"Look at me!"

  Caren stopped squeezing and turned toward the voice.

  I could barely breathe, my ribs feeling like they were on the verge of shattering, but I recognized the voice.

  Ferzan.

  A disc device embedded into Caren’s face and elbow, and they detonated with a violent explosion.

  Ferzan screamed as his arm swung down, moving like a puppet whose strings had been severed. His fingers opened, and I fell to the ground. The impact hurt, but it was nothing compared to the blood pouring from my body.

  Caren, now enraged, stomped and jumped around like a furious child throwing a tantrum.

  Ferzan landed beside me, holding a glass vial filled with a red liquid.

  "Shit..." He pulled the pole from my stomach, tilted my head back, and poured the liquid into my mouth. He pulled it out after a few seconds, but I only swallowed a fraction of it—maybe a quarter. Too much could be poison, after all.

  He hoisted me up and ran, and Caren gave chase, yelling, “Come back here!”

  I could feel some relief, though. The blood loss still weighed on me, but at least I wasn’t as weak as before.

  In the distance, I saw armored Vlandos fighting Splits riding war falcons—enormous brown and white birds that had nearly driven the wild horses in Terrafall to extinction.

  Ferzan noticed my gaze and tried to reassure me, speaking as if I were a child. "Don’t worry. Those knights will keep us safe."

  I struggled to speak, my voice barely a whisper. "He’s chasing us..."

  We sprinted past panicking civilians, and Ferzan bolted into a nearby shop, shattering the glass doors with a powerful kick. He ran across the broken glass without a second thought. I didn’t understand his decision.

  The building shook violently. Caren was trying to break through.

  Ferzan threw another explosive disc, blowing apart the wall ahead of us.

  I needed ether. But at least my bleeding had slowed.

  I moved my hand, testing its strength. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to stand on my own again. I felt as if I had just woken up—not at full strength, but it was better than nothing.

  We exited the shop. Old-fashioned jeeps weaved through the chaos, indifferent to the people they brushed aside.

  Ferzan was clearly stressed, sweat pouring down his face.

  “Up!” I shouted, and he looked up just in time to see Caren charging toward us like a cannonball.

  Ferzan pressed me against his shoulder and leaped sideways with a powerful bound.

  He struggled to regain his footing. Caren’s form compacted, and in an instant, his arm stretched to twice its length and whipped toward us.

  Ferzan shifted my position, holding me tighter against his stomach as he turned, bracing for the impact with his back.

  We were sent hurtling through the air before crashing into a building, the wall cracking beneath our bodies.

  Ferzan dropped to the ground but was up in a heartbeat—like he’d barely been hurt.

  I scrambled to my feet, pulling the black knife from my pocket and unsheathing it.

  “Vernishaaaaaaaa!” Caren screamed, splitting into multiple forms again.

  Ferzan cursed under his breath. “Freaking hell. These are what you were worried about?”

  I was almost confused by what he meant. Then I remembered the lies I told him to get him to help me.

  “It’s complicated... I’ll tell you later, but he’s my father. Help me kill him!”

  That bastard thought I wouldn’t fight back? That I would just let him kill me?

  “You’re sure?” Ferzan asked, eyes wide.

  “Do you have any ether recovery items?” I asked desperately.

  Caren’s face bubbled with new eyes as he surged toward us. His voice was a guttural hiss, as if it had been rotting for years. He muttered my name like a curse.

  “But we can’t use monsters! Don’t you see that?” Ferzan snapped, frustration creeping into his voice.

  "I know!" I yelled. "Just give me anything if you have it!"

  Caren and his duplicates charged. Ferzan pulled a green pill from his [Pocket space] and tossed it to me.

  I swallowed it in one motion. In that moment, Caren’s neck stretched, and he bared lion-like fangs at my throat.

  Ferzan swung his sword at the neck, cutting deep.

  The fangs were almost at my neck, but I managed to jump aside. I traced my blade down its neck to its stomach, fighting against the thick muscles resisting my strike.

  If only it weren’t so much muscle and fat, I might reach its organs.

  But it didn’t matter.

  The lower half of its body began to swell and shift, growing into a massive hand that aimed to crush me.

  I darted to the side, narrowly escaping his grasp, but he snatched a fistful of my hair.

  With a brutal jerk, he swung his hand up, ready to hurl me through the air. Instinctively, I clamped down on his wrist, sinking my teeth into his flesh and wrenching it with the ferocity of a wild animal. All while my knife stabbed deep into the vulnerable skin.

  Caren’s scream rang in my ears, but my actions only fueled his rage. My body was moments away from being sent flying, but I acted quickly, slicing off a portion of my hair with a desperate swipe.

  The momentum threw me, my body skipping across the ground. I eventually crashed into a carriage chained to a nearby pole. My head was injured, blood pouring freely, and my arm screamed in agony.

  I braced myself, pressing my hand through my torn shirt to grip my arm beneath the sleeve, healing it just enough to dull the pain to a manageable throb.

  Without hesitation, I leapt to the side, anticipating Caren's descent from above.

  I realized my dumbass mistake—he wasn’t diving at me. Instead, he was charging forward, adjusting his course with terrifying precision.

  His hand reached for my throat, and I thrust the knife upward, aiming for his neck.

  Our movements collided—his hand clamping around my neck just as my knife found its mark.

  For a brief moment, his eyes widened with shock, the pain from the blade sinking into his flesh igniting his fury. His arms swelled grotesquely, the force surging within him.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Y…ou…" he gasped. I seized his arm and healed it.

  The moment I did, his bulging muscles returned to normal. He stared at me in confusion, but I didn’t waste a second. I struck again, aiming for his neck.

  He released my throat with a growl, jumping backward. I chased after him, my focus only on him, pushing all thoughts of Ferzan to the corner of my mind.

  "Don’t touch me!" Caren shrieked, his voice a mix of fury and desperation.

  “Fuck you!” I snarled, propelling myself forward with a lethal leap, my hand reaching for his neck once more.

  He pulled his head back just in time, narrowly evading my strike, but my aim hadn’t actually been his neck. It had been his foot.

  As I hit the ground, I launched myself at his leg. His body was thrown off balance by the recoil, his foot within my reach. I healed it quickly, the damage reversing, the balance shifting in my favor.

  His foot now lagged, shorter than his other knee, and he stumbled, collapsing with a feral roar.

  I couldn’t slow down. I had to act fast, before the mutation accelerated and he became something worse.

  My knife plunged into his back, the sensation of slicing into his flesh sickening. I pulled it free, thrusting again at his spine, the grotesque tearing of muscle and skin reverberating through me.

  It felt as though my body was no longer mine to control, though I knew I was the one driving it. The sound of his screams, the sticky warmth of his blood, the sickening crunch of his bones—it all sent a shiver of disgust through me.

  But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t hesitate. He mutated again, his feet and arms swelling, growing far larger than they should have been.

  It didn’t matter anymore. His body was paralyzed.

  “You’re killing me…” His voice was a broken whisper, tinged with fear and tears.

  Blood stained my arm and soaked my dress. My hands trembled violently, teeth clattering like I was standing in the freezing cold.

  But I couldn’t think about it. I had to finish this.

  I pressed my hand to his neck, my voice cold, almost detached. "I always hated you. But, at times, I respected you. And whenever I didn’t hate you, I hated myself for it. Did you know that?"

  "Get away from me…" His voice cracked.

  "I asked! Did you know that?!"

  He stared at me, his eyes vacant, as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

  "Say something, you fucking rat! Are you scared now, knowing I’m doing to you what you would’ve done to me for no reason at all?"

  “No reason? You’re... you’re a freak.”

  “I’m not a freak!” I snapped, my voice rising with fury. “What did I ever do to deserve that? Name one thing.”

  “You... you gave your life to the man who hates us all. You serve him. You're a Darsean cultist. I... I wish you were never born.”

  A cold wave crashed over me, settling into the pit of my stomach.

  My heart tightened, the weight of his words sinking in. A chill crawled up my spine. I never thought I’d hear this from him, not like this, not in his final moments.

  My mouth opened, trembling, the words caught in my throat. I thought, maybe, as he neared death, he’d reveal some kind of truth, that maybe he cared, even if it was buried deep down. That maybe, just maybe, he hated that he had to do this to me, but he felt forced to.

  "F–fuck… y–you…” I choked on my words, before my hand tightened around his throat. I healed it, revealing a small human white neck, then thrust the knife forward, slicing through his neck with one swift motion.

  His gurgles filled the air, his blood pooling around us.

  Personal level: 17

  I looked around—dead bodies littered the ground, children, women, men, all lifeless. Some people staggered away, clutching at their wounds, their blood staining the earth.

  In the corner of my eye, I saw Ferzan dispatching the last clone with a brutal swing of his massive axe. The head fell to the ground, darkening and withering like poison spreading across the earth.

  Ferzan breathed heavily, his armor untouched, save for a trickle of blood running down his face. He caught my eye.

  “You’re okay… Oh.”

  I didn’t answer him, my gaze still locked on Caren’s lifeless body.

  His eyes moved to the body beside me, and I guessed he noticed my trembling. He walked over. “Hey, you did what you had to—he tried to kill you.”

  I knew the words I longed to say. I wanted to tell him I didn’t give a damn—that I had always wished for his death. After all, he wasn’t even my real father. Yet the words failed to leave my lips. Instead, I stammered, “I'm okay... I'm perfect even.. I—”

  He sat beside me, his arm going around my shoulders, “Don’t think about it. Just… don’t.”

  POV: ULAH

  I no longer felt hungry or thirsty. Everything felt real—like walking through a field of ice cream, swimming in it, building a castle out of it. Everything felt perfect. Right. Good. I wanted to feel this way forever.

  The ice cream figure, shaped like a woman, seemed to scream in pain as I squeezed her. Her body melted into mush, and red juices flooded my mouth. I stuffed the melting treats in, chewing and swallowing them.

  There was so much food around. I knew Vernisha and Mom would have saved me, but I hadn’t expected this. I was happy. Really happy. Yet each time, something felt off—like a piece of me was breaking away, though it felt strangely good.

  I spotted a small ice cream man running toward a building. I chased him—stomping him, rolling him into a ball, and hurling him into my mouth. I chewed on him, his texture like honeyed gum.

  “Ulah.” I recognized the voice and immediately turned. It wasn’t an ice cream figure at all—it was the same black cat. Normally, I might have ignored it, but I was too caught up in my bliss.

  I waved. “Hey! You want some ice cream too?”

  “I thought you liked bread,” it said. “Isn’t that why the corn plants had bread on their tops?”

  “Hmm? I guess so. But ice cream is better. Have some!”

  “Too much ice cream is dangerous for your health. You should stop eating it, or you’ll get diabetes.”

  What was its deal? I clicked my tongue and brushed it off. “Go away if you don’t want ice cream.”

  I looked around for more when suddenly—“Agh! My neck!” An ice cream man riding a flying ice cream bird had slashed deep into my neck. My flesh regrew quickly, and once again, my body split into countless fragments.

  The cat spoke again, now approaching. “You should stop, or you’ll die.”

  “I told you, leave me to eat my ice cream!” I shouted.

  “You will be killed.”

  “No! Leave me alone, or I’ll eat you!”

  It stared. “I see—you just want to do whatever you want.”

  “Obviously. What do you think?!”

  “I’m annoyed. I’m bothered that I don’t want you to die, even though I no longer care how your death might affect Vernisha.”

  “Wait… you know her?”

  Then the cat dissolved like smoke and vanished.

  I stared, and then I heard a song:

  “Balash würde fallen. Sie würden schreien, sie würden weinen, aber ich würde ihre Tr?nen genie?en. Ich würde ihr Leid auskosten, denn sie hatten mich verraten.”

  Mom?!

  I tried to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen—the voice was close. I chased after it, ignoring the buildings in my path as I climbed over or skirted around them. The closer I got, the further the voice seemed to drift.

  “Sowohl Balash als auch diese Welt würden füreinander bü?en.”

  Yet I was close. I was sure of it.

  “Mom!” I shouted.

  It felt like I ran forever until a wall blocked me. I punched it, but it didn’t budge. Instead, my arm was blown off, and a surge of electricity scorched my neck.

  “Ich hasse sie mehr als alles andere. Sie sind das B?se selbst, sie sind Monster.”

  The gates loomed ahead. A knight stationed there kicked them open and moved aside—not out of fear, but to gain a better angle to attack me.

  I didn’t care. I ran after him. I needed to become smaller—shrink!

  My body fragmented into countless pieces that raced alongside me. A longsword slashed toward my neck like a lightning bolt before I could react. But then he froze. I couldn’t understand his sudden stillness, and I pressed on.

  “Dies ist meine Stimme. Das ist der Wunsch, den ich an euch weitergebe, meine Kinder. Meine wundersch?nen T?chter. Bitte, tut also, wie ich euch bitte. Denn ich liebe euch alle über alles und würde euch niemals verraten. Niemals. Selbst wenn eine von euch mich verr?t, werde ich euch alle weiterhin mit Liebe überschütten.”

  I had run into the forest, my heart pounding, until I finally saw her. Mom. But she didn’t look like ice cream this time.

  Her clothes were torn and stained, blood dripping from deep cuts across her skin. She was sitting on a rock, her hand pressed to her forehead as if trying to block something inside her mind.

  “Mom?”

  She didn’t look up right away. “Ignore the blood. Ignore the wounds. They aren’t your fault.”

  “Who hurt you?” My voice cracked before I could control it, the question feeling hollow as I asked.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Her words were softer, distant. “What do you see me as?”

  My breath caught. “My mother.”

  Her gaze met mine, and for a moment, she just looked at me, like she was searching for something. “So I’m not food to you?” Her tone was almost wistful, like a memory that hurt.

  “Ha...? That’s not funny.”

  I swallowed, but suddenly, my stomach ached, an emptiness so vast that it was almost unbearable. My throat felt tight, dry.

  Mom slowly rose from the rock, her movements slow and deliberate, like something heavy weighed her down. “That song you sing so beautifully... I’ve always thought you have such a pure voice. I only wish my own mother could’ve loved you the way I’ve come to admire you. Truly, I wish that.”

  For the first time, I saw something in her eyes that I couldn’t understand. Pain, maybe, or regret. She ran a hand through her hair, and for the first time, she looked just like Vernisha—frustrated, helpless.

  I felt a knot form in my chest. “What do you mean?”

  Her gaze flickered away, then back to me, and her voice softened, almost broken. “I’m going to have to kill you. I’m sorry. But I’m glad you were born into this world.”

  She pointed at me, and that’s when it happened. Her skin cracked like dry earth breaking open, peeling away in slow, deliberate layers. Dust. Her skin faded away, and beneath it, I saw only blackness. Darker than anything I had ever known.

  I gasped, feeling fear coil in my gut, my breath catching in my throat.

  But before I could say anything, before I could even react, everything below my neck simply disappeared. Gone, as though it had never been there at all.

  Gravity returned with a shock, but I didn’t fall. I was still suspended, floating, as she glided toward me, her hands reaching out to catch my head.

  Her hair, dark and thick, surrounded her face like a curtain, fanning out in every direction. Then, her real face appeared, as it had always been, soft and familiar. Her smile, gentle and warm, returned.

  It wasn’t creepy. It wasn’t false. It was the same smile she always gave Vernisha, as though she meant everything to her. As though Vernisha was the most important person in the world.

  ...I was getting that smile?

  I was.

  ...I was as precious as Vernisha to her... I was the most important thing in the world to her?

  Yeah... I was.

  Tears welled in my eyes/ A wave of warmth spread through me, filling every part of my being, and I couldn’t stop the sobs from escaping. I didn’t want to. This was the happiest moment of my life.

  “I love you, my child,” was the last thing I heard.