'Where am I?'

'Ah.'

'That's right.'

'I died.'

'Again.'

Surrounded once more by that ever so familiar darkness, Sylvia felt a hole in her heart as she recalled her reason for death.

[Ahem... testing, testing. Can you hear me? Of course you can. Host, I was given permission by Seven to begin your series of revelations. Have fun.]

As her mind was thrown from one reality to another, the darkness around Sylvia began to mold itself to form a physical space.

And as it did so, she found herself in a different body.

One which was not her own.

'So this... is what Marcus was talking about...'

Immediately her body felt different.

It was shorter in stature, first of all.

Overall the body was extremely small, as if it weighed next to nothing.

And tied around her arms and legs, which were spread out upon an operating table, were chains.

'I... expected this.', Sylvia told herself.

Yet even if she expected this scenario, even if she told herself that this much was a given, there was something which was completely unexpected.

'But are you really telling me...'

[Where am I?]

[Mama... daddy... where... where am I?]

[Eh?]

[Mama?]

[Daddy?]

[What... Do those words even mean?]

'That Number 1 was only a child?'

Sylvia found herself faced with yet another horrid revelation.

----

[Ah... that was 8 years ago, so I'm not technically a child anymore... mentally. Though if I were to return to my original body... I suppose I would be that way. At any rate... just watch.]

With this statement, Number One left Sylvia inside the body of this child.

A young girl, whose black hair was ragged and ran all around the body of the girl in a wild manner, twisting and turning chaotically as it wrapped itself around her.

She wore the gown of a hospital patient, and her emerald eyes were darkened with a dead expression, bags underneath them so deep it appeared as if someone had smudged the girl with soot.

Her arms were weak and thin, as if she hadn't eaten for days. Her legs were no better.

The girl was inside a laboratory filled with all sorts of tools and concoctions, having been strapped to an experimental table.

[Where... am I?]

The frightened thoughts of a young girl played themselves into the mind of Sylvia, at which she truly realized.

'Number One... you...'

If tears could come to her eyes, they would have.

Despite the torment which Sylvia had undergone, despite everything which Number One had done to her, this was too much.

'You... were only a child when you went through...'

[You haven't even experienced what I went through.]

Interrupted by the current version of Number One, Sylvia went silent.

If her eyes could widen they would have, yet they could not.

[Why... Why do I feel like I am missing something?]

[Why do I want my mom and dad? What... What do those words even mean?]

[Why does the inside of me hurt?]

[Why am I here in this dark room?]

The younger version of Number One found herself overtaken by a childish fear, one which overwhelmed her to the point where tears formed at the darkened eyes of the girl.

[I... I'm scared...]

[I... who am I?]

[What am I?]

It was at that moment that the door burst open.

The lights turned on, and with an irritated expression a man strutted into the room.

Scratching a pencil behind his head as he glared at the clipboard in his hand, this scientist who had golden eyes and pure white hair glanced up to Number One for only a moment, meeting her eyes with a look of blatant disgust.

"Subject 2537. An increased dosage with an alteration has been administered."

Approaching the girl, the man grabbed her by the hair as he looked her into her fearful eyes.

"So? Are you another FAILURE?"

"I..."

The girl came to tears at the intimidating behavior of the man, unable to even speak in response as she looked at him silently, the salty liquid rolling down her cheeks.

"Hahaha... and now you cry. What, do you want your parents or something? They're dead. And soon enough you will be too. Tch.... why.... why.... why..."

The man's expression slowly became more and more angry as he gripped the hair of the girl tighter, pulling hard enough to make her yelp out in pain.

"Agh!"

"Why are you all such failures!? Are you trying to get my program defunded!?!? HAH!?"

Slamming the head of the girl down on the table as she let out a squeal, blood began to drip off the side of the table as the girl looked to the man with complete terror.

"Tch...."

Turning around, the man grabbed a cell phone as he began to speak with irritation evident in his tone.

"Another failure. Have her put in experimental storage like the rest. I want you to test every concoction and run every experimental procedure on her until she dies. And if you don't come up with a working one soon-"

"What... What are parents?"

The man stopped in his tracks, halting his speech as the girl uttered this single statement from behind him.

She whispered this as she trembled, causing the chains which bound her to rattle.

She looked up to the man, fear and confusion in her eyes as she barely spoke these words.

Then, looking back with wide eyes, a devious grin drew itself across the face of the man.

"Hold that thought."

[Why... why is he looking at me like that?], the girl wondered as the man approached her with a horrid expression.

"Did you just say... that you don't know what parents are?"

The girl was overtaken by fear as the man said this, and she found herself unable to respond.

Sylvia felt the heart rate of the girl increase to the point where it felt as if it were about to explode.

Then, leaning into the face of the girl, the man spoke softly yet with a demented interest.

"What is your name?"

"Name?”

With a confused expression, the girl did not appear to understand what she was being asked.

“I... don't know what that means....", the girl squeaked while closing her eyes.

The man then walked around the table, approaching the girl from the other side as he looked straight into her soul.

"Who are you?", he asked with fanatic obsession.

"I... I don't know...", the girl responded once more.

At which the smile upon the face of the golden eyed man became a horrible grin.

His pearly teeth bared, and he found himself laughing to himself.

"Hah... hah... hahaha!! HAHAHA!!!!"

Grabbing his white hair in madness, the man laughed and laughed out loud as he trembled with joy.

"I... I did it!! I did it!!! I've found the solution!!!! I've found the concoction!!! WE CAN MOVE ONTO THE NEXT STAGE!!!"

Grabbing the phone which he had left on hold, the man began to speak with a furious excitement in his tone.

"Stage 2. Prepare stage 2 immediately, and begin administering of the dosage and composition for 2537 on all future specimens. We have a successful memory wipe, therefore we can move onto regenerative abilities alongside the education program. But first we need to confirm whether the concoction used on her can be reproduced on other subjects. Therefore make that a priority!"

With excitement and zeal in his tone, the man barked out orders into the phone before his expression became that of irritation.

"Hah? What do you mean there are only six subjects remaining? I don't care. Test it on all of them."

Shouting this out, the man seemed to brush this off, however his expression became all the more sour within moments.

"We can't obtain more unless there are further offensives? That much shouldn't make a difference!! We can simply wait for such an offensive to- what!? Are you telling me that the Emperor is cutting me off!? ME!? No... no no no... absolutely not. I can't allow that. Not when I've produced such results. That spoiled little... We have to prepare a show for him. We must prove that our research has produced results. Well... at any rate, first we need to test to see if the procedure will work on the other six!! Get to it! For now, this subject is precious, therefore we can't perform any dangerous procedures on her yet. I'll be there momentarily."

Hanging up the phone with a distasteful expression, the man approached Number One with a grin.

"Ah... that is right. You do not know who you are. Then allow me to inform you. You are my specimen. You are something which once had no worth... however through my work, I have molded you into something which now holds worth. Like the potter who creates a piece of art from mere mud… Well, to put it simply... you are to serve me with loyalty... for I am your MASTER."

[Master?]

The girl thought this single word with confusion as Sylvia listened into the thoughts of the girl, however the man witnessed the confusion in the girl's expression and soon began to explain.

"To put it simply... you are my property. You shall do anything and everything I instruct you to do without complaint. You are my creation, and therefore I am the one who owns you. Your body... your mind... and everything else. Do you understand?"

With a gulp, the girl slowly nodded.

She didn't say a word, but Sylvia could feel the fear which the girl felt as if she was experiencing it herself.

"However... your value as property has just skyrocketed. Therefore I must protect you from harm. I will return when things have stabilized. For now... I will have you taken to your own containment cell. Consider that to be... my gift to you. Hah... I suppose providing living accommodations is something which I must prioritize if I am to keep them alive. This is... a new challenge."

Halfway through his statement, the man began to mumble to himself as he walked towards the exit.

"Ah, one more thing. I suppose if you are the first success, then I should give you a label."

Closing his eyes in thought, the man chuckled to himself as he nodded.

"Yes... that sounds about correct. If you were previously a subject... then I suppose now you have been elevated. From a specimen... to an experiment."

Turning around, the man pointed to the girl as his lab coat fluttered in the motion, grinning as he spoke.

"From this point on you are experiment Number One."

----

Within moments, armed men rushed into the experimental chamber, surrounding the young girl who was on the table.

Grabbing a remote and hitting a button, the chains which bound the girl were released as they grabbed the girl.

"Get up, Experiment Number One. We're taking you to your new home."

"Home?"

The girl looked to the men with confusion as she stretched her strained wrists, however she wasn't even allowed the time to do such a thing as the men looked down at her with open disgust.

"Enough wasting time. Get moving."

The girl was thrown to her feet and pushed forward, at which she wobbled to the floor in a daze.

[What... what's happening?], she wondered.

[Where am I going?]

[What... is a home?]

The girl found herself overwhelmed at the rapidly changing situation, however the men didn't allow her to so much as gather her thoughts.

"Did you not hear me!? I said to get your ass up and move!"

A surge of pain flowed through the girl as her back was whacked with a security baton, causing her to let out a yelp of pain.

The girl curled up into a ball on the floor, her hands trembling as she felt terrified of even looking up.

"Hey!! What do you think you're doing!? I said to get the fuck-"

The man raised the baton above the girl to hit her even harder, however his hand was stopped by the man with white hair and golden eyes.

"Is that... your property?", he said with a deadly glare.

"N-no, Sir. I apolog-"

Thuk.

Swish.

In a single instant, the man found a syringe with a strange purple liquid stuck into his artery.

"I would suggest that you hurry to the medical bays to find the antidote before the poison takes effect. You have about a minute to get there before you die."

Thrusting the syringe out of the man's neck, the guard looked to the scientist with an expression of pure terror, however the look which he gave the man lasted only an instant before he burst off running, heading through the airlock chamber as it closed.

With a smile, the white haired man then laughed.

"Hahaha... the fool. He didn't even ask me what I injected him with. Good luck finding the antidote when you don't even know what the poison is."

As the man made this statement, the other guards stiffened up, not so much as allowing themselves to breathe in the presence of the man before them.

“Not that there is an antidote to that one.”

Turning to face the men, who seemed to become terrified at the very presence of the scientist before them, the man began to speak with a low tone.

"Now then... I hope that I can make myself clear. This experiment is MY property. And if anyone damages my property... then they will pay for it... with something of equal worth. And I will have each and every one of you know here and now - that the lives of every person in this facility wouldn’t add up to the value which this experiment has."

With the squirt of the syringe, the man glared into the eyes of those around him as he spoke in a low tone.

"Is this understood?"

"Of course, Doctor Lichtenburg!!", the soldiers responded in unison, shouting loud enough to make their cries heard throughout the facility.

Holding themselves perfectly still, each and every man there was filled with absolute fear, so great that they didn't allow themselves to even tremble.

And as this happened, Victor grabbed the girl by her hair, yanking her upwards.

"Agh!"

The girl let out a scream, however the man didn't so much as look at her as he walked off, dragging her without concern for the girl.

Then with a cold statement, the scientist addressed the men behind him as he walked off towards the exit.

"What would you all have done if you had killed this precious subject? What if the memory elimination serum only worked on her, and there was not a single other subject in which such a thing could be replicated? There would be only one thing which you could do in order to atone for ruining a SUCCESSFUL trial."

Looking back with a disturbed glare, the man spoke as if he were talking to inferior animals.

"Death would be too easy of a punishment for the likes of you. Instead... I would make you all into the next subjects. And I would run tests on you until your bodies ran dry."

Stepping into the airlock while the girl stumbled to keep up, shivering all the while, the man then turned away from the guards as he whispered one final statement.

"I am the only one allowed to damage my own property."

----

Sylvia watched as Number One was led through a series of hallways and high security chambers until she eventually arrived at a small cell.

There was a screen of bulletproof glass and a padded metal door which led inside, which required electronic control to open.

Pressing a button on a remote device, Victor led Number One inside the chamber which was lined with all forms of security cameras and other devices.

And most importantly, inside this area was a set of restraints on the walls.

"Put your arms and legs in these.", Victor ordered.

Shaken with fear, the girl obediently listened as she did exactly as the man told her, to which she was chained standing up.

"Now then... I suppose it is time that I begin your education. While the other tests are being run, I will inform you, Number One. About who you are, about who I am, and about your place in this world."

Grabbing a chair and taking a seat before the girl, the scientist grinned as he whipped out his phone.

"Bring refreshments to Isolated Chamber 1. Have them here within the next five minutes."

The man hung up the phone, gazing directly into the green eyes of the fearful girl who knew nothing of herself.

[I... why am I here? Who am I? What am I... I... I'm scared... but...]

Looking up at the man timidly, the girl returned the gaze.

[I want to find out.]

As she thought this, the scene around Sylvia changed.

She woke up inside a hammock made from her own flesh, jolting up as she found herself right next to Marcus.

'Eh?'

Looking around, she noticed that the sun was peeking out of the horizon, the red sky peeking out around her.

'It's... morning?'

Immediately bringing her hand to her throat, Sylvia felt the scar tissue which had come from being stabbed straight through.

She considered getting up, however on seeing the sleeping figure of Marcus, she decided not to move.

His face was distorted, as if he were experiencing some sort of horrible nightmare.

And Sylvia immediately understood.

'He is.'

----

"Experiment Number 7, Trial Number 4. Commencing."

Marcus felt a sudden surge of pain as he heard the familiar voice of the mad scientist.

And upon opening his eyes, he realized exactly why such pain was so prevalent.

"Huff.. huff... huff... ngh... agh... urgh..."

The man whose body he had entered no longer had any limbs.

"Well, Number Seven? Do you understand now?"

Looking up with terror, the specimen found himself faced with the handsome scientist who gazed into him with a horrible smile.

"If you complain about the life in which I have given you... then you will be punished. Is that clear?"

"I... ngh..."

Tears in his eyes, the limbless man choked out the words.

"I understand... master..."

"Very well. Trial Number 5 proceeding. I have not yet attempted this, even on any subject which I have given regenerative powers. Therefore I do hope that you will be able to survive. After all... if you cannot, then I will need to redesign the regenerative serum."

[What... what is he going to do?]

Frothing with terror, Marcus felt the immense fear combined with the horrid pain which Number Seven had experienced to this point.

It was enough to make him go insane a hundred times over, and even that would never be enough.

He wanted to scream, as he was certain that Number Seven did as well at this time - yet the immense fear forced him to bite down and hold in his cries.

[What is he going to do!?!?], Number Seven frantically thought.

"I've prepared a contraption. One to truly test the limits of your regeneration. I was waiting... waiting, waiting, waiting. How long was I waiting to use such a thing? Ah... even I don’t know. It was concerning at first, you know. When there was only a single successful subject, I felt that I had to protect that subject with EVERYTHING I had. I certainly couldn't subject it to more grueling experiments. Even removing a single finger was concerning, for if such a thing were to not grow back then I would have DAMAGED my precious PROPERTY. However with success after success, your kind became all the more DISPOSABLE."

With a smirk, the man thinned his eyes as he snaked around Number Seven, looking at him with an overwhelming expression.

"And now... I don't have to worry about losing a subject or two anymore. Do not worry, Seven. Even if you die... your experience will serve the others."

It was as the man said this that both the past Number Seven and Marcus felt a chill down their spines.

The man reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a remote and hitting a button.

And as he did so, the operating table began to revolve so that the man was now upright.

His limbs were missing, yet the dripping stubs of his arms were still locked into place, holding him up as a door opened below the man.

"W-wait... M...Master Lichtenburg... don't... don't tell me you are sending me-"

Number Seven piped up as he looked down to see a series of rattling sawblades and metallic devices, however he was met with a glare which silenced him immediately.

"Did you say something, Seven?", the man said with a completely straight face, not so much as allowing for a response.

Biting down on his tongue, Seven looked down into the chamber of destruction as tears dripped down his face, joining a number of droplets of blood which fell down into the machinery.

[I... guess this is it.], he thought. [This... is where I die.]

'Wait a minute...'

Marcus found himself shaken to the core as he watched this scene play out, painfully aware of what was about to happen.

[I don't know why I am here... but if it is for the sake of the one who owns me... then I suppose I don't have a choice.]

'Don't... don't give up so easily...'

[If it is for the human in charge of me... then I should at least try to be of use to him.]

'Stop it!!! What are you talking about, Seven!? Don't accept this!! Fight back!!! YOU CAN FIGHT HIM EASILY!!!'

Marcus found himself shouting, however his cries were not heard.

Yet as he shouted, Marcus realized.

'Ah.'

'This... is not the same Number Seven as the one I know.'

'This one is weak.'

'Powerless.'

'And unable to do anything.'

If he could, Marcus would have grit his teeth at that moment.

'Just like me.'

Number Seven bit down, closing his eyes as he trembled with fear, not making eye contact with the man known as Victor.

And faced with this silence of acceptance, the scientist grinned with pleasure.

"Ah. I see. That's what I thought. After all, a parasite has no right to talk back to a human. Now die for my sake... and if you are lucky... or perhaps unlucky... then you will be alive soon enough once more."

And then, with the press of a button, the man was released from his restraints.

He fell into a pit of sawblades and machinery, immediately sliced and pulverized as a rain of blood covered the metallic pieces.

"AGHHH!!!!!!!"

The man screamed loud enough to pierce the ears of the scientist above, shouting out in terror as he was reduced to pieces of flesh.

Marcus too found himself wanting to scream, matching the shouts of the man as he experienced this horrible form of torture.

First the thighs and waist, then the torso, and finally the neck and the head were grinded to pieces.

It was torture so grand that it was unthinkable, even for Marcus who had already endured such terrible deaths at the hands of the zombies.

And even though it lasted only a few moments, it was enough to make him feel as if he had truly gone insane.

"AGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Jerking up while holding his head, Marcus found himself sweating as he screamed.

He panted rapidly, looking around him to see that he was inside a web of his own flesh.

And right next to him, in his arms, was a woman.

"Are you... alright?", she asked quietly.

"S...sylvia? Ah... ah... ah ah ah...."

Stumbling back in the hammock, Marcus grabbed his head in the pain.

And then, tears filled his eyes as a pained expression overcame him.

"WHY!?!?", he shouted.