Paralyzed Demon - Shadow Slave

Morpheus opened his eyes in the dark. In front of him, he saw a handsome child with serpent-like eyes. He immediately pushed him away and tried to distance himself. He wanted to ask who the child was, but his throat was dry, and no sound came out.

"Don't worry, I don't want to harm you. In fact, I'm here to help," said the child in front of him. He held a wine glass filled with a white liquid and extended it toward Morpheus. "Drink this, it will help you," he said.

Morpheus, despite his distrust, hesitated but reached for the glass due to his thirst. The moment he drank, he didn't know what it was, but it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. He kept drinking, and it seemed like the glass was never empty, making him more and more greedy. However, the child stopped him.

"Don't fill your stomach with just that. I've prepared a meal for you. Once you've healed, I'll take you upstairs, and we'll talk after eating," the child said.

Morpheus tried to speak but felt excruciating pain in his arms. He attempted not to scream, but it was impossible. As he looked at his arms, he saw his previously severed and broken limbs—lost during a fight with the Fallen Demon—healing completely. His severed arm was regrowing. Not only his arms but all the wounds on his body were healing. By the time the process finished, the child grabbed him by the collar, and in an instant, Morpheus found himself atop a mountain.

Morpheus trembled uncontrollably. The child in front of him radiated monstrous power.

"I'm not a child, you know. Don't call me one, I'd prefer that," the child said, his serpent eyes locking with Morpheus's. "I've probably lived over ten thousand years, but I don't really keep track after that."

Morpheus asked, "What are you?" His voice trembled with fear.

The child smiled coldly. "My name is Will Auceptin. I am a god."

Morpheus immediately lowered his head, trembling in fear. He had just referred to a god as a child. How was he supposed to survive this encounter?

"I'm not going to kill you. In fact, I was about to ask you something else, but we'll talk after eating. For now, I want you to rest," said Will.

Before Morpheus could process it, his body was cleansed, and a sharp suit appeared on him. He found himself seated at a table across from Will. A feast spread before them—various dishes, drinks, and desserts.

"You don't need to hold back. Eat as much as you want. After everything you've been through, you deserve this," Will said.

Morpheus hesitated but couldn't resist. He began tasting the food, and as he ate, his hunger grew. By the time he finished, Will was waiting for him while eating ice cream. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Morpheus apologized.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, sir," he said.

"Don't speak to me formally, Morpheus. Just call me Will," replied Will.

Morpheus stiffened but complied. Will started speaking.

"Before we continue, let me apologize for what I'm about to do. I'm sorry, Morpheus. I hope you can forgive me," Will said, and then vanished from the table. Before Morpheus could react, Will appeared behind him and sank his teeth into his neck.

Morpheus didn't understand what was happening until he felt an icy sensation flood his body. The pain was unbearable as something entered his body. It was the essence of souls, but the sheer volume overwhelmed him, causing intense agony. The energy gathered in his body, forcing a soul core to form. The pain was so excruciating that it almost knocked him unconscious, but the cold flow from Will's bite kept him awake.

"Endure, Morpheus," a voice echoed in his mind.

His body began to form more soul cores. The pain intensified as more cores were created—second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh. Will didn't stop until all seven cores were filled with soul essence. Finally, Will removed his teeth and sat back down. Morpheus, writhing in agony, eventually passed out.

To help him rest, Will summoned a bed, ensuring Morpheus would sleep in peace.

When morning came, Morpheus woke up gasping for breath. He looked around and, upon seeing Will, urgently asked, "What have you done to me?"

"Check your runes," Will replied.

When Morpheus examined his runes, he was shocked.

Name: Morpheus

True Name: -

Rank: Awakened

Class: Titan

Soul Cores: [7/7]

Soul Fragments: [7000/7000]

"Did you strengthen me?" Morpheus asked. "Why did you do this? What do you gain from it?"

"I want to talk to you about that," Will said, inviting Morpheus to the table. The only thing on the table was the same white drink from before. Morpheus hesitated but decided to drink, curious about what it was.

"You won't want to know," Will laughed, but Morpheus drank anyway.

After finishing the drink, Morpheus asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

Will's expression became serious. "What I want is for you to kill me."

Morpheus didn't understand. "You want me to kill you?"

Will nodded. "I want you to kill me," he repeated, pointing downward.

Morpheus looked down, but all he saw was dirt. He was confused and looked back at Will, who then moved toward the edge of the mountain.

Morpheus followed him. Below, the changing seasons were visible, a representation of the land's past. With a single gesture, Will made the seasons vanish, revealing the ground's white scales. As Morpheus looked around, fear gripped him.

What he saw was a gigantic white serpent. Its scales were bright and pure white. It was swallowing its own tail. Just below its head, there was a large wound. Blood was flowing from the wound, and its spine was visible. Those white stones were actually bones.

He turned, looking at the mountains, then forward. "Have I been on top of a serpent all this time?" he asked, dread in his voice.

Will replied, "All this time, you've been walking on the world I've created on my body."

Morpheus trembled in fear. Will began explaining without waiting for a response.

"This world was once normal, like yours. After the apocalypse, I and other gods fought the Outer Gods. It was a long battle, and the world was affected. My friends and I made a plan to push them back. We succeeded, but my friends died, and I was wounded. I was severely hurt. You passed through that wound. Our battle had scarred the world, and it was on the verge of destruction. I hastily created this artificial world and placed the remaining humans here. For a time, things went well, but my wound corrupted me. As I began to corrupt, the seasons became harsher. People and animals changed, and I couldn't stop it. The corruption spread through my divine body. Now, I stand before you with my human side. I couldn't defeat the corruption alone; my divine body wouldn't allow it. So I sought help from your nightmare magic. I've lost everything I was trying to protect. There's nothing left, and I'm becoming worse. This can't be stopped. So please, kill me. I'd rather die as a human than as a monster. Let the nightmare end this way."

Morpheus tried to comprehend Will's words. "You want me to kill a god?" he asked. "How do you think I can do that? Before I met you, I didn't even have a soul core. My horse could kill it more easily."

Will looked at him and explained, "It's not about whether you can or can't. You have to do this. You'll kill that god. I won't let you die unless you do."

Morpheus was confused. "How could I kill him? Even if I cut his body, it would take centuries!"

Will responded, "The wound I received from the Outer Gods is where you passed. You'll dive into that river and cut it."

Morpheus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Will continued, "Right now, you can't understand. When you dive in, you won't die. The white substance you drank is my blood before I became corrupted. It will protect you. So make sure you kill me."

Morpheus questioned, "How sure are you that I can do this? Is this safe?"

Will replied, "Don't worry. You only need to dive deep enough and kill me. You're a sword; this shouldn't be hard for you."

Morpheus sighed and lowered his head, pondering. "You'll throw me down, even if I don't want you to, won't you?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but I have no choice. And I'm sorry for what will happen to you later. I hope one day you can forgive me."

Will pressed his claw to Morpheus's neck, injecting something into him, and then threw him into the river of blood.

Morpheus struggled, trying to swim, but soon realized he couldn't move. His body was frozen, sinking deeper into the river. He couldn't scream, suffocating as blood filled his lungs. He drowned but didn't die. He couldn't die. As he continued to drown, he couldn't move, trapped in the depths.

The pain was unbearable, but he kept regenerating. His cells died from lack of oxygen and then rebuilt, over and over. The white liquid he drank was keeping him alive, but it was also the cause of his suffering.

After what felt like an eternity, he could finally move. He tried to swim upward, but the pressure was so great, he could barely stir. As the corruption approached, his body screamed in agony. His soul cores began to break one by one. The corruption wasn't just affecting his body—it was attacking his soul. The pain intensified, and he struggled to endure, but it only grew worse.

"Die... I want to die," he whispered. Even though he tried to adapt to the pain, his cells regenerated, making it impossible. "I want to die."

The blood kept choking him, and he writhed in pain, wishing for an end. "...to die."

After what felt like years, his feet finally touched the ground. His body collapsed, exhausted and broken. His eyes, no longer human, flickered with what little life was left in him.Despite the immense pain he was enduring, for some reason, the conversation he had with his sister before entering the nightmare came to his mind. A warmth filled him, but then it froze. He couldn't remember his sister's face. He couldn't remember her name. What was his own name? His soul was almost gone, and he could no longer remember the face of his sister. He didn't even remember her name.

"What was my name?" he wondered, his thoughts fading. He thought about Will's words. "I just need to kill him. Then everything will end. Right?"

"Yes," Will said in his mind.

The moment he heard Will's voice in his mind, he snapped.

Morpheus thought of destroying everything. "You bastard, I don't care who you are, what you are, I'll destroy you. I will kill you. You will die in my hands!"

With all his strength, he used his arms and the [Ordinary Sword] to start cutting the ground beneath him. The vast serpent below was his target. No matter what, he would destroy it.

Time was irrelevant as he kept cutting through the ground, digging deeper with each strike, despite the pain. His body melted and reformed, yet he didn't stop. He didn't remember why he was cutting, but he couldn't stop.

He kept going until, at the final strike, he fell.