(...): Cold... so cold... freezing...
The first thing I said was how cold this place was.
I lifted my head and looked around—nothing. Or rather, there was darkness. I couldn't see anything.
As I looked around, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed into my head.
(...): What's happening?! My head... it feels like it's going to explode!
The pain in my head... it won't stop! It won't stop! It won't stop!
It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!
(...): STOP IT!
(...): I SAID STOP IT!
I can't make sense of what's happening!
It feels like there are dozens of voices inside my head... all speaking at once... and they're enjoying my pain!
I don't understand! I don't understand! I don't understand! Why? Why are they doing this? I don't understand!
No... it's not that I don't understand—
I can't understand.
After a while, the voices that felt like torture began to fade away.
Slowly, I began to collect myself and think.
The first thing I remembered was that I was a test subject.
But before that... nothing. Who was I? What was I? What kind of experiments were they doing on me...? I have no idea.
Sometimes a few doctors would come, make me unconscious, and when I woke up—one of my arms or legs would be gone...
Wait a second...
The moment I thought about it, I felt a sharp pain in my arm. I turned my head quickly.
(...): H-Huh...? AAAHHHHH!!!!!
More than half of my left arm was gone!
It was just hanging there, limp and motionless. Something warm was flowing through my veins.
It hurts so much!
The pain in my head had just started to fade... and now my arm!
(...): AARHHH damn it—it hurts so much!!
I can't stand this pain anymore!
I was writhing in the bed from the agony in my arm.
Then, I accidentally rolled off the bed and fell—right onto my nearly severed arm!!
(...): AAAHHHH!!
(...): S-someone!! Please... someo—
I screamed in pain, begging for help, but no one came.
Or maybe... they just didn't care—
(...): ARHH!!!
(...): HOLD ON! YOU HAVE TO HOLD ON! NO ONE'S COMI—!
(...): I'LL HANDLE THIS MYSEL—
As I muttered those words to myself... the pain became unbearable.
My vision blurred.
And I passed out.
---
(...): Ah... what? What happened...?
(...): M-My arm... my arm is—
(...): AAAHHHH!!....?? It... doesn't hurt?
I woke up again.
But this time, there was no pain. My mind was still hazy, but more importantly—
the arm that had been dangling from my elbow was now completely gone!
It must have torn off when I fell... but even with all that blood... why wasn't it hurting? Why wasn't it still bleeding?
(...): What the hell is going on here!?
My brain was desperately trying to answer that question.
When my head started aching again, I remembered—
(...): My body... can heal itself!
That's right! Those doctors came every day and cut off one of my limbs!
But I never knew why.
Sometimes the wound healed in minutes... other times it took days.
Right now, though... it wasn't healing at all.
(...): Maybe... it needs a certain condition to activate?
I muttered to myself.
But that couldn't be right—sometimes I'd just lie in bed and heal on my own.
"So... maybe it's just random?" I thought.
Honestly, that was the most logical explanation for now.
As I was lost in thought, two questions struck my mind.
(...): Who am I? And... where am I?
Until now, I hadn't thought about either of those questions.
As far as I can remember... I don't even have a name.
And I don't remember my past, either.
Right... those doctors always called me something... what was it again...?
Hmm... hmm... mmm...
No, I still can't remember. My head's too foggy.
Fine, let's move on to the next question.
(...): Where am I?
Ah, right... that, I remember!
I'm in my own room right now. It was hard to notice because of the darkness...
But why is it dark? It's usually always bright.
From what I remember, every test subject's room here has two sections:
one for living, and one for experiments.
My living quarters were simple—just a bed, nothing else.
Next to the door was a glass window, where the doctors sometimes watched me closely.
Also, both the experiment and living sections had separate entrances.
The doctors usually came through the experimental side.
I guess... that was a kind of safety measure.
The experimental section of my room was locked—it only opened when the doctors came in.
So... where are those doctors now?
Shouldn't they have come by now?
As I thought about that, my stomach growled.
That's when I realized how hungry I was.
So I started shouting.
(...): Heeey! Is anyone theeereee??
I waited for a while.
No answer.
(...): Heeey!! Can't you hear me—or are you just ignoring me???
Silence... it went on for so long.
Unnaturally long.
I couldn't take it anymore.
Even though it was forbidden, I tried to look through the glass.
But then... I saw something I never expected...!