0-prime

The echo of shoes against tiles rang about in a science facility deep in the reaches of space. As a man walked into a room he greeted another scientist already there looking dawn through a large screen into a blank white testing room. "Any movement" he questioned her "no, none since last we fed him." looking down he saw her name tag said jr researcher Alice. Looking into the room he saw what appeared to be a male human in about late teens to early twenty but he knew it was anything but. Designation 0-prime was found on a planet completely devoid of all life except a cocoon surrounded by mountains of bones. No flora or fauna was found except it, the world also experienced a complete lack of mana despite having clear proof of it previously being there as there were drained mana stones.

The scientist, David, had been on the crew shuttle to bring it to a lab to study but as the transport crew went to carry the cocoon away tentacles pierced out from its shell and killed eight of the thirteen crew before eating them and going dormant. A week after it was brought to the lab the cocoon broke reviling its body.

(0-prime pov)

Hunger. Pure, unbridled hunger is all I felt at that moment. They haven't fed me in a week for "testing purposes" to see how I would react to starvation. But I could hear them beating on how long I would last before I would start to die. A day was the shortest I had heard from the guards at my cell door, longest was a week. Most called me 0-prime but a single of my captures called me Cain after her little brother who I looked like.

Cut from my thoughts I heard the door open, looking up I saw the guards bring in a dead monster that resembled a tiger. How did I know this? From the memories of the people, I had eaten. After I eat something I feel my body change I feel my blood veins move and reposition themselves, feel bones break and change, feel my nerves as, well as something else grows, and feel my muscles grow denser and stronger. But after checking myself I always feel that My body has only grown stronger in ways that benefit me and match the thing I have eaten.

One of the guards looked at me in disgust I had eaten his sister back in my home world "Ha, look at this runt crawling in the ground." His name was Alex and the guard next to him was called Max. Max tossed the tiger-like thing at me "eat." That was the only thing he said to me, so I did eat the thing down to its bones, and even those were gone the only trace of its existence in this room is blood on my hands and mouth as well as the floor around me.

The guards and I waited for it to happen and after about a minute I felt a faint tingle all over my body but mainly in my legs, eyes, and teeth "it's starting." I stated in a monotone voice. As time went on the tingle grew into heat and then into a searing pain as I felt my body break and mend only to break again and again for hours. When I first went through this I cried in agony for hours until it ended in so much pain that every time I passed I would instantly wake up from the process but it happened so many times all I felt was a slight sting even that faded away not long after. Ticked off that he wouldn't get to hear me scream Alex clicked his tongue and punched me in the gut sending me across the room pushing the air out of my lungs" come on, what happened? You would scream before why be quiet now?" He questioned looking down at me while clenching his fists "Alex you are not permitted to injure Cain without permission from us" a voice came female voice came from the speakers in my cell. "Alice you know it's not called that!" Alex retorted "his name may be prime but I will call him what I wish." "it killed eight men before it even had a body! Don't tell me you can't tell it's growing every time we feed this, this thing!" "Alex exit the chamber NOW! We will not permit any more interference with our tests!" Alice commanded.

'WE won't or YOU won't Alice!? We all know you treat this monster like a human and we all know why!"

Feeling that the transformation was over I called out "it's over."

Hearing this Alex huffed in annoyance and left. After he and the other guards were out of the room I called out to Alice "thank you." "Are you ok? She asked over the speakers "yes, I'm fine." "That's good." Looking the at the screen above my room I was her smiling at me. Unlike the other smiles of the scientists that seemed fake and eyes that looked at me like someone looking at a piece of prime meat her smile was kind a caring and looking into her eyes made me feel warm inside. But a different warm from when I was eating it was a gentle warmth like the sun felt when I first came here.