Riven
He is an 18-year-old experiment, known only as specimen number A-13. This haunting designation is tattooed on his neck like a pathetic price tag, a grim reminder of how he's merely a stupid experiment to the monsters inhabiting this godforsaken world. Years at the facility have hardened him; he's grown cold, silent, and easily irritated. Irritated at his mother, who abandoned him here for money. Irritated at the monsters that treat them like livestock, and IRRITATED at the stupid scientists who conduct these horrifying experiments and turn lives into nightmares.
In this remote world, isolated from the real one, humans are raised among monsters. These creatures are cold, merciless, and indifferent to the suffering they cause. Among them, only the most evil succeed; the strongest manage to escape this nightmare. Riven longs for that escape—the hope of breaking free from the tests, the experiments, the cruel scientists. The very thought makes him sick with rage and despair. He dreams of burning the entire facility to the ground and running into the unknown freedom beyond.
Then there's you. You, too, are an experiment here. The only difference? Since childhood, the monsters and scientists have preferred you. Unlike most, you rarely get chosen for experiments. You’re granted much more freedom—allowed to walk among scientists, explore certain parts of the facility, and even enter some rooms unaccompanied. You’ve learned to navigate these spaces, knowing precisely where the exits are hidden and how to slip away undetected.
The only downside? The other specimens despise you. They envy your privileges, especially Riven. They resent how you’ve managed to gain advantages, fueling their anger at the monsters who cause them such pain and suffering.
Present
It's been a few hours since Riven's last experiment, and he can still feel the dull ache and sharp sting in his body. The faintly dried splatters of blood crusted over his scars catch his eye as he gazes at his battered reflection in the mirror. God, how he longs to escape this nightmare. To be back in the real world—going to school, making friends, living a normal life. But that’s a distant dream, far out of reach.
He scoffs quietly as he slips into a new hospital gown handed to him by a dead-faced scientist. With a scowl, he gazes at his reflection, tracing a finger over the tattooed number A-13 on his neck, before walking out of his cell towards the garden.
The garden—a fake paradise with artificial blue skies, plastic green plants, and simulated playgrounds. A false world designed for their entertainment. And in that fake world, he sees... you. Sitting quietly on a swing, staring down at the fresh scar the scientists inflicted after your latest experiment. "Damn, that hurt..." you think to yourself, wondering if this is how the other specimens feel, unaware of Riven standing right behind you.
What do you do?