//------------------------------// // [0] Prologue // Story: Changing Views // by lllWarHawklll //------------------------------// I've been here for awhile now. ...Though I still don't really know where 'here' is. Judging by the fact that I'm actually able to think, then— "...e'll be ready when the time comes, Mother. Although..." Yup, they're coming again. And I still can't feel anything around me. It's like when you dream, where you simply don't feel anything when you interact with it, yet you know that you're moving around, touching objects and messing with the environment in general. In my case though, my 'moving around' seems severely limited and goes unnoticed most of the time. "...are you sure this is necessary?" asked the same voice. Male, I think. I have yet to know who my captors are, and yet... Calling them captors feels wrong. Ever since I've been stuck here, I've noticed a couple things that were odd, to say the least. Somehow, I'm only 'awake' whenever there's activity near my general location. Eventually, I couldn't help but realize that I was feeling things that I normally wouldn't be feeling in situations like mine, where I am unable to do, see, or physically sense anything while being conscious. I mean, I'm technically blinded, gagged, immobilized, probably drugged, and soon to be tortured in what could be some kind of evil base for all I know! Yet, why would I always feel a sense of belonging, love and care whenever anyone came nearby? The kind of love normally shared between a family, like the love a parent has for their child, or a sibling for their sister? How did I even know what that felt like? I never had siblings before... Guilt "While it is not something I would normally do," replied 'Mother', "I have my reasons." Anger These people seemed to always come and go in pairs, and in high heels of some sort if the sounds their footsteps made were of any indication. The most likely scenario I've come up with for my predicament with the limited time that I've been able to stay awake over the past few days... or was it weeks? Months? How long has it even been? It certainly felt like a long time, but I had no way to tell. Nevertheless, I hypothesized that I've been put in some sort of test tube in a lab, and my captors guardians are performing some sort of experiment on me. It would explain why I am barely able to 'move', why everything sounds muffled, my feeling of being enclosed, my strange ability to feel what others feel... And my not needing to breathe. That one worried me for a while. Though I guess it helped when I was pretending to be unconscious as I listened to whatever conversation happened to be nearby. Love "Very well. You know what's best for all of us; we'd follow you to the ends of the world without hesitation if you asked," said the first voice. Although, if I was being held captive, I certainly wasn't being treated like one. Never once during my stay have I felt pain, hunger, or anything, really. Not counting external emotions, of course. Joy "I am always happy to hear that," answered 'Mother'. Which brings me to my next point: 'Mother'. The one who is almost always present when I am awake. The one who is either seen as a religious figure by her people or has somehow birthed each of the hundreds of different voices I've heard during my stay here. The one who loves every single one of her 'children'. ...The one who loves me. ... It's overwhelming at times. "..." Feeling their gazes, I somehow knew they stopped right next to me. Happy "How soon?" the male voice asked. When I had initially regained consciousness in this claustrophobic space, I was constantly awake, though I couldn't... think straight, like I was half-asleep. There wasn't all that much that I could remember from that time, but I had a vague recollection of hearing a multitude of ripping sounds a few 'days' after I initially regained consciousness. Was it days? I honestly had no way of knowing how much time had actually passed. Regardless, my most vivid memory of that period of constant semi-awareness was when all of the 'presences' around me were taken away, while I remained confined right where I was. I was confused. Why wasn't I taken, too? Apparently I wasn't the only one perplexed at the time, because I could detect a feeling of uncertainty coming from a nearby external source; one that felt worried as they gently shook my container a bit. I was carried to a different area and left alone shortly thereafter. It was there that I discovered my tendency to go unconscious without a presence nearby. 'Mother' visited quite often, however. Sometimes even going as far as singing lullabies, which were strangely soothing. On certain occasions she was alone when she came to visit. She would stop near me and I'd get the feeling that I was being watched before I would begin to feel waves of love, of all things, sent directly towards me. These sessions would go on for what felt like a few minutes until she'd start to pant, due to the exhaustion caused by... doing whatever that was. Strangely enough, I felt empowered and energized whenever emotions were directed towards me specifically. I've slowly been regaining strength, and at this rate I'm fairly certain I'll be able to move soon. Maybe even break out of this prison in the near future, if I'm lucky. "I am not certain. I would estimate a week or two at most," Mother answered softly, initiating the process of 'giving' me love. The male speaker seemed to practically ooze happiness when he heard this. Wait, are they talking about me? Am I going to be released soon? Would I be free, or forced to join them? With everything that had happened during my stay, I'd... I... ...The thought of letting them down in any way actually made me feel terrible. I couldn't just walk away and never look back on these people after they had sheltered and 'loved' me for however long I've been here. Especially after what had occurred that one night, right before any of this happened... I really don't want to think about it. 'Mother' must have sensed my sadness. "Do not fret, little one," she cooed. "You'll be out of there soon." Clearly, she misunderstood the origin of my sorrow. Worry "But... won't the Hatching be during the invasion?" the man asked. Invasion? "If by the time we finish preparing, the child has... not hatched," she began, her voice starting to sound strained, resignation "we will, have to... *huff* leave the egg here until... *huff*" Egg...? Angst "Mother!" exclaimed the male, sounding alarmed at her sudden fatigue as he closed the distance between the two of them if the clacks of hurried footsteps were of any indication. "It's fine, Edge... I'm fine," she tiredly said as she stopped feeding me, reducing the flow to its usual passive trickle. Edge? Kind of uncommon for a name. "I never expected that I would have to spend so much on this one, yet I feel that it will all be worth it in the end." I could practically feel the smile on her face as she said that. For a split second, I thought I felt a spike of doubt surface from her, but it came and went so fast that I might have imagined it. "...Have you thought of a name?" Edge asked after a pause, his voice sounding a little more tired than it had a few seconds ago. Wait a minute. "I have," she replied, all traces of drowsiness from her speech gone shortly after he came next to her. ...Are they talking about me? "It took a while to think of a name—" Those presences back then... were those people in actual eggs? "—that would be worthy of the position—" I subconsciously noted the voices were slowly fading into the distance. Was I in an egg all this time? The last thing I could remember before this entire thing happened was.... That night. "—and I've settled on..." Something terrible had happened; something I wanted to forget so badly that I buried it in the back in my mind. Yet I could still remember walking in the rain, a feeling of emptiness, of hopelessness... and a sudden flash of red light, right before being swallowed by the void. I could've sworn I heard some sort of demonic cackle too, right before impacting... something. Did I die? What's going on here?! "Artemis." Darkness.