, he realized the most recent experiment must have rendered him unconscious again.
"Doctor Hojo, we're not getting any usable data out of him," said Doctor Aura, frowning at the monitor. "It seems like he's not using his power at all."
"You're wrong, Doctor Aura," Hojo replied, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "You're overlooking something crucial. If you observe him carefully, you'll see he's replicating the abilities of the other subjects."
"Replicating them?" she echoed skeptically.
"Exactly. He reproduced Subject 75's string ability—manipulating threads from thin air. But he doesn't just copy. He masters them—faster than the original subjects themselves."
Meanwhile, Hide sat quietly on the edge of his bed, locked inside the cold, sterile room that served as his cell. The sound of a key turning echoed down the hallway.
Click.
The metal door creaked open.
"Ten minutes. No talking with the others," barked a guard.
Hide stepped out, silently making his way down the corridor. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a harsh glow as he walked toward the main hall. Inside, several other subjects milled about under the watchful eyes of armed guards.
He spotted a girl curled up in the corner, quietly crying. Her frail body trembled. Without hesitation, Hide approached her.
"What's wrong?" he asked gently.
The girl wiped her tears and pointed toward something across the room. Hide followed her gesture and saw a ripped-up teddy bear, abandoned on the floor.
He walked over, picked it up, and slowly began stitching it together with strands of thread he summoned from the air. In moments, the toy was whole again.
The girl's eyes widened.
"What's your name?" she asked softly.
"Hide Nubotomi. Subject 01."
"I'm Sona. Subject 08."
"Sona, huh? That's a nice name."
She giggled quietly. Hide turned his face away, blushing just slightly.
From above, Doctor Aura observed the scene through the glass, scribbling notes into her clipboard.
So... he can manipulate micro-material threads already? Fascinating.
A guard approached and forcefully separated the two.
"Time's up. Back to your cells."
Hide was escorted back. As he passed the hallway of numbered cells, he noticed the doors labeled 02 and 03—other subjects, likely ones close to his classification.
In Eden's Garden, the lower the subject number, the more unique or powerful the individual. Hide's label as Subject 01 confirmed the facility's interest in his "God's Eyes"—a power that many believed could shape or even destroy the world.
To suppress the subjects' powers, Eden's Garden regularly injected them with special drugs. Even then, the experiments never stopped.
Days passed.
"Doctor Aura, Subject 01 and Subject 03 are ready for the next experiment."
"Excellent. Take them to the chamber."
In his dimly lit cell, Hide sat quietly, waiting. The lock turned again.
Click.
"You know the way," said the guard.
"Yes."
Hide walked into a room he had been summoned to many times before. Inside, he saw another boy standing silently. His expression was cold, unreadable.
"Name's Hide," he offered. "What's yours?"
A long pause.
"Jin," came the low reply.
Hide gave a faint smile.
"Nice to meet you."
Jin didn't respond, eyes scanning the room. Something felt off.
"Any idea what this test is?" Hide asked.
"No. But I can tell it's not going to be pleasant."
Suddenly, floodlights flared to life. Ahead, a massive metal gate began to rise with a loud, grinding noise. A deep growl echoed from the shadows beyond.
"That sound..." Jin tensed. "Get ready. We're not alone."
A monstrous beast emerged—towering, lupine, with five razor-sharp claws and three swaying tails.
In the observation room, Doctor Hojo burst in.
"Aura, are you insane? You're going to get them both killed! Especially my subject!"
"Relax, Hojo. This is necessary. You believe he can copy others' abilities? Then let's see it. If he really is our top specimen, he'll survive."
The beast charged.
Jin immediately dashed forward, drawing its attention. Hide raised his hand and summoned strings from the air, wrapping them around the beast's limbs. Jin took the opening and landed a flurry of punches—but the creature barely flinched.
With a roar, it broke free of the strings.
The beast reared back, charging up an attack. Before either boy could react, it lunged—and in a flash, clamped its jaws down on Jin's right arm.
CRUNCH.
Jin screamed. Blood splattered across the floor as the beast tossed him like a ragdoll, his arm gone. Hide rushed over.
"Jin! Are you—?"
"Forget me!" Jin snarled through gritted teeth. "Focus on the beast. I'll regenerate!"
Sure enough, Hide watched in awe as Jin's wound began to seal itself. But the beast wasn't done. It turned—this time, toward Hide.
Too fast.
A split-second later, Hide's right leg was torn off.
"AGHHH!" he screamed, collapsing to the floor in agony.
The beast came for him again.
Everything slowed.
Hide closed his eyes—just for a moment. When he opened them, Jin was standing between him and the beast, bloodied and shaking.
"Don't... you die on me..." Jin growled before being thrown aside again.
From the observation room, Aura leaned forward, intrigued.
"He's figuring it out now..."
Hide stared at Jin's battered body—regenerating, slowly. Unlike Jin, he wasn't immortal. One more hit, and he'd be gone.
"Father... Mother... help me..." Hide whispered.
As if in answer, his severed leg began to regenerate.
What?
Hide stood, shaky at first. The beast charged once more—only to crash into a wall of gleaming strings.
The strings didn't just hold it—they sliced into it. A web of razors wrapped tighter and tighter.
Hide clasped his hands.
SNAP.
The strings tore the beast into pieces.
It was over.
He collapsed beside Jin.
"Did you... kill it?" Jin muttered, half-conscious.
"Yeah."
"Good... I was getting tired. That thing sure hits hard."
"It's done."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"You're not bad," Jin said finally.
"Huh?"
"Forget it. But don't let your guard down. This place won't stop until we're dead—or gone."
Both boys looked up toward the glass observation room, silent and cold above them.
"The experiment was a success," a technician said. "Subject 01 used Subject 03's ability to its full potential. The target was neutralized."
Hojo smiled faintly. Aura raised an eyebrow.
"Very interesting..."
Guards entered and escorted Jin away. Hide was taken back to his room, given clean clothes, and left alone.
Several days later...
Hide was led into a wide, circular arena. The familiar dread washed over him. He'd been here before. This was where subjects fought—sometimes to the death—for the amusement or study of the doctors.
Across the arena, a figure stood.
It was Sona.
A voice crackled overhead.
"Subjects, prepare. Failure to participate will result in immediate torture."
Sona raised her hands. Hide remained still.
"You have to fight!" she shouted. "Or they'll kill us!"
Hide didn't move. He lifted his left hand—and snapped his fingers.
The world turned white.
Time froze. The arena melted into a pure, glowing space. Everything stopped except the two of them.
"Where... are we?" Sona whispered.
"The White Room. One of the abilities I picked up. We have a little time."
"But... why?"
"Sona, you have to pretend to kill me. Use your powers—go all out. That's the only way we get out of this alive."
"No! I—I don't want to hurt you..."
"I'll be fine. I promise."
Sona stared at him, her eyes filling with tears.
Then she smiled.
"Let's escape Eden's Garden one day, okay?"
Hide nodded.
The white room shattered like glass.
Back in the arena, Sona unleashed her power. Roots erupted from the ground, ensnaring Hide. They wrapped around him, crushing him with alarming force. Soon, the boy was completely buried in a mass of thorns and vines.
"Subject 01 incapacitated. Subject 08 shows significant progress in control."
"Looks like 01 needs more motivation..." said a doctor. "Torture chamber it is."
Guards entered, dragging Sona back to her cell. The others worked to burn through the roots surrounding Hide. His body was still breathing—but just barely.
He was taken to another chamber.
A place worse than the arena.
A place where pain wasn't a side effect—it was the purpose.