MTM 118

In the darkness. Zed was there alone. He couldn’t see ahead, nor could he sense his own body. Even when he flailed at the void, he felt nothing; even when he screamed, his voice was swallowed by the darkness.

‘Is this a dream?’

He briefly clung to that hope, but it couldn’t be. The last thing he saw was Magnus’s twisted smile, and the touch of that ominous darkness that had swallowed his entire body still lingered.

‘Harto….’

He was overcome with self-reproach. He had sworn never to let go again, to protect him no matter what. Yet, even now, worrying about Harto felt more urgent than despairing over his own plight, making self-blame feel like a luxury.

Zed focused to search for Harto. He needed to draw upon the remnants of his holy power still lingering within his body.

Drip, drip….

The sound of water droplets falling somewhere tickled his ears.

“Harto…?”

His voice burst out like a miracle. Zed moved toward the direction of the sound. Fortunately, the watery echo grew clearer the closer he approached.

Squelch.

Zed froze when he felt a sticky sensation. Beneath his feet, a long trail of viscous, contaminated slime stretched out like black tar.

That black trail stretched out like a bloodstain, it was leading somewhere. Zed walked along it. At the end of the trail, he discovered a form crouched in a heap, bigger and more alien than the tar sprawled on the floor.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zed approached the enormous form.

“Harto… is that you?”

The appearance was slightly different, but he could sense it. It was Harto. Zed cautiously reached out a hand to the form showing no reaction. At that instant, the trembling lifeform turned his head around.

Blue eyes. Just as he felt relieved, certain it was Harto,

“Ha…!”

Dozens of tentacles burst forth from Harto’s torso, piercing Zed’s entire body.

“……!”

He couldn’t even scream. As the tentacles mercilessly tore through his muscles and bones, Zed choked, he vomited crimson blood before slumping lifelessly.

Unable to comprehend what had just happened, tears streamed down his cheeks beneath his fading gaze.

Sssshhhhh….

Harto indifferently retracted the tentacles that were part of his own body. Zed’s body, deprived of its support, collapsed onto the floor, spewing blood.

“……”

Harto stared coldly at Zed, submerged in a pool of blood, his blue eyes were emotionless. He seemed to feel no agitation or sorrow at the sight of Zed dying.

Squirm, squirm.

Harto turned his head without a second thought and crawled into the darkness opposite. Wherever he passed, he left behind grotesque traces of black tar.

Drip, drip, drip….

Then, the sound of dripping water, which he thought had stopped, came again. Harto halted his progress and slowly turned his head. He stared at Zed with an emotionless gaze and began crawling slowly toward him once more.

“……”

Harto quietly looked down at Zed’s face. Then, he extended a tentacle and cautiously touched the blood-stained golden hair. As he brushed aside the hair covering the eyes, lifeless golden pupils stared into the void.

That sight displeased him.

Swish….

Small tentacles that had split off from Harto’s body tapped Zed’s cheek and shoulder. But he didn’t react.

Thud.

When the expected response didn’t come, Harto seemed to lose interest instantly and roughly shoved him away. Even so, his steps wouldn’t carry him away. Harto approached Zed again, staring at his deathly still face.

[Do you feel regret?]

Then, a voice pierced the silence, echoing through the abyss.

[The physical body is but a fleeting shell. Do not cling to worthless things.]

Harto turned his gaze and saw a slime resembling himself slithering out of the darkness. It tore open its own body, then showed Harto something hidden deep within.

It was a brain. As small as a rodent’s head, it pulsed faintly.

[The Demon God’s fragments scattered into four pieces.]

[One of those pieces is within me.]

[And one is within you.]

The slime’s tentacle pointed directly at Harto’s body. Hesitating, Harto tore open his own body just as it had done. He pushed through the sticky mucus, something foreign caught on the tip of his tentacle.

“Guhh…!”

As he tried to pull it out, he felt excruciating pain. Harto gritted his teeth against the agony and forcibly tore the thing clinging to his body free.

Covered in tar-like slime, what emerged was a heart as small and pitiful as the brain the slime had shown him.

Thump, thump…

The precarious heartbeat sounded as if it might stop at any moment.

[Heh heh…. Very fresh.]

The slime licked its lips and grinned at the sight of the heart.

This aroused Harto’s suspicion, and he tried to push the extracted heart back inside himself.

[I won’t eat it. Don’t hide it. Show it to me.]

The slime commanded as it closed the distance. But Harto felt repulsed by the slime and slowly backed away.

[What are you doing? I said bring it out!]

As the slime, unable to hide its desire, extended a tentacle, Harto swung his own tentacle first in a threatening gesture.

[How dare you!]

As the enraged slime gave chase, Harto dodged it and headed for the spot where Zed had fallen.

[Stop!]

[You and I are the same! We’ve already become one….]

Before the slime could finish its words, Harto extended dozens of tentacles, tearing the slime to shreds.

[Ugh…! Wh-why… argh!]

Puk!

Harto thrust a thick tentacle deep into the slime’s gaping mouth. He refused to hear that repulsive voice any longer.

The weakened slime spread wide across the floor as it melted away. Beyond it, a vision appeared, an alien apparition unlike this abyss.

A place where flickering flames rose.

‘A fireplace.’

Harto knew. He remembered how comforting and warm those flames had been.

“Ah.”

A dry exclamation escaped Harto. Beyond his blurred memories, he felt someone was desperately calling out to him.

Harto slowly turned his head and approached Zed, who no longer breathed. He extended his tentacles and looked at Zed’s face. The golden eyes that had once shone brilliantly were lifeless.

Harto wrapped his tentacles around Zed’s body and lifted him high into the air. Fresh blood gushed from the swaying body, soaking Harto’s form. It was warm.

‘Warm… cabin.’

“Ahh.”

Harto’s eyes snapped open. He brought his head down to rest on the back of Zed’s hand, dangling in the void. Fragments of memory flashed through his mind.

‘Good boy.’

The only one who had ever stroked him warmly.

“…Zed.”

[Aaargh!]

The moment he said that name, a scream rang out and he broke free from the dark abyss.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

“Guh…!”

Zed opened his eyes open with a stifled groan. He first checked his own condition, finding himself perfectly fine, not a single scratch. The pain that had seared his flesh had felt so vivid, yet no trace remained anywhere on his body.

“Harto!”

He urgently called out for Harto, scanning his surroundings. But Harto was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was stunned by the scene unfolding before him. This wasn’t the cabin. Though much changed from before, this was the top floor of the northern tower.

Thud.

“Damn it… Why… Why did it fail… Ugh…”

In the center of the hall, Magnus lay before the shattered altar. He was covered in severe wounds, coughing up blood repeatedly, his limbs trembling.

Zed seized the opportunity, he grabbed the weapon that had fallen to the floor and charged toward him.

“Magnus!”

Magnus smirked as he watched Zed charge at him, sword raised.

“Well… since it’s come to this, there’s no choice…”

It was right after that.

Crack. Crack. With a blood curdling sound, his jaw opened wide beyond its limits. Then, he swallowed the small brain in his hand whole.