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"I'm going with Zorba now. I'll probably train with Mirai and him too, to test his limits," Louis said. "Just letting you know so you don't worry if there's a commotion."
"I hope you hold back," his father replied.
"I will," Louis answered, walking off without another word.
As he departed, a gray hand emerged from his chest, caressing his face with tender, motherly affection. Its blue eye gazed at him softly, as if trying to comfort him.
"Don't touch me! We already discussed this!" Louis hissed, seizing the wrist and shoving it back. Yet the hand gently clasped his own fingers, interlocking them. "Tsk, what an annoying thing you are... If you weren't useful, I would have discarded you long ago. But tell me something..." Louis smiled mockingly at the creature.
"Do you know who Priest Soma is? Tell me his weaknesses—anything you remember."
"..."
The hand stared blankly. It lacked speech, but those bonded to an Anomaly, Entity, or Grievance could hear their inner thoughts.
"Tell me!"
Handy refused. Louis furiously strangled its wrist. The hand writhed painfully, fingers trembling until black tears streamed from its eye. Louis recoiled in disgust.
"Damn disgusting thing. You're her, aren't you? A small fragment of her."
Louis was convinced this hand belonged to the Abyssal Mother—or a piece of her he had encountered in that illusory world of false "happiness," where the dead lived without worry.
"You're forever separated from her now. And I'll raise you properly, so I can use you to kill her. No one pretends to be my mother, slaughters my father, my people, and my kingdom... and lives to tell the tale. No matter how many regressions it takes, you—her hand—will be her undoing."
"..."
The hand silently retreated into Louis' Fantasy Heart. It was only a fragment, lacking her full memories, yet it retained her personality—still trying to act motherly, still attempting to soothe him with gentle touches.
♢♢♢♢
Knock, knock!
"Um, Sir Zorba? It's your breakfast… Are you not eating this morning?"
Zorba's sharp red eyes flicked to the door, then back to the corpse he was modifying on the metallic table. Though he could not directly control those he hadn't killed himself, true masters of the Desecrated Soul knew how to maximize their power.
"No. Leave me alone. I don't need food. Don't interrupt me again. I'm busy. Unless it's Lord Louis, I am not available to anyone."
"A-Ah...! I'm so sorry, I'll leave..."
The maid fled at his cold tone. Zorba smiled, gazing at the corpse with fascination.
Since childhood, death had captivated him—the way vibrant, living bodies slowly shut down and grew inert. The science of it, the mystery, always drew him in.
"Ahh, everything is so fascinating. And now I can work undisturbed! Lord Louis even brought me all these corpses just for me!"
He laughed softly, using a saw to sever the legs of an ice giant's corpse and transfer them to another table. Then he approached a Magic Beast from Yggdrasil, a non-intelligent anomaly fueled by a Mana Core in its chest.
This one resembled a giant red lion, said to ignite upon activating its core's power. Zorba burned with curiosity to understand how.
"First, these legs—strong, muscular, fast. Perfect to support the powerful torso and arms of the Ice Giant."
He severed them precisely, connected arteries one by one, stitched muscles and skin with practiced care. Then he opened the ice giant's chest and abdomen, removing unnecessary organs—intestines, stomach, lungs—until he found a cracked Mana Core.
"Lord Louis said this was a criminal slain by knights, so it's fine to use, right?"
Smiling with delight, he tore open the Magic Beast's heart and extracted a large red jewel.
"I see! The heart's arteries link to the Mana Core, channeling Fire Mana throughout the body. And its muscles, fur, and bones are fire-resistant and conductive. I can work with this...! I'll surprise Lord Louis with my creation!"
Zorba labored tirelessly for hours, aiming to craft a hybrid zombie—an Ice Giant fused with a Blazing Lion Magic Beast, wielding both Ice and Fire. Though he hadn't killed them himself, he possessed Enslaved Souls. Using Advanced Death Magic, he could seal them into the new vessel—something Louis had learned but mostly applied to his Skeletal Wings.
"Yes, yes, yes! This is it! Now the fur, sew it with ghostly energy threads for durability... And an Anti-Decay Spell to keep it in perfect condition!"
With a wide, eerie smile, Zorba grafted his ideal hybrid. His long purple hair occasionally veiled his face, revealing three glowing red eyes beneath.
He spoke as though alone, yet he wasn't. Beside him floated a ghostly skeleton cloaked in shadows—the Necromancer Incarnation of the Desecrated Soul Spiral—moving its skeletal hands to assist in crafting the perfect specimen.
The Necromancer rarely spoke at this stage and responded minimally to its master. Yet Zorba's compatibility with the Spiral and his mindset made them nearly friends.
"Oh, thank you, my dear friend."
Zorba accepted the massive Blazing Lion head, replacing the "useless" Ice Giant skull with something far more intimidating, sharp fangs gleaming.
"Now this and this... Aha! W-We did it! I think it's finished! I can't wait! Let's test it right now—"
"Zorba! Are you there? The maids said you've locked yourself in since morning! Come out and get some sunlight!"
"Ah! Lord Louis?!"
Zorba's face lit up. He rushed to open the door and found Louis glaring, arms crossed, brow furrowed in annoyance. Grumpy as always, yet one of the few who genuinely cared for him. Zorba had fantasized about modifying Louis' corpse one day, but Louis had made it clear: death was not a concept for him.
"What have you been doing? It reeks of corpses in here. I told you to work in the underground lab I prepared... Hm?" Louis stepped inside.
"A-Ah! I can explain! I couldn't help myself, my lord," Zorba said, bowing in relief. "Look! I created it! Finally! One of my visions brought to life! I dreamed of this moment for so long! A giant beast! With four arms, a lion's head, sharp claws, and red fur! Exactly as I imagined!"
"Hoh?" Louis rubbed his chin, admiring the stitched hybrid. "It looks strong... and the craftsmanship is excellent. You've fused everything seamlessly."
"Yes! You understand me, oh great lord!"
"Calm down," Louis said, pushing him back before Zorba could embrace him. "It looks impressive on the surface, but does it work? We'll need to test it."
"Ah yes... I haven't tested it yet," Zorba admitted. "Thank you for reminding me... And about the underground, I'll move there tonight so the smell won't bother you anymore."
"Alright," Louis nodded. "There's someone I want you to meet, Zorba. Reanimate that creature and bring it along. We're going to train with her."
"...Her?" Zorba's eyebrows twitched briefly. "Ah yes... this body is large. One human soul won't suffice. At least... three—no, four should work."
"So stronger vessels require more souls?" Louis asked.
"Indeed! But you're limited to three at a time, right?"
"I can only enslave three simultaneously," Louis explained. "But when you gave me those five, there was no limit. I suspect that as long as you take them and hand them over, I can hold as many as my power allows."
"Oh! Even with just a fragment, you've found a loophole!" Zorba exclaimed. "Fascinating! Now... Soul Enslavement!"
Zorba summoned four human souls and sealed them into the new corpse. The Necromancer wove ghostly power to ensure seamless integration. Normally, mismatched souls take time to adapt, sometimes eroding or devouring one another. Four at once risked chaos.
Yet with the Necromancer's aid, the process succeeded flawlessly. The giant rose slowly. Its empty eyes glowed blue and red. Zorba beamed with fascination; Louis looked intrigued.
"Not bad," the prince said. "Come on, get it out of here. It's too large for your room."
They hurried to the training grounds while Louis instructed servants to clean Zorba's quarters. He also ordered Zorba to bathe; he reeked of blood and rot. After a quick ten-minute shower, Zorba rejoined Louis at the empty training field, where only Fernand, Elises, Belladine, and Catrise waited. Zorba had met them before—Louis' servants—and paid them little mind.
But when he saw the girl Louis had mentioned, his expression twisted briefly as annoyance and jealousy flickering across his face.
"Zorba, this is Mirai," Louis said. "This is your first time meeting. Mirai is... a friend of mine, and a Sinner like us. Unlike us, she was contained for most of her life until I helped her leave the VPI. She's been living in the castle since."
"Ah... So you must be Zorba," Mirai said, offering a faint smile. Her face remained largely expressionless. "It's nice to meet you. I hope we can get along and work together from now on, Zorba."
"So this is the woman you spoke of, Lord Louis," Zorba said, ignoring her greeting entirely. "I see. She's quite the monster herself. No matter how I probe with my Third Demon Eye, I cannot fathom the depths of her darkness. And worse—I feel a strange sense of belonging to her. It infuriates me...!"
"Belonging?" Louis wondered. "Ah, wait—is it because of Mirai's origins?"
He recalled that Mirai was the reincarnation and daughter of two ancient Calamities who once tormented Yggdrasil: Pandemonium, King of All Demons, and Chaos, Queen of Entropy. Having inherited Pandemonium's dominion over demons, she subtly affected Zorba, a half-demon.
"Hey, Zorba. Mirai is my friend," Louis said firmly. "Disrespect her and you disrespect me. I gave you a home, materials, clothes, food, shelter. And you dare act this way?"
"A-Ah!" Zorba's eyes widened. "I am sincerely sorry! I apologize! Please forgive me!"
"...?" Mirai tilted her head at his exaggerated reaction. "It's okay... Really."
"D-Don't touch me!" Zorba cried as she stepped closer. "Stay away!"
"Huh..." Louis raised an eyebrow. "So it's true. Mirai, your Demonic Powers might be affecting Zorba negatively. Can you contain them somehow?"
"I've already contained them..." Mirai sighed. "I'm not sure what more I can do..."
"I see. Well, this is troublesome," Louis said. "For now, let's talk. Zorba, explain your abilities to Mirai. Mirai, do the same. You may not get along, but I need you to cooperate. In one week, we face someone capable of destroying this entire Kingdom. If you don't work together, the operation fails—and we could all die."
"Understood," Zorba nodded.
"Okay..." Mirai agreed.
"I am Cardoon Zorba, Half-Demon Sinner. I obtained the Desecrated Soul Spiral and Awakened a Fantasy Heart after murdering my own brother," Zorba stated without shame. "I can control and enslave the souls of those I kill and create these masterpieces." He gestured to the creature Mirai had been observing.
"Y-You murdered your brother...?" Mirai looked horrified. "I... I am Mirai Suzuki. I am... a Sinner, a pure human born with supernatural powers. The doctor said it was my Soul that was strange. I seem to be a hybrid between a Grievance and a Human, even though my parents were ordinary... I'm not a Spiralwalker, but I know some Magic and Fighting... Oh, and I can transform into a large Demon form."
"How amusing..." Zorba murmured. "Now, Master Louis, may I test my newest creation on her? I believe you want us to learn cooperation, correct?"
"That's right," Louis confirmed.
"Then I request permission to fight her!" Zorba declared, glaring at Mirai with jealousy. "Let me show you that you need no one else but me..."
"What? Stop talking nonsense," Louis rolled his eyes. "But this is fine too. Fight and learn each other's styles. Mirai, you know what to do."
"Yes...!" Mirai nodded. "Okay, Zorba, let's spar! Is your beast going to—"
"ROOOAAAARRR!"
Before she could finish, the monstrous lion-headed zombie roared and swung its four massive fists. Each blow that connected unleashed explosions of flames and frost across Mirai's body.
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