The soft beeping of a life-support machine echoed faintly beside his ear.Beep... Beep...
Slowly, he opened his eyes.A blinding white light from the lamp above pierced straight into them.
The first sensation that coursed through his body—was pain.Not the ordinary kind, but the kind that felt as though every drop of blood in his veins was set ablaze by the fires of hell itself.Every joint trembled, on the verge of shattering apart.He tried to move his hand, but it wouldn't respond—his body felt like cold, unyielding stone.
He didn't know how long it lasted—A minute?An hour?But eventually, the burning subsided, leaving behind only a faint trace of exhaustion.
His breathing echoed in the empty room.He raised a hand—slowly removing the mask from his face.A soft click followed, then he pulled the tubes from his nose with a sting of irritation.
"...Where... am I?"His voice was hoarse, the sound scraping against the scar that circled his throat.
He forced himself to stand, the IV line still connected to his arm, and walked unsteadily toward the large mirror on the wall.
What he saw reflected there—was a boy, about fifteen years old.Skin pale to the point of translucence.White, wavy hair brushing his neck.Eyes a vivid crimson, gleaming like ruby crystals.And around his neck—a deep scar coiled like a cursed mark.
He stared at his reflection for a long time before whispering, voice trembling,"Is... this me?"
No answer came.Only the faint beeping of the machine remained behind him—a lonely reminder that he had just awakened in a world unknown, with no memory of who he truly was.
Thus ends Chapter A.