Here it is guys! The 3000+ word story for the 1k follower celebration! Altough I got a bit carried away so this wound up being 5500+ words instead of 3k+ nearly twice as long! I hope you all enjoy and thank you once more for 1000 followers!
This contains some adult themes and creepy super villains, also a major character death and some swearing. Do be advised and please enjoy!
Contiuation
[Hero] couldn’t tell when they woke up or even if they were truly awake. Everything was dark, and their head felt too full and completely empty at the same time. Like a whirlpool was swirling around their brain, leaving anything the liquid touched utterly numb. The only two things they could feel were a cool hard metal against the back of their body and several warm, soft appendages, fingers their brain supplied, massaging their temples.
It felt good, great even, the comforting pressure grounding them in a world where everything was too close and so far. [Hero] wanted to lean into the touch, to hum in appreciation, to do something to make sure that sensation continued. But they couldn’t, their entire body was weighed down by some invisible force, and their limbs wouldn’t respond at all. So all they could do was lay there, in the dark, imprisoned by their own body as the foreign fingers comforted them.
[Hero] wasn’t sure if they had fallen asleep or for how long, but the world slowly faded into being. Their pitch-black world began illuminating with light. The numbness fading as they felt stale air around them, the leather straps holding down their body, and the ever-present fingers gently scratching their scalp, gliding through their hair as the stranger hummed above them.
“You’re awake.” The stranger spoke, a warm smile evident in their voice as [Hero] blinked their eyes open, bright lights shining down upon them. They struggled to tilt their head, their body still weak, to look at the stranger. Their face was upside down as they sat behind [Hero]’s head, next to whatever table they were strapped to. The stranger smiled down at them warmly, pride gleaming in their eyes as they continued to run their fingers through [Hero]’s hair.
[Hero] opened their mouth to speak, but their tongue felt foreign to them, they tried to say something, but they couldn’t figure out how to form the syllables, only able to groan tiredly in response.
“I’m sure you have so many questions.” the stranger continued, “Don’t worry, I’ll answer everything you need to know.”
“Your name is [Hero], and I am [Super Villain], although you can simply think of me as your parent as I have gifted you with rebirth.” [Super Villain] gently smiled down at them.
Rebirth? [Hero] thought to themselves, What does that mean?
something i've noticed. people seem to think the most nature-y nature is forests. so forests are always prioritized for conservation, and planting trees is synonymous with ecological activism. my state was largely prairies and wetlands before colonization. those ecosystems are important too. trees aren't the end-all be-all of environmentalism. plant native grasses. protect your wetlands.