The General showed no reaction to my answer—just nodded, emotionless, like always.
Then, in that same low, indifferent voice, he asked again:
"Why do you wish to live?"
I fell silent. I thought.
Why do I want to live?
The truth is—I never really did. I would've been happier, maybe, rotting with the others in that pile of corpses. But there's something in me that won't let me give in. Even when I want to die… something within me refuses. Is it fear? Or hope? I don't know.
The General didn't wait for me to sort it out. He slammed his foot into my gut again—harder this time—driving the breath out of me. My head whipped back. My molars cracked loose.
I spat out blood and teeth.
Still coughing, still broken, I forced out the words:
"Because I still have hope for betterment."
My voice was barely a whisper. A breath clinging to life.
"Because I refuse to believe I was born just to be discarded. I believe… I can become something no one expects. Something greater. And that belief won't let me die."
Even as I said it, guilt twisted in me. These weren't entirely my words—they were someone else's. A voice I'd heard before. One I had interpreted. Borrowed.
The General nodded once more, his face blank. Then his massive metallic hand gripped my head and—without hesitation—drove his knee into my skull.
Darkness swallowed me.
I slept.
But I didn't dream of Elari this time.
Instead, I saw him.
The one whose words I'd just echoed.
At first, his body was only an outline—pitch black and indistinct. I circled around, trying to see his face, but there was nothing but emptiness… and eyes.
Hundreds of eyes. All over him.
Some unfamiliar. Others burned into my memory.
Elari's eyes.
The General's.
The Doctor's.
And more. Too many more.
As I stared, the eyes began to separate from his body, drifting into the darkness, then surrounding me—watching me.
Then I felt it.
Hands. So many hands.
Grabbing me. Pulling me.
I couldn't see them, but I could feel them. They weren't guiding me—they were fighting over me, each one trying to take me in a different direction. Competing for control.
Their force tore me apart. My joints dislocated. My guts twisted. My skin split.
The pain was unlike anything I'd ever known.
And then—I shattered into pieces.
I woke up in tears. Again.
Warm trails down my cheeks.
But this time, I was in a room. A bright, sterile room—pure white.
I wasn't alone. Around me were dozens of other kids. My age. Naked. Bound by the same invisible restraints I was.
I tried to move. I couldn't.
There were no chains—but something held me.
And strangely… I recognized the feeling.
It was that same pull I'd felt in the dream. The tug-of-war over my choices.
All my life, I've felt unfamiliar with my own actions. Like I'm not the one making them. Like I'm being pushed and pulled by something—or someone—else.
I want to save the ones I love… but I can't go on that mission.
I know if I don't go, they'll die.
But still—I didn't go.
I let them die.
I want to be with the dead… yet I'm terrified of dying.
Suddenly, the white walls came alive with a flicker of light. A video projection lit up the room.
A man appeared.
Curly white hair. Blue glasses. A white coat over a purple shirt. He looked like a scientist straight out of some cartoon dream—if dreams could be nightmares.
His voice was fast, excited, high-pitched:
"I know! I know! This is all new—and I mean literally new! You're in the asteroid belt, floating between Mars and Jupiter. Say goodbye to that dump you came from!"
He clapped like an excited child.
"I also know every one of you has suffered loss. Big losses. But happiness, my friends, comes at a cost. And where there's cost… there's often a little joy, too."
He grinned wide. Too wide.
"You've been selected. That's right. Selected to change your fate. There are humans—'Outsiders'—living in space, enjoying luxury you can't imagine. And yes, it's true. We live like kings."
He spun, arms open, basking in invisible glory.
"These seven galaxies once held millions of intelligent species. Now? Thirty-two remain. So of course we live in luxury. There's no one left to compete with."
"But here's the twist."
He leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper.
"You have a chance. A real one. Pass our mission. Become a Fractal Candidate—for any of the Seven Selections—and you'll be promoted. Live among us. Join the elite."
Then, the promise came.
"Even better—you'll get to bring two loved ones with you. Two. Alive or not, if they are alive, we'll find them. That's my pledge."
I felt the others shift around me. That promise struck something deep.
"Now, I get it. This is a lot. Knowledge can feel like a tidal wave. So before you move on to the next phase—take a breath. Get to know each other. Make friends. It'll help. And don't forget—I'm expecting greatness from every one of you."
He gave a deep, theatrical bow.
Then—he vanished. The projection ended.
I looked around.
For the first time since waking up, I realized something.
I could move now.