Chapter 2

​I stood staring at a strange girl inside a rectangle. I reached out a hand to her, but all I felt was a cold, hard surface... What was more interesting was that she extended her hand to me in a perfectly mirrored motion.

​I blinked.

​I opened my mouth, then closed it.​Is she imitating me? Now that I looked closer, she was wearing the exact same clothes as me, and her room was an identical copy of mine... Wait, is she... me?

​Short, wavy pink hair and sleepy golden eyes. So, these were my features. Why did this rectangle show my reflection? Truly, there were many wonders in this place.

​I tried curling the corners of my lips upward, just like Darian does. Did I do it right? Why do my cheeks hurt?
​I spent my time inspecting the clothes in the closet; there were so many things inside. Some time passed before I heard a knock at my door.

​Is it Darian? Or Nayla?

​I pressed the release button, only to see someone entirely different. He wore a uniform similar to those who had freed me—even Darian wore a suit that resembled theirs. Do they have a lot of those clothes?

​I looked at him, but he didn't meet my eyes. Instead, he simply signaled for me to follow him.

​He led me to another area where something called "food" was presented to me. Based on my observations of those around me, it seemed I was supposed to put it in my mouth and swallow.

​My escort sighed constantly while he ate, never uttering a word to me.

​Come to think of it, no one here had spoken to me except for Darian and Nayla. Do they really welcome my presence? I’m not so sure.

​I looked at the food again. A strange sensation spread through my mouth after I tasted a morsel. I continued eating just to strengthen that feeling.

After the meal, the person returned me to my room without saying a word.

​I opened the closet and took out a white nightgown adorned with a ribbon at the top. I tried to change my clothes slowly. 

Am I doing this right? I didn't know, but I tried to mimic what Nayla had done earlier.​I supposed I had to lie down on this bed to sleep. My body sank into the soft mattress. Why is it so soft? Did the scientists transform it to feel this way?

​I kept tossing and turning. Will I see Darian tomorrow? They said they wanted to save me, but perhaps they were conspiring against me. Yes, maybe they were planning other things. This pillow was soft; I wanted to bury my head deeper into it…

​I opened my eyes while feeling something soft against my hand. What is this? A strange sensation, as if my body were surrounded by soft things. I looked around to find several pillows surrounding me. I didn't remember there being this many last night... Why are they here? Do pillows multiply naturally? How fascinating! But instead of dwelling on it, I had to head to Nayla’s office.

​I intended to go to Nayla’s office, but I accidentally entered a room filled with scientists and large screens. One of them displayed a strange, massive creature. Are these ‘the monsters’? They look different. I looked at the scientists again and froze in my tracks.
​Everyone stared at me.

​Did I do something wrong?

​Silence reigned before one of them spoke:

"Nayla’s office is on the opposite side."

​Without responding, I bolted toward Nayla’s office. Aside from Darian and Nayla, the people here were very strange.​According to Nayla, I was a monster transformed into a human, but why save me if they won’t even talk to me? I reached her office and knocked; the door opened instantly.

​"I’m glad you came."

​I sat across from Nayla, who wore the same cold expression as yesterday.​"There are surely many things here you don't understand yet," she said.

​"Yes, many."

​"It’s to be expected."

​"Why does almost everyone here wear the same clothes?" I asked.

​"It’s the camp’s official uniform. The combatants wear it," she replied calmly.

​"Combatants... who do they fight?"
​"The monsters that attack the camp. As I mentioned, monsters threaten our lives."

​"Are there many monsters?"

​"Indeed. Their numbers exceed ours by thousands of times. To be realistic, we humans were utterly defeated by them..."

​I couldn't process half of what she said; I felt dizzy. It was far too complicated to understand, and my head was full of questions.
​"You must be confused after all that. It's fine; we’ll stop here for now. Instead, I’ll give you this earring."

​"An earring?"

​"Put it in your ear. It will be of help to you."

​"Okay."

​Nayla placed it on me. "You turn it on by pressing it."

​I pressed it, and suddenly, I heard a strange voice.

​[Initializing...]

​"What is that sound?"

​"It’s a device to assist you. You can use it for many things, and even ask it questions if you need something."

​I blinked in disbelief, my fingers lingering on the earring. What a wondrous thing.

​"I think I’ll exhaust you if I keep you any longer. You may leave now and return tomorrow."

​I left the office and headed for my room, my finger still touching the earring. I lay down on my bed. "Nayla said you would be useful."

​"I will indeed be useful! And stop tickling me!"

​"The voice... Are you talking to me?"
​"Who else would I be talking to?"

​How strange—I was talking to an earring!​ "How can an earring speak?"

​"As Nayla said, I am not just an earring. I am Fairy!"

​"Fairy... What is a Fairy?"

​"That’s my name! I am a machine designed to assist you in various matters. You can ask me anything!"

​"Ask you anything...?"

​"Of course! And I, Fairy, will help you!" His tone was cheerful.

​"I am Iris." I blinked, trying to process the fact that I was conversing with the jewelry on my ear.

​"Glad to know you, Iris. From now on, we are friends!"

​"Friends?"

​"Yes! It means we will accompany each other from now on!"

​"Are you... okay with me being here?"

​"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

​"Everyone looks at me with strange eyes here, and no one talks to me. I have so many questions, but I get no answers."

​"Poor Iris... you must have been lonely. Don't worry, I, Fairy, will accompany you from today so you won't feel alone anymore!" he said, sounding touched.

​"Okay." So, Fairy doesn't hate my presence. Then why do the others?
​"As I said, you can ask me anything,"  he said confidently.

​"I've been wondering since yesterday... why am I not allowed to remove these devices from my head?"

​"Don't you dare, Iris! You’ll lose your human consciousness. Those two devices on your head help organize your data. If you remove them, you’ll lose control of your awareness."

​"Okay, I won't..." I gripped the earring tightly while my other hand touched one of the small devices on my head. So, removing them is dangerous... I think.

​"Fairy, I want to explore. The camp is huge, and I’m curious." I said, rolling over on the bed.

​"Lucky for you, I have a simplified map of the place," he boasted.

​"Really!?" My heart began to race. 

​"Of course! Tap the button at the bottom of the earring."

​I pressed the button, and suddenly, a map of the camp appeared out of thin air. I blinked in disbelief.

​"How is this possible...?"

​"Heh heh heh! Have you finally realized my greatness?!"

​"Fairy, you’re amazing!"

​"Yes! You can praise me more! Hahaha!"​I scrutinized the screen. This is my room, and this is the elevator... I tried to touch the map, but I couldn't.

​"You can’t touch it; it’s just a display."
​"Strange. Even though it's right there, I can't feel it..."

​I took my first steps out of the room to explore the base.

​"It's time for our adventure, Iris!"

​"Yes!”