As soon as he arrived at his apartment, Prime was greeted by Annie and Sara, who were waiting for him in the underground garage. After parking the car, he and Emi got out, and Annie immediately hugged Emi, showing her concern. Prime watched the scene for a moment before turning to Sara, who was watching him discreetly.
(Did you devour that man’s head or what?)
Prime already suspected that Sara probably knew what he had done in the alley. Even when apart, they were still connected, and Sara must have felt Prime’s transformation as well as the moment he devoured the man’s head. However, Sara seemed less concerned about it than Prime had imagined.
(... I can get a sense of what you’re thinking, even without reading your mind. Personally, I don’t care if you devour the heads of criminals or people who deserve to die... but why specifically the head?)
Prime remained silent for a few seconds after hearing Sara’s question. To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure of the answer himself. It seemed instinctive, like when you eat a piece of chicken and naturally avoid the bones, or know which part of the meat is the best. For Prime, it was something similar.
(To be honest, I really don’t know... it just tastes good. Although it varies from person to person, there’s probably something about their heads that the symbiotes like to consume)
(...)
(You asked me and now you’re not going to say anything?)
(Sorry, I just don’t know what to say in this situation... I mean, you know this is weird, right? I mean, you’re a monster who eats human heads and finds it tasty)
Prime heard this but wasn’t affected. Just as most humans don’t feel remorse when killing animals for food, Prime didn’t feel anything special about killing people and devouring their heads. Of course, he didn’t intend to become a murderer or anything like that. Still, he realized that Sara was teasing him, as there was a subtle smile on her face.
“Emi, what did I tell you about going out alone? At least let me know when you’re leaving! And why did you go to that particular place? You know he could have shown up at any moment”
“It’s okay, sis. Agony was with me, so I wasn’t in danger”
Annie and Emi, on the other hand, were engaged in a heated sisterly debate. Despite Annie’s attempts to scold Emi, she managed to counter every argument brilliantly and rebut them with skill. Additionally, the sparkle in Emi’s eyes made it difficult for Annie to continue her lecture.
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Prime watched Annie, who had a complex expression as she looked at Emi with an ironic smile. In any case, he still had a few questions to ask Emi and Agony. In fact, Agony was the only symbiote created by Prime who seemed to have some knowledge about his race or something similar.
“Girls, let’s head upstairs. I have some questions for Emi and her symbiote. Also, I’m sure you want to know more about the beings that are coexisting with you. Although I’m not sure if it’s a positive thing, it does remind me a bit of my past, if I can call it that”
***
“Now that everyone is here, let's start the question and answer game”
As Prime said this, he observed Emi, Annie, and Sara’s expressions. While Sara and Annie appeared relatively curious, Emi showed more of a radiant glow than curiosity. For Annie and Sara, an interest in Prime's story was inevitable since they had both previously shown interest, but they had never heard the full story. Prime remembered almost nothing, and the memories recovered so far were too muddled to form a clear narrative.
"Since you two seem so curious, let's start with questions about me. Feel free to ask whatever you want; I'll do my best to answer as I remember. I apologize if my answers are confusing, as my memories of the past are still a bit fragmented. However, I believe I can now answer many of the questions you might have"
After saying this, Prime waited patiently for the questions. This made him realize that it was the first time he was determined to share something about himself with the girls. In a way, he had postponed this moment for quite some time.
"I’ll start. Do you remember the first time we met? You told me that you used to be human but didn't remember exactly how you ended up this way"
Hearing Sara's words, Prime began to formulate his responses in his mind. Annie and Emi also seemed curious. Prime couldn't recall discussing this topic with them before, but considering the fast-paced events since he adopted them, it seemed relatively unlikely.
"First of all, my name when I was human was Ryan. I don’t remember my last name, and I don’t think I had one, since I grew up in an orphanage. I had two friends, but I can’t recall their names or faces, though I still feel they were important to me. That’s all I remember for now; the rest of my memories are still a bit fragmented"
Prime's answer wasn’t much different from what Sara already knew, but it contained more details than before. She was pleased to see that Prime, even if slowly, was starting to recover his memories. However, she honestly couldn’t imagine what it was like to be in his shoes when he first opened his eyes in a new body.
Not having anyone to trust, not knowing exactly who you were and what you were, and going through various experiments— from Sara’s perspective, Prime had lived through a traumatic experience. Yet, he remained steadfast and strong. It was likely that the fact he was no longer human also had a significant impact on this matter.
While Sara remained thoughtful, Annie was the next to ask a question. Prime had initially expected her to show surprise at discovering his past, but unexpectedly, both Annie and Emi seemed relatively indifferent.
"Have you managed to remember anything about your species? To be honest, we still know very little about them, despite them living inside our bodies"
Prime had also anticipated that Annie’s question was something he would eventually have to answer. At least, he felt a bit relieved to know much more about the subject now compared to what he knew in the past.