episode_0002

Thinking deeply, the very first scene I encountered right after being possessed came to mind.

When I opened my eyes, countless people were crumpled up and packed together like cargo under dim lights.

‘Where on earth is this…?’

My last memory was fragmented. A scream, an outdoor air conditioner unit falling towards my head as I looked up, and then darkness.

I felt hazy, as if I were drunk. I stood up briefly and looked around. I couldn’t make sense of anything except that people were tightly packed. They looked like teenagers, younger than me.

There were no clues to infer anything. I could only guess I was inside a vehicle, as the place swayed slightly.

A moment later, the vibrations stopped, and I felt a jarring jolt. The vehicle stopped. The door swung open, and the lights of an unfamiliar city appeared under the dim night sky.

“Alright, everyone out!”

“Why aren’t you hurrying out!”

Large, fierce-looking people outside the vehicle began forcibly dragging the young teenagers out. The atmosphere was hostile.

‘Damn it! Is this human trafficking?’

I didn’t know why I was here, but I instinctively knew this was illegal.

As I cautiously stepped out, terrifying, heavily tattooed thugs were lining people up and dragging them elsewhere. People began boarding a clean-looking vehicle at the end of the line.

I instinctively realized that if I got into that vehicle, I would never see the outside world again. While the thugs’ attention was diverted, I quickly broke free from the line and ran into an alley.

“Huh? Oh! That one’s bolting!”

“Hey! Catch them! We can’t have anyone missing!”

I ran with all my might. If I got caught, it was over!

But I was instantly caught by the thugs.

‘Was I really this slow?’

“Got you!”

I was grabbed by a huge thug and lifted into the air. I screamed.

“Gah! Let go!”

The moment I screamed, I froze. An unbelievably clear girl’s voice had come out.

As I struggled in the bizarre situation, another thug who had followed struck me in the stomach.

—Thud!

“Gah… agh…”

“Hah… You little brat, just making a useless fuss.”

“Got them? Then quickly put them in. We’re leaving soon!”

My vision went dark.

When my vision brightened again, I was lying in a space brightly illuminated from above. In contrast to the light source above me, my surroundings were dark.

I tried to move my body, but my arms and legs wouldn’t budge. Though I couldn’t see them, my ankles and wrists felt like they were bound by something cold.

I lifted my head slightly and saw my body covered with a green cloth.

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Help me! Is anyone there… huh?”

I stopped screaming again. This thin, delicate girl’s voice wasn’t mine.

Confused, I looked around as masked figures approached from the darkness.

“Excuse me! Please untie this!”

“That one’s noisy. Gag them.”

“What? Wait! Mmph! Mmmph…!”

I struggled, thrashing around. I couldn’t move. They were approaching. Something glinting came into view.

—Whirrrrrr!

“Starting the Sigma-6 procedure now. First…”

A green cloth was draped over my head. A sharp mechanical whirring sound was heard. The sound grew closer.

I can’t see anything. What is this? What is it? No. I don’t want this. Stop it—

***

Hmm, what was it? Something almost came to mind, then didn’t. Nothing at all comes to mind.

It’s as if nothing comes to mind, wiped clean by an eraser. What on earth happened? I suppose that place was a laboratory.

Well, what happened afterward isn’t so vivid. Imagine a movie made by a poor art film director, full of flashbacks from damaged film, projected by a dusty projector.

Plunged into darkness only to be pulled back into the light, this happened multiple times.

“-Initiating procedure.”

‘Gah!’

I was bound in the same place again.

Each time the light flickered, it felt like a vital part of me was being cut away.

“…Beginning the second frontal lobe augmentation procedure on Subject 10-6-8. The transformation of neurons through multi-layered enhancement…”

‘Aaaaargh!’

What was it? Noise, screams, I think I cried a lot. I can’t remember.

It feels like something is constantly being gouged out.

“…Federal Year 24, April 27th, initiating neuron-ether expansion for Subject 10-6-8. Method…”

‘Uwaaah…’

It feels like my very being has turned into clay, freely molded by the mischievous hands of elementary schoolers.

Back in the darkness, murmuring sounds were heard around me.

“…the ether-signal response transmission level within the brain is good. The subject’s consciousness is gradually transitioning from a comatose state to a somnolent state. Awakening is expected soon.”

My vision brightened again. I was standing in a green liquid, bubbling with air bubbles.

“…Federal Year 025, Month 13, Day 3, 12:13 PM, Subject 10-6-8’s current state of consciousness…”

“…Awakening complete.”

Strange things were stuck all over my mouth and body. I was inside a huge test tube. Several people in lab coats were surrounding me, conversing.

As I was about to fall forward, the people in lab coats supported me. They removed the various devices attached to my mouth and body.

‘Oh… was I naked?’

It’s cold. My lower body felt strangely empty. The surroundings were louder than expected. My head involuntarily turned, and I surveyed the area.

‘I’m not the only one in this state.’

Large test tubes were lined up in a wide room. For each person who emerged from a test tube, two or three researchers attended, checked something, and then led them elsewhere.

Led by their hands, I was then taken to a place like a shower room. I was doused with water again and dried my body with a towel.

Next, I received and put on a loose, one-piece patient gown. They took my picture.

—Click!

Once again, the light flickered.

This time, I was standing in a spacious area.

“Subject 10-6-8. Execute instructions. Failure to comply within 60 seconds will result in a penalty. 60, 59, 58…”

A speaker on one side issued commands to me.

‘I’ stood still until the countdown ended. The moment the countdown finished, a beeping sound suddenly started ringing from my neck.

I unconsciously touched my neck and realized something hard, like a choker, was wrapped around it. At that moment.

—Crackling—!!

“Kuaaah!”

A powerful electric shock struck my body. I screamed and leaped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, then collapsed to the floor.

They urged me. I cried. Once again, pain slammed into my body.

I unconsciously extended my arm.

Something invisible and warm flowed from my arm into the air. Something began to form before my eyes. It was a sight like a video of a 3D printer creating an object, sped up three times.

The form that accumulated, reaching from feet, to legs, to waist, soon became a little girl.

Forgetting my pain at the bizarre phenomenon, I watched it. There was a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and red eyes, dressed in a thin patient gown.

When I extended my arm, the child extended hers. When I turned my head, the girl also turned her head. The girl moved as I moved.

A short while later, the girl slowly disintegrated into dust and vanished, like scattered dust.

The light flickers.

I was lying bound again. Once more, a whirring sound of something turning was heard.

Another test site… lying down. Flickering…

When I opened my eyes, the world glittered again. It kept glittering. Glittering…

‘I’ walked down a long corridor, led by the researchers. After passing through several doors, I entered an office that, by rough estimate, seemed fit for someone of high rank.

The researchers approached the person seated in the chair and said something. A man with a striking bald scalp rose from his seat and approached me.

The bald middle-aged man seemed to be in a good mood, his expression often similar to that of a greedy parent obsessed with grades, when their child brings home a top-grade report card from school.

“What’s your name?”

The bald man opened his mouth, and my mouth moved on its own.

“…I don’t know.”

‘I’ shook my head and replied. He turned around and began asking his subordinates various questions.

“Team Leader, does this subject not have a name?”

“Director. In the case of 10-6-8… Ah, that one was likely one of the samples brought in from outside Rustrum…”

“A refugee…? Well, it doesn’t matter.”

During their brief conversation, the bald man, called Director, gestured to me. ‘I’ walked forward to the Director.

“Weren’t there already a few fabricated identities for some of the verified subjects? If not… you know, those things?”

“You mean the discarded subjects? We’ve just selected a few suitable ones for fabricated identities.”

“Good. They were useless bugs, so let’s at least give them a name.”

The Director tapped on a tablet PC a few times, then made a sweeping gesture. An identification document with a photo of an unknown girl’s face appeared on the large monitor hanging on the wall.

“Violet… Violet Dunhind… Ruzil… Rugilin? Rujelin? What a strange name. Fine. We’ll use this. 10-6-8?”

“…Yes.”

The Director looked down at me arrogantly.

“From now on, you are Violet. Understand? Repeat after me.”

“Vi…o…let…?”

The Director frowned slightly, then struck my head with a thud.

“Goodness, did the procedure reduce her language intelligence? Repeat after me. Vi-o-let.”

“Vi…o…let…”

‘I’ slowly and clearly pronounced the name correctly. Only then did the Director’s expression relax slightly.

The bald Director, as if everything was finished, exchanged a few words with other researchers and then plopped back down into his seat.

‘I’ was led by the researchers out into the corridor. On one side of the corridor wall was a clear red logo.

It was a logo I had seen often somewhere.

‘What was it again?’

Hmm, I can’t remember.

The researchers told me to wait, so I paused and saw a large mirror hanging on the wall.

A beautiful girl stood within it. She was a pretty girl with blonde hair and ruby-red eyes.

I instinctively realized this was me and gasped in admiration.

“This is me? That’s amazing!”

I felt like I should be surprised, but I wasn’t. Rather, I was excited. Why? Right! Because I was a beautiful girl. No. Was I always like that?

It felt like something was missing from my mind. The part responsible for ‘surprise’ seemed to have gone out.

“Hehehe…”

No. But I’m cute! So it probably doesn’t matter, right?

Wait. Who was I? Why am I here?

I felt dizzy. Suddenly, I was confused.

“Ugh…”

As I clutched my head and groaned, a translucent, blue-tinged screen appeared before my eyes.

—————————————————– Name: Violet Dunhind Ruzilin Alias: Subject 10-6-8 Status: Lab Subject Stamina: 1000 Mana: 1500 Unique Abilities: ■■■■: ??? Lv1 Clone Skill … ————————————————-

I read the text floating in the air.

“Violet…”

Only then did my mind gradually begin to clear, like a blue sky after the clouds have dispersed.

Right, I’m not Violet. And I am Violet!

Actually, I’m not from this world. I just realized that.

But anyway, the reality now is that I am Violet. A beautiful young girl!

Yes, thinking about it, my world began to become clear again from that moment.

From the situation where I faced the mirror and the status window appeared before my eyes. Even though there are many blanks in my mind, and parts that seem forgotten.

After recalling everything up to this point, I closed my eyes.

“Ugh… Why are there parts I can’t remember?”

Ah, forget about worries and just sleep. It won’t come to mind anyway.

I closed my eyes.