SIMULATION START

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". . . ."

#496 opens her eyes. She is now inside the simulation.

"So, this is the inside of the simulation. Let's assess the situation."

"I'm still a seven-year-old just like how I am outside. My height is still the same. My weight is still the same. My voice is still the same. And my outfit—"

#496 lean her sights on her own body and she notices she's not wearing the black hospital gown anymore.

"This is. . ."

#496 was surprised to see herself wearing something other than her usual getup. It was a children-size black gothic dress.

"It's. . .cute. . ." said #496 complimenting herself.

A figure of a 35-year-old man suddenly appeared out of nowhere, standing right beside her. As if a set of knowledge is being transferred inside #496's head, she immediately addresses the man beside her with a certain respect.

"DADDY!!" said #496 as she hugs the man's leg tightly.

After that, another human figure appeared on her other side as well. A woman figure around the age of 32-year-old. Again, #496 immediately addresses her with another certain respect.

"MOMMY!!!"

Once the simulation has fully started, the subject subjected to the simulation will no longer be able to tell the difference between reality and a simulation. What #496 feels right now is so real. She felt that she has already been with them since she was born as that was the setting that was implemented. 

As the Simulation goes, #496 has experienced five days' worth of real-life experience. Though in real-time, the VR Experiment has only gone for about five minutes. In those five days, #496 has experienced pure happiness together with both of her parents. They took a walk in a park, they went picnic at a hill, they went sightseeing in a mall, they went to an Aquarium exhibit, they went fishing in a fishing pond, they went to a carnival, they went to an eastern festival, they went to a family dance event, and they went to a karaoke and many more. Everything that has happened was pure happiness for #496. 

Finally, the sixth day inside the Simulation came. They were planning to go to a haunted house. They ride a car to reach the said place. But suddenly, the car they were in crashed. 

Fortunately enough, there are no victims. But all of them went unconscious inside the simulation. 

After a few hours, which is a few seconds in real-time, #496 regained her consciousness.

"Uuuugghh. . .What happened? Mom? Dad?"

#496 opened her eyes and she realized quickly that she is currently tied into a tree stump by a rope. She also noticed that she was currently in the middle of a deep forest.

"HHHRRRNNGGGHHH!!"

#496 struggles to no avail. The binding can never be unbound by the strength of a seven-year-old girl. 

#496 noticed something strange in front of her. She saw both of her parents were bound into chairs next to each other. Their face was covered by a paper bag.

"MOM!! DAD!!"

Suddenly, a shadow human figure appeared, which in reality is an unfinished model of a 3D human figure, but he looks like a street thug in #496's eyes. The thug figure didn't say a word, however, he quickly draws a pocket knife from his pocket. Without even waiting for a second, the thug put his pocket knife on #496's father's toe. And then he starts slicing the skin, intending to skin him alive.

"UUUUUAAAARRRRRGGHHHHH!!!!"

Seeing a human model made by a program getting hurt shouldn't have any effect on any normal human beings, however, #496 was inside a simulation where she was given the role of the child of both of the models "Daddy" and "Mommy". Her heart broke the instant she saw what just happened before her own eyes.

"DAAAADDDYYYYYYY!!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY DAD?? STOP THIS INSTANT!!! HHHRRRRGGGHHH!!!"

#496 let out a desperate scream as she kept struggling to free herself from her binding. The thug figure doesn't care a bit about #496's scream. He kept slicing the skin of her father's toe. And then he slices the skin of his other toes.

"UAAAARRRRGGHHHHH!!!"

Blood is dripping from her father's foot. The thug then raises his pace to skin her father. Now he started to skin the ankle part of his leg.

*slice* *drip drip*

"UAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!"

"STTOOOOOOOOOOPPPP!!!! STOOOOOOPPP!!!! STTOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPP!!!! LET GO OF MY FATHER!!!! STOOOOOOOP!!!!"

Tears have started to fall from #496's eyes. She can't handle the reality in which her parents are being tortured for no solid reason. In the real world, her body struggles to free from the binding of the metal bracelets. She sweats all over her body, and tears have also fallen out from the VR Headset that she wears. Her real body struggles so much that it shakes the VR Experiment chair. 

Inside the simulation, the thug has finished skinning both of the father's lower parts of the leg. Before he continues, he changed his sight to #496's mother. And then he starts peeling the skin of her toe in the same manner as he did to #496's father.

"KYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!"

"MOOOOOOOMMMM!!!! STOOOOOOPPPP!!! STOOOOPP!!!!"

The thug kept peeling her skin and her mother kept screaming in agony and pain.

"KYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!"

"I! SAID! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPP!!!!!!"

Her real body in the outside world suddenly shines so brightly in light blue color. Her hair and her eyes also change color into the same light blue color, this was the first time her Faith power affects her appearances. 

All of the scientists inside the simulation room were so excited about the phenomenon that is happening to Experiment #496. They are about to see the fruit of their experiment.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHH!!!!!!" #496 screams.

#496's body shines so bright that everything and everyone inside the room was caught inside her radiance. The scientists' bodies start to rot away and disintegrated into dust as well as the equipment and the room itself. 

#496 fell to a soil ground as the room, the chair, the VR equipment, and everything else has rotted away and become dust. Her hair and eyes also returned to their normal color.

*pant pant*

"I. . .have to find Mi-chan!"

#496 tries to stand up with all of her strength. Her body became temporarily weak because of mental exhaustion.

*pant pant*

#496 stands up and runs to search for Michelle around the facility.

She just got out of the now-no-longer-exist simulation room and a bunch of security staff is coming towards her.

"You'll be in one hell of a punishment young girl. Murdering a lot of the scientists including one of the key persons is unforgivable."

*BEEP*

One of the staff pressed his remote control that has been used to activate the metal collar that every child inside the facility wears. But all of them noticed that #496's metal collar has disappeared from her neck.

"Out of my way!" #496 tries to intimidate them.

"N-Nice try problem child! We'll compromise you with violence!"

All of them point their gun towards her. #496's hair and eyes changed color again.

"FIRE!"

The security staff fired their guns in harmony. #496 dodges their bullets and runs past them with no problem. Considering she has been put into a similar situation, but with 20 miniguns instead, this was a cakewalk for her.

"Gotta find Mi-chan!"

#496 runs at unbelievable speed and searches the facility as fast as she can. She ran past every security staff that tries to subdue her with no difficulty.

After a few seconds of running at full speed, she finally came across a normal room that is used to keep the children inside. The same familiar room that #496 herself was put into. #496 slams open the door.

"MI-CHAN!"

"EEEEK!!"

"WHO ARE YOU? AND HOW DID YOU EVEN OPEN THE DOOR?"

"(. . .Not here.)"

#496 rushes to the room next door and opens it.

"MI-CHAN!!"

"AAAAAAAHHH!!"

It wasn't her room as well. 

For the next 10 seconds, #496 kept slamming open the doors on the next few rooms until she actually found Michelle.

"MI-CHAAAN!!"

Inside the room, she saw Michelle sitting in the corner of her room facing the wall.

"MI-CHAN!"

#496 immediately runs and hugs her from behind, until she notices the condition of her friend. Michelle is wearing layers of bandages wrapping around her head, but the wrapping was asymmetric. She quickly found out that it was because the bandages were wrapping her swollen left eye. The bandages are also deep in red color on the part that directly covers her left eyeball.

"MI-CHAN! WHAT HAPPENED?"

Michelle turns around and finally looks at #496.

"Ah. . .it's you. . ."

"STAND DOWN EXPERIMENT#496!"

#496 turns around towards the warning and a lot of securities are already inside the room and blocking the only exit on the room. The securities are already pointing their gun towards both of them.

"FIRE!"

Without warning them, one of the securities commands to shoot them down. #496 cannot protect Michelle if she's just running around and dodging every single bullet coming her way. She began to visualize something different. Something that has been within her since she awakens her Faith. 

"(Protect Mi-chan at all costs! I need. . . something to protect us! SOMETHING TO PROTECT HER!)"

#496 puts her palm forwards. She suddenly created a clock made out of blue light large enough to completely cover them both from the bullets.

It was emotion. When someone is consumed by emotions, their mind sometimes pushes aside all kinds of common sense and they will commit to succeeding in what their emotions telling them to do even if it's against all kinds of odds. 

#496 succeeded in protecting Michelle from the bullets.

"W-What was that?" said one of the security staff in fear.

"The scientists said that she shouldn't be at this level in her current stage!"

"R-Run around the shield and get her!"

The securities charge towards them. During the charges, #496 tries to utilize something different from the clock earlier. #496 puts her left hand to her right side in a fashion of grabbing something. She began to visualize a weapon to protect Michelle. 

#496 created a sword made out of blue light resembling the clock hand. She neutralized each of the securities without killing them.

"Well done #496. You exceeded our expectations."

A voice is coming out of the usual announcement speaker that can be heard throughout the whole facility.

"Emotion really is the best way to develop Faith power."

"Let's get out of here Mi-chan!"

#496 goes to pick up Michelle, but before she even gets close, her collar activates.

"UUAAAGHH!"

"MI-CHAN!"

"Well #496, you have to do something."

"What do you want me to do?!"

"Before you do anything, let me tell you that we can amplify the voltage of the collar. I'll raise it a bit now!"

Michelle began to scream louder.

"UAARGGHHHH!!!"

"S-Stop it. . .!" begs #496.

"Let's raised it up again."

"AAAAAAKKKKKHH!!!"

Michelle's scream has begun to hurt #496's ear. #496 puts her hands on her head.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPP!!!"

After she let out her loudest scream, she almost fainted.

*pant pant*

The collar on Michelle's neck has stopped functioning.

"Mi-chan, let's go!"

#496 proceeds to pick up Michelle and supported her walk by placing her hands on #496's shoulder. They walked around the facility, but #496 notices a strange silence. She couldn't even hear the faintest footstep or even the breezing air despite the chaos that she caused inside the facility. 

It finally clicks on her about what happened. This is her own doing. She stopped time. She always had this ability but never properly utilized it until now.

"Mi-chan, I'll get you out!" said #496 to Michelle's ear.

"Thanks. . .!"

Both of them walk and walk and walk and keep walking. Until they actually reach the main entrance to the facility.

"(I guess. . .I have to use that ability. I always fail to use this ability on my metal collar, but now, I have to make sure I succeed. For our own sakes! For her sakes!)"

#496 touches the iron door that is the main entrance to the facility.

"Accelerate."

The iron door began to glow in blue light in its entirety and began to disintegrate into black dust. #496 accelerates the time span of the iron door into the farthest future possible and turns it into dust. 

Usually, sunlight is supposed to shine everything in its way whenever it doesn't get block by something, however, due to time has been stopped, the sunlight didn't come through the giant hole on the main entrance.

"I did it. . . Mi-chan, we're free!"

Michelle didn't reply as she fell unconscious without #496 realizing. Both of them walk out of the facility and they have successfully escaped the facility. 

On that day, two subjects of the Facility of Faith Research and Development Institute has successfully escaped and became the first ones to do so.