The red expands, stretching its reach. From the corners, a viscous liquid oozes, revealing the pulse of the environment, contracting like a limb of a colossal being.
A gloom on the ceiling creates small depressions, making the upper part resemble the entrance to a cave, while the floor feels like a place of perdition. This illusion, however, is soon broken by candles firmly fixed to the walls, keeping the pulsing visible.
Ahead lies a long, narrow corridor, forcing bodies to bend and compress, causing heat to pass quickly from one to another.
Killbit is guided by the maid, who thoughtfully holds the young creation's hand. The Homunculus is filled with a new sensation, but it has not yet blossomed enough to distinguish wheat from chaff.
Candela stays focused on walking through the narrow passage until she opens a long door that creaks like a scream.
The place contrasts starkly with the banquet room. The walls are no longer visible; instead, bones form a structure much like a catacomb.
"If that was the dining table, you could call this the kitchen," the maid says, gently releasing Killbit's hand. "My name is Candela, and I serve your creators as a maid."
He moves closer to Candela, holding her chin as his own had been held. "So, you're not one of their creations? What then are you?"
"Could you please release my chin? It hurts," she says, adjusting the mask on her face. "I have no memory of who I am; I only know I serve the scientists who created Leviathan."
He steps back, releasing her chin. "Sorry, I don't know how to touch people; I only know how to replicate. Leviathan—is that where we live? Are these walls the creature's intestines?"
"Yes. This creature was made as a means for human survival against the creator's wrath," she replies, approaching Killbit. "You're bleeding from your tasks. May I heal you?"
Killbit tries to be funny. "I was so surrounded by red I didn't even realize it was coming from myself." Candela stays silent. "...Yes, please."
Candela places her hand firmly on Killbit's chest. Energy concentrates around her hand, forming a black sphere.
It emits a vast amount of energy, making Killbit feel his power increase—the bones around them trembling in response.
The black sphere penetrates Killbit's body, and at that very moment, the mask reflects his face.
For the first time, he feels something other than pain or adrenaline. His body becomes limp, and though he tries to stiffen it with his power, it has no effect. He realizes it is something beyond the concepts he had absorbed. Despite his body weighing tons and the impossibility of moving without breaking his bones and muscles, everything feels lighter.
A small smile forms on his face, gradually growing wider. The Homunculus collapses to the ground, eyes closed.
"Are you okay? He'll be mad at me if I hurt his banquet's hunter!" Candela lowers her head, trying to hear his heartbeat. "I can't hear anything! What have I done?"
Killbit slowly opens his eyes. "I've never felt like this before. I don't want to get up for anything." He is confused. "What are you doing? I'm an artificial being; I don't have a heart!"
"That's true!" She puts a hand to her head, lost in strange thoughts. "I was seized by a blurred memory. I don't think I'm much different from you. I don't really know who I am, just like you."
He stands up and rests his head on Candela's chest. "I can hear your heartbeat. So that's what it is! You can't be like my creators; they wouldn't have been able to wield so much power. You are so like them, yet so different."
Candela steps away. "I only remember waking up in his arms. He smiled at me differently than you do," she says, adjusting her mask. "I'm talking about Gustav, leader of the gluttons."
"So that's the man who gave me a purpose, a reason to exist." He stands and firmly grabs Candela's wrist, pulling her along. "No more doubts now. I must thank him first!"
Killbit is overwhelmed by a new feeling: an endless joy directed toward someone who did something for him. Gratitude is born within him. Candela wants to fulfill the mission given by Gustav, but like the Homunculus, she also wants to thank the scientist.
Both understand clearly that their existence serves only to feed the sin that has completely penetrated the bodies of men, and that they are mere tools, replaceable at any moment. They walk toward the banquet hall.
Candela is so mesmerized by the memory of that smile and her body in Gustav's arms that she forgets to fix her mask. It falls to the floor, shattering loudly.
Killbit looks toward the source of the noise and feels a tremor through his being—a pulse in what Candela thought didn't exist. He is struck by the maid's face:
Bright green eyes, rosy cheeks with golden strands curling through her hair, lips a vivid arch of red, and a neutral expression.
Unconsciously, he steps into the banquet hall, where his attention is drawn to a man hidden in a monstrous silhouette. The ceiling pulses, revealing something beyond red eyes.
"How lucky you both arrived on time! I didn't even have to use my circle to bring you here!" He licks his fingers. "Make this being my feast!"
The silhouette soon reveals itself as a massive black-feathered bird, covered with many eyes. It carries a halberd in its talons. On its forehead rests a crown of long spikes and two horns.
Candela searches for her cleaver. "You made me forget it in the kitchen! I can feel this creature is too powerful for your still-childish strength alone, brother."
Killbit notices that even beside the enormous creature, Gustav shows only desire to devour it. The Homunculus becomes intoxicated with confidence.
"If it's your command, I will do it. No matter if I lose parts of my body, I will do it," he says, smiling at Candela. "I know my sister can heal me, bring me a peace I've never felt before. I want those red eyes!"
A silver sword appears in Killbit's hand. Taking a battle stance, he notices the blade shining brighter than usual, intensely reflecting Candela's face. The sword is charged with his sister's power, glowing like lightning in a storm.
"Splendid! Everything happened so quickly. Now, slice this creature in two. I want to taste its insides!" Gustav raises his hand. "You will not escape."
A circle forms on the ceiling, creating a barrier around Killbit and the creature, keeping Candela out of the battle.
Killbit's sword strikes the black-feathered bird's neck, but it twists its body, causing the halberd's tip to meet the blade, filling the ground with black and white feathers.
He advances relentlessly, forcing his blade against the bird, but the creature barely moves. It remains immune to Killbit's abilities.
Furious, the creature grunts loudly. A wave of heat radiates from its body, burning away the black feathers.
Killbit quickly drives his sword into the ground, channeling his skill through it, regulating the weight around him. He nullifies the air resistance launched by the bird, directing the heat onto his blade. He charges the sword with this energy and throws it at the bird, but it suffers no damage.
"Thank you, Candela, for showing me what a heartbeat is. This creature doesn't have one," he says, assuming his stance again. "This is a way of communication—I sense another Homunculus."
The bird lunges at Killbit, who breathes deeply, spreads his feet, and leaps into the air. He has never done this before. Fear of the red eyes paralyzes him, but his devotion to his creator fills him with joy. A smile spreads across his face, like a child feeling utterly free, unlike the bird before him, destined to be his creators' feast.
The bird prepares to strike but is again seized by heat, grunting once more. It collapses, weakened.
Gustav's barrier dissipates.
Candela approaches with long strides, cleaver in hand. Only one cut is needed.
The bird's despair ends.
Inside its entrails lies a young girl.
Candela then releases a black sphere.