Description
In a world where humans are considered nothing more than commodities-bought, sold, and studied like exotic livestock-Vareshian university student Lorian Thorne receives a young 6 inch human as part of a groundbreaking class experiment. Unlike the older, scarred, and vacant humans distributed to his peers, Lorian's human is barely more than a child, wide-eyed and trembling in the corner of his cage. Lorian has always understood humans the way his parents taught him: resources, tools, valuable for their rarity but not worth empathy or consideration. Yet as he observes his human's fragile existence and begins to interact with him, Lorian starts questioning everything he's been told. The boy's small, defiant attempts at connection force Lorian to confront not only the morality of his own actions, but the brutal reality of the society he lives in. As the class progresses, Lorian must navigate the expectations of his Vareshian peers, his parents' ingrained beliefs, and his growing sense of responsibility toward the life in his care. What starts as a sterile academic exercise becomes a journey of unexpected connection, forcing Lorian to face the uncomfortable truths about his world, his family, and ultimately, himself.
Assignment
