I was floating in a black space with no bottom.
It felt as if I had become suspended in the sky, amidst a darkness that blinded sight. I couldn't think… nor move… nor even speak.
I felt as if I had turned into nothing but a puppet, suspended in the black void with no will of my own.
I remained like that for a long time… so long that I lost all sense of time.
Before a small light appeared in my vision.
A faint… distant light…
Then it gradually started expanding over time, until it suddenly shot toward my eyes, without any prior warning.
...
"Hah!"
I stood up quickly, breathing with extreme difficulty, as memories of what had happened moments ago returned to me.
"Didn't I die just now? Then how am I still alive, for God's sake? Strange… don't tell me it was just a ridiculous dream. No, that's impossible. That pain I felt… was completely real." My mind was in total chaos, and I couldn't understand what was happening.
I hadn't even noticed the place I was in.
Before I realized it, I felt someone's footsteps approaching me… then he spoke in a calm voice:
"Is the rooster still conscious? And where are you? Do you still remember?"
I lifted my head with difficulty to face him. He looked as if he were in the late stages of life, his face covered with wrinkles on every side, while wearing glasses that gave him a strict and cold appearance.
Then I looked around carefully, after calming my breathing a little. I could see that I was inside a circular room, with several iron beds distributed around. But what really caught my attention…
Were the children lying on those beds.
My eyes widened as I looked at them. A strange liquid was flowing into their bodies through long tubes, while their bodies themselves were reshaping in a terrifying way.
Some of them had bodies that looked like small pieces of flesh… then that piece would turn into tiny particles,
before starting to multiply and expand slowly, as if being brought back to life from scratch.
I didn't understand what was happening. Even when I looked at myself.
I saw my fingers disintegrating into dark particles, scattering for a brief moment… then reassembling again,
as if nothing had happened. Then I noticed the tube embedded in my body. What the hell is this?
I no longer understood anything of what was happening, but my thinking didn't last long.
The old man suddenly grabbed me, his grip unexpectedly strong.
"Speak. Do you still remember anything? I don't have time to waste with you. I'll give you only five seconds… otherwise, you will be disposed of forever."
"Ah…" I looked at the old man. I didn't know if he was angry or not, but I didn't want to provoke him. And although his question was somewhat simple, I answered after hesitation:
"I am… in the heart of the demons." I wanted to see if I was still here, even though I didn't think I would go anywhere, but I had to try.
I saw him shake his head slowly, which made me feel tightness in my chest. That was a clear sign… meaning that I was still here.
"My name is…" I suddenly stopped, my words frozen in my throat, my eyes widening in shock. What is my name… for God's sake? What was it?
Remember… remember!
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't.
It wasn't just about my name; I felt as if a part of my memories had suddenly vanished, as if it had never existed at all.
Yet, the old man seemed strangely satisfied. He watched me for a moment, then said:
"Insect… that is your name. Interesting.
You were supposed to lose your memory completely after dying more than six times… it seems I will have to conduct some studies on you for a while."
Wait… wait. What did he say? I… I died how many times? Six times? That's impossible.
How did that happen? Ah… did he mean before I was incarnated here? Wait… I remembered.
When I asked the foolish author before, how they make them forget their memories, he had said:
"Forgetfulness… is the comfort in death."
It wasn't clear at that moment how that would actually work, I thought it was just nonsense, but wouldn't it become a little clear now?
Even so, my mind was still confused.
What is my real name?
The Insect? If someone asks me my name… do I say: The Insect? And won't I die of embarrassment then?
Damn… I no longer understand what is happening.
And while I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly felt as if the solution that was connected to my body had disappeared.
Before another person entered the room.
He was wearing a black mask that completely hid his features.
Then the old man said to him in a cold voice:
"The weak insect has awakened. It hasn't lost itself yet, and is still able to continue. Take him to the awakening place, and tell Heinz that I still want to conduct some experiments on him later."
The masked man nodded silently, then approached me and grabbed me by the arms before leading me out of the circular room I was in, whose walls were made of smooth white stones.
After that, the masked man walked me toward a nearby elevator.
I entered it, watching silently. He took a black card from his pocket and placed it in front of a scanner, and a glowing holographic screen appeared before him. He quickly entered a strange code, but I focused carefully…
Until I managed to memorize it.
After a moment, the elevator shook slightly, then began descending, while silence filled the place.
"Ugh…"
I took a deep breath after calming my conflicted emotions a little. It was pointless to dive into them further, so I buried them deep inside my mind.
Nevertheless, that did not prevent me from feeling fear; what if I forget who I am and what I am? What if I forget that I am incarnated inside this novel? And worse, I might lose a feature I possess.
Therefore, I had to focus on one thing: not to die again no matter the cost, but would that be easy? Of course not, I had already died during my first event here.
My body trembled as I remembered the path of death. How could I prevent that from happening, for God's sake? I had to hope to awaken with a useful strength, and escape from this cursed place.
The elevator finally stopped, the masked man exited first, and I followed silently.
We didn't walk far before I noticed a large gathering of children ahead. The masked man stopped, and ordered me to step forward, so I advanced hesitantly, looking around cautiously.
I could see strange engravings on the nearby walls, engravings that seemed to depict horrifying scenes: an angel bleeding, a headless dragon, and humans devouring a demon's heart. And directly above them was an endless void, filled with deep darkness, from which a shapeless creature extended its limbs toward them, as if trying to swallow them all.
Fear crept into my chest as I stared at those engravings, forcing me to instinctively turn my head away, then I stood silently at the back of the gathering.
At the front was a man with a thick black beard and dark hair, his mere appearance enough to impose his authority on the place.
He looked at us with a single gaze, and without any warning, a lethal aura emanated from him, making everyone tremble slightly, while they instinctively took a ready stance, as if about to pounce or flee.
Then, suddenly, that aura disappeared, and the situation returned to normal.
As for me, my body froze in place suddenly, and I didn't know what the hell to do.
After the aura finally vanished, I was able to breathe again.
Was he showing off his power in front of small children? Where did the values of this old man go? Damn… it doesn't matter.
The imposing man stepped forward, then spoke in a deep voice that filled the place:
"I am Heinz, leader of the Third, Fourth, and Tenth pens, of the Forgotten. In a few moments you will become closer to the Great, for as soon as you drink from his blood your powers will awaken, his blood will run through your veins, and you will become the new generation of the Forgotten. Be proud of yourselves and fight for your survival, for the Great watches you from the endless void, in the sky of dreams. Awakening begins now… give them the empty drink."
What nonsense is this old deranged man saying? Doesn't he think about what he's saying? Where is your mind? Didn't the author give you a brain at all? Possible, I can't deny that, his characters were much dumber than you, and I can tolerate your stupidity a little.
I was surprised when the masked man appeared beside me, holding an empty cup, then handed it to me, and I wasn't the only one who received the cup; all the children present here got one just like it.
Then Heinz said:
"Drink and draw closer, perhaps the Great will grant you his blessing."
After that, without any hesitation, the children began drinking from their cups. As for me, I hesitated for a brief moment, but that hesitation did not last long, so I raised the cup to my mouth and drank in one gulp, for if there was something inside it, I had to find out myself.