The monster named Luca contemplated the situation as he conversed with Aeren. His instinct warned him: Don't let him enter the small cage, or the consequences would be beyond comprehension. That's why he had decided to allow Aeren to follow him freely. However, this decision made him reconsider whether the situation had actually worsened—perhaps taking him in a cage would have been better for both him and his companions. He wouldn't have felt this shame before their own kind.
Protecting his own position in the food chain to survive was beyond his comprehension. He couldn't determine whether what he had done was right or not; he had simply followed his instinct. Looking at his surroundings, he could see the stares of his people and hear the whispers of his own kind, sensing all their blame. He wanted to cage Aeren immediately, but his instinct wouldn't allow it. Still, a lingering feeling persisted—as if he could die at any moment if he made the wrong decision regarding this human.
While he contemplated the situation, he heard a commotion behind him. Looking back, he saw Aeren on the ground with one of his companions shouting at him, apparently having decided to kill the human. Luca observed the situation but didn't interfere initially. As he watched the commotion unfold, he started sweating the moment Aeren stood up from his position. His breath felt trapped, his legs grew weak, and he began suffocating as though he would die in the next instant. As these sensations overwhelmed him, he tried controlling his instinct to master all the fear, regulate his breathing, and overcome his weakness. He sprinted toward Aeren.
BAM
Luca crushed his own companion's face before anything could occur that might endanger his life. As he struck his companion's skull, the creature died instantly. All his other companions witnessed this unbelievable scene—the dead body of their own kind lying before them. This made them think that if Luca hadn't destroyed his companion's face, the other monster would have killed Aeren, which could have ended their collective shame. But now they felt even more ashamed that their senior monster had killed one of their own just to save a single worthless piece of food. They didn't even know whether Aeren could produce quality offspring for them. All of them watched and thought these things, but no one possessed the power to speak up, or they would die the moment they raised a word. If they wanted to challenge his decision, they would have to be stronger than the one before them, and everyone knew no one had the power to oppose Luca. So silence claimed the space, and even their surroundings went quiet as they witnessed the corpse of their own kind rather than a human body.
"Don't interfere with my decisions again, or you'll all die like him," Luca spoke with a frigid tone heard by everyone in the vicinity. His sweating didn't stop, even though he thought killing his companion would prevent his own destruction. Despite perspiring profusely, he showed no weakness before his own kind. He looked down at his fallen companion's body and felt nothing about the situation, caring only about his own survival. He scanned his surroundings, wanting to identify if anyone was observing him with hostile intent. To his surprise, he could sense nothing tangible, yet his instincts continued screaming warnings.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Instinct beyond realization—that's fascinating! Instinct can perceive it! Hahahahaha!" Aeren's laughter broke the silence, and all the monsters turned toward him. Seeing his unrestricted mirth, they all felt irritated and frustrated, witnessing something they couldn't experience in their own progression through life.
"What is your name? Or do you even have a name?" Aeren's demeanor shifted to calm the moment he addressed Luca. As he observed Luca from head to toe, he could see the creature's instinct fearing something, though the monster hadn't realized the warning concerned Aeren himself. Luca also locked eyes with Aeren, and his fear of death intensified with each passing moment. He could barely stand as their gazes connected. Looking into Aeren's eyes made Luca feel smaller and smaller, while his sweat began drying as he stared.
"I have a name—it's Luca," he replied to Aeren. As Luca spoke politely to the human whom monsters usually hunted, all the creatures were taken aback. They observed him in shock, feeling a mixture of disgust and a desire to kill him. However, they restrained themselves, knowing that superior strength was what prevented them from acting on their impulses.
"Luca, hmm," Aeren said casually as he studied Luca while taking in his surroundings. It struck him that silence had arrived here to consume everything. Silence was one of the abyssal entities that devoured everything around it, often without others realizing they had been consumed. It represented one of the cruel realities that beings preferred to avoid, evoking fear through its profound stillness. Silence could also signify an ending.
"Were you born with this name, or did someone bestow it upon you?" Aeren's calm tone was heard by the silence and everyone around him, though his eyes remained fixed on Luca.
In this world, people were either named by their parents or born with their own names, which were revealed through magic. Aeren, for instance, had been born with his name, which couldn't be changed. Those born with names couldn't alter them—these names guided individuals on their journeys toward their destinies. In contrast, many received names from their parents, granting them the freedom to choose their own paths without being constrained by birth-given names.
That's why Aeren asked about his name and whether it had been given or was innate.
"Someone gave me this name," Luca responded, attempting to sound truthful despite still fearing Aeren. It felt as though Aeren was manipulating his very instincts, making him far more dangerous than Luca had initially imagined. Glancing around, he noticed the monsters had frozen in time, all listening to their conversation without intervening. It was as if time itself had stopped for everyone except Aeren and Luca, allowing only their voices to pierce the silence.
Yet the reality was more ominous than his imagination suggested. The silence had consumed everything around them, and their awareness was trapped in that moment, rendered completely immobile.
"Who was it? Who gave you that name?" Aeren's tone sliced through the stillness, sounding loud and clear to all the monsters surrounding them.
Luca felt a chill when he heard the question about his name. He couldn't reveal the identity of the person who had named him; if he did, that individual might hear, and Luca could die instantly. "My master gave me this name, and I pledged my loyalty to him without question," Luca replied carefully, avoiding any mention of specific names while still conveying his message.
Aeren contemplated this for a moment, letting the silence stretch between them. He focused his gaze intently on Luca, observing every detail. "You should have chosen freedom over slavery," Aeren said, his tone different this time—now audible only to Luca.
"You can't kill me," Luca's instincts immediately recognized that Aeren was about to act against him. As he studied Aeren's expression, he could see his own death approaching in the next moment. "My master will come for you if you kill me." In the following instant, his instincts felt momentarily relaxed as he looked at Aeren, relieved to perceive that Aeren had paused. He sensed that Aeren wasn't going to kill him—at least not yet.
"What are you talking about? Why would I kill you?" Aeren's voice carried a note of genuine curiosity. "You accepted slavery to find your own form of freedom. I have no reason to end your life for that choice."