[DAY ONE] ouroboros project, iteration no.44! this iteration is looking more promising than the others. i finally managed to source everything i needed to do it right, and it seems to be paying off.

[DAY TWO] it's grown massively, even in the past 24 hours. i may need a bigger enclosure soon? incredibly exciting.

[DAY THREE] it shattered the glass last night while i was asleep! luckily unharmed, but it scared me half to death. transplanting it to the new tank went well. its tail is growing in nicely.

[DAY FOUR] its growth has slowed slightly, but it's been periodically.. moving its lips? i dont know how to describe this, but it's as if it's trying to form words? which means it may be capable of speech! it likely learned how to talk from listening to its surroundings. i'm beginning to wonder if i should remove it from the tank.

[DAY FIVE] it seems to be fully formed. all organs developed. it even has defined hands and feet, with fingers and toes! it's about the size of a 5 or 6 year old at this point. i think tomorrow i'll remove it from the tank.

[DAY SIX]

um. this is the ouroboros. this is it.. them? can you.. can you say something?

they tilt their head.

i, um.. i think they're a little confused. do you understand what i'm saying?

they stare at the scientist blankly.

okay, i.. i think that's a no?

[DAY SEVEN] i found the ouroboros in the kitchen today with a cut on their arm. i don't know how they got it, but frankly, that isn't my concern. what is my concern, however, is that their blood is black, and seems to clot.. abnormally, to say the least.

they aren't talking (yet), but it seems like they're understanding me better, at least. i still don't know what their level of intelligence is. they pass the mirror test, for what it's worth. the linguistic capability they seemed to possess while they were in their tank appears to be gone.

[DAY EIGHT] th-the ouroboros has been behaving.. erratically. whenever they get spooked, they have a tendency to run off and injure themself. they won't let me touch them.

[DAY NINE] i.. when i woke up this morning they.. they were just standing over me. staring at me. they looked angry. and they had cuts all over their body. we had a bit of an altercation, and.. i feel bad about it, but i had to sedate them. they're being contained now. i wish i knew how to help them. for as much as they're part of the experiment, they're also a child. i gave them life, so it's my responsibility to take care of them.

[DAY TEN] they said their first word today. it was "lonely." i want to let them out, but i still don't know if it's safe to. i don't think they know their own strength.

[DAY TWELVE] we ate dinner as a "family" for the first time tonight. they seem to be warming up to me.

[DAY THIRTEEN] they're.. they're gone. i don't know what happened. i woke up this morning and they weren't in the house. there was evidence of a struggle in the kitchen. their blood was on the walls and floor. the front door was wide open, and.. their-- i found their right arm on the floor. i think someone took them. this is.. this is nauseating. they were just starting to warm up to me, and now they're gone. god knows where they are. if they're even alive. it makes me sick just to think about it. i need to find them.