Cycle

Rex hid under the quilt, biting his fingers and shivering continuously.

Monsters, monsters, monsters...

Mom was already dead, she died for him, so why did a monster that looked like her appear?

This is a conspiracy and a lie.

As for Dad, why did he reappear? He had already...

Ricks tried to wrap himself in the quilt, desperately trying to postpone the time he spent with them. His knees were weak and he couldn't help wanting to cry. The only sound outside the door was the occasional footsteps of patrolling knights, which stepped on Ricks' nerves, and every step made him want to scream.

In a place he couldn't see, a blurry figure appeared in the mirror in the room. The figure searched for a moment and called out: "Rex..."

The silkworm pupa wrapped in the quilt on the bed paused for a moment and trembled even more exaggeratedly. The figure stared at where he was, whispering one after another: "Rex... Come here, Rex..."

The death-threatening sound continued to pour into his ears. With nowhere to escape, Rex finally gave in. He wrapped himself in a blanket and trembled as he approached the mirror. As he approached, the person in the mirror gradually became like him, with a gloomy and cold expression: "You are so slow."

Why should I respond to a monster's every request and come whenever he wants? Rex stammered, his face tearing up: "I'm sorry..."

"Don't delay. A gentleman has some questions for you, and I am just conveying them to him."

The person in the mirror interrupted him impatiently, his brown eyes gradually becoming darker: "How did you get here?"

"I--"

Ricks subconsciously wanted to conceal it, but a premonition suddenly arose in his heart. This premonition had protected him many times in danger. The man looked shaken and hesitated before choosing to tell the truth.

"I, I don't know. After my parents died, I suddenly found monsters that looked like them appeared in this castle and treated me the same as before. This may be a new torture trick. Higher monsters always like to enjoy the misfortune and ugliness of human beings..."

His voice became lower and lower, and the last sentence was almost inaudible. Rex pursed his lips unconsciously, perhaps because of the identity he was given. He was obviously an adult, but he still fell into the nightmare of his teenage memories.

"Sometimes I feel like they are just playing a game and they don't care about us. I'm scared, but if I break their script, I think something bad will happen..."

Congratulations, you got the answer right. You will be brainwashed again and rejoin this big family.

Mason sat in front of the mirror in his room and listened to the live broadcast. He thought that Ricks was also a man with a story. Which part should he awaken his memory from? Ronald was because Mason's illness was deeply rooted in people's minds and conflicted too much with reality. Olivia was because of desserts, and Rambo was because of his desire for knowledge? ... Well, not necessarily. He answered too quickly at the time, which always made Mason feel that he was being cheated.

In the final analysis, these methods all come from strong inner desires or conflicts between cognition and reality. But none of these apply to Ricks. He doesn't seem to have shown any particular persistence in a belief, and he is extremely smooth.

The red-haired young man thought for a moment, and suddenly reached out to the mirror. Seeing his intention, his reflection screamed, "Please don't do this! Sir! If I am contaminated by your blood, they will definitely find me and kill me!!"

Mason's action was stuck in the middle, and he looked down at the other person's panicked expression. The person in the mirror quickly speeded up his speech, fearing that the other person would really contaminate him.

"Those two bastards are not real nobles at all. They are just idiots who crawled out of the slums! They accidentally won the Lost Ceremony. But they have gone crazy - they imprisoned our souls who were supposed to return to the Black Mist and forced us to become their subordinates. I also want to get peace, but they tortured me cruelly..."

The reflection racked its brains and tried its best to extract itself from it. He saw that the man was not happy with this behavior, so he splashed the black water on the lost man.

"I know how to dispel the illusion here! They should have returned to the black mist long ago, but there is a medium that maintains their existence. It is in the basement of the bedroom. Just say the name and destroy the remains of the obsession, and they will disappear completely!"

The young man looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled. Although he felt a little sorry for Rex who was waiting there, he still withdrew his hand.

"You seem to know a lot. Let Ricks stay there for now, and then tell us about the Lost Ones."

"We still have plenty of time before the dinner starts."

The man in the mirror felt a chill inexplicably. Warning by the hair climbing along the mirror, he quickly cut off the connection in Rex's room and asked in a very attentive manner, "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with the Ceremony of the Lost. How did they win?"

When it comes to the cause of his own death, even though he had already prepared himself mentally, the reflection was silent for a while before he spoke slowly. Those three horrible and bloody months were a nightmare that no one wanted to recall.

"...We were a group of recruits, gathered together for various reasons. But what awaits us is not the agreed reward, but a cruel ceremony..."

"One hundred people were thrown into an abandoned castle, most of them were relatives, friends, couples, and some strangers. We fought each other for three whole months, and the blood stained every inch of the castle. Only then was the final winner born - the despicable thieves!"

"They were my humble, loyal slaves, but they betrayed me at the last moment!"

At this point, the man in the mirror gnashed his teeth. His handsome features, like those of Aurelius, were covered with hatred, and a thick black mist spread from him, almost bursting out of the mirror.

"Unforgivable, unforgivable, unforgivable, unforgivable... They were my willing dogs! I let them live, but they are ungrateful!"

"They imprisoned our souls here and gnawed them every night as food... They are crazy! Whenever there is no food, a plague of hunger will be triggered among everyone, and everyone will become food! Kill them! Otherwise, you will be the one to die!"

The extremely seductive voice reverberated in the room. The person in the mirror had a hideous face. The high-pitched voice was like a poison, stirring up the deepest madness in people's hearts. The young man sitting on the carpet listened very seriously, nodded thoughtfully, and his reflection grinned fiercely, his face full of enthusiasm.

As long as he believed what he said, it would be easy to get rid of the couple. This man has amazing power, and he can definitely make them live a life worse than death!

The surging black mist was about to overflow from the mirror, giving rise to a crazy evil thought. The fire of revenge almost made the undead lose his mind, until the originally peaceful red hair suddenly tightened, tearing several cracks on the smooth mirror.

The man in the mirror suddenly woke up from his rage and felt the pain of his body being torn apart. His expression suddenly became terrified: "Please don't be like this! My lord, I will be useful! I will definitely be useful! I know how to avoid their sight, and I know who the final winner will be - ah ah ah ah...!! Let me go, let me go!!!"

The tragic cry for mercy came to an abrupt end with the sound of the mirror shattering, and the reflected body shattered along with the fragments. The severe pain reminded him of the day of his death, and he cursed the young man who killed him with a resentful look, and a strong hatred surged in his heart.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it too! Damn it all!

The sharp-edged mirror fragments shattered and splashed, and along with the thick black mist, they flew everywhere, brushing against the young man's body. The other person just sat there indifferently. Before the darkness came, the person in the mirror saw the pair of dark golden eyes. Just looking at each other was enough to pierce the skin and spill blood, becoming a dagger that would stain blood when exposed to light.

The hair that failed to catch the target circled in the air for a few times, and finally returned to its owner. Not long after, the sharp lenses on the ground melted away like the first snow, leaving no trace. The red-haired young man held his face and sneered lazily, "How ugly."

This wasn't the first time he had seen this kind of scene, but this was the one that Aurelius hated the most. It brought back some bad memories.

"Begging for lies, using any means, no matter how noble or despicable it was. When there is no other way, it will become unrecognizable."

“That’s… ridiculous.”

…

As soon as ten o'clock struck, there was an impatient knock on the door.

The uninterested young man got up and opened the door. The hostess scanned the room and noticed a missing mirror. A hint of gloom flashed across her eyes. Then she immediately invited the other party to the dinner as usual.

Even a small accident could not dampen her good mood. She finally found a way to deal with this troublesome guy! The party will be over soon, and none of these people can escape. She was walking in front in a good mood, and suddenly she heard someone behind her ask, "Madam, how did you get to know your husband?"

The hostess was stunned for a moment before she realized he was talking to her: "He took the initiative to help me during a dangerous attack. In this cruel world, only his heart shines like gold. Then we fell in love, and after unremitting efforts, we earned money to buy this castle and had two lovely children."

When she mentioned her husband, her expression became extremely gentle. Love is a kind of magic that makes her already extraordinary beauty even more radiant. If she was just a top beauty before, then seeing her eyes falling in love, no one would not be moved by her.

"Even if it happens countless times, no matter how hard it is, I will always be with him."

This is undoubtedly a touching love story. Mason asked about the parents' private affairs along the way, just like a close sister talk. Without any special requirements, the hostess generously shared their love story until death, and her attitude became better.

She stopped talking until she saw the door to the hall and focused on leading the guests to their seats. This time everyone was together again. Only Rex looked around a little uneasily, full of panic but soon attracted by the food.

The extremely tempting aroma of food made everyone unable to look away, but the amount was only one-third of the first time. After the meal, everyone's face was still full of hunger. The host smiled and announced the end of this dinner without paying attention.

"I haven't eaten enough yet."

Ollie pouted and murmured unhappily. The young man glanced at her and curled his eyes as if amused.

A tenuous connection had already been established at this moment. As everyone left the hall and the door closed, Mason first drew a map in his mind.

Olige's room is on the first floor, and Rex's room is on the second floor, so we already know where the knight will appear. Thanks to the open design of the corridor of this castle, the railings are specially opened for beauty, and we can see the waiting room when we enter the door.

As soon as nine o'clock arrived, the breath outside the door arrived as expected. But Mason was in no hurry to go out.

When there were only two minutes left, he stood at the door and, following the connection he had maintained, skillfully pushed forward Orih's memory of reality.

Almost at the same time, the Lost One standing outside the door turned and left. When she went downstairs, Mason pushed the door open and walked out. His dark red hair spread rapidly, hiding in the carpet in an instant, and quickly expanded to the entire castle.

The young man ran straight to the stairs and bumped into a knight who had just finished his patrol and was about to go to the lobby. Without waiting for the latter to react, the young man spoke directly: "Master Mason is contaminated by the black mist and is about to die. Why hasn't the Viscount returned yet?"

The effect of my own harsh words was amazing. Ronald's body was shocked. The loyal knight was directly awakened by this news. He opened his mouth and before he could say anything, Mason just said, "Stand here and don't move. Hold the mistress." He immediately turned around and rushed to the other end of the corridor.

He had a very good sense of timing. Every so often, there was a white load-bearing column in the open corridor. Mason jumped into a blind spot behind one of the columns, but did not move directly, and counted down the seconds in his mind.

Ten o'clock.

There was a sound of a door opening somewhere in the corridor on the first floor. Mason did not go to see it himself, in order to reduce the possibility of appearing in the sight of the Lost. He relied on the hair scattered in the corridor to faithfully convey the news to him.

With steady and powerful steps, he walked out of the room and headed towards the hall. On the other side, the hostess walked out of Olih's room and headed for the stairs... Mason held his breath, and when the hostess went upstairs and was attracted by the knight waiting at the entrance of the stairs, the red-haired young man turned over and jumped down with extraordinary precision.

He grabbed the railing and slid to the bottom in one breath, then used his waist to forcefully turn himself half a circle in the air. His series of movements were crisp and smooth, as beautiful as those of the best gymnast.

The tense muscles exploded with powerful core strength at this moment. The fingers grasping the bottom of the railing were used as support. The young man stepped on the ceiling below the corridor with the soles of his shoes and suspended in mid-air.

After making sure he hadn't been spotted, he used the force to jump down. His soft hair naturally wrapped around his body to act as a safety rope, and he half-turned his waist and arched his back to land like a cat, trying his best to minimize the force and sound of the downward rush.

The next action was without hesitation. Mason rushed directly to Olih's room and saw that the door was open. There were two people sitting quietly in the room with dull eyes.

It was just a repetition of the process just now. Mason used the bloody hook to wake the other person up, then turned and ran straight to the direction of the master and mistress' bedroom on the first floor. He believed in the cooperation of the smart man.

Once the brainworm regained consciousness, its IQ immediately went up. As soon as the young man left, the middle-aged man came to his senses, rubbed his forehead, and pulled Ollie who wanted to follow him: "Let's go to the dinner."

"But he's dangerous alone."

Olihe looked at him aggrievedly. The impact of the contact made her very worried about Oleus's safety. Rambo looked into her eyes and said, "He should have found some clues. What we need most now is time. We have to help him hold back the owner here."

"Come with me, Ollie, and I will grant your wish."

Hearing this, the girl was stunned for a moment, then smiled. Under the light, both her and Rambo's pupils showed inorganic cold light, from which the outline of the insect's compound eyes could be vaguely seen.

She had not lied to Aurelius at all.

In Orih's memory, they have been together since her mother gave birth to her.

The contaminated mother ate her husband and gave birth to many offspring. In the contaminated area she created, a natural-born bloodline was born.

Ollie has been living in a pool of blood. The blood of humans and monsters has raised her up, but it has also completely damaged her nerves. She has become weird, self-centered, and has neurotic habits. But these are not a problem for bloodline people. The biggest problem is the degeneration of thinking.

She gradually transformed into a real bug. Her mother was discovered and hunted down, and finally wanted to eat her best offspring to replenish her energy. Bugs don't care about emotions, they only need to reproduce and survive.

But on the day she was about to take action, her mother was killed.

The commander who was in control of this battle walked into the blood pool and picked up the half-human, half-insect monster covered in blood. Her brain was degenerated and her wet wings were drooping. She had a defective mind and could not speak. She was completely unlike a human being.

Someone suggested killing her, but the man stopped them, saying that the child had beautiful eyes.

Because of this sentence, despite being excluded, hostile, and ridiculed, the girl still tried very hard to fit in with the crowd. She liked sweets, beautiful things, and the man who adopted her. She really tried very hard, like a domesticated beast, thanking the man with her nasty corpses, delicious blood, and countless "surprises". At first, the other party also felt a headache, but it was this little monster that taught him the most profound lesson.

She followed him to the scene secretly and blocked the fatal blow for him. In front of the little monster who was scarred for her and was about to become a real monster, even the cold-blooded brain worm was silent.

The young monster didn't understand why she had become the enemy. She lay on the ground covered in blood, her wings broken from protecting the opponent, but she still screamed hoarsely and shrilly, waiting for praise and expressing her concern: "Rambo, dessert, delicious, does it hurt?"

How can a bug be afraid of death? How can a degenerate brain think? She is an incomplete, fragmented monster, with only killing and a few thin preferences in her mind. At this moment, the former Rambo realized that all the monotonous preferences of the monster in front of him were related to him.

It was he who lifted her out of the pool of blood, washed the blood off her body, and decided to teach her how to be a human being. It was also he who abandoned her and hated her, which led her to die for him. And all of this was caused by him, an arrogant brainworm.

"...Don't become different."

He hugged her tightly, and stubbornly devoted all his mental strength in an attempt to stop her degeneration.

At the end of his consciousness, he heard the other person's heartbeat, weak and stubborn. The middle-aged man's lips trembled, and he whispered, "If you survive, I will make desserts for you until you get tired of it."

"I will not hate you. I will be your father and I will be your mother. I will be your provider and I will be your guardian. It doesn't matter if I am crazy, it doesn't matter if I can't talk, it doesn't matter if I am paranoid, I will be your brain."

"...Don't be weird, Ollie. If you want, I won't force you to think like a human. I will think of the answers to all questions for you."

The lead-gray eyes lit up, gradually synchronizing with the other's heartbeat. With a deep connection, the middle-aged man's eyes finally turned blue, the same blue as the girl's pupils.

This is the highest level of connection that the brainworm will establish with the mother worm only once in his life. Its strength has even exceeded the connection and has become an instinct of pursuit. He will share the other's pollution, and be happy because of the other's happiness and worry because of the other's sadness. Until this body is destroyed, no matter what happens, they will not separate.

So as long as one person is awakened, the other will also be awakened. Facing Rambo's words, the girl held his hand without hesitation. A big, happy smile appeared on her face.

"Okay, let's go."

In fact, her brain is still not very good.

But what does it matter? Olivia happily followed the butler, allowing him to take her to a mysterious and terrifying invitation.

All she needs to do is be a happy little princess, eat dessert, and follow Rambo's orders.

As long as it is the direction he points her to, it is her goal of victory.

And the other side.

Mason, who had woken the two, ran all the way along the corridor back to the gem-encrusted door. He praised the vest a thousand times in his heart, thanks to his extraordinary physical fitness. If he had to run this alone, he would have been defeated in seconds!

The activated hair transmitted the movements of various places to its owner for the last time, and then quickly retracted, withdrawing from the monitoring of the entire castle, and transformed into several tiny hairs that climbed up the young man's wrist and penetrated deeply into his skin.

Ignoring the stinging pain of his hair greedily sucking his blood, he looked straight at the door.

There is no need to continue monitoring. If someone comes, he will be like a turtle caught in a jar, so it is better to take him back and use him as a weapon.

The rusty hair soaked up blood, revealing a mysterious sheen. They were harder than steel and more flexible than spider silk. They coiled around their owner, as intimate as a pet. Before the red-haired young man reached out his hand, they had already obeyed his will and pushed open the door in front of them.

The densely packed eyes inside the door opened and looked at him.