Are you my father?

Fauriel's body slammed onto the stone ground, his head striking violently. The impact sent a wave of darkness over his vision, and he collapsed, unconscious.

The remaining four guards froze in shock and fear for a brief moment. Then, the youngest among them suddenly rushed to Fauriel's side. He dropped to his knees and gently shook his master's shoulder.

"Master Fauriel! Are you alright? Master!"

The other two guards approached as well, panting heavily. Their eyes flickered between Jiho and Fauriel, one of them hastily checking his pulse. The young guard lifted his head in desperation, his gaze pleading as he looked at the old man.

"We… we didn't do anything to you! Everything that happened was that fat pig's fault! Please, forgive me! My fiancée is waiting for me!"

Jiho's cold, expressionless eyes locked onto the young guard's desperate gaze. He let out a quiet sigh and slightly tilted his head.

"I'm sorry… but the young master's orders are absolute. No one leaves this place alive."

A deep sense of hopelessness sank into the guards' hearts. The young guard's trembling fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. The fear in his eyes slowly morphed into something else—acceptance.

"Then… at least let us die fighting," he whispered to himself.

Without another word, he sprang to his feet and slashed his sword toward Jiho. The other two guards hesitated for only a moment before realizing there was no escape. Suppressing their fear, they raised their swords and charged as well.

All three attacked simultaneously.

Jiho, however, didn't even flinch. He simply tapped his cane against the ground.

A detonation.

The young guard's body erupted into flames from the inside out. His flesh sizzled, and blood splattered into the air in a grotesque display.

A split second later, the remaining two guards lunged forward. Their swords, gleaming under the dim light, slashed down toward Jiho.

But Jiho… didn't even breathe.

Tap.

His cane touched the ground once more, and for a brief moment, an eerie silence fell.

Then—

BOOM!

The young guard's chest swelled as if an inferno had ignited within him. His veins burned away like threads consumed by fire. He couldn't even scream. His hollow, lifeless eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

"Ahh…?"

His final breath faded into the smoke, lost forever.

The other two shared the same fate.

In the end, only Fauriel's unconscious body remained, along with Jiho's unwavering silhouette. Jiho leaned on his cane and took a deep breath.

"This old man… is merely fulfilling his duty," he murmured, closing his eyes.

—

Yosukez gripped his sword tightly as he and his fifteen soldiers slowly encircled the Flesh Mass. The ring of men tightened with each careful step.

The creature, now in its humanoid form, stood motionless in the center. Its body was a grotesque patchwork of flesh, with unnatural muscles and hollow, vacant eyes that surveyed its surroundings.

Suddenly, it tilted its head. Then, in a slow, deliberate motion, it raised a hand and dug its fingers into its own temple. A sickening squelch echoed through the tense air as it pushed deeper, probing into its own brain.

It pulled its hand away and lifted it to eye level, studying the blood-soaked fingers with eerie fascination.

"What are you trying to do? Ah… Surround me and kill me, is that it?" it murmured, as if genuinely curious.

No one answered.

Yosukez made a subtle hand gesture, and his soldiers continued closing in, their grips on their swords tightening. Even as the creature's unsettling words echoed in their ears, they refused to waver.

The Flesh Mass crouched, lowering its head and pressing its hands against its skull. The thick, vein-riddled fingers looked strong enough to crush its own head.

The soldiers had almost closed the gap. Yet, the creature remained still.

It spoke again, but this time, it sounded like it was talking to itself. Or perhaps… to something within.

"Everyone… seems to have a name… But I don't. That's strange. A name… Is it about belonging? Family… People spoke about their families. But I wasn't born like you. I was created. Then… who created me?"

A nearby soldier shuddered upon hearing those words. He leaned toward his comrade and whispered nervously.

"Did… did that thing just say it was created?"

Yosukez furrowed his brows, trying to make sense of the creature's introspection. This wasn't just a mindless monster. It was thinking, evolving, questioning its own existence. Yet, despite the uncertainty in its vacant stare, there was still an overwhelming sense of menace in its presence.

The Flesh Mass slowly pulled its hands away from its head, once again inspecting the blood on its fingers. This time, its gaze seemed distant—thoughtful.

"So… I wasn't born like you. My existence… is it meant for something? Or… am I just a mistake? I was created… But by who? Why?"

Another soldier couldn't take it anymore and whispered in unease.

"Captain… is this thing losing its mind?"

Yosukez raised a hand, silencing him. His eyes remained locked onto the creature's every movement, intent on gathering as much information as possible.

Then—

The creature's fingers twitched against its skull again. It traced along its temples as if searching for something.

"So… the memories end here. From the humans I've devoured… I've learned one thing…"

Yosukez noticed a strange glint in the creature's eyes.

Suddenly, the Flesh Mass swept its gaze across the battlefield—until its eyes locked onto Raviene.

(POV Ravien)

I wasn't expecting this. Not only did it copy the body of the devoured guard, but it also gained its own consciousness. Moreover, its intelligence is evolving rapidly. I couldn't help but let out a low chuckle.

"Hah… Hahahaha! Now, this is interesting. I thought I was only creating beings without a will of their own."

Creating the Flesh Mass was easy. At first, it was nothing more than a collection of my failed creations, a heap of useless monsters gathered in one place. Those scraps, those incomplete parts, merged together, consuming each other. That's when I first noticed that this mass could change its shape. Naturally, I was intrigued. So I kept feeding it, creating more and more monsters for it to devour. I nurtured it.

And the result… is the thing standing before me now.

I muttered to myself,

"It was born out of coincidence, yes. But it's still a being I created. And now, it questions its own existence… Hah, I wonder. Will it attack me, acknowledge me as its god, or do something else entirely?"

The creature was staring at me, its gaze unshifting. The turmoil inside it was evident on its face. Its fingers pressed against its head, as if trying to keep its skull from splitting apart.

(Inside the Flesh Mass's Mind)

Something inside me is moving. When I look at that man… a strange feeling spreads through me.

"This… what is this feeling? That thing emanating from him… Familiar, yet foreign. I know him… No, I don't know him, but… There's something about him. A connection? The source of my existence? Why am I being drawn to him?"

Then, suddenly, a voice echoed:

Yosukez noticed the daze in the creature's eyes. An opportunity. Even a second of hesitation meant death.

"ATTACK!!!"

Swords rose into the air. The soldiers moved as one, steel flashing for a brief moment in the darkness. But—

"CLANG!!!"

Metal clashed against metal. Something was wrong. A cloud of dust erupted, swallowing the battlefield in silence.

"Where the hell did that damn thing go?!"

Then, a shadow passed overhead. When I looked up, the creature had leaped into the sky at an incredible speed. Its body was humanoid, yet constantly shifting. It landed softly, silently—outside the encirclement.

"What the hell is it trying to do?!"

---

(Flesh Mass)

Toward him… I must go toward him. I have to get closer to him. The answer to my existence is there.

My steps are heavy but certain. The noise around me—the shouts, the clamor—I ignore them all.

The closer I get to him, the more something inside me cracks. An incomprehensible pull… Perhaps this is about finding the reason for my existence.

---

Ravien sat comfortably, his fingers lightly tapping against the table's surface as his gaze remained fixed on the creature standing before him. Behind him, XZ stood like a statue—motionless, unblinking.

The creature—or, as Ravien called it, "Flesh Mass"—stood in front of the table. Its body continuously shifted, forming and reforming, but its eyes were resolute. Finally, it opened its mouth and asked in a strange, mechanical tone:

"…Are you my father?"

(POV Ravien)

For a moment, the words caught in my throat. The usual indifferent expression on my face flickered, briefly replaced by surprise.

"…What did you just say?" I whispered, my brows slightly furrowing.

The creature tilted its head as if I hadn't understood and repeated,

"Are you my father?"

"Father?" My eyes narrowed instinctively. A faint irritation stirred within me—but at the same time, I found it… amusing.

I had expected to be called its creator, but father?

Suppressing my laughter, I maintained my composure.

"And where did you get that idea?"

Its eyes narrowed slightly, as if carefully choosing its words.

"Humans use the word 'father' for the man who brought them into the world. But I was not born… I did not come from a mother or a father. You created me. So… doesn't that make you my father?"

Ravien took a deep breath, his expression a mix of seriousness and mild satisfaction.

"Yes, I created you," he said slowly, deliberately. "Now… what will you do?"

The creature lowered its head, falling into silent contemplation. Then, in a voice that trembled slightly, it spoke:

"Father… If it does not trouble you… could you give me a name?"

I narrowed my eyes, studying it carefully. A name, huh? I can't keep calling it 'Flesh Mass'—that's far too… primitive. I stared into its empty-looking pupils. This being was far different from what it was when it first came into existence.

"Your name will be…" I paused slightly.

The creature trembled, its eyes wide, every muscle tensed.

"From now on… you shall be Asogi."

And at that moment—something changed.

Dozens of mouths opened across its body, each drawing breath at the same time. The emptiness in its expression was replaced by something else—something like euphoria.

Asogi's body shuddered, then cracked. Its skin split apart as mouths tore open all over its flesh. Small, large, crooked, perfect—each one trembled, then slowly parted.

The first laugh was deep, a hushed whisper.

"…Heh."

Then, a higher-pitched giggle followed.

"Ahaha…"

Then another.

"HAHAHA!"

And then, all at once, they overlapped—chaotic yet strangely synchronized, a chorus of madness.

"Ahahaha! Ahahahah! AHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

As it laughed, Asogi's eyes gleamed. Its form shifted—its posture straighter, more solid. Then, without hesitation, it turned its back.

"Father… I will kill everyone here who dares to cause you trouble."

The laughter continued—each mouth cackling in its own rhythm, each voice carrying its own melody of insanity. Layered over one another, the sounds echoed—a symphony of terror and madness.