I was running towards the source of the mysterious call, my heart pounding with anxiety and curiosity. But suddenly I bumped into an invisible barrier, and my body crashed into it with a sickening thud. I fell to the ground, my bones cracked from the impact.

I was completely immobilized. In that moment, a stream of thoughts flooded my mind. I had been so certain that I was getting closer to the source of the mysterious call, but now I was stuck, unable to move forward.

And then I heard them. Footsteps, getting closer and closer, accompanied by a metallic fragrance that filled the air.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I looked down and saw a small wound, blood gushing from the cut. One of my ribs piercing through my skin, and as a result, the purple fluid of my body spilled out.

Strangely, I didn't feel any fear. Instead, I looked up at the ceiling and let out a bubbling laugh. The creatures were slowly approaching. I was sure that these cannibals would happily devour my body. But to my surprise, they just lifted my limbs and carried me forward.

I was being carried from all sides, as if I were a victim of some strange ritual. I couldn't understand why the barrier didn't stop them, but at least it seemed to slow them down considerably.

While I was being carried, I tried to resist, to escape from the voice control that kept me trapped. But this something was stronger than me, and I found myself being carried deeper into this unknown world.

My mind was consumed by thoughts of my unfulfilled duty and an unrelenting desire for revenge against those who wronged me. However, with each passing moment, the reality of my situation set in, and I couldn't bear the thought of succumbing to fate's cruel whims once again. Even though I had already died once before, I wasn't sure if I had the strength to withstand another blow.

The sudden turn of events was almost ironic. After feeling like I had been given a second chance, everything was taken away from me in an instant. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift to memories of happier times. I couldn't help but laugh bitterly to myself, wondering if this was all just some cruel joke.

I was on the verge of fainting when I noticed the multicolored dots. I had no idea if these were near-death hallucinations or not, but they were like a defense mechanism unfolding in front of the creatures, giving the impression of danger and safety at the same time.

The creatures moved past the threads with some sixth sense, without even touching them. When I tried to touch an interesting piece of decor on the tunnel wall with my claws, I lost half the length of my sharp claws.

I no longer made dangerous movements for myself, completely surrendering to the pose of the king.

After an hour of such a journey, I seemed to be starting to come to my senses when suddenly one creature grabbed a protruding part of the needle bone in my side, tearing off the latter along with pieces of skin and flesh.

Contrary to my expectations, there was no blood. Yet, I was filled with a surge of strength, as if my body had saved up energy for this moment. It was as if the creature had torn away a veil of weakness, revealing a cleaner and richer blood substitute within me.

At first, I felt a pleasant tingling sensation, as if I had entered a hot spring in the middle of winter. But then the needles began to pierce my exposed nerves with increasing frequency, causing unbearable agony.

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I tried to shield myself from the growing agony, but it was all in vain.

My body was wracked with convulsions, and my veins swelled with an unknown substance. I tried to move, but I was paralyzed by the tension. The creatures carrying me continued their march, and I wondered if they were stuffing me to eat later. Perhaps they had different plans for me altogether.

Grasping the shadow of self-control, I finally moved my fingers. Or rather, the dozens of fingers that now wriggled like earthworms. I let out a groan, "Well, this is just great. I always wanted to be a mutant with extra fingers, said no one ever." I wiggled the fingers, trying to get used to the sensation, but they just felt weird and alien. "I guess I won't be winning any hand-modeling gigs anytime soon," I muttered in my mind, sarcasm oozing out of my words.

The creatures slowed their pace before throwing me to the ground, and I realized that I was experiencing a second metamorphosis. I didn't feel like myself anymore, and the creatures had grown larger in comparison to my memories. I was filled with dread at the thought of losing my humanity altogether.

As I contemplated the creatures' actions, a sudden coldness shocked me out of my thoughts. Droplets of rain fell heavily on my face, quickly intensifying into a torrential downpour. The horror of my surroundings became impossible to ignore, and I scanned the area in silent terror. It was as if I had been plunged into a nightmare.

Meanwhile, the creatures continued to injure themselves, causing my heart to contract with fear. The sight was incredible as they dug their fingers into their own bodies, recklessly tearing off pieces of flesh and bones. As a result, purple blood sprayed out in all directions.

They howled in agony, but still they persisted, driven by some unseen force that compelled them to undergo this gruesome transformation. I couldn't bear to look, but I couldn't tear my eyes away either.

And then I saw it - the multicolored particles that I had thought were part of the tunnel's protective system. They began to pour out of the wounds, settling into the holes left behind by the creatures' self-mutilation. The particles seemed to be helping to transform the creatures' bodies, knitting their flesh and bone back together in new and twisted forms.

I shuddered and felt sick. This was not a beautiful transformation, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. It was a grotesque, painful process that left me feeling deeply disturbed.

---

I remembered waking up in the morning, looking at the sun through a crack in the curtains and greedily inhaling a new day. There were bad days when I quarreled with my parents and with my sister, but I knew that they were the closest people to me in the whole wide world.

"What does happiness mean?" I was asked.

"I don't know, to celebrate the morning with your loved ones," I replied.

"Favourite people?" Another question came.

"These are the ones who... is important to you who takes care of you and you take care of them, dear and close to your heart."

"What does the heart mean?" I struggled to answer.

"I am..."

I no longer felt the need for such primitive feelings as extra pieces of the puzzle, they were being destroyed in my mind. The faces of people close to me were drowned in the darkness of the mind and devoured, disappearing forever.

I tried to fight, to cling to the past, asking myself what my parents' names were, my sister's birthday, the memories that warmed me when I was away from home.

"Home..." I whispered. "What did my home look like?"

I was looking for an answer in my head, but at the same time, I was moving further away, silhouettes turned away from me as I began to fall into the abyss of my consciousness.

The nightmare lasted forever and one night. When I woke up, I was met by darkness. I felt my surroundings and realized that I was in a small space. Not knowing what form I had turned into this time, I tried to feel my limbs. There were more of them than ever. It was difficult to control exactly one, as others were moving, after short mental orders, unable to withstand the tension, I just hit them on the barrier.

I heard a distinct crunch and couldn't help but wonder if I'd hurt myself again. Suddenly there was a loud bang, and my barrier began to collapse. A bright light hit my eyes through a small crack above my head. Gathering all the strength I had left, I beat my whole body against the barrier until I made a hole big enough to fit through.

As my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I was stunned by what I saw. I was surrounded by huge eggs covered with slime. Looking down, I realized that only now... hatched.