"Here, drink this…", he said, and I almost choked on the bitter liquid Aldus shoved in my mouth. Why is everything bitter?

"This will energize you to start moving." He explained while peeling his gaze off from me. ​​

Aldus extinguished the candles that were around the metallic table I was on and kept them on the side before he proceeded carefully detaching tubes that were feeding my body with the unknown light blue liquid.

I observed his elegant gestures. His hands were steady and moved in an unknown rhythm. It was mesmerizing.

I wondered, how is it possible that I am not freaking out? I mean… I woke up in an unknown place, not knowing who I am or how I got here, and let's not forget the lack of clothes. I was like a newborn, but with the reasoning of a grownup woman. I guess it would be normal to scream my lungs out and to try to escape my current situation, but something told me not to, no matter how unsettling all this is.

The man called Aldus is a bizarre man with a feel of a mad scientist, but at this point, I suspected that something is wrong with me. As a woman in this confusing and helpless situation, I should be panicking and screaming for him to let me go, yet I was not sure if he is my torturer or my savior.

When Aldus finished detaching me from the machines, he sat behind a desk that was cluttered with papers and open books, and there must be a keyboard somewhere in that mess because he focused on the computer screen in front of him and I heard occasional typing.

I felt the bitter liquid I swallowed previously churning inside my belly and a pleasant warmth spread through the rest of my body. It was on a micro-level and I swear that I was able to feel my every cell rejoicing.

When I felt strong enough to move, I pushed myself up to sit on the metal bed and observed the cloth which was barely enough to cover up my front. What about my back? The cloth is rectangle-shaped and I can tie it around my chest, but then my bottom and my crotch area will be exposed… or I can tie it around my waist, but what about my breasts? Ah, this is horrible!

"You don't need to cover up in front of me…", he said when he noticed my struggle. "I already saw it all."

I looked at him in horror, is he going to have his way with me? Or did he already do it while I was unconscious?

Aldus frowned. "I am beyond the pleasures of the flesh."

I inhaled a choppy breath. Can he read minds or am I that easy to read? Somehow, Aldus reading minds sounded less crazy than me being unique nonsense.

I glanced at myself, and no matter how I look at it, my hourglass figure is perfect. How can a man say that he is beyond it?

"Are you gay? An angel? Or a eunuch?", questions came out of me subconsciously and I concluded that I am a sarcastic person who does not know when to shut up. Why am I provoking a man who just pumped unknown liquids inside my body?

His eyebrows shoot up in surprise at my questions and as much as I expected one-two words answers at most, he elaborated: "I don't believe that physical attraction has anything to do with gender. You are attracted to a person, not to the organs in their pelvic area. As for the question if I'm an angel… If you are imagining an angel as someone with a halo and wings who is playing the harp while sitting in the clouds, then no. But if your definition of an angel is someone who would slaughter a civilization of insignificant mortals in order to achieve his goal, then… maybe. And you asked me if I'm a eunuch, I can show you…" He stood up and started unbuttoning his pants.

"That won't be necessary!", I half-screamed.

He tilted his head and smiled, obviously amused with my reaction. "As you wish."

Aldus sat back on the chair and focused his attention on the computer.

I was not sure what is more shocking, his definition of an angel (the slaughtering part), or his willingness to show me his privates. Well, I guess he does not care about a naked body. I heard about those... naturists.

My brain was coming up with ideas on how to find out about my current situation so that I can get out of here. But, where would I go? I didn't have an answer to this because I could not remember where I belong, however, I knew that I need more information and that I should not offend this man.

No matter how I feel about him, he is my only lifeline, and it does not seem that he will hurt me… I was repeating this last part, hoping that I will start believing it.

I decided to start gathering information. "Excuse me... Can you explain how I got here?"

Aldus nodded slightly before responding: "Three nights ago, I found you in the alley. There was a carnival that evening on the square nearby, so I assume that you attended it and got mugged because you had no identification or valuables on you. Local media didn't report your disappearance, so I assume that you are a tourist. You had no pulse, and I revived you."

I don't remember the carnival or the alley, or getting mugged, and then there was the crazy part about zombies… or was it? "You revived me? Like mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions?"

He looked at me like I said something outrageous. "No. Based on your body temperature, you were dead for at least a few hours. I used other means to revive you."

My eyes gravitated toward the brain in the jar and an eerie feeling overwhelmed me. Is this guy crazy to believe he can revive dead people, or will I be crazy enough to believe that I am a zombie? I was confident that if I asked him how he revived me, I would not get an answer, so I decided not to call him crazy at loud, and to ask the next thing. "Why?"

Aldus was visibly confused. "What?"

"Why did you revive me? Don't tell me that you are spending your nights on the streets of Venice, saving tourists who got mugged and killed."

He thought for some time before responding: "You have a great potential to be an alchemist. And I'm lacking an apprentice."

That almost-explained who he is. Wait! Did he say, 'an alchemist'? Are they real? No. No way. This is another nonsense.

A chuckle escaped my lips. I know that I should not make fun of him, but this was too much. "An alchemist?"

"Well... I'm much more than that, but for now, you can think of me as such."

He stood up and bowed while placing one hand on his chest and the other one behind his back, like people from ancient times. "I am Aldus Mezzanotte, at your service. My skills brought you back to life, and as such, you belong to me. In private, I am your master and I will teach you alchemy, and in public, I am your father."

I froze. Did he say that I belong to him? Like a slave or something? What is going on? How many drugs did he pump inside me? Is he on drugs? I really need to get out of here!

My eyes widened in panic and I encouraged myself: breathe, breathe, and don't show fear… people like Aldus can smell fear and feed on it.

I secretly pinched myself. No, this is not a dream because I can feel the pain and everything seems real. Did I die and reincarnate? Or did I travel through time? Or did I end up kidnapped by a man who belongs to a mental institution? I had so many questions, but I noticed that Aldus is looking at me with a frown, so I decided to ask them later. Carefully.

"I see that you have difficulty absorbing this information.", he said after some time. "You will get used to it. Any more questions before I go back to my work?" He gestured toward his computer.

"Uhm… one. You said that I am unique. What does that mean?"

"Even if I tell you, you won't believe me, so I can only do this…" Aldus grumbled and in the next moment, intense pain invaded my right forearm.

I widened my eyes in horror at the gory sight in front of me. I can see my bone! "You cut me!"

Aldus snorted smugly. "Look…"

My mouth gaped open at the sight of a big wound closing itself in front of my eyes. Five seconds later, there was nothing other than leftover blood on my arm.

Aldus took a small towel and rubbed the blood off in three smooth moves. "See? You are perfect. Try not to cut yourself, your blood is precious. As for any specific information, I will need to do more tests."

I stared at my hand which was completely clean, there was not even a scar. Did he cut me, and the thing healed on its own like some super-power, or did I imagine it? I need a drink. Something strong…

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