Chapter 27

Time had completely lost its meaning for Flamm. Hugging herself, she stared at the floor without blinking, unable to tell how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity, but in reality, it was probably just a few hours. The night had yet to break, and the hallway where she sat remained dark. Her mouth was parched, and she no longer sweated. Her body craved water, but she lacked the strength to stand and go to the kitchen.

*Clank.*

Behind Flamm, the door shook. The doorknob rattled and repeatedly bumped against her back.

"Ah, what? It won't open, why is that? I didn't lock it, I don't think..."

The voice that came from inside was Ink's. Flamm's body trembled.

Should she retreat? If she retreated, how would she face her? Ah, it was decided. Ink was the same creature she had seen in the laboratory. If that was the case—then—

"Whoa, it opened. Is someone there?"

Flamm moved away from the door, crouched with her right knee on the ground, and summoned the Soul Eater. The tip of the black blade pointed at her.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

"I can only hear your breathing. Is it Flamm? Hey, say something, don't just be quiet."

The face—Ink's usual, ordinary face. Was there a condition? Could it be changed intentionally?

I don't understand, I can't believe anything anymore. But the scene she had just witnessed was a fact. Ink's face swirling, spitting out eyeballs, that nightmare-like scene—

Sera was gone. Milkit and Eterna didn't return. And many others, many people, had died. If it was true that Ink had done this—

Flamm stood up, lifted her sword, and tightened her grip on it. All she had to do was swing it. If she swung it, would Ink die? No, if she was really the same as that creature, her wound would swirl, and she wouldn't die until her core was crushed. Where was the core, in her heart, or somewhere else?

To find out, she would have to cut her body—cut, cut...!

"Are you there? Welcome back, Flamm. Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, I was on the second floor. Maybe I was sleepwalking. It happens a lot, so everyone often scolds me for being a bad sleeper."

"...Huh..."

"Flamm, are you playing a prank? I have good ears, you know. I can even hear your heartbeat in this silence."

Ink spoke to Flamm in the same tone as always. Should she kill her? Could she kill this girl?

Perhaps the figure she had seen earlier was someone entirely different from Ink. Yes, they had switched. While she was sleeping, the other one appeared, switched places, and deliberately showed itself to shock Flamm. That would make sense.

It made sense, but what did it mean if it did?

"Ink..."

Finally, Flamm called out her name. Ink's face showed relief, then quickly turned angry.

"You finally reacted. I was getting worried, thinking what if it wasn't Flamm?"

She showed a human-like expression, appropriate for her age. A human. If this wasn't human, what was it? Why did she take on a human form? To corner Flamm, or to put her at ease.

But if that was the reason, she could have killed her during the time they lived together. Why didn't she?

Why, why, why. She couldn't understand anything, couldn't find an answer, couldn't accept it.

"But from the way it feels, you didn't find them, right? It's a shame, but maybe they'll come back when it gets light—"

"Hey, Ink, don't you remember?"

So, she asked. She reached into the box of despair. Ink tilted her head.

"Remember what?"

Flamm squeezed out a voice from her dry throat.

"About... spitting out eyeballs, becoming a monster."

"...What, that's a terrible joke, Flamm!"

"It's not a joke! It's not an illusion. Just now, right in front of me, Ink turned into a monster! I saw it!"

In the house where only the two of them were, Flamm's anguished voice echoed. The sound faintly leaked outside.

"Flamm, that's impossible..."

"It's not. I didn't see wrong. I heard it, smelled it, and remember the temperature! At that time, Ink was definitely not human. She was a monster that spits out eyeballs! Tell me the truth. What are you? Where did you come from!?"

Ink must have realized that Flamm was serious from the tone of her voice. She repeatedly murmured, "No, no," and shook her head. Then, she confirmed the position of the wall with her hand and slowly moved away from Flamm.

"I'm human."

"You're not human."

She denied it immediately. Neither of them was lying. They were both convinced, which is why they were at odds.

"I'm human..."

"You used those eyeballs to corner Sera."

"N-no, it wasn't me...!"

"Many people were victims."

Flamm spat out her words, mixed with anger. Ink, faced with sudden hatred from someone she trusted, could only be confused. But—she didn't think it was unreasonable. "Maybe it's true," that premonition made Flamm's words even more piercing.

"I don't know, I don't know!"

"And Milkit and Eterna didn't come back either!"

"No, no, no! Why won't you believe me!?"

Flamm didn't want to say such things if she could help it. If she could believe, she would have continued to believe. If she could, she would have been a place for Ink, just as she and Milkit found a place for each other. But—everything had already collapsed, long ago, everything.

"I'm not... a monster, I'm not a monster!"

Saying that, Ink ran down the stairs. She stumbled halfway and rolled down to the first floor. Her whole body ached. Tears streamed down her closed eyes. She wiped them with her shirt—Flamm's shirt, which had a faint sweet scent. The memories of the past few days resurfaced, making her even sadder. Fueling her sadness, she stood up, ran down the hallway, hit the wall with her shoulder multiple times, staggered, and reached the front door—barefoot, she stepped outside. The cold night air seemed to tell her, "You are alone."

Flamm—didn't even try to stop her. The Soul Eater fell from her hand with a thud, and she herself collapsed. Kneeling, she looked up with her eyes closed. Like Ink, Flamm was crying. She didn't know what kind of tears they were. Various—just a mix of various laments, materialized into droplets.

"Ah... aaaaah! Ah, aah, aaaaah!"

She transformed her aimless emotions into a roar and screamed madly. She hugged her head with both hands, pressed her forehead to the floor, and screamed again. She repeatedly hit her forehead against the floor, causing it to bleed, punishing herself with the pain. And again, with a hoarse voice, she screamed.

Ink, who was trying to leave, stopped in her tracks when she heard the voice from inside the house. The one lamenting wasn't just her. The one suffering wasn't just her. Without a doubt, without being a bubble, the emotion contained in that scream had a definite form—a "reality." That is, it wasn't a lie. It wasn't a dream. Ink was convinced. Flamm must have really seen her turn into a monster.

"Huff... gah... ugh..."

Ink bit her lip, her shoulders shaking, and let out a sob. She didn't want to believe it could be true. But she understood that the facility where she grew up wasn't normal. She didn't know what they did to her there, why she was raised. She was useless, an outcast. But if it came to this, she wished she hadn't run away, hadn't become disgusted. She wanted to continue living as a pet in that enclosed world. Then, she might not have had a normal happiness. But—she wouldn't have experienced this pain.

"Fla... mmm!?"

Just as she was about to return to the house, someone grabbed her from behind in a bear hug and covered her mouth. The size of the hand and the strength suggested it was a man. Ink struggled and resisted but couldn't escape. However, the moment the hand left her mouth, she desperately called out.

Flamm, who had been sitting in a daze with her forehead on the floor, heard—

"Ah—!"

Ink's scream. It was brief but unmistakable. Someone must be attacking her. She had to help—she thought reflexively and stood up. But she stopped in her tracks.

"Haa... help... What do you intend to do?"

After driving her away, after treating her like a monster, now what?

"...Ah."

The false sense of justice reared its head. It said this:

"Even so."

Without Milkit here, what good would it do to play the hero? Flamm didn't know. But she couldn't suppress it.

"Even so... if I don't help, I'll definitely regret it..."

She thought so, without any logical reasoning. Then, she shouldn't think about the consequences. That could be considered after everything was over. Now, whether to save or to kill, she had to save Ink to leave her options open.

As Flamm ran down the stairs, the Soul Eater on the floor turned into particles, and a mark appeared on her palm. When she reached the first floor, she sprinted down the straight hallway and burst outside. As she leaped, particles of light enveloped her feet, and she equipped Epic's leather boots. She landed with a slide, checked left and right, and saw—Ink, held in a bear hug by a large man.

"Ink!"

"Ah, you really came out, huh."

"You... Dain! What are you doing here!?"

"Why, to find this escaped guinea pig, of course. I had a feeling she'd be here, and it seems my hunch was right. I'm sharp, aren't I?"

As he said this, Dain tightened his grip on Ink's body, making her struggle in pain.

"Let go of Ink!"

"Well, I have my reasons. Besides, if she came out alone, you two must have had a fight, right? I get it, I get it. You must have called her a 'monster' or something. Poor thing, though it's true, hahaha!"

"...You... aaaaaah!"

"Scary, huh? Did I hit a nerve?"

While saying it was scary, Dain had a relaxed expression.

"Hey, Flamm, do you know why this one was called a failure or useless?"

"I don't know and I don't want to know!"

"Come on, listen. As you know, she doesn't realize she's a monster and a killer. Do you know why?"

"Ugh...!"

Monster. Killer.

At these words, Ink slightly lowered her head and shook it in response. She didn't want to believe it. But Dain, regardless—no, rather happily, continued to reveal Ink's truth.

"It's because her Origin's power only manifests when she's in a 'deep sleep.' Only when she loses consciousness does her body come under the control of the Origin's power. While staying at your house, didn't she produce those gentle, self-defense eyeballs from that disgusting face when everyone was asleep? And, Flamm, she was cornering your friends, guardians, and even slaves, how ridiculous, hahaha!"

"You know about Milkit and Eterna!?"

"Of course, I was the one who sent those eyeballs after them. They're probably some disgusting lump of flesh by now!"

"—! I'll kill you, I'll definitely kill youuuu!"

Flamm drew her sword and charged at Dain.

"Whoa, I have to deliver the escaped monster. I'll leave the rest to these guys."

Dain signaled, and men who had been hiding in the shadows emerged. All of them had dead expressions. They must have been subjected to some treatment by the church. Pitiful. They had always believed in and followed Dain, but in the end, they were reduced to mindless tools.

"I'm told not to kill Flamm Apricot by my employer... but I want to kill her, so it doesn't matter. I'll give you a warning, though."

"...A warning?"

"Yeah, my way of being nice. Don't touch these guys. Run around, and don't try to chase me. Because they're already on the church's side."

"Are you begging for your life?"

"Hahaha, not at all! I'm thinking of you. From the look in your eyes, you can't control yourself, can you? Well, good luck surviving."

With that, Dain carried Ink and fled. She reached out to Flamm, as if seeking help.

"Ink!"

Flamm called out her name and tried to move forward. But Dain's subordinates stood in her way. About ten men, armed with short swords, spears, and blunt weapons, surrounded her. More men with bows, crossbows, and slings were positioned at a distance and on the rooftops. For a single girl, it was an overwhelming force. Flamm scanned the nearest man to confirm their strength.

--------------------

Gorgin Torres

Attribute: Fire

Strength: 611

Magic: 422

Health: 580

Agility: 412

Senses: 457

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Total 2482—Top-tier C-rank strength. A very capable adventurer, likely the leader. Just to be sure, she scanned another man.

--------------------

Gorgin Torres

Attribute: Fire

Strength: 611

Magic: 422

Health: 580

Agility: 412

Senses: 457

--------------------

"Exactly the same?"

Could such a thing be possible? Even if they had the same name, for their attributes and stats to be identical...

She scanned another man next to him—

--------------------

Gorgin Torres

Attribute: Fire

Strength: 611

Magic: 422

Health: 580

Agility: 412

Senses: 457

--------------------

Again, the same. So, the men surrounding Flamm were all the same, just with different appearances. At this point, Flamm wasn't surprised anymore.

"This must be the church's doing."

Most likely, the power of the Core. Dain had betrayed his comrades to join the church. It was clear that they no longer had any self-awareness. Who would willingly choose to be in such a state?

Flamm gritted her teeth. They weren't innocent, but they had once admired Dain. To betray them for self-preservation—

"I can't forgive it, I can't forgive anything!"

Transforming her anger into strength, Flamm kicked off the ground and approached the men in front of her. This was her first experience in a battle against multiple opponents. The men were slightly weaker than her, but the numbers made victory impossible. To gain an advantage, she had to maximize the regeneration and reversal magic of her body. To change the overwhelmingly unfavorable situation, she had to reduce their numbers one by one.

*Pong!*

She swung the Soul Eater horizontally. The men within range simultaneously took a step back to avoid it. As she completed her swing, a small sound, *psh*, came from above. She saw an arrow aimed at her foot and gathered magic to counter it. As the arrow's tip touched her foot and a sharp pain shot through, she—

"Reversal!"

Activated the magic. The arrow changed direction and was shot back at the person who fired it. The man twisted his body to avoid it. Flamm clicked her tongue in frustration. She could have taken one of them down if it had worked.

She had anticipated this move, which is why she used the reversal magic. It wouldn't have worked if it had been a surprise.

She quickly refocused. Directly in front of her, a man with a spear stepped back and thrust it at her. *Zash!*

Flamm deliberately took the hit. The reach advantage couldn't be overcome; she had to get close by cutting through the flesh and breaking the bone. The sharp tip pierced her shoulder. Blood spurted out, and a searing pain