Only god knows how long it has been since I was brought here.

I looked at myself while sitting on my bed. My hair had grown out so stupidly long - to the point where it touched my thighs, and had turned completely white. My skin had become extremely smooth and pale, as if someone had poured bleach all over me. My body and limbs had shrunk so much that I looked like a junior high school student, who was at least a head lower than who I was before. 

I looked at my chest. There were two small bulges poking out of my clothes staring at me intimidatingly. I signed. Even my reproductive organ had become female. What's the logic behind that?

I still didn’t know why these people abducted me, or why they turned me into a girl. If their purpose was simply changing my gender, then there already are sex change operations available commercially. Even if what they were trying to do was on a biological level, there should be many people who would be more than happy to volunteer. There was no reason to kidnap a high school student who wanted nothing to do with it.

…It has been so long since I last saw the sky. I wonder if I will ever get released, and if my parents will recognise me if I were to show up looking like this. Will they welcome me with open arms, or will they throw me in a mental hospital, thinking I was crazy for impersonating their son?

I’m scared… Tears fell on my tiny, soft hands. Why do they have to make me suffer like this? Every day is nothing but torture. It's painful! So painful! I broke my vocal cord screaming as my body was torn apart, yet nobody helped me. CURSE THEM! Curse them all! May all of you burn in hell!

…What was I even doing? They did whatever they wanted to me, while all I could do was to curse them in silence, and cry. This body was frail and weak. So weak that I couldn’t even stand straight for more than a few minutes, let alone trying to confront them. I was powerless.

Are you angry? A woman’s voice suddenly sprung up inside my head, making me jump.

What? Who… I thought, looking around the room like a startled rabbit.

Poor child…such an innocent and kind boy, who had done nothing but good…

I…I’m not…Who are you?! Get out of my head!!!

But your kindness went unrepaid. Did it hurt, when they stabbed their needles into you? Did it hurt, when their drugs burned your veins? Did it hurt, when your cry for help went unanswered? Did it hurt, when the thought that your parents might abandon you pierced your heart?

AAHHH!!! Please! My head hurts! Get out!

Tell me, do you want to punish those who made you so broken?

B-But…I don’t want to hurt anyone…

Aye…A noble thought indeed. But naive, oh so naive. Think, child, think. What has this world done to you, aside from giving you pain? Its people made your life a living hell, while its god ignored your sufferings. Remember, it was her who allowed you to be summoned here against your will. Tell me, do they deserve to live?

I… I thought about all of those who I’ve seen thus far, and for some reason, I couldn’t see them as humans. Their faces, all twisted and warped, were laughing maniacally as they reached for me, their nails digging deep into my skin. And that man…even the thought of him alone already made me want to throw up. 

But…I’m weak…

Ah, so you think. But you are not weak, my child. Here you stand, alive, even after all you’ve been through. Your strength wanes and your life flickers, yet your spirit unbound by death. Listen to your own heart, child, listen to me. Rage is that which keeps you alive. 

Our forge of life still embers. And all we need is a little spark.  

×

I heard the sound of the door being opened and closed. The grey haired man walked in, on his face that ever disgusting smile.

“Good morning, my daughter dearest. I hope you have slept well, for today is a special day for you. You see, magic is a wonderful thing, a beautiful gift from our most benevolent god - our divine Aucarna. Yet it is so hard to master, even for us born under her stars. For you who traveled from a land without magic, it would’ve been proven to be a nigh impossible task.

“But fret not, for we have a solution. By carving magic circuits directly on your brain, we can force it to remember even the most complex arcane sequences and incantations. This way, even without training, you will be able to use most magic, however hard they are to learn.

"Ah, but…the process will be quite painful. We are cutting into your brain, after all. But I assume you will be able to take it, can't you?"

Though both me and him knew full well that I couldn't understand his language, the man still talked for a long while. I didn't even look at him, just sat still on my mattress and looked down at my legs. I could feel him coming closer to me.

I felt his hand caressing my hair. I heard his voice whispering something into my ears. "Don't let me down, my beloved daughter."

The man flew across the room, into the metal door. He took the door with him, and both crashed into the wall outside. In his stomach was a long, thorned black vine which had shot all the way from my back, where the black rose lay.