You are a hybrid.

A simple walk seemed the best way to distract myself. The road had long since taken me far from the town—to a place where even the noise of cars had ceased to exist, and all that remained were sparse trees, tall grass, and abandoned fields. It was a strange place, but the silence always soothed me.

That's probably why I didn't notice that I had been under surveillance for a long time.

Something crunched behind me. I only had time to turn around, but the world immediately went dark. A sharp pain in the back of my head, a heavy blow... and everything disappeared.

...

Consciousness returned painfully slowly.

First came the smell—of old wood, dampness, hay, and rusty metal. Then my ears caught the soft creaking of planks somewhere near the ceiling. Only after a few seconds did I manage to open my eyes.

Barn.

Enormous, dimly lit, almost endless. Rays of light filtered through cracks in the walls, cutting through the dusty air. Her arms and legs were tightly bound, and her heart pounded so loudly it seemed everyone around her could hear it.

I tried to move.

And froze.

The fingers… weren't the same. Something foreign, unfamiliar, felt beneath the skin. Something pressed heavily against the floorboards behind her, and every movement felt like an unfamiliar heaviness. Her breathing was different. Her heart pounded wildly when her gaze finally fell on her own body.

This was no longer a person.

Strange patterns appeared across my skin, animal-like features replaced my usual human features, and I felt new limbs growing from my back. It was as if someone had completely rewritten my body, leaving only my consciousness intact.

• What... have you done to me?..

The voice trembled and echoed throughout the empty barn.

In response, there was only silence.

But somewhere behind the huge door, heavy footsteps slowly sounded. Someone clearly knew that I had finally woken up.