A tingling pain spread throughout his entire sense of touch, starting in his head like a blossom that completely destroys fertile soil. Its roots penetrated deeply, reaching all the way to his feet, causing his nerves to twist like intertwined roots.
For the Homunculus, this was something new, experienced only by him. Yet, after defeating the great lizard, he couldn't feel anything. His brain retained what was necessary for its function, but his chest remained empty.
He trapped himself in a loop, repeatedly impaling himself and struggling to withdraw his sword. His mind was filled with those red eyes; the emptiness in his chest seemed endless, fueled by the habit of pain and the discovery of curiosity.
Perhaps those red eyes belonged to the being that held their creators captive, or maybe to a creature they themselves crafted to capture others for the gluttons' feast.
It was clear to the creature — composed of every piece of its creators — that they had reached the peak of knowledge but had hollowed themselves out in the process.
The figures increasingly resembled humans — beings with eternal ambition.
The Homunculus was no different, plunging his sword deep into his stomach over and over while looking upward.
For some reason, just as he prepared to launch himself upward again, his body froze, his mind fixated on the large red eyes he had seen.
His desire was not for more battles, but to feel more of what he carried inside. The pain taught him more about his abilities. Now he fully understood their extent: he could completely control the weight of anything.
Using this, he forced more strength into himself, to the point where moving an arm became impossible. Even so, he continued driving his sword into his stomach, increasingly able to understand his surroundings. He felt ready for the next hunt.
Silhouettes gathered around the table, placing their hands upon it and staring upward. Their eyes reflected the distorting red; the wall became elastic, contracting and relaxing. Kilbit was dazzled again as the large red eyes appeared, accompanied by a loud crash.
A creature with a large scaly body moved swiftly beneath the table, curling its tail around one end while staying hidden. At the same time, a high-pitched sound arose. The creature's crawling caused an intense scraping of metal, growing louder until it reached its peak as the creature fully revealed itself.
With a flat head and large green eyes, it carried a long sword between its upper and lower teeth, wrapped around its tongue. It resembled a snake but had long arms.
The being immediately attacked the Homunculus.
A horizontal slash combined with a body twist slammed the table entirely into the wall, then its tail compressed. Kilbit threw a punch at the table, then jumped swiftly to the side. He stepped forward and slashed his sword at the snake. Instantly, the long red blade met his strike, and a fierce exchange of blows ensued.
The silver sword grew more robust with each clash, while the red blade was deflected downward. The moment the blade was thrown away, the Homunculus was impaled by the serpent's tail.
The black scales stained crimson as they pierced like thorns into the newly created body. The snake's arms moved toward the Homunculus's neck; its fangs bared, and its tail coiled tightly around Kilbit as he struggled.
Kilbit gritted his teeth, unleashing the red within. His eyes glowed fiercely, his body stiffened completely, and a loud scream erupted. The gluttons surrounding the fight stared at their creation with wide smiles, like spectators in a coliseum. The aura around them thickened; the figures longed to taste the blood of the creature expelled from the sky.
Everyone began drawing angular symbols on their plates: triangles upon triangles, circles within circles, with a large star at the center. The cloak covering Kilbit faded to a dull color; his eyes, once wide, narrowed, then slowly closed, and his teeth ceased grinding.
With a flick of his head, he freed himself from the scaly creature. Calmly, he lowered his arm, compressed his body, and quickly appeared behind it, grabbing its arms and pulling them away as its eyebrows furrowed.
Kilbit's face showed surprise, and a smile spread across his red cloak.
A female silhouette appeared around the young man, dressed in a maid's outfit, her face hidden behind a mask bearing a clock symbol.
She bent toward the scaly creature, picked up its arms, and carried them to the center of the table, which reassembled in the blink of an eye. Raising her hand, a shiny cleaver appeared in her palm, reflecting the scaly creature before its head was severed.
Its body was broken into pieces, becoming the feast of those present.
"Wait, creators, I have been seized by a feeling beyond pain — an anguish!"
A male figure rose from his chair, placing his fingers firmly on the Homunculus's chin and locking eyes with Kilbit.
"I'm glad you have evolved so quickly. This only whets my appetite, so speak quickly, piece of me."
Kilbit placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head.
"I want to know what those red eyes are — the ones that brought me pain and made me evolve so fast. They showed me a feeling beyond apathy."
The man touched Kilbit's chest, pressing his long fingers subtly through the cloak, causing his creation to twist.
"Truly, you are not just a mistake in an experiment. You have a beating heart, bringing blood to all your limbs and feelings like hatred to your mind."
The maid placed food on the plates and bowed to those present.
"Our maid, whom you may call sister, will tell you everything you need to know, or rather, take you away. She is different from you, but shares the same mission: to feed us."