Bang.
Bang.
The earth trembled with each step the Raie monster took. Its thick, scaled feet struck the cave floor like hammers pounding on stone, and its long tail swung lazily from side to side, much like a cat's—except this tail could snap trees like twigs.
Just a few feet behind it, Aria followed cautiously. His steps were light, deliberate. The voice had told him to follow, but it hadn't said whether the monster was dangerous—or if it would attack.
So, he kept his distance, relying on his instincts to protect himself.
'Stop thinking so much.'
The voice returned, soft but insistent.
'It won't attack while I'm here.'
Great.
But could you stop poking around in my thoughts?
It's annoying.
'I can't help it.'
'It's not like I can talk to you face-to-face.'
That's because you're a ghost.
'I'm not!' the voice huffed. 'And why would a father call his son a ghost?'
Son?
I never had a son. I barely even talk about marriage, let alone—
'Huh...' the voice trailed off, then returned, this time quieter. 'So... you don't accept me as your kid?'
Aria sighed. The voice sounded like a child now—soft, hurt, vulnerable. Yet at times, it spoke with a strange maturity.
You sound like an adult sometimes.
'That's because you're hearing my thoughts, not my real voice.'
'In real life, I'm just a kid.'
Really?
'Really!' the voice chimed with glee.
Ahead, the Raie monster reached the base of a cliff. It paused, then coiled its tail beneath it and launched itself upward. The spiked tip of its tail caught the edge of the cliff, anchoring it. With a grunt, it pulled itself up with surprising grace for its size and disappeared over the top.
Aria walked to the edge, loosening the belt that held his sword. He strapped it across his back, positioning the hilt so the blade faced downward like a spear.
'Wait... are you really going to jump?' the voice asked, both amazed and nervous.
Aria crouched, steadied his breathing, then pushed off with a mighty leap. His feet landed firmly on the cliff top.
'Whoa! Cool!' the voice squealed. 'My father is so cool!'
'Love you, Daddy!'
Aria's smile froze.
Kid, you really have to stop calling random people "father."
'Huh...' the voice muttered, thoughtful again. 'But you really are my father.'
And on what basis do you think that?
'Mine!'
'I choose you.'
'Which means the gods can't have you!'
The gods?
'Just mindless fools,' the voice said nonchalantly. 'Nothing special.'
Aria blinked.
Did this child just casually insult gods like they were nothing?
He chuckled.
'Oh!'
'I made Father laugh!'
'Your smile is beautiful, Daddy.'
'I have a beautiful father... a beautiful father...'
The voice began to hum and sing, turning it into a playful chant.
Despite himself, Aria found the joy infectious. He couldn't help but ask:
Why are you here, kid?
Silence.
Then...
'Well... I'm kind of stuck.'
Stuck?
'Yeah... I can't leave this place, no matter how hard I try.'
'I don't know why.'
'My first memory is waking up here. That's all.'
You're probably too young to survive with all these monsters around.
'Monsters?' the voice repeated. 'I'm not afraid of them.'
'Sometimes I play with them when I'm bored.'
'Like right now!'
Aria leaped to the side as a large rock broke off from a wall, dislodged by the Raie's thudding steps. That thing could crush a man without trying.
But now that he paid attention, the ground beneath him was unusually durable.
When he'd landed on the cliff, he'd felt it—this wasn't ordinary stone. The Raie had used its deadly tail like a hook to pull itself up. That tail could slice through boulders. Yet the cliff held firm.
'That's because it's covered by the Bleu.'
Bleu?
'That's what the monsters call the glowing stuff on the walls.'
You can hear the monsters?
'Didn't I tell you?' the voice said proudly. 'I can control them. Which also means I can hear them. Some of them are really cute and harmless.'
'Like the Raie in front of you!'
That thing is harmless?
Aria frowned, remembering it casually flattening a bunny earlier.
'It was hungry. Can't blame it for eating.'
'If I saw food in front of me, I'd eat it too—no matter the size!'
Tsk. You're still a kid. Don't go around saying that so proudly.
'But I can!'
'I'm stronger than I look.'
The voice giggled, changing the subject.
'Are you sure you're not an adult?'
I'm not the one acting like one.
'I'M NOT!'
Aria chuckled.
Cute.
Now I really want to meet you in person.
'Yay! Daddy wants to meet me!'
'I'm so happy!'
'I finally found my daddy!'
Aria hesitated.
You must've been lonely down here.
'Lately... yeah.' the voice admitted quietly.
'But I was still happy.'
Happy?
'One of the monsters told me that if I found my daddy, I could leave this place.'
'And then you showed up!'
So I was randomly chosen?
'No! I felt it. When you came close, I just knew.'
And how exactly did you "know"?
'It's just something I can do.'
'No snooping into my secrets!'
Aha. But since I'm your supposed father, don't I have the right to know?
'Hey! Don't pull father privileges on me yet!'
'You haven't even proven it!'
Proven what—
Bang.
Aria halted. The Raie monster had stopped, tail flicking.
Where did the second one go...?
His senses sharpened—he'd only been following one. But there were always two.
Bang!
The ground shook again. Aria's balance nearly broke. He unstrapped his sword in a fluid motion and stood ready.
Huffing clouds of smoke from their nostrils, two Raie monsters now circled him—one on each side.
He was trapped.
Aria's hand tightened around the hilt of his blade.
What's this about...?
'Sorry, Daddy,' the voice murmured. 'I forgot to mention...'
'If you want to meet me, you have to prove yourself.'
Prove...?
Do I have to fight them?
'Can't say. They choose the trial, not me.'
The voice began to fade.
Wait—hey, don't go quiet on me now!
'Don't fail, Daddy.'
'I really want to meet you.'
'Fighting!'
Silence.
Aria turned, sword drawn. Both Raie monsters growled, smoke curling from their nostrils. Their eyes no longer glowed with hunger—now they glowed with judgment.
He hesitated.
"What do you want?" he asked.
The one in front of him raised its head.
"Prove it."
The Raie monster... spoke.
Aria's blood ran cold.
"Prove your worth."