“My first memories are coming back. The first thing I saw was darkness. The first thing I smelled was the scent of blood. The first thing I felt was pain. I heard screams—my screams. I fought blindly, hoping it would stop, but it didn’t.”

“That was nineteen years ago. Now, I’m standing here…outside my prison cell in the South Lab. They have managed to hide this world from me for nineteen years. Nineteen years of my life I have spent in darkness. They experimented with me, studied me, and played with my life, but now…?”

She had never heard her voice out in the open. Until this moment, she had spoken in only the laboratory and her cell. Out here, her voice sounded different. Freer.

For the first time in her life, she stood outside, surrounded by trees. The grass, still wet from the morning dew, brushed against her shoes. She looked around. Until now, she had seen this view only in pictures.

The wind played with her long, dull purple hair. A snow-white dress clung to her body. Her obsidian-black boots seemed new, as if they had never been worn. The white of her dress was brilliantly pure, almost blinding. It did not belong in the world that was ahead of her. Dust, mud, and blood were yet to color it.

For a moment, she enjoyed the silence. Only the rustling of withered leaves and the whistling of the wind beset her ears.

However, she had already noticed that this world did not welcome her with open arms.

Despite the sunshine, she began to shiver. She wrapped her delicate arms around herself and looked up at the sun, which disappeared behind the looming outlines of the skyscrapers.

The young woman’s appearance changed. At first, only small differences were seen, then her figure and clothing changed in a smooth transition. Only a few moments later, it was over. Instead of the young woman, there now stood a man about her age. The brilliant white dress had become a coat of the same color; the dull purple hair was just tied to a deep braid.

He smiled as he looked into the distance and whispered in awe, “It’s going to be a new life, a new beginning. My first memories will be these: The first thing I see is light. The first thing I smell is nature. The first thing I feel is the cool wind. I hear nothing, for I am silent. I look around in wonder and hope I can begin a new life now. Far away from the past. This world can no longer hide from me. I’ve discovered the truth.”

He slowly walked toward the city. They would never be able to imprison him again. He would be free forever, able to live a true life. It was what he had wished for.