CHAPTER 670: [BLOOD MOON WAR] [15] PAPA AND MAMA

"..."

My breath came in short, ragged gasps as I stood frozen on the shoreline, staring wordlessly at the severed head of Lakalros gently drifting in with the tide. Blood mingled with seawater, dyeing the waves a sickly crimson, and yet all I could do was stand there—stunned.

I had done it.

Somehow, by some miracle—or maybe a curse—I’d won the gamble.

But the cost...

I lowered my gaze to my trembling hand, slick with drying blood. It wasn’t Lakalros’ blood I was concerned about. No, it was what was inside me now—what I’d tried to keep sealed until now.

Sloth.

The sin I had always kept locked away, chained in the deepest parts of my soul because I knew—the moment I used it, it would become part of me. Assimilation wasn’t a possibility; it was a guarantee.

And now... I could already feel it happening.

A numbness crept up my arm, slow and thick like oil. A pull—something heavy—started to coil itself around my core, dragging me inward. I clenched my fist, but it didn’t help. The sensation was too real.

Then came the visions.

Flashes of Samael.

His memories.

"No," I muttered, shaking my head hard, trying to scatter the images like dust. I didn’t want this. I didn’t ask for this.

I pressed a palm over my chest, right where my heart felt like it was caving in.

Was it Cleenah?

Was it because she was gone?

The grief I’d been holding back, —it surged up like a tide. My defenses crumbled, and memories poured in, uninvited and overwhelming. I felt them in every pore of my skin, in every pulse of my blood.

And despite everything... I just felt empty.

Like a shell.

Like I’d burned away everything that made me me just to survive the day.

I didn’t want to think about Roda. Or Elizabeth. Or Cleenah. I’d locked those thoughts away for a reason. But my mind kept dragging them back. I wanted to scream—to just let everything out. My stress, my anger, the pain I’d been hoarding like a dam on the brink of collapse.

But I couldn’t afford to do that.

Not now.

Not in my current situation.

Not with Alicia standing beside me.

"Senior..."

Alicia’s voice pulled me back to the present.

She was pointing toward the sea—toward the ruins of what had once been Lakalros’ grotesque blood castle. The structure had collapsed, leaving behind a distorted silhouette that rose and fell with the waves. But something glowed inside the surf. Something pulsing.

A deep red light, like a heartbeat.

"Don’t," I said, stepping forward and stopping her before she could move any closer. "I’ll check it out."

I waded into the water, the cold instantly biting at my legs. As I drew closer, the pulsing grew stronger—slower, but louder—like the ocean itself had a heartbeat now.

And then I saw it.

What the hell...?

Half-submerged in the blood-tainted sea was a cocoon. But not just any cocoon—this one was crimson, thick, and veined like it was made of living flesh. It twitched with each pulse, as if breathing. I hesitated, then reached down and wrapped both arms around it, lifting the heavy thing out of the water.

It was warm.

Almost... feverish.

Alicia quickly came over to my side, eyes wide with curiosity. Amaya stayed back, unmoving, her expression unreadable as she watched us.

"What is that...?" Alicia asked cautiously, peering down at the thing as I gently placed it on the ground.

"No idea," I replied, narrowing my eyes at the way it continued to throb. "Probably something that belonged to Lakalros. Or maybe... something he was protecting."

The surface of the cocoon shimmered like wet silk. Veins bulged faintly across its surface, glowing with faint red light. I leaned closer, trying to see what was inside—but the layers were too thick, too clouded.

Still, something in there was definitely moving.

I reached out slowly, fingers hovering just above it—and the moment I touched it, a sudden tremor pulsed from the cocoon;

"Wow..." I blinked. "It’s... responding."

"It’s alive," Alicia whispered, her eyes shining with wonder.

She reached out her hand.

"Alicia, wait—!"

Too late.

The moment her fingertips made contact with the cocoon, it snapped. Crimson tendrils whipped out like striking serpents, lashing around my arm and Alicia’s extended hand. Before we could react, we were yanked forward, our hands forcefully pressed against the surface—and then it stabbed us.

Sharp, needle-like pricks punctured my skin, deep and merciless. I felt the sudden tug—my blood was being drained.

"Agh—shit!" I grimaced in pain, looking toward Alicia. Her face contorted, eyes wide in agony. She was being drained too.

I tried to pull back, but the tendrils tightened, holding us in place.

Damn it.

At this rate, I’m going to be drained dry!

I called for my mana but nothing came.

Blocked.

No flow.

Like the cocoon was sucking out not just my blood, but my power too.

In desperation, I reached out with my free hand, trying again to summon Wrath. But then—I saw it.

Something shifted inside the cocoon.

A shadow.

A form.

I froze.

My instincts screamed, but I wasn’t sure whether it was fear, curiosity, or something else entirely.

"Hey! Amaya!" I shouted, turning toward her.

"Help us!"

She didn’t move.

She just stood there, expression flat.

Watching like it was all just a show.

Alicia immediately summoned her rapier, her instincts kicking in despite her pale, trembling body. Her arm shook as she raised the blade, her face ashen from the absurd amount of blood she had lost. She was ready to fight her way out—ready to cut through whatever danger this cocoon posed.

But I quickly reached out and stopped her.

"W–Wait, Alicia," I said.

"Why?" She asked, her voice weak, almost slurred. She looked barely conscious, her grip on the hilt of her rapier loose.

I felt the same way—drained, exhausted, lightheaded. It was like something had hollowed me out. But... there was something strange.

"It’s ending," I said, gesturing to the cocoon.

She followed my gaze, and we both watched as the crimson tendrils that had ensnared our arms slowly loosened their grip. One by one, they slithered back into the cocoon, like serpents retreating into a den.

With some effort, we were finally able to pull ourselves free. My arm throbbed from the punctures. Alicia’s knees buckled the moment the tendrils let go, and she nearly collapsed—but I caught her before she hit the ground, holding her gently against me.

She was in desperate need of a blood. I could help... but not right now. We had something else to deal with first.

Suddenly, the cocoon began to tremble violently. A wet, squelching sound echoed as a surge of dark red fluid—something between blood and slime—spilled out from the seams. The entire structure sagged and collapsed inward, like a balloon deflating after a single, final breath.

But what it revealed underneath froze me in place.

Lying there, curled up in the remnants of the now-deflated cocoon, was a small body.

I knelt down slowly, ignoring the pain in my joints and the woozy haze clouding my head. Peeling away the sticky layers of the cocoon’s skin, I gasped.

It was a child.

A little girl—couldn’t be older than five.

She was completely naked, her tiny frame soaked in whatever red fluid had been in the cocoon. Her skin was unnaturally pale, and strands of blonde hair clung to her face like silk threads. Gently, I pulled her out of the mess and onto the dry shore, then reached into my cloak to grab a cover and draped it carefully over her body.

She didn’t stir at first.

I brushed her hair aside, revealing more of her face. And something about her struck me—familiar. I couldn’t place it, but it was there... a strange tug at my chest, like déjà vu wrapped in confusion.

Then—

A small sound.

"Uhn..."

Her eyelids fluttered open slowly. When she looked up at me, I was greeted with a pair of deep crimson eyes. Her expression was groggy at first, but soon it sharpened with recognition.

She blinked once.

Then twice.

And then, suddenly—she smiled.

A bright, innocent, utterly disarming smile.

The next moment, she launched herself straight into my chest.

"Papa!!"

"Huh?!"

I caught her reflexively as she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, burying her face against me.

"Papa! Papa!" She cried, pure joy in her voice, her laughter bubbling up as if she’d found her long-lost home.

I was frozen stiff, too shocked to respond.

I looked over at Alicia, who was just starting to sit up—and the expression on her face was priceless. A completely flat, soul-drained stare.

She was lookin as if she was looking at a scumbag.

"W–Wait," I said quickly, holding up a hand in protest. "There’s a misunderstanding here, I swear—!"

But the girl didn’t stop there.

Following my gaze, she looked up and saw Alicia. Her eyes widened, her smile somehow growing even brighter. Then she wriggled out of my arms and launched herself at Alicia like a tiny missile.

"Mama!!"

"...!"

Alicia’s face went from pale to utterly stunned in half a second. Her eyes went wide, her lips parted, and for once—she was speechless.

The girl clung to her with the same affection and intensity.

"Mama! Mama!"

"N–No..." Alicia muttered, completely flustered. Her hands moved automatically, catching the girl and holding her close like a reflex—but her brain clearly hadn’t caught up to what was happening.

She looked down at the girl in disbelief.

Then looked at me.

And then her entire face turned bright red.

Not just pink.

Crimson.

"Okay, okay—calm down," I muttered as I gently pried the girl off Alicia, who was clearly too drained and lightheaded to deal with any more surprises today.

The little girl didn’t seem to mind, though. As soon as she was off Alicia, she giggled and immediately clung back to me, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck like a koala.

"Ehehe~"

She was too cute.

I couldn’t help it—a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. For a split second, I felt warmth bloom in my chest. But I shook it off quickly. Focus. We had to figure out what the hell was going on here.

I tried lowering her to the ground, but she tightened her grip like a vice, refusing to let go.

"Alright, alright, you win," I sighed, holding her again. "What’s your name, little girl?"

"I don’t have a name, Papa," she said cheerfully, shaking her head like it was no big deal.

"Wait—you don’t have a name?" I blinked. "Okay... then, uh... who are your parents?"

She tilted her head and blinked at me, then grinned as she poked her tiny finger against my cheek. "Papa."

Then she turned, pointed over to Alicia, who was still kneeling on the ground trying to regain her strength, and said, "Mama."

Alicia visibly flinched and slowly looked away, face twitching as if she’d just swallowed a lemon.

"No, no—I mean your real parents. The ones who... you know..." I trailed off, realizing how absurd this whole situation sounded, even to me.

She had come out of a cocoon.

Someone—or something—had to have made that cocoon. Right?

I tried a different approach. "Who... created you?"

A more complicated question for a child, sure, but I had to try.

She blinked at me again, wide-eyed and innocent, before poking my cheek once more. "Papa." Then her tiny finger shifted again toward Alicia. "Mama."

Alicia’s entire body tensed.

She averted her gaze sharply.

Great. Mama’s scared of the daughter now.

I looked back at the girl.

She wasn’t pretending. She genuinely believed we were her parents.

And then—

"She’s an Enigma Beast," Amaya spoke.

I turned toward her, still holding the little girl.

"An... Enigma Beast?" I repeated blankly.

Amaya nodded, walking forward a few steps until she stood beside us. Her expression was unreadable as she pointed directly at me and Alicia.

"She recognizes you both as her parents because she was born from your blood. That cocoon was a blood chamber, and the energy it needed came from both of you."

My jaw dropped. "Wait, wait—you’re saying she’s literally our kid? Like... biologically?"

I am not ready for that!

I looked down at the child, then back at Amaya, then at Alicia, who was rapidly turning red—out of either blood loss, embarrassment, or both.

"I—no! That can’t be!" Alicia protested, her voice shaky.

"Mama..." The little girl whimpered, turning toward Alicia with wide, tear-filled eyes.

Alicia froze.

Absolutely froze.

"...Ugh." She didn’t say another word, just turned her face away again.

"Hey, look at me for a sec," I said to the girl. She turned back toward me, her bright crimson eyes shining with curiosity.

I looked at her face. Now that I really looked... there was something there. A vague resemblance. Her eyes were a shade somewhere between mine and Alicia’s. The structure of her face—a soft blend. Or maybe I was just hallucinating from blood loss.

Then, suddenly—

"Oh!" She chirped as she wriggled out of my grasp and landed softly on the ground. She walked straight over to Amaya, who stood completely still, watching her approach with narrowed eyes.

The girl stopped in front of her and beamed.

"You smell like Mama too!"

Then she threw her arms around Amaya’s leg, hugging her tight with the same happy affection she gave us.

"..."

Amaya didn’t move. She just stood there, staring down at the child like she was some kind of bomb waiting to explode.

I could practically hear her thoughts: Why me?

She looked up at me slowly, expression deadpan.

"Remove it."

"Hey, don’t call her ’it’."

"Remove it," she repeated, with even less emotion than before.

Who is she? A leech?