Time flowed slowly, thick as syrup.
Two girls huddled together by the edge of the small bed, sharing the fleeting sweetness and warmth of half a candy.
Tessia squinted in contentment, leaning against Alice’s thin shoulder while humming a tuneless little song. Alice sat quietly, her gentle gaze resting on the top of Tessia’s softly swaying hair.
But this stolen moment of peace was as fragile as candy wrapper.
A dull thud suddenly shattered the room’s silence.
The white door slid open again without a sound.
Three figures appeared in the doorway. They wore white lab coats and tight-fitting masks that left only their cold, emotionless eyes visible.
The lead man raised his wrist, glanced at the timer on it, and spoke in a flat, mechanical tone.
“No. 9, time’s up. The second neural-link strength test is about to begin. Follow us to the observation room immediately.”
His gaze swept over the two girls huddled together, lingering on Tessia for half a second with no flicker of emotion before settling on Alice. His brows furrowed slightly.
Tessia’s body went rigid. The relaxed posture she had held moments ago tightened instantly, like a startled kitten. She clutched Alice’s arm on instinct, fear flooding her blood-red eyes.
“Tessia… doesn’t want to go,” she whispered, voice trembling. “Tessia wants to stay with Little Ai…”
The lead man’s frown deepened. He stepped forward to grab her by force, only to be blocked by Alice shifting into his path.
The white-coated man stopped. The eyes above his mask narrowed as he studied the frail girl.
“Interfering with the experiment requires punishment.”
Alice lifted her head and met those icy, scrutinizing eyes. Her own red pupils held almost no emotion; her voice stayed calm, even robotic.
“No. 6 volunteers for today’s second neural-strength test.”
“Volunteers?” he repeated, suspicion thick in his tone.
Extra tests usually meant higher intensity, longer duration, and more unpredictable side effects. For Alice, who had just undergone one adjustment, this was practically suicidal.
Alice nodded.
“Yes,” she answered simply.
The man in the white coat fell silent. He seemed to weigh the decision while one of his assistants leaned in and whispered something.
A moment later he spoke, voice hard. “Approved. No. 6 has volunteered for an additional high-intensity test. Record it.”
“Mm.” Alice gave a small sound, seemingly indifferent to the warning.
“Good.” The white-coated man said nothing more and stepped aside.
“Follow.”
Alice gently pried open Tessia’s fingers, which were still desperately gripping the hem of her clothes. Her own fingers were ice-cold and trembling faintly.
“Little Ai… don’t…” Tessia’s voice cracked, tears finally spilling over.
“It’s fine…” Alice forced what she thought was a reassuring smile and spoke softly to the crying girl. “We just ate candy, so it won’t hurt…”
She patted the back of Tessia’s cold hand once, then turned away without looking back and followed the impatient white-coated man already waiting at the door.
The heavy door sealed shut with a perfect click.
Leaving Tessia alone, curled up on the floor.
Her silver hair fell forward, hiding her face. A tearful voice echoed through the empty room.
“…Liar.”
Outside, the corridor was blindingly bright. Smooth walls on both sides reflected cold, sterile light. Alice walked behind the man in the white coat, her footsteps echoing faintly in the vast hallway. Her small shadow stretched long and hazy behind her.
No fear. No resistance. Only the trained, instinctive obedience that had been drilled into her.
Lining both sides of the corridor were rows of sealed metal doors, each bearing nothing but a cold number and no windows.
She knew what lay behind some of those doors… more instruments, more observation rooms, or… numbers that had been taken away and never returned.
Yes…
She had grown used to the chill of this place. She had grown used to the cold, fearful, monster-like stares those people gave her.
Their masks hid their faces. Except for Mom, she had almost never seen anyone else’s full features—only pairs of eyes brimming with hatred and rage, locked onto her.
As if they wanted to devour her whole.
At the end of the corridor stood another thick metal door. The words “High-Intensity Neural-Link Test Chamber” were printed on it, far more imposing than the previous room.
The moment she had opened her eyes in this world, coldness had wrapped around her. All she remembered was a smiling yet twistedly beautiful face claiming to be her “Mom.”
Mom had brought her here, but Alice still did not know what this place truly was. The cold metallic platform gleamed under the lights. Torment, destruction, experiments, and pain had long since made time meaningless to her.
Alice stepped inside without the slightest hesitation. Her gaze swept across the various strange instruments. Without needing instructions, she walked straight to the platform, lay down with stiff yet practiced movements.
Mom told me.
Alice lay on the freezing metal platform as automatic straps coiled around her slender limbs and torso, securing her in place.
Inside her heart, those flat, empty words kept echoing.
Everything is for evolution. For becoming better. For…
…becoming Mom’s most perfect creation.
The shadowless lamp above poured down harsh white light, making her small, pale face look almost transparent. The bandage over her right eye contrasted eerily with the hollow red pupil of her left.
Mom says feelings are a gift. Pain… is a necessary step.
Her unfocused gaze drifted toward the ceiling while the lab technicians began adjusting the machines around her.
Mom says I must accept it. I must endure it. I must give feedback—feedback on every warmth, every pain, every drop of blood… Only then can Mom know how far the creation has progressed.
Mechanical arms whirred into motion with soft clicks. One aimed directly at her only intact eye. The arm tipped with a cold, sharp needle hovered above her head and slowly descended.
Mom says I am special because I can endure more. I can be dug into deeper.
Mom says this will make my senses far surpass ordinary people. It will make my value irreplaceable.
But…
Alice’s eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.
Mom never told me…
After enduring it all, why does it feel…
Her fingertip twitched faintly, as if pointing toward her own heart.
…emptier inside?
The next instant, her vision was completely swallowed by boundless, twisting, rapidly spinning white light.
In the final moment before pure agony crushed her consciousness, right at the center of that all-consuming blinding glow, a single image suddenly appeared and froze in place.
It was not Mom’s twisted, sweet smile.
It was not the cold instruments or the hateful eyes behind the masks.
It was not the endless white walls or the metal platform.
It was Tessia. She leaned against her, holding half a peeled, bright-red candy and carefully offering the smaller piece to Alice’s lips.
She was smiling at her.
That smile was so happy…
So sweet…
So… warm.
Rip—!