Jessica

A solid ear tag with a long string of code recorded on it, allowing researchers to easily distinguish between study samples. Impervious to the elements and almost impossible to lose, with this little yellow tag, your name isn't that important.

A top hat exceptionally fitting for the sea.

The conspicuous ear tag is hidden inside the hat—here, there are no test subjects, only a girl longing for a voyage.

A pair of wings woven from vines, delicate and flexible. The interviewee sees it as a proper adornment for one who bears both witness and blessing.

While the wings don't grant the ability of flight, they do serve a purpose—giving a sense of immersion into "Paradise."

These seasonally blooming flowers are mainly white and have a fresh fragrance.

Its stems are buried deep in the oak-colored braids, entangled to form sturdy loops. Neither breaking into a sprint nor leaping into the air will dislodge them.

A fluffy, soft fabric pillow, uniformly provided by a cruise line for every sailor and tourist.

Often used to withstand the long and tedious life of drifting at sea or to become a "terrifying" sea monster impersonator.

A pair of lovers receiving blessings.

Their innocent, tender hearts express loyalty through the fragrance in the air; their fresh and tender cheeks glowing with the beauty of fleeting youth.

A durable leather belt. A fine example of the Zeno Army's tanning technique, its broad application includes accessorizing uniforms, securing equipment, and restraining patients. As an accent piece, it elegantly partitions the white lining. It can also keep "problems" firmly fastened to an iron bed frame.

A roughly made handcrafted brooch. With white shell petals as a base, hard mycelium binds the coral cluster to it. "I've prepared a fair few, including one for you, Ms. Mouth!"

I admit, it's hard to refuse such simple kindness from a child.

A ribbon and a young bud—their tips touching but not entwined..

The interviewee says it symbolizes a friendly meeting. "You might feel it already ... this will lead to a string of lovely memories."

With lingering fears around scientific experimentation and unknown radiation, mental illness and homicidal mania have returned to the thriller movie scene. Apparently, compared to the esoteric eccentricity of Gothic horror, bioengineering and psychology are more accessible topics that handily enable viewers to use their imaginations to inject a few chilling frights into their humdrum lives... They're also more readily actualized.

At least, that's what the Zeno Arms Academy believes.

They set about in search of a suitable experimental site, and Green Lake—that mysterious forest enshrouded in mist and mycelium—entered the academy researchers' sights. The crux of this secluded, desolate place is the great variety of critters that inhabit it, as well as the extraordinary pace at which they're evolving.

"The Cultivation of Militarized Critter Weapons Authorization Act" was quickly approved, and a North American deer woman was the first to be brought into the program, followed by a changeling all the way from Ireland... But this is just the beginning. If all goes according to plan, they'll only just be getting started.

The laws of nature? Ethics and morality? The identities and confinement of those poor creatures? Mad scientists don't care about such things.

April: Week 3

Group A-α3 experiment failed, test subjects experienced severe adverse reaction to the Ziro Lizard gene.

All test subjects in Group E-γ demonstrated abnormal limb growth.

All test subjects in Group C have died.

May: Week 2

All test subjects in Group A-α3 have died.

Test subjects in Group E showed varying degrees of aberration. Physical fitness test results did not meet expectations. This experiment was discontinued.

August: Week 4

All test subjects in Group D have died.

Group B's test subjects are generally slow-growing, with a lifespan of roughly 1.5 that of a human's. As in, their development at 18 months is roughly approximates that of a 1-year-old human infant. Physical data equivalent to 1 year of human growth and development is projected to be obtainable from the test subjects after 6 months' time.

November: Week 3

Osteogenesis imperfecta prevalent in the test subjects of Group B. Test Subject 06 of Group B-γ5 is showing healthy bone development.

All test subjects in Group A-α have died.

January: Week 1

All test subjects in Group A experienced abnormal cellular autophagy and died.

Group B experimentation terminated for all but Test Subject γ5-06.

February: Week 4

All other experimentation terminated apart from Test Subject γ5-06.

Subject γ5-06's gene fusion succeeded. Physical condition is good, showing the physical traits of the deer woman and the intelligence of the changeling. The test subject is learning human speech relatively well and clearly responds to the sound of the Irish whistle. Its abilities will continue to be cultivated and observed.

Jessica: Are you my new friend?

Pandora Wilson: No, I'm just here to conduct an interview.

Jessica: An interview? What's an interview? Are you going to tell me a story?

Pandora Wilson: Just the opposite. It's your story that we need to hear today.

Jessica: ...Oh.

Jessica: That's great, I'm really good at telling stories.

Jessica: What kind do you want to hear? One with more blood, or one with more brains?

Pandora Wilson: ...I think you've misunderstood, Miss Jessica.

Pandora Wilson: You mentioned once that you've had many strange dreams. Why don't we start with those.

Jessica: Oh, okay... Those dreams... I couldn't remember them clearly until I heard the "music". Before that, I barely dreamed at all.

Jessica: I dreamed of soft, grassy plains. I've never been anywhere like that before, but they're there in my head.

Jessica: They made me kind of sad. I'm not sure why, but sometimes I'd cry... But I'd cry a little less when there were people in my nest with me.

Pandora Wilson: So, you left those people there.

Jessica: I always thought I needed friends. Lots of them.