After the creature had poured out its heart, a long silence fell over the clearing. The buzzing of the flies grew almost reverent, as if they were holding their breath.
Sakolomé, arms crossed, said nothing at first. His eyes probed the misshapen being as if trying to read beyond its rotten flesh. Then, slowly, a smile stretched across his lips.
— To be honest… I believe you.
The creature suddenly raised its head. Its wet eyes shone with a mixture of disbelief and hope.
Dan and Wendy, meanwhile, jumped, frozen as if Sakolomé had just said something absurd.
— What?! Wendy said, her voice hoarse with surprise.Dan, holding Nehan close, tightened his grip, trying to understand what his master had just claimed.
Sakolomé approached calmly, without fear, and placed a firm hand on the creature's pustule-covered shoulder.
The gesture was almost solemn.
— You mentioned names, he said gravely, names of creatures I have already met… and that almost no mortal dares even whisper. How could you know them if your story was made up?
The creature froze, unable to answer, its eyes shining with astonishment.
— Master… do you really believe she is telling the truth? Wendy whispered, her voice trembling with incomprehension.
Sakolomé turned his head slightly toward her, his gaze calm but sharp.
— Yes, Wendy. And you should learn to listen before laughing. The world hides truths older and darker than you can imagine.
Wendy clenched her teeth, uncomfortable, and looked away.Sakolomé turned again to the creature.
— You said you tore from Mü Thanatos what she cherishes most. What exactly was that?A veil of pain passed over the creature's distorted face.
Its eyes moistened, and it lowered its head, voice choked.— Her black angel… Wamy.A shiver ran through Dan and Wendy, though they did not understand the significance of the name.The creature continued, voice trembling under the weight of memories:— Angels are not beings born of chance. They are gods… who renounce their divinity to devote their entire existence to another deity.
They become the living incarnation of their fascination. Wamy, Mü Thanatos's black angel, was her most faithful servant. He died for her… because of me.
A heavy silence fell again. Dan exchanged a look with Wendy, their expressions marked by confusion.
Their mortal minds struggled to follow the logic of these revelations.Sakolomé, however, kept a troubling calm.
— I see… he breathed. And she never resurrected him?The creature shook its head with funeral slowness.
— No. When a god agrees to become an angel, he sacrifices everything. If he disappears, he will never return. And I… dared to lift Zeus's thunder against him. I destroyed what she loved most. I still regret it… every day.Its voice broke, stifled by shame.Sakolomé slowly nodded, as if everything was making sense in his mind.
— Then it all adds up.He stepped back slightly, crossing his arms.
His gaze darkened and he spoke with relentless seriousness:
— I haven't told you who I am yet, monster or fallen god. My name is Sakolomé Satsujin Otoko. And inside me dwells the soul of a being you surely know.
The son of Mü Thanatos.The creature's eyes widened, its misshapen body trembling with emotion.
— Which one?! it asked in a choked voice.
Sakolomé briefly closed his eyes.
— The one named Saiko. He is here, inside me. And I can assure you he has heard your story.A tense silence settled, broken only by the buzzing of the flies.
The creature opened its mouth, then closed it again before placing a trembling hand on its chest.
— So… it's true… it whispered. Mü Thanatos's children carry within them a part of her essence… but also that of Wamy. Because she was inspired by her black angel to create them.
Sakolomé remained stunned for a moment, as if struck full force by the magnitude of the revelation.
— What...? You mean that… Mü Thanatos's black angel… is somehow Saiko's father?
The creature slowly nodded, its eyes shining with unfathomable melancholy.
— Exactly.Dan, silent until then, suddenly looked up at Sakolomé, astonished.
Wendy seemed lost, as if the ground had just collapsed beneath her feet.And in the silence that followed, the world seemed to hold its breath.A dull sound echoed behind them, like an awkward beat against the earth.
All eyes immediately turned. It was Nehan.
Her eyelids flickered, her breath trembled, and despite overwhelming fatigue, she managed to sit upright.
Though her vision was still blurry, she recognized her brother's silhouette.
A fragile smile appeared on her pale lips, too weak to move more.
— Brother… she whispered, her voice broken. Is… really you?An almost funeral silence settled, weighing down the air. Even the wind seemed to freeze to listen.
Nehan, panting, resumed:
— I don't believe it… I finally meet you… after all this time… I… I wanted to introduce you to someone.
Her eyes flickered, and she caught sight of the creature. Her breath caught. The dark, misshapen mass overwhelmed her with its aura. Her lips trembled, as if instinctive fear was overtaking her.She struggled weakly in Dan's arms.
— No… don't hurt it…And, in a desperate effort, she let herself slide to the ground. Her fall was brutal.— Nehan! Dan shouted, panicked. What are you doing?The little girl, unsteady, stood back up. Her legs bent under her weight, but her gaze remained fixed on the creature.
She took a clumsy step forward, then another.
— You… she stammered, you remind me… a lot of my brother, you know…Dan widened his eyes.
— What?!But Nehan continued, stumbling as she walked:
— You only had me to protect. Even if your presence… made me sick… and I sometimes fled from you… you were always there. A bit like my brother… even when he talks very badly to me and I run away… he always comes back to find me…Her knees gave way, and she collapsed.
Dan jumped to catch her, but when he reached out to help her up, Nehan pushed his hand away with unexpected strength.
— Thank you, big brother… she whispered. But I'm fine.She stood up again, staggering, and a violent coughing fit shook her.
Blood spurted from her mouth, splattering the dark ground.
— Nehan! Dan yelled, terrified.But the little girl smiled, despite the obvious pain.
Her eyes sparkled, and she said softly:
— Look… I'm smiling. That means I'm okay… Don't worry.
Sakolomé, watching the scene, frowned. He understood.
The creature's body… it drains her vitality. Its mere proximity consumes her.Yet Nehan moved forward again, as if drawn by an invisible force.
Dan, desperate, grabbed her by the arm.
— You're crazy! Don't you see?! The closer you get, the more you suffer!
Nehan turned to him with feverish eyes, and in a heart-wrenching scream, she answered:
— Those are only physical pains! This creature suffers even more… than I do!!!Her words struck like a blade in the silence.
Wendy, frozen, felt her heart leap in her chest.
Dan, mouth open, found no reply.
And even the creature… the creature stepped back, shaken. Its eyes, two abysses of darkness, widened, and heavy tears began to flow down its misshapen face.
Dan, petrified, loosened his grip.
Nehan, now free, kept moving forward. Her breath broke, each step seemed to finish her, but she did not stop.
Finally, she stood before the creature, face to face, separated from Sakolomé by only a heartbeat.
Without hesitation, she opened her arms, and in a pure gesture, embraced it.The creature shuddered, paralyzed. The contact, so fragile, so human, broke the barrier of solitude it had erected for centuries.
The little girl whispered, her voice trembling but clear:
— You are no longer alone… I am with you… forever, now.After this gesture, the creature tightened its arms around Nehan.
It was not a beast's embrace, but a gentle, almost paternal gesture, as if it feared breaking a fragile bird fallen into its hands.
The contrast was striking: this shapeless, monstrous mass held the little girl with disarming tenderness.
Sakolomé, impassive, continued to watch, eyes half-closed. His silence spoke louder than a thousand words.Suddenly, a hesitant voice cut through the air.
— Uh…All eyes turned to Wendy. She blushed slightly, her usual confidence shaken. Her eyes searched those of the creature, and despite the lingering fear in her gaze, she bowed.
— I offer you… my most humble apologies, she said in a trembling tone. Your story was… completely crazy. I don't know if you spoke the truth… or if you lied… but…Her throat tightened. She took a deep breath, then knelt and lowered her head.
— I shouldn't have laughed like that. You are not a monster inside… and I deeply apologize.Her words faded into silence.Then, as if in response, a light was born. Weak at first, flickering, then growing, radiant. It emanated from the creature's misshapen body.
Wendy immediately raised her head, eyes wide. Dan, frozen, watched it too, unable to utter a word.The wind rose, lifting Sakolomé's hair strands, who smiled slyly without turning his gaze away.
His eyes shone with a mysterious gleam, as if he had been waiting for this moment.Nehan, still in the creature's arms, saw nothing of this transformation. She continued to hold the dark mass, unaware that her tears and human warmth were nurturing a miracle.Then, the unthinkable happened.
A wave of light crossed the space. The black flies surrounding the creature disintegrated in the air, replaced by a multitude of luminous silhouettes. Beings with divine features, gods, now floated in the air, haloed by golden flashes.
Wendy brought a hand to her mouth, amazed.
— So… it was really…Dan could not believe his eyes. His heart pounded wildly, unable to grasp the extent of what he was seeing.Nehan, however, felt the change before seeing it. The pestilential smell was gone.
The skin she touched had become smooth, warm, almost comforting. And above all… her body no longer hurt. No more burning, no more weakness. She gently withdrew from the embrace, breath short, then raised her eyes.Her heart skipped a beat.It was no longer the creature.
It was a man, with a resplendent aura. A divine armor, a gaze burning with pride and strength, a slight smile. Around him, the gods silently watched him, like witnesses of a sacred revelation.Nehan stepped back, trembling, her voice broken by emotion:
— Who… who are you?