My consciousness went in and out as time dragged on, only returning to me in the brief moments the man lightened his grip from my core. In those brief moments, I could sense myself moving through the facility into areas I had never known. My consciousness returned as I felt myself drop into a container, the lid closing over me as I landed. I tried to use my roots to break myself free but my strength left me as soon as I touched the walls of my new prison as if contact with the material weakened my core. I only heard a frail yet cold voice echo from inside the box.

"Examination proceeding in 3.... 2... 1..."

An odd feeling crossed me, I felt particularly vulnerable as something harmless passed through my petals, then stem, then roots. The feeling briefly intensified as it brushed past my core but the feeling left as soon as it came. My instincts told me it was a bad omen and I was hesitantly curious to know what they were examining in me.

Untou: "Mama, are we gonna die?"

Dongung: "No no no sweetie, I... don't know what they're going to do to us but just know that I'm always here with you!"

I had a striking suspicion that we were going to perish if we stayed like this. If not death then they'd definitely try to research my skills which I am only able to speculate the harsh experimentation they would do from reading Untou's mind. I attempt to dig through the vast collection of memories I have in the Posy but the damage collected from our escape had ripped my connection from many of those silenced within not allowing me to come up with any solid plan other than to ask for a wish. I don't have enough blood in my extra supply to wish for escape, I know that much and I am still not willing to sacrifice my core's blood for such a simple wish but maybe I could get another skill to help me out here. I feel energy welling up in my core bursting forth as I use my last half of extra blood to wish.

"Minor active skill: ??? has been gained. Title and benefits of obtained skill has been redacted due to Admin interference. Reason: Unknown Skill Obtainment Method. Admin conference recognized..... transporting."

The next moment I knew, I was gone from the box. It was like the environment around me simply fizzled into nothingness leaving only a void of black and rede to keep me company.... Wait a moment, Red? That's when I realized that, I could see color and... myself. I could see myself as though I were floating mere feet above. I could see my large clumped body, the blood red petals and thorny dim green vines that lined it. I could see the round fleshy sack tangled by vines next to my core that held my extra store of blood, and the many wilted flowers scattered at my backside. It was very odd, more notably strange however, was the figure in front of me. I could see him in full clarity, his form fully visible to me.

In front of me was a tall upright figure wearing a black top hat and a tattered leather brown cape. His skin was pale and so thin that you could see the bone tightening around each muscle in a painful display. His hands and feet were a different matter entirely, it seems as though these parts had no bone but still maintained their shape. His hands resembled oversized crab claws and his feet, while decidedly human looking, frequently melted into the void around us; reforming as quickly as it melts in a constant cycle. His face looked like a mask fused into his skull while trying to imitate a human. His face had three holes, two of them were small and sharp simulating eyes while the last was long and curved simulating a mouth. Each hole were pitch black and only glowed a faint purple when it spoke.

When it spoke, I couldn't understand a single thing it said. It spoke like it was sinking at the bottom of the ocean and my mind simply couldn't comprehend what it said. Untou and Dongung on the other hand...

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Untou: "Mama, I realllllly don't think we should trust this guy. He just... Looks like a demon."

Dongung: "He does seem extremely... unhinged. But if he'll give us a way out then we gotta try!"

Untou: "I don't know ma, I've read a lot of stories like this and it never ends well for the victims"

Dongung: "Well, this isn't a story. This is reality! Things are different!"

Untou: "...I hate it when you're like this"

It seems they can understand this creature. I find it odd that as the main host controlling this body, I cannot hear what they are hearing. I decide to scout their minds for information but that didn't achieve much, the memory of them interacting with the creature was similarly unintelligible to me. After that fruitless escapade, I decide to ask them directly what it was saying.

Untou: "Well, it said a lot. It called us weird, told us something about 'unveiling our true forms as humans', and 'separating us from the beast tying us down' Basically just a bunch of demon shit."

Dongung: "Language sweetie. Also, it told us that I'll give us a way to escape if one of us relinquish our body to the truth. If it will free us then I gotta give it a go!"

Untou: "I don't want to lose you ma, just please, don't do this. We can find another way like we've done many times before."

It is likely that we will be eradicated or at least brutally experimented with if we continue on like this. My previous plan to escape failed thanks to this 'Admin' and I am out of extra blood to try a new strategy. Did this 'Admin' plan this from the very start? No that's too much speculation on my end, even if I were to go with that hypothesis then the I would only guess that it was only when I first wished for a skill that I caught its attention. That would only make sense I would think, there's so much up in the air it's almost annoying. Nevertheless, allowing Dongung to learn the truth may be the best option we have if we want to avoid more torment, which I tell them.

Dongung: "I know, sweetie, Untou, when mama's gone just remember everything I taught you ok? Remain calm, accept failure, do not let your past actions hold you down, and learn from them. Make the world a better place than it was left."

Untou: "Please, ma, don't do this. This is so weird! I can't... I can't lose you. This is exactly what happened to papa!"

Dongung: "Papa left on different.. circumstances. Despite that, I want you to live a happy life. I don't want you to go through all this sadness just because I couldn't make the right decision!"

Untou: "But I'm already sad! Don't leave mama!"

Hm, interesting. Logically I couldn't see the downside to this, we are stuck in a rock in a hard place so to speak and we are being offered an 'out'. This creature is the one who put us in such a precarious situation but I also have no cards to play if we return as we are. Whatever revealing the truth of the human form meant sounds beneficial, what detriment is there to learning the truth after all? At face value, this seems like an obvious choice to me but I have a fondness for these two. Allowing one of them leave my side doesn't sound ideal for the development of my own feelings nor does it sound ideal for Untou's development. I feel as though I am forced to either kill myself for one last wish or allow Dongung to learn the truth. Unfortunately, I am not giving up my life just yet, I still want to see the outside not just from the memories of others but for myself, my own whims must come above those who I have control over... And yet.

I am truly conflicted.