A raspy voice cuts through the silent void, calling out, "Ruby..." The air is heavy and cold. Nothing moves, save for the figure of a girl lying on the hard unyielding ground.
"Ruby..." the voice calls again. The girl stirs, her eyes fluttering open as she slowly pushes herself into a sitting position. Her vision clears, and she looks around the endless, dark space.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light erupts in front of her. She throws her hands over her face, shielding her eyes from the sudden brightness. After a minute, the light fades, leaving a floating mirror in its place.
Ruby lowers her hands and adjusts to the change in light. She stares at her own reflection, and yet, this self had white hair with red tips and red eyes, her jaw tightening as a scowl deepens the lines on her forehead.
"What do you want?" she growls, arms crossed over her chest. "Are you here to torment me again?"
It's the same nightmare she's always had. The same sinister reflection stares back at her. A creature with bright silver eyes and twice her size, a beast lurking behind her, its red eyes boring into her soul.
"Why do i even have to put up with you?" Ruby snarls.
"Because I am a part of you," her reflection says, a wide smile spreading across its face. "I can never leave. I am you, and you are me. We are bound together."
"There's an easy way to get rid of me, though," the reflection adds, and Ruby's attention is instantly caught.
"What is it?" she asks, leaning forward.
The reflection's grin widens. " You can die."
Ruby blinks, her eyes narrowing as a hot flash of anger shoots through her. "You are so damn annoying!" She pulls back her arm and slams her fist into glass. "Just leave me alone!"
The mirror shatters, but the reflection's sinister smile remains, fragmented across the broken shards.
"Sooner or later, you will embrace me, and we will become one," the reflection cackles. Laughter echoes through the empty void, sinister and evil, as darkness swallows the world around Ruby. All she can do is watch.
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DAY 601 - 3 Years Later
Sunlight sliced through the large observation window, a stark contrast to the room's dark decor. After three long years, the black and red walls of this prison were a second skin.
A figure stirred on the bed, her mumble a faint echo in the spacious central area. This space was part living room, part cage. Two black couches with crimson pillows faced a coffee table littered with scattered notes, a testament to endless hours of solitude.
In the corner, a bookshelf crammed with books and a small army of action figures---heroes and villains frozen in plastic poses---stood watch. A simple table and two chairs sat near the window, untouched, a silent invitation to a conversation that never happened. A single closed door sealed the person inside, its unyielding presence a constant reminder of the outside world she couldn't reach.
As it got peaceful, as the girl kept sleeping, a sudden chime echoed through the room. The figure on the bed went rigid, she sat up from her bed, every muscle tense. The sound was a rare one, a sign that her solitude was about to be broken. Was it the guard bringing her morning meal, or something else entirely? She held her breath, listening for the telltale click of the lock, her heart hammering against her ribs.
The silence stretched, broken only by the frantic drumming of her heart. Then came the click of a heavy lock, followed by the grinding of the hinges.
The door swung inward, revealing a tall, stoic guard. He carried a metal tray with a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal and a cup of water, his face a mask of practiced indifference. He placed the tray on the floor by the door, never making eye contact, and then backed out, the door sealing with a final, echoing thud.
The woman stared at the tray, her earlier tension replaced by a familiar sense of disappointment. It was just another day.
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An hour after her meal, the tray was empty, pushed to the edge of the bed. The 17-year-old girl, Ruby, stared at her bookshelf, a faint smile touching her lips. Her only companions, the action figures, stood at attention, a small army of heroes and villains. She knew each one by name, a silly habit she had adopted long ago, but it was the one thing that kept her sane. This small collection was her last link to a life outside this prison, a life that felt a million miles away from the bleak reality of her existence.
A mission formed in her mind as she swung her legs off the bed. Today, she would move the Creatures of Grimm and their Queen to the far side of the shelf, a silent protest against the heroes. A slow smile spread across her face; that felt better than she had hoped. She had never cared for heroes. Where were the huntsmen and huntresses when she was being tormented? Where were they when she begged for help? She had long lost all hope of rescue, of a better world.
As she pushed the heroes away from the villains, the door to the main room opened again.
"Ruby."
The voice of Dr. Merlot made her snap to attention. She turned toward him. "...Father," she replied, a word she had been forced to say for so long it had simply stuck. The doctor smiled, pulling a suitcase from behind his back. Ruby blinked in confusion.
"What is it?" she asked.
He placed the suitcase on the coffee table. "I think it's time."
Ruby's heart hammered against her ribs. "Time? Time for what?"
His eyes poured into hers as a sinister look crossed his face. "My child. My perfect experiment. It's time for you to go outside."
Ruby's eyes grew wide, a flash of excitement she couldn't hide. "Really?"
Dr. Merlot simply nodded, his smile widening as he pulled a thick envelope from the pocket of his coat. "A few months back, I took the liberty of applying for your admission," he explained, holding the envelope out to her. "I thought it was a perfect opportunity-a chance for you to learn more about the world and your place in it, before I throw you to the wolves."
"The wolves?" Ruby repeated, the word sounding foreign to her. She tilted her head, a flicker of genuine confusion crossing her face. Was he speaking of the Creatures of Grimm she had only ever read about?
A slow, cruel smile stretched across the doctor's face. "Yes," he affirmed, his voice a low, chilling purr. "The wolves. The world is full of them, my dear. People who will try to use you, challenge you, or stand in your way. But you will not be their prey." He paused, his eyes gleaming with a manic pride. "You will be their hunter. "
Ruby's eyes darted between Dr. Merlot and the suitcase on the table, her earlier confusion melting away to reveal something far more dangerous. A slow, chilling smile began to form on her lips, a stark contrast to the small, sad smiles of her past. It wasn't a smile of joy, but of cold, sharp purpose. Her voice, a low and eager hum, was filled with a fervor she hadn't felt in years. "What do I need to do?" she asked, no longer sounding like a victim, but an instrument of vengeance.
It seemed hope hadn't disappeared just yet; it had simply reshaped itself into something darker. The hope of being rescued had died a long time ago, but now, a new kind of hope was taking its place-a hope born not of freedom, but of a mission. This was a reason to exist. This was what she had been longing for.