Euna awoke to a heavenly hymn. A faint and ethereal voice carried its way into her abode like a whisper from the wind. It’s sweet and alluring melody aroused her from her deep slumber, calling for her attendance. But before she could even open her eyes, she felt something terribly wrong with her body. A strange and unbearable pain assaulted her in sporadic intervals. She grit her teeth as a sudden searing sensation coursed through her, as if her nerves were on fire.

Then the pain disappeared. It was as if it was never there.

She sat up from her bed and checked her body thoroughly, but there were no visible injuries. She brought her hands to her face, and they came back with tears, sweat and drool. Snuggled in her hair which was damp with sweat, was Teal. Teal was a lynx with a furry coat of vibrant teal and pattered dark spots. For a few moments, she sat there deeply confused as Teal licked away the tears and sweat. Her memory was hazy and all she could remember was pain… and blood. Lots of blood.

A nightmare? she wondered.

But it came to her as clear as day. Beyond the pain and blood she could remember the Augmented fleet looming over the horizon. Her father and the villagers flying to their deaths.

Euna shivered.

A dream. It was just a dream she thought, dismissing the memories from her mind.

She slipped out of her bed, Teal following close on her heels. She stepped out of her makeshift shelter which was perched precariously within the massive trunk of a Behemoth Tree. After countless hours of painstaking carving, the hollowed trunk had become homely enough to serve as a place of rest and shelter.

Here, she was at peace. Deep within the forest which she called home, and in her private hollowed-out enclosure. She could still hear Lyria’s sonorous voice, singing and calling for the villagers to gather.

Finally, after spending too much time dwelling on her thoughts she decided to move on. There was a lot to be done.

Euna’s makeshift hut was her very first endeavor towards independence. Having a shelter that you had procured through your own laborious efforts was a mark of self-sufficiency among the Altered and not having one was simply social suicide. Euna had spent far too many years nestled in her father’s hut. So when she had learned to tap into her sense of Alteration, the first thing she learned was to alter her hands. She would need very sturdy claws if she wanted to carve a home out of the notoriously esteemed Behemoth trees. They had told her that only the sharpest, and most durable of claws would scratch the Behemoth Tree. That many have tried and failed but that didn’t deter her. It was only when she had begun that she had discovered the colossal task that she had ignorantly plunged herself into. There was an enormous error in her judgement. The most difficult part of the ordeal was not being able to scratch the Behemoth Tree, but being able to endure the extensively lengthy process. Even the sharpest of claws would dull after repeated use. She had assumed that the task would take weeks, not months. Euna had to constantly grow, and reshape her claws in order to maintain its sharpness. The task had exacted a exhaustive toll on her pubescent body and a good fourteen months of her life, but it had tempered her somatic sense to a acute degree that was remarkable for her age. But alas, she was still a novice compared to her brethren in the village, and to make matters worse, she was a nascent. She was the only Altered in the entire village who hadn't undergone 'the awakening' yet. An event which her Alteration teacher Miizen had described as 'transformative' and 'you'll know it when you see it' which didn't really tell her much.

Euna began walking purposefully down the massive tree limb, carefully maneuvering around other wayward branches and leaves. Teal leaped off into the branches below, chasing after a bird. They were easily over 200 meters from the ground but navigating the perilous heights of the Behemoth trees came easy for Euna and Teal. Finally, she reached the very tip of the branch where she was greeted with the full glory of the morning sun. A gentle breeze caressed her briefly, threatening to topple her before slipping away. Here, she had a glorious overhead view of the forest in its entirety. A thick canopy of teal-green stretched endlessly in all directions. Looming above the horizon, were mountains that gave way to the ocean in the west. Spread sparsely, and visible through the gaps of the canopy, was the village in its entirety.

Euna let out a breath of exhilaration and awe as she appreciated the vista before her along with Lyria’s melodic hymn.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” a husky voice remarked near her.

“You see,” Dr. Nequiv gave his audience a sidelong glance, making sure that they were paying attention. “When the brain is separated from the Altered’s body, intact and unharmed... something strange occurs.”

A mechanical appendage rotated, then lowered itself incrementally until it joined the cluster of actively moving mechanical arms.

Next to Dr. Nequiv stood Captain Armstrung who listened attentively, nodding and grunting at the doctor’s every word. And not too far away, still frozen in his spot, was Hiro.

“Something that should not be possible according to what we know of human biology,” the doctor continued.

A thin, razor sharp scalpel extended outwards from the appendage, and then began slowly slicing through thick strands of flesh. Blood, and transparent fluids oozed slowly out of the severed strands, painting the metallic surface with splotches of deep red.

Hiro swallowed, pushing back bile down his throat.

Another mechanical appendage began moving, this time towards a different section of the operating table. Nequiv repeated the procedure, slicing another thick strand of flesh.

“Without organs, the human body loses it ability to function. The lungs for the intake of oxygen, the stomach for the digestion of substance and nutrients, the heart and blood vessels to circulate vital resources--without any of these… the human body would fall apart. ”

Another slice.

“But most of all," Nequiv lifted a quivering finger, becoming more enthralled as he spoke, "the most essential, the crux of human biology, the epitome of complexity and mystery... is the brain. Without it, we lose not just what we are, but who we are. The brain is where information, our memories, our experiences, and personality is stored. And yet, this Altered remains… functional,” Dr. Nequiv exhaled a breath of astonishment. “No. Functional wouldn’t begin to describe this. This is--”

“Monstrous,” Helick interjected.

Dr. Nequiv chuckled.

Hiro watched the peculiar exchange in silence, but inside, a storm of violent emotions churned ceaselessly against his heart. He turned his attention back to Euna’s desecrated body.

Behind the pane of glass, strewn across the operating table were segments of Euna’s body, divided and arranged in an orderly fashion. As the dissection continued, excess material was excised and funneled into a large metallic container positioned around the edge of the hexagonal table. The outer layers—plated scales, shells of ivory carapace, hair and skin, along with any excess bone, extremities, Euna’s bladelike claws and wings—all of which were dumped over the edge of the table. Finally, what was left on the table were organs, parts of Euna’s torso and abdomen, limbs and a skull bereft of its brain.

Hiro struggled to discern one organ from the other with all the blood, unknown fluids, and the mounds of flesh and muscle splattered everywhere. Amidst the mounds of blood and flesh, he noticed that there were thick strands of arteries and veins, stretching like a web across the organs scattered across the table.

What the hell am I even looking at? Hiro’s mind turned inside out as he struggled to comprehend the aberration before him.

Sitting in the center of the web of crimson strands was a large dome-shaped, pulsating organ.

Somehow, Euna was alive.

"Beautiful couldn’t even begin to describe this…" Euna said. She could never get enough of this sight. It was why she had chosen this particular Behemoth tree as her place. "Oh," she flushed as she spotted Vale. "I didn't notice you up there."

Perched gracefully on a branch above her was Vale. He had recently been inducted into the village council, and was something of a stern older brother to Euna but only because he was vying for her father's attention. Apparently running errands and babysitting the village chief's daughter are a must to gain the chief's favor.

"You've been out flying again? Enjoying the morning sun?" she asked. "Or are you are here to pester me in place of my father?"

"I hear you have been late to lessons this past week," Vale noted as he stared off into the horizon, completely ignoring Euna's questions. "Now I see why. It's hours past sunrise and now you're getting out of bed. This is unbecoming of you as the Chief's daughter."

"Oh come on, it's a weekend and I don't have lessons today."

"Weekend or not, you shouldn't be the last one in the village to rise, especially when Lyria is calling for a meeting."

Euna pouted her cheeks quietly, then let a pained sigh.

Vale stood up and glanced down at Euna as his wings sprouted from his shoulder blades. His wings took on the shade of night under the shadows and a glistening deep blue when basked in the sun. "You alright?" Vale asked as he observed Euna.

She paused.

"You don't look good. Is something wrong?" Vale questioned.

"Actually... I had the weirdest dream," she glanced at Vale who motioned for her to continue. "It was really... vivid, unlike any I've ever had before. A fleet of flying fortresses attack us," she pointed to the horizon, "It was the Augmented Empire. There were so many of them. It was a war. Many of us died and... I think I died too."

She watched Vale as his expression changed from neutral to concern. "Have you been indulging yourselves in Jilsa's history books? Or was it Miizen's war stories, or was it from th-th-th-"

Euna watched in horror as Vale's face contorted and glistened as a translucent film slowly shrouded his face. Only vague outlines of his facial features remained.

His lips opened slowly, and what came out was a very familiar voice.

"A Dream? No, your interpretation is incorrect."

Euna's mind went blank. She was shocked and confused. Her reality shattered once again, but this time she was ready. So many questions lingered on the edge of her mind, but before she knew it her lips were moving. "Then, wha-what is it?"

"A simulation."