BASTIAN
(THREE YEARS AGO)
I felt disoriented waking up from the anesthesia.
I opened my eyes, confused. I didn't know where I was, and the first thing I saw was a blurry white light on the ceiling. I tried to move, but my face felt swollen. There was very little pain, but I was deeply confused by the anesthesia they gave me.
"Anesthesia," I thought, along with the crushing realization that I wasn't myself anymore. My face, my identity, my name—all of it felt like it had been tossed out the window. I wanted to cry, to scream, to bolt out of there, but my voice failed me at that moment.
As my vision cleared, I saw I wasn't alone. Two men in black were at the back, guarding the door, and Apolo was grinning like I was a lab rat in a successful experiment. He was the first thing I really f
