"The lockdown has ended. You're going to retrieve your memories now. It's okay, don't be afraid, it's like waking up from a long sleep."
Li Jace didn't say a word. His heart was racing in his chest, but he tried not to show it. He had been told this would happen, but it felt completely different when he actually heard it.
The nurse, wearing a gray-blue uniform with a badge that read "Post-Unsealing Psychological Adaptation Officer D12," continued, "The injection will hurt a bit, but it won't last long, maybe a second or two. Some memories will come back quickly, while others might take longer, depending on how intense the emotions are."
Li Jace nodded. His mind was blank, and he didn't know what he was supposed to feel.
"I've also contacted your family. They'll be here soon. I've packed your things for you, and they're all yours. I left a bag in case I missed anything."
Li Jace tried to ignore the rising tension in his chest. Family? Did he have a family?
The nurse prepared the syringe and injected the needle into his arm. The cold liquid flowed into his veins, burning like fire. Almost instantly, a sharp pain exploded in his brain. His vision blurred, and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to block it out.
The pain was like something tearing his mind apart. He could hear the nurse's voice, but it sounded like it was coming from behind a wall. His head throbbed with pain, and images and sounds flooded his mind – faces, places, events that were both familiar and strange.
The pain was unbearable. Then, it slowly subsided.
The nurse left, and the door closed behind her with a click. The footsteps faded away, but the memories didn't stop. They kept coming.
He saw his parents, their faces full of love but distant. His brother, Li Jing, smiled at him, like nothing was wrong. But then, there were more images. His aunt's cold gaze, her harsh words. He remembered the loneliness, the betrayal.
It hurt more than he thought it would.
His head still throbbed, and memories flooded in like a tidal wave. Some were clear, others fragmented, but they all reminded him that he had lost the good life he once had.
Eight months ago, a strange disease spread through the air, and the country went into lockdown. Most people were safe, but a small percentage were infected – about 0.7% of the population.
The infected people began to change. They developed animal-like features: tails, ears, teeth, claws, and more.
Li Jace was one of them. He didn't change much, just grew a fluffy rabbit tail, puffy cheeks, and long ears. Most of his body was still human, but the rabbit features lingered.
The government quickly isolated the infected. They were taken away and locked in separate apartments, living alone. Their memories were erased, leaving only their names.
For eight months, Li Jace lived in a small room, remembering nothing. He was assigned a nurse, but she couldn't talk much. Her job was to meet his basic needs: food, medicine, comfort.
At first, Li Jace was in agony. He craved carrots like a rabbit. He felt like he was a rabbit, and his ears would twitch, and he was always on edge.
But over time, the government found ways to suppress the animal instincts. His craving for carrots decreased. His ears twitched less often. His rabbit instincts were still there, but they were more controlled.
Now, the lockdown had ended.
Li Jace was born into a very wealthy family. His father was involved in both sea and land trade, and their family owned many ships. His parents were important figures in the maritime industry. He had an older brother, Li Jing, who was much older than him, almost like an uncle. When Li Jace was four, Li Jing was already married and had his own life.
But tragedy struck when Li Jace was four. His parents died in a shipwreck that looked suspicious, as several ships carrying cargo went missing that day.
After their death, Li Jing wasn't ready to take care of Li Jace. He felt he wasn't capable of raising him.
So, the nanny, Aunt Lim, who had been taking care of Li Jace since he was young, offered to raise him. Li Jing saw how much she cared for Li Jace and agreed. He gave her half of the family's assets—over a million dollars—to raise Li Jace until he came of age.
Aunt Lim had two daughters of her own, and her sister's son lived with her too. The three children, plus Li Jace – that's when his nightmare began.
At first, it was small things. Someone pushed him down the stairs. He remembered the impact, the blood, and the silence.
And then there was the time he was locked in a closet for hours.
Aunt Lim said it was because he was too quiet, too weak. 'I only want you to be strong, Li Jace,' she had said.
Her daughters would often dress him up like a girl and mock him, saying he looked like a girl, that he liked boys. Aunt Lim once spat in his face and called him a homosexual. She said it like it was a fate, like she had written his destiny herself.
At that time, Li Jace didn't know what he liked. But he eventually grew into the word she used to hurt him. He became what she had called him. 'Gay!' 'Pretty Boy.'
The cousin was in the same school as him, and he spread rumors with his friends that Li Jace touched and kissed boys.
Li Jace was only eleven then.
He was expelled; not once, but twice.
The city people started talking: "That boy," "that homosexual," "that dirty thing."
Li Jace learned to walk with his head down. People would spit at his feet.
When he was seventeen—he was still seventeen—he was expelled from three schools in one semester for "sexually harassing" male classmates. Some people just assumed he was interested in men because of how pretty he was. Teachers would immediately reject him without hearing his side of the story.
By the time he was seventeen, his peers were preparing for college entrance exams, while he was still in middle school. His life was far behind.
All these memories came flooding back, making him shake uncontrollably. He realized that these people had always treated him like a joke. He was hated and disliked by everyone. And he had tried so hard to please the woman he called "Mom."
He had always wanted to be liked by his "sisters." He would try to please them, even if it meant going without food. Until that night when he was exposed to the danger. They threw him out of the house. He almost got hurt by some pedophiles in the neighborhood.
That night, he ran into the woods to hide from the rain and that's where he got infected.
*
The door opened softly. Li Jace didn't look up at first. His hands were still shaking from the memories.
Then he heard a familiar voice, sweet and soft like honey covering poison. "Don't make me wait for you, Li Jace."
He turned his head. Aunt Lim stood in the doorway, smiling.