1. Awaken

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Millions of strands of cobweb-like thread rapidly detached from my body and disappeared. Soon, I began to shiver. My body was frozen solid like ice. I was so cold that I couldn't even catch my breath.

Then, I heard a throb in the dreadful silence. It was my heart started beating. Scorching blood erupted from my heart and began to melt my hands and feet. And the fog finally began to lift.

“Holy cow!”

I just realized I wasn’t lying in bed. I was in the air, a few feet above the mattress. There was an invisible force supporting my weight.

I desperately tried to sit up, but I lost my balance and fell.

“Ouch!”

Someone's hand reached me to help, his other hand was already pulling my shoulder. He was not a man, and all the voices in the room were not people either – they were all robots. They bustled around, talking in incomprehensible language.

Where the hell am I?

I felt something liquid on my feet. It was like warm oil, smoothly wandering between my toes. I couldn't explain what kind of liquid this was, but it was so relaxing. When the image of foot massages just came upon me, the liquid suddenly covered my entire body.

“Noooooooo!”

Terrified, I pushed with my hands, though I knew it was useless. It was too fast. So, I gave up resisting. Instead, my curious eyes were already somewhere else, a symbolic sign on my arm. I thought it looked familiar, but nothing came to my mind.

A few seconds later, I noticed myself wearing a nice black outfit. The liquid became my new state-of-the-art outfit.

“Cool!”

I wanted to see myself, so I turned myself, putting down my feet on the floor. At that moment, my Achilles tendons reflexively lifted my legs as if wary of any danger. I felt gravity for the first time, and a surge of dizziness passed through me.

Again, I took a deep breath, watching the patterns on the floor becoming gradually clear. About 60 seconds later, I thought I could stand and walk out of the room. Then I heard a voice.

"Good to see you, Shine."

The voice was gentle. I looked up. He was a man – a human being.