Ulrich sighed. He opened his mouth and bit down on the webbing of his left hand. His mind quickly recoiled from the sharp pain, yet he sank his teeth deeper.

His skin finally yielded, and Ulrich pulled his hand away, his teeth stained with blood.

He spat out the blood.

A strange tentacle slithered slowly from the shadows, covered in black fur. The blood soaking it glowed ethereally under the moon’s presence. Upon reaching him, it began to coil around Ulrich’s body, tightening its grip.

Ulrich raised his left hand, dripping the blood onto the ground.

“I hereby, in the presence of the three moons, seal a pact…” His voice, deep, cut through the silence. “Oh, moons, allow this humble servant to defend himself against the creature that taints your brilliance. In exchange, I will embrace her corruption.”

Suddenly, a slight tremor passed through his body.

The tentacle’s grip loosened, slipping down his body until it fell on the ground.

A piercing shriek shattered the night’s silence. In front of Ulrich, the severed tentacle retreated into the shadows, and held tight in his left hand was a pale sword, its blade bathed in fresh blood.

“Come on,” Ulrich said, annoyed. “Are you going to show yourself or not?”

A few seconds passed, but nothing happened.

He rolled his eyes and snorted. With his jaw set, Ulrich walked towards the shadows until, just as he neared the creature’s position, a blow lunged from the right side.

Ulrich quickly braced his blade, propping his elbow behind it as support. The tentacle lashed with immense force, shoving him several steps back.

“Son of a…” Ulrich hissed, biting his lower lip to stifle the curse.

“Do… not… approach… son…” A guttural yet soft voice croaked from the darkness.

Ulrich frowned.

“Me… son…” the voice trailed off, followed by a wet, rasping breath.

‘’Is he there? This is getting more complicated…’

Ulrich clicked his tongue.

“…Alone…”

As that word reached Ulrich’s ears, the darkness that hid the creature began to expand, creeping towards him.

Soon enough, Ulrich found himself plunged into absolute darkness.

‘So it can do this… Her anger runs this deep?’

A melodic humming began to sound in the darkness.

Ulrich gazed at the sides, not finding any light source, apart from that of his sword.

Without seeing anything, Ulrich did not move until a sharp pain flared in his elbow. Ulrich instantly went limp, letting his arm roll with the blow to absorb the impact.

Then, Ulrich pivoted, wrenching his right arm away from the attack. With his left hand, he made a vertical slash, sensing the flesh being cut with his pale sword, its glow revealing the dark interior.

The creature let out a deafening scream.

Ulrich switched the sword to his right hand and impaled the severed tentacle, using the mass of flesh as a shield against the incoming blow.

The impact made Ulrich take a few steps back once more.

‘By the attack’s direction, the creature must be in front of me. There is at least a carriage length between us, but I can’t be sure about it.’

Ulrich thought as he placed the blade horizontally, leveled with his eyes, using its faint glow. A blow lashed from his left side, and Ulrich pivoted again, just enough to feel the scratchy fur brush against his skin.

‘Why is it only attacking one at a time?’

Another tentacle swung at him, this time from his right. Ulrich smiled, poised to counter.

‘Oh… So you’re protecting your son?’

Ulrich pointed the sword downwards and shifted his weight to the right. The tentacle struck him on his side, the fur slicing like razors against his skin.

Ulrich tightened his jaw, a grimace of pain escaping his mouth.

Then, he pierced through the tentacle. With his knuckles white, Ulrich slammed his left fist against the blade, shattering it in half.

‘That’s it… escape like you used to!’

The tentacle slithered away, leaving a trail of light from the glowing blade embedded in its flesh.

‘Left… Right…’

Ulrich followed the pale light.

Sensing the growing threat, the creature extended another of its tentacles, aiming directly at Ulrich's head.

‘Oh, no…’

Ulrich braced his forearm, deflecting the blow with his body weight. With a few more steps, he reached the source, where the pale glow of his blade finally died in the shroud of darkness.

He stepped into the gap left by the second tentacle, where a mass of intertwined limbs formed a shield around the creature’s core, and gripped the shattered remains of his sword.

‘…You’ve used more than one.’

Ulrich’s eyes were fixed on the inside, illuminated by the sword. There, an emaciated woman, with hollow eyes, grey skin, and protruding bones, cradled a child who slept peacefully in her warm embrace.

The creature’s face slowly turned towards Ulrich, her humming twisting into a shriek. Its tentacle lashed back with desperate pace, aiming at his spine, but it felt short.

Ulrich cleaved through its head.

The man stood motionless. The moons reclaimed their place, high in the sky. The child… slowly settled himself on the ground as the creature crumbled into ashes.

Ulrich’s sword also began to fade, the wind mingling the two as they drifted away, light and darkness flowing in harmony.

Ulrich felt a pounding ache throb in his head. The muttering of unknown words intensified, but he struggled to ignore it. A sharp pain began to affect his wounds, and he felt as if his skull were about to split.

A slight tremor passed through his body. By then, only the child, countless bodies, and he were in the alley.

‘You endured the pain so as not to wake him up…’

Ulrich narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on the child.

‘Is that… how a mother acts?’

Ulrich sighed at the thought and crouched, pressing the side of the child’s neck.

‘He’s going to die… The medicine has served its purpose.’

He bit down on the webbing of his other hand until the blood seeped out, dripping onto the ground.

‘You'll return the favor eventually.’

“I hereby, in the presence of the three moons, seal a pact…” His voice even, “Oh, moons, allow this servant to save this child’s life. In exchange, with our lives now bound together, I offer a fragment of my strength.”

A tremor passed through his body once more. Ulrich felt his body weakening, his skin clinging to the bones, while the muscles shrank slightly.

On the other hand, color returned to the child’s face, and his ragged breathing began to steady.

When a tremor passed through their body again, Ulrich stood up, grabbing the child by the cloth around his neck.

‘Grow well, I chose you for a reason.’