For the first time, after all the time I've been locked up here, I see a glimmer of hope. I feel like I've truly made significant progress, and the expectations of seeing positive results are growing within me. But it still doesn't seem like the time to rush. Even though the threads on my wrists are no longer there, the ones on my chest remain intact.

*Crack*

But I didn't have to wait long for the threads on my chest to break as well, and just as it happened with my wrists, the flesh moved at a rapid pace, closing the wounds almost instantly. All the vigor I had while I was inert disappeared as if it had been just an illusion, causing a weakness beyond imagination to take its place.

boom pah*

“Shit”

“....”

"Hey, can you give me a claw?"

“....”

My first movement after being like a statue for who knows how long, was to fall face first against the ground and of course, we were floating in the air, not very high, but that didn't make the blow any less painful. Despite the blow I remained motionless, first because I don't feel that I am hurt, second because I can't really move and third out of fear. The inconvenience of the eyes taught me well not to be reckless, I mean, the letter with blood enters.

"Hey, I don't want to bother you, but do you know if I can open my eyes yet?" ...... Hey, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

“....”

I don't know if Danamus is okay, maybe like me he is also weak, but for the answer to that question he will have to wait. To the weakness of the body was added all the mental fatigue that had accumulated during this time and it arrived with interest as if it were a loan from a bank and now the loan shark is demanding payment.

But since my eyes were already closed and I was lying down, all that was left was for my consciousness to go on vacation, and finally, I got the rest I had been longing for so long. This time, in my dreams, there were no paths, no lights or anything, just darkness. My mind just turned off and turned on when it thought it was necessary.

Yawn*

"It had been a long time since I rested so well... Hey Danamus, are you awake?"

'Fuck, that could have ended badly'

"Hey... wake up!"

The pleasant sensation of rest caused me to let my guard down, a misstep induced by the long period of sleep. When I woke up the first thing I did was to open my eyes, completely forgetting my previous bad experience. Fortunately, it seems that with the change of body came a change in my luck, and the event did not repeat itself. I couldn't even see the grey substance in the environment anymore, my vision had regained its normal colors.

I don't know how long I slept, but my skin feels numb and irritated. With some effort, I managed to sit up and tried to call out to my vaultmate to find out the current situation, but the youngster, who slept peacefully and elegantly a few meters from where my poor body had been mistreated by the ground of the place, did not respond to my call.

'Could I see the gray substance only at that moment, or is it a skill I have to activate in somehow?'

The vault hasn't changed at all, so it's difficult to make an assumption just by looking at the place. Maybe the only remarkable thing is that the red rocks that had been used to complete my rebirth and therefore had disappeared, reappeared once again. Now there was a small pile of them right next to me, the same place where the mountain used to be. Fortunately, it's not as large as before, otherwise, I would most likely be buried in red rocks.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

'Wait, does that mean they regenerate? If they are energy, that means that this vault is some kind of point where energy gathers. Well, that would also explain why Danamus likes this place so much'

Once again, I tried to call Danamus several times, but the young dragon seems not to hear me, or if he does, he's deliberately ignoring me. Before moving any muscle I wanted to know if something was still missing or if I am already free, I mean, in this experiment he’s the scientist and I’m the guinea pig, but since he doesn’t respond or give me any instructions, I guess the previous experiment is over and now that I can finally move after so long, I'm not going to stay here waiting for Danamus to wake up.

'Well, I'll see what happens, for now I need to stretch my legs'

crack*

"Ahhhg my fucking back, I should've waited"

There was a small problem, something insignificant that can happen to anyone if they are lying down for too long. I'd like to think it's due to the long period of inactivity. I mean, I'm not that old..... I guess. Come to think of it, I don't even remember how old I am. Anyway, I now know that I need to make smoother movements and take things easy.

'Uhm? It doesn't seem like I've lost weight, but I feel lighter. Right, why haven't I lost weight if I haven't eaten anything all this time?'

I stood up with a bit of dizziness and slowly made my way to the exit. As I walked, I realized I felt lighter, as if I had been bound by elastic bands before and now I was free of it. It's a strange but intoxicating feeling. Also, despite not having eaten for all this time, I don't feel hungry either. There are many strange things that need an answer, but the dragon who could provide them remains unmoving.

Outside the castle, everything remains the same. I did some exercises to warm up my muscles and give my joints a bit of mobility. Then I took a slow stroll through the city while enjoying the sweet taste of the fruits. I don't feel hungry, so I ate only to please my taste buds and out of a mental need rather than a physical need. The place hasn't changed at all and even the trees from the experiments haven't changed at all, but I still had the feeling that it has been years since the last time I had this view.

'Have the plants already consumed all the nutrients that the blood had, or has it not been as long as I thought?'

I finished my stroll without obtaining much information, so I returned to the castle with some fruits to see if Danamus had woken up and get some important information, but apparently Mr. Dragon needs more rest. In any case, this gives me time to take the hero test, and this time I had high expectations, so I left the fruits next to Danamus in case he wakes up and headed towards the tower. As always, the first thing is to test the senses.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*iiffff haaaaaa*

"I missed this cool and refreshing breeze"

At the top of the tower, where the breeze circulates freely without the obstruction of the walls, I could feel the wind caressing my skin, as if it were delicately massaging it. It was a sensation unlike anything I had ever experienced. My mind was calm and it was my skin enjoying the moment, like a dry river enjoying the first drops of rain.

'It seems that there are finally real changes, positive change'

"HAHAHAHAHAHA HELLO WORLD! GET READY TO BE EXPLORED AND CONQUERED ! MAE IS ALREADY HERE!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, this is not what I expected, it's a bit disappointing"

Indeed, there are results. My vision has improved significantly, now I can see more clearly, as if cataracts had been removed. I can hear more distinctly, as if I had visited the otolaryngologist. On the other hand, strength, agility and endurance I still can not calculate them properly, because I still feel a bit weak, so I'm not completely sure, but I think they have increased minimally, but it's so little that just because I'm a bit weak now I could notice it.

But nothing out of this world, which is disappointing. I mean, considering the torture I had to go through, I expected to have eagle vision, the hearing of a wax moth, the strength of a Hercules beetle, the agility and speed of a cheetah, the endurance of a water bear. Not something you can get with a little money, good food, and some care.

Despite experiencing this initial disappointment, it's most likely that I'm a wizard, and wizards aren't typically known for their physical strength, or at least that's what the movies say. So for now, all is not lost, and my hopes cling strongly to that possibility. Of course, if that's not the case, then it will be a disappointment from which recovery will be difficult.

Of course, to know if I'm now a wizard, I need to use magic, something I don't know how to do. I tried before, but there was no result, and even though my body may be different now, I still don't know if there's a key to making magic work. Danamus and the animals outside the walls seem to use magic instinctively, but again, I can't be sure if that's all there is to it, maybe they're doing something I still don't understand. The problem is that Danamus, who could solve my doubts, doesn't want to wake up, which leaves me only one solution.

'Geez, I'll just have to try blindly until I get results or until Danamus wakes up'

*HAAAA*

"Shit, and here I was, thinking I had finally escaped from the absurd experiments"