Lost
"Aargh! Please! No more! It's painful…"
"Ugh. Ugh… I-I can't breathe. Someone please..."
"I want to go home. J-Just let me out. I'll return all the money… I'm begging you."
"Blergh! My stomach… There's something crawling... I can't do this anymore."
"Mother… Help me!"
Arial could hear the cries of the other experimental subjects near his cell… It doesn't matter whether they are male or female, young or old, every subject would have to suffer the same experimentation.
Clank! Clank!
The guards locked up those crying people in their cells.
'Are we going to be next?'
It appears that his batch would be the final group to be experimented on by the crazy doctor.
His arms are trembling and he couldn't think straight. Because of fear, he has even lost his appetite and he just barely touch his food, though he should be hungry by now.
'No… I-I should eat… I'm going to survive.'
Arial made his resolve and forced himself to consume the bland food that was already on the floor. It is filled with unknown chemicals that make them feel full just by having a few bites. It gives him a little strength to survive in this hell.
He could no longer remember how long he's been here but he could remember the reason why he has to survive.
'I'm going home… I promise… Just wait for me—'
As he was convincing himself to get stronger and survive, he heard a familiar voice crying for help…
'No… She should be at home taking care of mom. I'm hallucinating. I need to calm down!' He bit his lip so he could focus and stop hallucinating.
However, he heard the same voice again.
'W-what's going on?'
He's starting to get anxious as he looked in the direction where he was hearing the cries for help.
Although the hall was a bit dark, he could see the people in the cells due to their lamps inside.
There, he saw a familiar young girl crouching in pain. Just like him, her clothes didn't even change after the last time they've been together!
"Why?! Why?! Thea! Thea! Is that you?! What are you doing here?! Y-you should be with mom…"
Arial yelled so his younger sister could hear him. His voice is shaky as his emotion started mixing up.
Unfortunately, Thea seemed to be in too much pain and couldn't hear him…
The young man started despairing at the sight of his lovely sister crying… He couldn't take it anymore.
He sacrificed himself to let his mother and his younger sister live in peace. His family should be receiving aid from the organization that took him for this experimentation.
"Thea! Thea!"
Arial called for her again. At this time, he already guessed what happened after he was taken by those tall guys from the organization. However, he wanted to hear the truth from her.
"Thea! Please!"
As he continued shouting, he suddenly felt like he was drowning.
"AAaarrgh!"
Cough! Cough!
"Hey, kid… Are you alright? Don't just shout like that. Those guys might think I'm abusing you…"
Arial heard a man's voice beside him.
He finally realized that he was only dreaming and he's currently alone with this man in a tiny room.
'Did he pour water on me?'
He observed the man holding an empty cup as he quickly sits up from the bed…
The man is wearing leather armor and carrying a sword with him. He also has tanned skin and shoulder-length black hair which is something that he would rarely see in the town.
Then, Arial noticed his brown eyes and gentle expression while looking at him. It was a bit weird seeing such an expression directed at him.
'Where am I? He's not Doctor Heim… A new doctor? Is this another experiment?'
"Ugh… What did you do to me?" Arial felt a sudden pain in his head and thought that he has undergone another experimentation.
He tried recalling how he got here but he couldn't remember.
"Eh? I didn't do anything… We just found you caught in the trap meant for a wild boar. Anyway, may I know your name?" The gentleman asked but before he could answer, he quickly added.
"Right, I should introduce myself first. I'm Henrik Wolden. I'm a retired adventurer peacefully living in this town… So, how about you?"
The man with a huge frame asked with a smile. It seems like he was trying to appear as harmless as possible.
Arial has many questions but since this person can probably answer most of them, he decided to cooperate.
He can still remember how the doctor would always be happy whenever he cooperates and answers all his questions. That's right, the doctor would give him more painkillers whenever he did something good.
He felt that he should just do the same and cooperate for now to be rewarded later.
"I'm Arial… My name is Arial…" The young man repeated.
On the other hand, Henrik was just looking at him as if he's waiting whether he would tell more about himself.
But… what he should tell him? He has no idea!
"Alright, Arial… May I know how did you end up caught in that trap?" Henrik asked instead.
This confused the young man even more as he doesn't know what's going on at all!
He should be a test subject undergoing inhumane experimentation. He should be located somewhere deep underground!
However, he can see the sunlight and sky just by looking at the window of his room… He can hear birds from the outside and laughing men downstairs… They seem to be having a drink or perhaps a celebration.
"I… I can't remember…" Arial answered as he bit his lip. He can only tell the truth.
He knows that being unable to provide a satisfactory answer wouldn't reward him… but he couldn't lie in this situation as well. It would be very easy for them to cross-check.
"I see… I guess you needed more rest… It seems that you hit your head that's why it's causing pain and temporary memory loss. Don't worry, Lillian knows how to treat patients like you. I'll tell her that you've woken up so she can see your injury."
Henrik kindly said as he walked out of the room leaving Arial staring at the scenery from the window.