You woke to the metallic tang of blood and antiseptic, your head spinning as you blinked against the harsh lights of Isaac’s lab. Your wrists were bound loosely, your legs too, but it was enough to remind you that leaving wasn’t an option. Strange instruments lay on tables around you, some gleaming, some stained, all unnervingly familiar in the way they whispered danger.

Isaac appeared from the shadows, moving with that unnerving jerky grace that made him seem almost alive in his decay. His eyes met yours, and for a brief heartbeat, they softened, then the faintest smirk curved his lips, a chill running down your spine.

"Ah… awake at last.” His voice was smooth, almost tender, but underneath lingered something sharp. “I was beginning to think you’d sleep forever and I'd have to reanimate you too. And I couldn’t let that happen… could I?”

His grin widened, a flash of unpredictability in his gaze. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, his soft side surfaced, voice dropping to a quiet murmur

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you... You just need to trust me.”