WHO I'M I?

Argh... A gasping sound escaped Shiva's throat, as if he were trying to say something.

"S-s-snow?" — said Shiva's corpse.

Receiving no response, Shiva began walking through the forest, wandering aimlessly, like a monster searching for something to devour — hunting for something to kill and satisfy its hunger. And amidst this aimless search, he found the perfect feast.

"UURRGHHH!!" — Shiva roared.

"What the hell is that?" — said a man with a beautiful appearance and a melodic voice.

"Let's get the hell out of here!!" — screamed a red-haired girl.

In the middle of the forest, a chill could be felt deep within the soul, as if something were trying to control them from inside — something evil.

"Oh my God, this forest creeps me out more and more. I thought it would be a good hiding place... Shit, we should've stayed just one more day." — said another woman, with a robust appearance and exuding physical strength.

"I don't think it'll be that hard to survive. We're in a group of six, even if the forest changed shape out of nowhere." — he looks around — "It feels... hungry. I don't know how to explain it, but that's what my intuition tells me." — said the man with the melodic voice.

"Where I come from, there's a legend about this forest. Its name is 'Paradise,' and the legend says:

'The moment the forest is not satisfied, it will play with those who might satisfy it. The visitors within it will become a feast for all of nature. There's no escape, only screams... Screams of pain, despair, and fear.'

So... I'd rather not believe it. Even my family didn't believe in it — I only heard it from my grandparents." — said a man who looked like a warrior.

"Hahaha, alright then. I hope that crap you just said isn't true. Let's get out of here as soon as possible." — said the red-haired woman.

After walking a bit more, the group of six came across a few enemies.

"What is that up ahead?" — asked the red-haired woman.

"They look like squirrels... but they're all decomposing." — said the strong woman.

Before they could keep discussing it, the squirrels turned to them and began throwing their nuts.

"What the... What is this?! It's too fast!!" — screamed the man with the melodic voice.

"I'll take care of them!" — said a man who called himself a sorcerer.

"Alright, be my guest!" — said the group.

The squirrels attacked him relentlessly, but their nuts had no effect. The man took down a few of them but decided it was a waste of time.

"I have enough mana for three full days, but to get out of here quickly, I'll forget about the squirrels and cast protective magic on everyone. That way, we can move faster and conserve energy." — said the sorcerer.

"If you've got three days' worth of mana, why don't you just kill them all, you idiot?" — asked the robust woman.

"Protective magic uses less mana than offensive spells. If I kill them with attack magic, I'd only last five or six hours. With defense magic, I can last about a whole day, maybe a bit less." — responded the sorcerer, sounding like the wisest of the group.

"Alright then, mister! Let's get out of here quick, this forest is freaking me out more and more!" — said the red-haired woman.

Hours later, deeper into the forest...

"ARGH... What the hell?! Why now? The defensive spell doesn't even work!" — groaned the sorcerer in pain.

"Please, help me!! I don't want to di—"

"Argh!! BLUGH!" — the red-haired girl started vomiting blood.

"WHAT the hell is this?! He ripped the strong woman in half! Get me out of this damn place! Somebody... HELP US!!" — screamed the man with the melodic voice.

Without their souls being protected... without their pain being heard... the group of six was slaughtered.

"ARGH... That damn dragon..." — whispered the knight, his eyes filled with fear.

...Hours after the incident, skeletons appeared at the site where the six adventurers were killed by the Paradise Dragon. To claim the corpses, the skeletons began to fight among themselves, breaking each other's bones. Among them was Shiva's skeleton — but strangely, none of the others attacked him. Because of this, Shiva's skeleton began devouring the corpses around him.

Each bite seemed to fuel an increasing hunger for flesh. Yet being a skeleton, the meat didn't go through any digestive process — he had no organs, only bones. The flesh would fall straight to the ground... but something strange began happening.

Shiva started to regenerate.

With each bite, his body returned closer to its original form — flesh. First, his organs regenerated, allowing him to better digest the meat. Then, his blood vessels. Every part he ate, regenerated within himself.

Shiva devoured all the corpses, driven by an insatiable hunger. The last organ he regenerated was his brain. And when he consumed it...

"...W-w-who... am... I?" — he asked, like a baby speaking for the first time.

After devouring everything, the forest returned to normal — fruits, leaves on trees... and Shiva... Shiva remained conscious. But he remembered nothing.

"W-who am I?" he asked again.

"Who am I?" he repeated.

"Who, am—"

"You are Shiva," said a sweet voice, whispering in his mind.

"Who... are you?" — asked Shiva.

"I am... or rather, I was... the woman who lived in your mind. I was your gift, my name is... Camilla."

"Ca-Camilla?" — Shiva asked.

"Yes... I'm sorry for what happened to you and Snow, but... WAIT!" — Camilla shouted.

"Hm?" — said Shiva, adjusting to having a brain again after so many years.

"Your gift was passed to someone else after your death. I, Camilla, now reside within a renowned knight named Arthur. He is the one who has the Vision gift now. But he hates hearing my voice, he doesn't listen to me — he's completely selfish. I was thinking about how to return to you, Shiva... but apparently, there's no way back."

"B-back? Back to where?" — asked Shiva.

"Argh... This is goodbye, Shiva. Honestly, I don't want you to leave this forest... You're a monster now, craving human flesh. Please, don't leave here. You'll endanger others. So... please, Shiva, don't leave this forest." — said Camilla, her voice hoarse, as if she were crying.

...Goodbye, Shiva.

MINUTES LATER

Another voice echoed in Shiva's mind — something calling him to go somewhere... And a feeling — no, an instinct — to follow that voice, screamed from within.

"F-ood? I need... to eat!" — said Shiva.

"I will give you food. First, come to me," said the strange voice.

Six hours later, Shiva arrived at a place his instincts had led him to. There, inside a cave, an enormous amount of mana could be felt.

"F-fear! I'm afraid!" — said Shiva, eyes wide in terror.

"Don't be afraid. Just enter, and I will tell you what to do. Just... trust me," said the strange voice.

Upon entering the cave, Shiva saw a naked man trapped inside a black tree. The man had white hair and looked young.

"Finally, someone I can talk to. But... I see you no longer have your memories. I'm sorry, kid." — said the man.

"Who are you?" — asked Shiva.

"My name is Loki, though many call me The Strategist. I mean... my imaginary friends do. Kid, I've lost track of how long I've been here. Maybe 5,000 years? I honestly don't know. I've been here so long I can't even remember my past. In fact... I don't even know who I am," — said Loki, eyes closed, voice heavy with sadness.

"You... and me?" — asked Shiva.

"So... you 'survived' this forest. Not directly. You're now part of it. Even if you wanted to leave, you couldn't. The forest doesn't let its puppets escape." — said Loki.

"So... what do you want?" — asked Shiva.

"I want to make a pact — between man and... whatever you are. A boy or a man," said Loki.

"What kind of pact?" — asked Shiva.

"I want to get out of here. I can't stand being trapped in this damned forest anymore. And you, you have no memories, right? So here's the deal: I want to become part of you. I want to be free of this place. I want to exist... even if it's just in your mind. I want someone — just once in my life — to be my... friend," — said Loki, crying.

"What do I get in return?" — asked Shiva.

"Everything. I'll give you strength, power, mana, magic... I'll give you everything I know. And I can restore your memories the moment the contract is complete." — said Loki, eager to be free.

"I accept your deal... But I want one condition. It doesn't have to be part of the contract, but... I want... I want you to be my friend. No — not a friend. I want you to be my brother." — said Shiva, slowly.

"...A brother? I can have a brother again?" — said Loki, sobbing.

"I accept your contract, Loki — or rather, my brother," — said Shiva.

"All right, Shiva — or better, little brother... the pact is sealed!"

When the pact was made, Shiva gained ancient knowledge, and even the things Loki had forgotten — Shiva now remembered. The two were no longer just one soul and one body — they were two brothers, completing each other's soul.

Now that Shiva regained his memories and Loki escaped his "prison"...

What will Shiva and Loki do next?

TO BE CONTINUED...