Raindrops hit the car window relentlessly, blurring the world outside. I huddled in the corner of the backseat, feeling smaller than ever. My world had always been like this—vague, cold, and intimidating. At school, I was the boy no one noticed. At home, I was merely a 'responsibility' to my father, a renowned and distant researcher. Since my mother passed away, the silence between us has grown thicker than any wall.
I mustered the courage to whisper, "Dad... what about my school? My books? Everything is still back there."
My father tapped a rhythm on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road. Without looking at me, he spoke in a voice as cold as ice. "You don't need to worry about that anymore. Where we are going, a new world awaits you. This world is too harsh for the weak, Neel. That's why I intend to... reshape you."
A chill ran down my spine. I didn't understand what he meant by 'reshape.' A knot of dread tightened in my chest.
As the car passed through a massive iron gate, the air grew heavy. Through the thick fog emerged a colossal, ancient mansion. Every stone seemed to breathe a heavy sigh of age. Surrounding the estate was a primitive, lightless forest. Its skeletal branches reached toward the sky like frozen claws. There were no birds, no signs of life—only a suffocating silence.
When the car stopped, a tall silhouette stood by the main entrance. The man was unnaturally pale and gaunt. As my father stepped out, the man bowed mechanically.
"Neel, this is Albert. From now on, he will monitor your every move. I will be busy in my laboratory, so do not even think about being disobedient." my father's voice was no longer a suggestion; it was a command.
The moment I stepped out of the car, a gust of bone-chilling wind gripped me. Albert stepped forward, his eyes locking onto mine. His gaze wasn't human; it was the look of a predator measuring its prey.
"Welcome, Master Neel," Albert said in a low, raspy voice. "We have been waiting for you. Come inside... there is much work to be done."
Trembling, I walked toward the giant doors. I had no idea what horrifying ordeal my father was pushing me into. I am weak. I am alone. And I do not yet know that to survive this mansion, I will have to awaken a stranger hidden deep within myself.
My new life has begun. Or perhaps, my longest nightmare.