Beyond Human

Chapter 2: A Void Within

Hiro opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a dense forest, surrounding him. He looked around, trying to understand where he was, and quickly realized that he had been transported to a completely different world.

He remembered the warning from the letter he had received before he left and started to worry that his blood, which he had seen spilling on the floor before he time-traveled, would take everything from him. He wondered about the letter's meaning and whether it was some kind of prophecy.

Experiencing history firsthand had always been his dream, but he never expected to find himself in such a dangerous and unknown place. As Hiro walked through the forest, he noticed that the animals and plants around him were different from anything he had ever seen before. Strange birds with colorful feathers flew overhead, and the distant roar of a mammoth echoed through the trees. It was as if he had entered an entirely different dimension.

Hiro walked toward a plain region and came across a critically endangered poplar tree, which surprised him. As he continued walking, he noticed that the area around him became more futuristic and technological. Still, he couldn't ignore the prehistoric trees he saw along the way.

Suddenly, he heard a loud growl and turned to see a massive elephant charging towards him. He ran as fast as he could, found a cave, and decided to spend the night there. As Hiro continued his journey through the forest, he noticed something strange and peculiar about himself. He didn't feel any emotions - happiness, sadness, anger - nothing. It was as if he were a machine, a robot who had traveled from the future to explore the past.

Hiro started to wonder about the true meaning of emotions and why humans experience them. He read countless books on the subject but still could not understand what they truly were. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much he had taken emotions for granted. He had always assumed that they could be both a strength and a weakness, depending on how they were used. He believed that emotions could cloud judgment and lead to irrational decisions, but they could also motivate us to take action and achieve our goals.

However, people often hide their true emotions to conform to social norms and expectations, leading to feelings of frustration and unhappiness. Hiro believed that emotions were an essential part of being human, but now he questioned their purpose. Why do humans need emotions? Do they serve any purpose, or are they merely a chemical reaction in the brain? Were they just a byproduct of evolution?

As Hiro pondered these questions, he thought of his best friend Oliver. He thought to himself, "The only time I am able to feel emotions and connect with someone is with you, my friend Oliver. You're the only best friend I've ever had, and losing you made me rethink about emotions."

As Hiro continued his journey through the forest, he suddenly heard a rustling sound behind him. He turned around to see a group of beings emerging from the trees, looking more like apes than humans. Hiro was initially relieved to see other creatures in this strange world, but his relief quickly turned to fear when he noticed the technology attached to their bodies. They knocked him down and pointed a spear at him. Will Hiro be able to escape their grasp?