'…where am I?'
Those were the only words that could escape his lips…
He tried to move, but his body was hurt all over.
Before he could do anything else, he felt a sharp pain in his head; he tried to grab his head, but his hands felt numb; there was blood all over him.
...
Then, he faintly remembered some people who would torture him, or those who would bring him food once in a while, and then a vague image of a weird man cutting his body open and injecting him.
The excruciating pain gradually reduced. He was breathing heavily. `
I remember...!
That was when he looked around. He was sitting on the bare floor, with his back against an unfinished wall. The 'room' smelled horrible. There was a skull beside him… it wasn't a human's…
Not minding, Dion realized he was held in a form of a dungeon. There was no light, there were broken metal bars on the floor, and a cool, light breeze was blowing at him.
What could have happened?
'…right… my name… is Dion, though they never called me that.'
He tried to remember what could have happened for there to be such a chaotic setting.
Once he felt like he was on the verge of remembering, it slipped from his memory. He tried to remember who the person cutting him was, but there was no memory.
'Wait… there's no light'
'But I can see…?'
'What's this?'
'Is it because I've adapted to being here?'
'… I doubt…'
Dion tried to move, but his body still felt numb, yet painful. He was thirsty, hungry, and dirty. He disliked the feeling.
He sat there because moving hurt, and because he was fearful. What else could be living in this dungeon with him?
After a while, he bit into his lower lip, the pain caused him to flinch, causing his whole body to start throbbing. The pain was too much. But it was enough. Enough to rejuvenate his body, at least he could feel himself regaining control of his arms, his legs.
He finally managed to speak.
"Ah-"
A foul odor came from his mouth. He grimaced.
Disgusted, he forced himself to stand. His muscles screamed, but he stretched anyway. The pain no longer mattered.
He stepped forward carefully, avoiding the jagged stones and rusted metal scattered across the floor. He needed food. Water. Anything.
The hallway ahead was in ruins. To his right, a small room caught his eye. Without hesitation, he entered, cautious of traps and alert for movement.
The room was almost empty. A broken table stood against the wall, littered with used syringes, empty boxes, and scattered papers. Among them lay a few old books, coated with dust.
He searched the room anyway. The papers contained information about "test subjects." Every single one was listed as deceased.
He didn't even flinch when he found one with his own name "Dion" and a single bold word beneath it: DEAD.
His headache worsened, his vision became blurry. His body became weak.
He fell on the floor. He was slowly recovering, he could see, he had a little more energy.
Even though he recovered slightly, his heart sank.
Because if anything attacked him, he would most likely die!
He read the rest silently:
Name: Dion
Date of Birth: 19th January, 2025
Test: XX
First Attempt: Failure
Second Attempt: Failure
…
Ninth Attempt: Death
He stared at it for a long moment. Most of the words meant nothing to him, yet one thing was clear: he wasn't supposed to be alive.
'I have barely any memories, where is this? Why am I here? I need answers.
Some papers to his right moved slightly; without his interference.
As soon as he noticed the movement, he jumped and flung a bunch of papers in the direction of the movement.
A tiny green creature, no bigger than a cat, skittered free. It had the legs of a feline and the slick, scaled body of a fish. Instead of fleeing, it shot straight toward him at an alarming speed.
Dion dropped low, lunging forward.
BAM.
He caught it.
The thing was slimy and thrashed violently in his grip, but before it could slip free, he slammed it hard against the floor. He released it only to drive his foot into its body a split second later.
The creature struck the wall and let out a pitiful squeal. Blue blood splattered across the stone as it slid down and went still.
Dion exhaled slowly.
He didn't even have an urge to check the animal; he only felt empty... and also dirty.