I opened my eyes with effort, feeling numb all over my body. I didn't know where I was and the darkness was so dense that I couldn't see the room and there was a strange smell that burned my nostrils. The pain in my arms was unbearable, especially around my wrists, where something was holding them firmly, I also felt a burning sensation in different parts of my body, it was a hot and stabbing pain.
My last memories were confusing. I couldn't remember what had happened to me before I got here. I knew I was a freshman psychology student, but I couldn't remember my name. I also couldn't remember my family, my friends, anything personal. I only had the vague image of my dog, Ruffus . It was as if selective amnesia had erased my identity and personality.
For now, I will refer to myself as "I." I can feel my heart beating, every part of my body and I can think, even if I don't remember anything about myself, I know that I exist and I am a human being.
[You have developed the skill (Propioception)]
[You have developed the skill (Self-Awareness)]
A strange voice, but similar to mine, echoed in my mind. During my first year of psychology, I studied proprioception, the ability to sense the position of your body parts. Upon hearing the voice, everything I had learned made sense and I felt a tangible change in my body perception.
The voice also mentioned that it had developed the Self-Awareness skill. Although less tangible than proprioception, it reaffirmed my awareness as an individual. But wait, skills. Although he had forgotten who he was, he was sure that the abilities did not exist on Earth; They were typical of video games.
I may not be on Earth anymore or I may be in an ultra-realistic virtual reality video game. How strange, I don't remember any ads for a game with this level of realism, I'm sure there would be hundreds of ads about it, but I don't remember my name either so I didn't trust my memory much. I should think about how to get out of here since my wrists hurt a lot and above all I need to know who I am.
Intuiting through my proprioception, I was sitting with my arms extended in a cross, held by metal chains. I was naked, except for something like a cloth covering my genitals. The stone floor beneath me indicated that I was in a cell. But how had he gotten here? Without memories, he could only speculate.
After a few minutes, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I could see that the cell was quite large, with more chains next to me, but no other prisoners. In front of me, I made out the silhouette of a door with a faint light filtering through the keyhole.
My wrists hurt intensely and the humid environment didn't help. The cell was in a dead silence, only broken by my labored breathing due to the bad smell, the rattling of the chain and the rhythmic drip of water.
After counting dozens of drops and not taking the pain anymore, I screamed for help. I heard heavy footsteps and the light on the lock disappeared, followed by the sound of the bolt opening.
The light from the threshold dazzled me, but was soon eclipsed by the figure of an imposing man. His long red beard contrasted with his dark and penetrating gaze. He wore a gambeson that hugged his bulging belly, held in place by a belt with a silver buckle that glimmered in the dim light. He held a gigantic ax whose edge gleamed menacingly, making me tremble with fear.
His face, although unattractive, inspired deep terror in me from my defenseless position. His brown eyes watched me with the intensity of a hunter stalking his prey. His entire expression exuded uncontrollable anger and hatred towards me.
He approached with his ax in hand, without taking his eyes off me. He opened his mouth to let out a gibberish of unintelligible words. My confused expression did not please him and he responded angrily.
The last thing I saw was the edge of the ax approaching my neck.
---
I opened my eyes with effort, feeling numb all over my body. I didn't know where I was; The darkness was so dense that I couldn't make out the room and there was a strange smell that burned my nostrils. My arms hurt terribly, with something firmly held around my wrists, I also felt a burning sensation in different parts of my body, it was a hot and stabbing pain.
Wait, I've experienced this before. I remember reflecting on my amnesia, how I only remembered my dog Ruffus and bits and pieces of my career. I also remember hearing a voice in my head, saying that I had developed skills called Proprioception and Self-Awareness. The last thing I remember is being in a cell and, after screaming for help, being killed by the jailer with his axe.
Was it a dream or déjà vu ? I haven't gone back in time, have I? Let's review: I'm a first-year psychology student. My name is... What was my name? My family... my father... my mother's name was... well, my brother who I've been with all my life... ehhh . I really have forgotten everything except Ruffus . Nothing more personal, not where I lived, not what I liked.
Was the dream really a dream or was it true? I am "me", right? The voice in my head is my imagination, right? I felt like I was losing my sense of self and was starting to hyperventilate, but the word "self-awareness" popped into my mind, bringing me back to my senses. In my mind, like a mantra, the words "I am me" resonated.
Little by little, I calmed my breathing. However, I started to feel bad. I still hadn't gotten used to the darkness of the cell, but I began to see double and blurry. I felt like the little strength I had left was leaving me.
After about 30 drops of water, I found myself on the verge of passing out with a very bad headache. I heard footsteps and the sound of a lock opening before I passed out.
---
I opened my eyes with effort. I felt numb all over my body. I didn't know where I was, and the darkness of the room prevented me from seeing anything. My arms hurt like hell, especially from something firmly gripping my wrists. The smell of the place was so disgusting that it stung my eyes and made me cry. My body hurt intensely, I felt a stinging burning in different places on my body, I felt spikes of pain when I rubbed those places against the stone or my own body.
"Wait, another déjà vu ... or a dream... No, there's no vomit or anything around me, right? "I feel fine, well, except for the chains and the fact that I'm starving."
I've gone back to the past again or I'm going crazy. I'm still on Earth, right? I'm still me, right? I'm in a video game, right?
As a repeat of the previous loop, I was about to fall into an existential crisis, but again I heard the word "self-awareness" in my mind and the mantra of "I am me" echoed in my head again. I quickly calmed down and became thoughtful.
This had been the second time he had died. The first time the jailer killed me; This second time I didn't see what killed me, but I guess it was what made me feel bad.
I still don't know if it was a dream or I'm really in a time loop. I have no idea if what killed me the previous loop was a disease, poison or something else. As nice as the guard is, I don't think he's going to help me.
Now I have to think about how to escape from the cell. The chains were the first big barrier to overcome. They clung tightly to my wrists, causing pain and injuries. Without much care, I tried to get up, but the chains were placed in such a way that I would need to make a great effort to get up. Although my fruitless effort did not have the result I wanted, it did have another one with a possible fatal outcome.
The rattling and squeaking of the chains as I attempted to get up was heard by the guard. You may wonder how I know he heard it: the sound of heavy, fast footsteps was a crucial clue, but the definitive proof was seeing the unattractive jailer looking at me with a look of hatred and shouting a string of what I assume were insults towards me. my mother and my entire family tree.
This was the second time he threatened me, but it was even scarier than the first time. Seeing his gigantic figure from practically the ground didn't help, but the icing on the cake was seeing the edge of the ax dangerously close to my neck.
As this was the second time I was about to be killed by an axe, I moved my body to avoid the blow. Big mistake. The ax didn't cut off my head, it only severed half of my neck.
I started bleeding out and couldn't breathe. I watched the guard smile and leave the cell without finishing the job. I felt myself suffocating and little by little I lost strength. I made some pathetic movements, trying to get air into my blood-filled lungs, but I had already lost so much blood that I felt like my life was slipping from my hands. I had the opportunity to verify the myth of if you saw your life pass before your death. I can only say that it is true only that in my case I only saw the last two loops.
---
I woke up gasping frantically for air, moving my entire body in a desperate attempt to free myself. A few seconds later, I managed to calm down, but it was too late. The guard had arrived at my cell. In his now usual meaningless gibberish, he shouted at me as the edge of the axe, dazzling in the dim light, pierced my neck like a hot knife through butter.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
---
I woke up for the fifth time. He had already been killed by the guard three times and he didn't want to be killed a fourth time. Bleeding out and suffocating simultaneously was not something I would recommend to anyone.
I had to accept it: I was in a time loop that restarted with my death. I don't know why me or how it worked, but it had touched me. I can rule out the possibility that it was a dream or a video game; It was too real. I don't want to think about other, more far-fetched possible explanations like I'm actually in a simulation or I'm some kind of guinea pig for some experiment that's beyond my understanding.
The question was whether I was still on Earth or not, but the only way to know was to leave the cell, a goal that seemed pretty far away right now, although I think it's safe to assume that I'm in a place with a similar technological level to that of the cell. Middle Ages, from what I have been able to see, such as the clothing of the guard and the cell.
Regarding my identity, I don't know where to start. The only thing I remember is Ruffus and nothing else. The first step when leaving the cell should be to confirm where I am and if seeing the outside brings back my memories.
There are also skills, although that is secondary compared to the current situation. Still, they can probably help me escape, although the two I have obtained came about accidentally. This is one
The guard, as my four kills have shown, will probably kill me if he enters the cell. The only way to get their attention is to make noise, something I have to handle carefully.
Another cause of death was the strange disease or poison that caused my symptoms. In addition, hunger and dehydration could be lethal factors, although for now it is the guard and the disease that ends the loops.
I used my proprioception to check myself. Part by part, I checked if there was anything strange. My proprioception had become quite accurate, able to vaguely identify the position of my organs and their approximate shape. After several minutes, I didn't see anything unusual, although my point of view might have caused me to miss something.
A few minutes had passed and my eyes had become accustomed to the darkness of the cell. Around me there were more chains; in front, the door, without windows or other sources of light that I had overlooked before. The cell was large, with three pairs of chains on each wall except the one on the door, but, unfortunately, there were no other prisoners. This ruined all my escape plans.
Dialogue with the guard was impossible, since he did not know the language, and there was no kind prisoner to teach me. Removing the chains was also unfeasible, given their material and position. That was the extent of my escape plans.
I noticed that a liquid, possibly water, was dripping from the corner of the ceiling. The rhythmic sound of the drops would help me count time.
I felt lost, with no idea what to do, when I began to see, blurry, the first symptom of the strange disease or poison. I became serious immediately, counting the time until the next symptom appeared. Concentrating on the drops, I counted one, two, three...
I continued until the dizziness appeared, after about three hundred drops, which was also the moment when I heard sounds like something hard colliding very quickly and frequently against the floor of my cell. I made a mental note of it and continued counting until, approximately 1,300 drops later, I felt a strong urge to vomit and faint.
Like the second loop I ended up passing out.
---
I opened my eyes frantically, I had already died for the fifth time and it was not something I would like to get used to. He had already discovered how long it took approximately to die; With that basis I could work on trying to prevent him from killing me or, at least, delay the symptoms until they took me out of the cell.
Honestly, I saw my situation as very difficult, but not impossible. Because he was in a time loop, he could try as many times as he needed. Also, there were the abilities, a mystery for now, but I'm sure that within a few cycles I'll be able to understand how they work.
Now I had to rule out whether it was a disease, a poison or something else. The easiest thing to rule out was whether it was an illness; Using my proprioception, I should be able to identify what is causing the problem. The last time I used it, it was before the symptoms appeared.
As I counted the falling drops, I kept my attention on my body, watching to see if I detected anything strange. The first symptom appeared approximately 600 drops after waking up: blurred vision. I focused my proprioception in my head, trying to understand the origin of what was happening to me. Without reaching a conclusion, the dizziness began, which made the task of checking myself even more difficult.
My head was spinning, but I kept trying to identify the origin of what was happening to me. Shortly after, I started vomiting, but I didn't let that stop me. I kept searching my body for what was wrong. I had to find out; Otherwise, he would live in an eternal cycle of being killed by a pissed-off guard and an unknown illness. I focused all my proprioception on my body in general, but I felt like I couldn't maintain consciousness any longer.
The last thing I remember before passing out was a voice very similar to mine echoing in my head.
---
I woke up with a start, I had one goal in mind, to find the origin of what was afflicting me and ended up causing my death.
I counted the drops until the first symptom appeared and without delay used my proprioception to analyze the affected parts. Drop by drop time passed, but I had gotten nowhere. Dizziness soon came, followed by vomiting and subsequent fainting.
My efforts seemed useless, but I wasn't going to give up.
The last moments of my life seemed especially long to me, they served to reaffirm my will to survive. I had nothing and I didn't know who I was, but I was sure of one thing: I wasn't going to rot for eternity in a cell.
---
I woke up, still in the same position, tied by the same chains and in the same cell. I was doing something wrong; My proprioception is a sense for feeling my own body, not for detecting what is wrong with it. Along with the sound of falling water drops, the constant jingling of a chain could be heard. In this loop, I had decided to give up on finding the cause of my discomfort with proprioception; I needed another method to diagnose myself.
Using my breathing, I calmed down. I repeated to myself that I'm in a loop, therefore I have infinite time to figure out what's wrong with me, well, more like until my mind stops working. Using my senses I won't get anywhere, I must think rationally. If it's an illness, no matter what I do, it will take the same amount of time to take effect because it's already in my system. Also, diseases usually take longer to kill, so it is more likely to be a poison. I need more evidence to be sure.
The first symptoms soon appeared, but I already knew what to expect, so I just put up with it and continued thinking. I looked at the cell again, looking for clues. The strange smell persisted, although he saw nothing visible that could cause it. It could be that the poison was in the air. This is consistent with the fact that symptoms appear quickly and that the cell is closed. But I must consider other possibilities as well.
I felt like I was slowly getting closer to an answer. Before I had many doubts about my situation, but now I know that with patience I can resolve them. I won't be short of time. I reflected on why I am still alive. My situation was extremely strange but surely there must be a rational explanation for it. If he had committed a crime, he would be with more prisoners and would receive different treatment. If I were a slave, I wouldn't be alone in a cell and they wouldn't leave me with these injuries. Maybe they're keeping me alive because they hope to get something from me, like information or to use me as a hostage.
In my mind, all kinds of possible scenarios were being considered. I was in a very strange situation and there weren't many clues to work with, but under the assumption that humans behave the same everywhere, it shouldn't be too difficult to give a rational explanation for my situation.
The pain in my wrists had disappeared from my mind. The wounds on my body didn't hurt as much. My worries and fears had vanished. All my thinking was focused on deducing my situation. I am locked in a cell with multiple wounds, without windows and alone, with a guard who does not care about my life... this could only mean that I am a prisoner of war, low-ranking, already tortured, someone of no importance, but with information. This conclusion fit, except that it didn't explain the poison.
I was about to extrapolate this conclusion when I heard a voice in my head:
[You have developed the skill (Rational Thinking)]
[You have developed the skill (Concentration)]
Hearing my own voice in my head wasn't something I would get used to, but it was nice to see my efforts rewarded, even though I didn't feel fundamentally different. I'll check the changes in the next loop.
It almost seemed like I was timed, because shortly after reaching the conclusion, the strength in my entire body abandoned me and I lost consciousness.
---
I opened my eyes slowly. My body hurt deeply; I felt like my arms were going to fall off and the burns that plagued my skin stung me extremely. Many emotions, such as anger, fear and suffering, were reflected on my face. I wanted to scream, cry, and most of all, get out of here, but I knew that wasn't possible right now. I was lost. Before, I was frantically searching for a way out of my situation under the premise that I was being rational, but after waking up, despite feeling many intense emotions, I felt mental clarity like never before. I don't know if it was just the effect of rational thinking ability or a combination of more things, but now my situation, which before seemed like a complete enigma, seemed to be possible to solve. I must accept that, if I want to get out of here, I am going to suffer and, above all, it is going to take a long time.
Picking up where I left off in the last loop, there is a poison that kills me in about 20 minutes. Ignoring that the poison has a natural origin, since there is no evidence of this, what reason would my captors have to seek my death indirectly, or perhaps they do not know about the poison? My captors can easily kill me; It wouldn't be worth the effort to use poison. This suggests that they are not seeking my death. They probably don't even know there's poison in the cell. The question is: who wants me dead?
The answer seemed obvious: my own group. Unable to save me, they would try to silence me so that I wouldn't reveal secrets. But something didn't add up. I was already tortured and I should have let out the secrets. The only reason to keep me alive would be to use me as a hostage, which doesn't fit with them wanting me dead. My dizziness began, and soon I felt vomit rise up my esophagus. My arms, which were trying not to let me fall, became weak. I fell into an awkward position while vomiting.
I felt like I would die at any moment, but my mind, unlike my body, was focused. There was something wrong with my reasoning. I am a low-ranking prisoner of war, already interrogated, but alive. Someone wants to kill me without being seen, probably from my own side, since the chances of a third party are minimal. The only reason my own side killed me is because I betrayed them, or they betrayed me. If I betrayed them, it wouldn't matter anymore because I'm a hostage and they wouldn't even need to make the effort to kill me. It's more likely that they betrayed me. My death would benefit my organization more than my captors. They could offer a deal for my life, but I've already been ruled out. They want me dead before my captors realize it, using a poison to cause chaos among my captors. The guard should have noticed the smell, but he didn't, which means it's odorless to others, a way of telling me I'd been discarded and wouldn't be saved. The only flaw in the plan is the guard who hates me, but this may also be intentional to cause disorder when the guard kills me.
During the last moments of my life, I came to this conclusion, waiting for the next loop to finally move towards a successful escape. I fainted listening to my own voice:
[You have developed the skill (Deduction)]
[There is a synergy between the skills (Rational Thinking) and (Deduction); (Rational Thought) will be subordinated to (Deduction)].