Chapter 1: The cage
Aine woke up to the cold, harsh metal of the cage surrounding her. She was a regressor, a person who had been reborn into this world with memories of her past life. But in this world, regressors were hated and feared. They were seen as freaks, anomalies that couldn't be trusted. And Aine was no exception.
She had been caught by the authorities a few days ago, and since then, she had been locked up in this cage, awaiting her execution. It was to happen in a day, at night. Aine closed her eyes, resigned to her fate. What was the point of fighting anyway? She would just die, and this nightmare would be over.
As the hours ticked by, Aine heard the sound of footsteps approaching her cage. She opened her eyes to see a woman with long, silver hair and piercing blue eyes standing in front of her. The woman was dressed in a black cloak, and her eyes seemed to bore into Aine's soul." I finally found you, the perfect person for my experiment" the woman said, her voice low and husky.
Aine nodded, her heart pounding in her chest.
"I'm Eira," the woman said, her eyes gleaming with interest. "I can save you, Aine. But I need something from you in return."
Aine's eyes narrowed. What could this woman possibly want from her?
"What do you want?" Aine asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Eira smiled, and it sent shivers down Aine's spine. "I want you to eat something for me," she said, pulling out a small, jet-black heart from her cloak. "And I want to see what it does to you."
Aine's eyes widened in horror as she realized what Eira was asking. "What is that?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"It's a heart," Eira said simply. "A heart that will change you, Aine. And I need to see how it will change you."
Aine hesitated, unsure of what to do. But Eira's eyes seemed to hold a glimmer of hope, a glimmer that made Aine want to trust her.
"Okay," Aine said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'll do it."
Eira smiled, and handed Aine the black heart. Aine took it, feeling a strange energy emanating from it.
"Eat it," Eira said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Aine hesitated for a moment, and then took a bite of the heart.