Prologue: Yellow Noise

Out of instinct, my hands pulled onto the first thing that was in front of me.

Cold. It was cold. Really cold. Like the type of cold that's all around you trying to get inside you. Maybe it wasn't the air that was cold, I thought. Maybe it was just something else. Carefully, I poked my head out. Trying to look for clues but it was just too dark to see.

A few seconds have passed since I've opened my eyes. I can't see anything at all. I can't even remember how I got here, and much less, where I'm supposed to be. Which is very weird since I usually just sleep on my be—

"..." I paused, "—Usually what?" I wondered.

Weird, I could've sworn I was thinking about a place just a while ago. Just what was I thinking about?

After a few moments of useless thinking, I decided it didn't matter. At least not at the moment. I turned my head the other way, but still— no luck. If there's no light, of course, I can't see. I'll just deal with the things I can deal with then

Feeling this— Handle? Hmm, it's already worn out too.

"It smells... rusty." I thought.

Lightly tapping around me, it almost seems as if I'm inside a cage. Weird. Very weird. Very very weird. I didn't think I'd be inside a cage. Wait a minute, why am I even inside a cage in the first place?

I don't really like the idea of being caged. It's not comfy either. But why can't I remember anything about th—

—Hmm? What was that?! It sounded like metal being bashed open...

"Bazzazzzz! Zazzz!"

Argh! What's this?! It's coming from— beside me?

"Zzzzzzazzz! Bazz!"

The buzzing crawled into my ear like a worm. So annoying! So loud! So irritating! It's like someone's screaming inside of me. It makes me want to come up to whatever's making that noise and beat it down. Would you stop tha—

"Bizz! Bizzizzziz!"

—Huh?

"Bizzizzzzz! Bizz!"

Behind me? Is this supposed to be a joke?! Just hearing it makes my ears bleed!

Buzzing one after the other, all in different directions. Left to right. Front to back. Above and below. It didn't seem realistic at first, but there it was. Echoing everywhere. Making my head feel like it's about to split into pieces.

"Stop! Stop it! STOP IT, please! My ears... they—"

"—Buzzzzuzzz! Buzz! Buzzzz... Buzz!"

There it was. The same static noise that was all around me, I thought— already inside me.

At that time, I didn't know anything about anything. I couldn't even remember my name. And yet, I had a feeling that whatever these things were, I was also one of these things.

"Argh, make it STOP!!! Please make it STOP!!!"

"Buzzuzz, BuzZZUZ!!! BuzzzzzuzZZUZ!!!"

I clenched unto my head, trying to close my ears— or rather— ear holes. If I don't close them, It'll get inside me. It'll crawl and crawl inside me and if it does... I don't want to know what happens if it does.

"STOP!!! Do you know what STOP means?! AAARRGGHHH!"

"BuZZUZ!!! Buzzzz Buzzuzzzuzz BUZZUZ buzz?! ZZZZUZZZZZ!"

I started banging on the cage as I shouted. It was getting on my nerves. The cold, rusted metal handle hitting on my soft hands made for a painful, striking sensation. I'll never be able to forget the feeling as I smacked it onto my forearms.

The cage shook violently with every strike. The dust falling above me creating this smoke that slowly spread to the other cages. Maybe it was because of that, whatever was buzzing seemed to buzz even harder than before.

"Just STOP it already!!!"

"BuzzZZUZ zzzuzzz!!!"

"STOP IT!!!"

"BUZZUZZUZ!!!"

With every push, the cage shook harder and harder. To the point where I couldn't even tell if it was me anymore. I just had to get out. I had to get— Wait, what was that?

Completely out of my expectations, I heard something from the cage beginning to crack. It vaguely resembled that noise I heard before all this buzzing happened. It wasn't something in the cage, but something ON the cage.

It made this broken clinking sound. I can barely hear it over the buzzing, but it was there.

Whatever it was, I thought and felt, I had to keep hitting it— And so I did.

"HAAAAARRGGHHH!!!"

Over.

"AAAAARRRPPHHH!!!"

And over.

"AAAAARRRGGGHH!!!"

And over again.

"EEEUURGGGHHH!!!"

Blood was starting to collect on my arms. I could feel it. My hands were bleeding and it hurt. Every single hit made my muscles ache and my tongue hiss. At least I knew then what I didn't know now— I was definitely not made for fighting.

"OPEN!!!"

One final strike pushed me way beyond my limits. The cage broke open. I was happy for a moment there, but I celebrated too quickly. I was pulled along my hands when the cage broke open. I pushed too hard that I got pulled the moment I realized it was too late.

So I fell forward, and I fell fast.

I couldn't see anything, but it almost looks as if I'm heading in head first. It was weird how I'm not feeling panicked at all over this. It was almost like I knew my head would be able to survive the land if it fall like—

"ARGH SHIT!!!"

Like one stone being thrown to the other, my surprisingly firm, solid head went bouncing on the flat floor. I didn't know how high up a distance I fell from, or what the word 'Shit' even means, but it didn't matter.

—Because I made it out!— And although it hurt, I made it good!

"Tch, but these things are still SO ANNOYING! I mean, how do you NOT GET TIRED from all that BUZZ—"

All of a sudden, lights. Out of nowhere. These orange lights like flames. Everywhere, all over the room. As if from nothing. My eyes had some adjusting to do. It was a bit dizzy, but I can see now what I couldn't see before.

—Bugs. Yellow Bugs. And so many of them.

Bugs locked inside rusted cages. Bugs with antennas. Bugs with four limbs, five fingers, the size of a child. Thin bugs that looked like they've been made to starve. Dirty bugs that look like they've never cleaned themselves. Savage bugs that have scars all over their bodies.

Stacks and stacks of cages that look like buildings from a distant. Cages and cages of these starved yellow bugs just buzzing mindlessly. I can see all of them. I can hear all of them. All of them and dead...

"—dead bugs too..." Ones that are left to rot in their cages. Ones with maggots flying all over their bodies. "...It's disgusting."

But more importantly, all of these bugs seem to have an uncanny resemblance to humans— Not the furry kind, I mean the ones that are actual bugs with human-like limbs.

"Wait, what am I even saying?" I backtracked my thoughts, "—What's a furry?"

Stunned. I was dumbfounded. I was too dazed to realize the hurried footsteps that came hurtling down. By the time I did, my heart started to beat like a fanatic. My body began to sweat cold as fear rushed into my head.

Where should I hide? What should I do? Why're my feet limp?

There was nowhere to go. I didn't know what to do. Why're my feet still limp?

"Luna! Forget the net! Just grab the hook so that it doesn't run away again!" Someone was shouting from afar. They're getting closer. I don't have much time left. I have to think. Think!

"Maybe if I climb back up again, I can close the cage and hide there!"

I turned my head to look up, trying to find a way but it was too high up. I can't climb there even if I wanted to. My arms are too weak! But damn, I had to do something!

"Argh! Screw thinking!"

I ran as fast as my legs could take me. I wasn't even confident but I did it anyway. I kept running. Cages flying past me, and those bugs staring at me. Staring with blank, dead eyes. Buzzing like nothing's happening.

Luckily, I didn't care enough to stop and look. I just kept running.

I fell a couple of times, smacked into walls a couple of times, but I picked myself up right after and I kept running. Every single time. And when I did, there always happened to be an intersection to my left, to my right, or even both.

So without even thinking, I started going in random directions.

I didn't even count how much the word 'Run' had appeared so far. I was running as though my life depended on it. It felt like it did. As though every step is a step away from danger, I depended on it. I believed it did.

I'd long since forgotten the annoying buzzing that was around me. Although it was still there, I just couldn't give a single thought to it as I ran. It didn't matter anymore. I had to keep ru—

"Damn, freaking wall..." I picked myself up from the floor and started run— No, I started sprinting again.

"There it is! Hang the rascal!" I couldn't believe it. I ran so fast, yet I can only go so far. I tripped. My body fell forward. I rolled like a ball until I smacked into a wall. In reflex, my body arched and my arms shielded my head.

I closed my eyes, and I hoped for the best—

"KEEUUUAAEEERRRPPHHH!!!"

"That's it! Hook its neck! Hang that bastard!" Huh? Wait, that's not right. Why aren't they coming for me?

Opening my eyes to slits, I found myself sitting upside down under an unlit corner of the room. Directly in front of me, however, were five men— No, humans— wearing tattered protective suits made out of thin steel.

But what really surprised me the most, was that they were forming a circle on a shrieking bug. Just by hearing it scream alone, you can tell that something was up with this one. Heck, I didn't even know you can scream like that.

It looked no different than the other yellow bugs. Starved and scarred. And yet, something really did feel different about this one. Not on a visual level, but I can just feel how dangerous it was down to my mandibles—

"I have mandibles?" Ok, now's not the time to be thinking about that.

It was just about when I looked at its eyes, did my eyes finally realize that difference.

"Wait a minute... This must be the one that tried to escape before me!" A shocker, I gaped my mandibles as I thought so.

—Unlike the other bugs, this one seems to radiate with energy.

Its eyes glowing red as if by sheer force alone. Enraged and bloodthirsty as if it had been angered to an inhuman extent. It's neck already tightened to a steel hook, yet it was still swinging its claws everywhere trying to hurt the humans.

"The lord forsook us, It has a 'Bloodline Skill'! Quickly get your scrolls out unless you want to get in trouble!" One of the humans said as it pulled out a dirty-looking paper roll. He seems to be the one in control— Wait, is he not nervous? The other four are practically sweating head-over-heels.

Following him, two other humans pulled out a dirty-looking paper roll. The other two, however, couldn't because they were holding down the bug down with a steel hook tied to the bug's neck.

Time seemed to slow, and It was at that moment, the bug caught a glimpse of me. I noticed his gaze, so I looked back. His reddened eyes seemed to glint under the orange light. He was trying to tell me something, but I could only stare at him with confusion.

"Cast on three!" —Huh?

"Three!" Wait what are they trying to—

Three bright blue lights slithered like snakes, closing the distance. Crackling with energy. Before I knew it, the bug was already trembling. Shaking. The color of its skin slowly cooking itself brown. Agonizing screams and shrieks everywhere before all of a sudden, silence.

Dead. The word came out of nowhere. And just as I was hopeless to stop these thoughts, I was hopeless to do anything about him— or it, rather. But those were just my thoughts. Maybe it was still alive, though. Maybe it was just pretending to be dead.

I hope the bug was still alive, but hey, I might just be hoping too much.

As soon as my head started working again, I didn't feel like sticking around anymore. It was making me sick being there. I skittled to escape as the five— No, only two— humans laughed and celebrated. Hmph, now I just don't feel like being around them.

"Humans. Terrible, terrible creatures."