The door swung open again with a hiss of pressure.
Milly's body froze mid-twitch, the faint glow around it snuffing out instantly.
The scientist had returned.
His coat was stained with ink and dust, his eyes bright with obsession. He didn't seem to notice the faint traces of smoke rising from the rune seals, or maybe he simply didn't care.
He muttered to himself as he approached the table.
"Fascinating… muscle reaction even under complete separation. Remarkable. Truly remarkable."
Milly couldn't move. Her vision swayed as he approached her her severed head still conscious on a nearby counter. Every instinct screamed for her to run, to fight, but she was nothing but sight and thought now.
Then cold hands lifted her.
The world tilted as the scientist placed her gently into a thick glass container filled with a pale, preserving liquid.
The moment the fluid touched her skin, agony rippled through her silent, searing, unending.
She wanted to cry out, but all that escaped were bubbles.
"Perfect," the scientist whispered, sealing the jar. "Now… let's take the rest of you somewhere we can truly study."
Her body, lifeless-looking yet faintly trembling, was placed on a stretcher. Metal wheels squeaked across the floor as he pushed it toward another room deeper inside the facility.
Through the glass, Milly could only watch helpless as her body disappeared into the dark hallway.
And though she could not speak, her thoughts echoed louder than any scream.
"I will remember this."