ZERO: Before the Beginning

It burned like dying.

The world of the tongue wasn't about taste.

It was about pain.

Here, the air pierced like needles,

And the saliva didn't drip—it flowed like lava.

Biselga.

The Gatekeeper of Flame.

He wasn't a living being.

He was flame.

Born from the fire of the tongue,

He ruled this world with searing agony.

His body was fire,

His whip curled like the tongue's own tip.

I was just a sperm.

But this body was different from before.

I absorbed sensations, calculated responses,

And deconstructed pain into strategy.

Whoosh—SSSHHHRAA!!

Biselga's whip lashed out.

Air itself burned.

I twisted mid-spin, narrowly escaping the flaming trail.

But the ground melted, and my flank was torn.

Pain spiked.

> [Pain Response Activated]

[Neural Circuit Threshold Reached – 78%]

[Caution: Emotional Transfer Initiated]

'Endure it. Death isn't here. Not yet.'

Another whip strike.

I lunged forward, instincts on fire.

I read his rhythm—

The breath of fire, the pulse before ignition—

I dismantled every step in my mind.

And then—

I spun my body and pierced straight into his core.

> "You... a mere sperm... dare to cross my flame?!"

Biselga roared.

A column of crimson fire erupted from his body—

BOOOOM!!!

I was thrown back.

Spinning mid-air, I slammed into the wall—

No, not a wall.

Tongue muscle fiber.

Sticky flesh wrapped around me.

Agony followed.

Breath stopped.

My brain surged.

Sensations multiplied.

> [WARNING – Emotional Corruption Detected]

[Detected Emotions: Rage / Regret / Guilt]

[Overload Risk Approaching]

'Damn it—'

Suddenly, her face appeared.

Juhui.

Her fingertips that clung to mine.

Her eyelids fluttering shut.

She bloomed again within me.

> "Why… didn't you do anything…"

Was that my voice?

Or… her final cry?

The moment it struck me—

Something broke.

> [Memory Fragment Fusion Complete]

[DNA Activation Detected – Emotion Weapon Creation Conditions Met]

[Question: What shape does your pain take?]

A voice rang deep—

In my mind, my heart,

My emotional abyss.

I answered.

> "Fire."

Suddenly, my body shook.

Flames ignited from my tail—

But they didn't burn me.

> [Emotion Weapon Generated – Flame of Regret: Shard of Pyroblossom]

[Rank: Emotion Crystal / Type: Fireborne / Form: Rotating Shuriken]

[Description: A flame born of regret, burning enemies through pain.]

> "This… is a weapon made of my emotions?"

I reached out.

And it wrapped around my tail—

A spinning blade.

Within the flame's surface—

Her eyes shimmered.

I rose.

Through the fire, I charged at Biselga again.

This time was different.

The fire didn't burn me.

Because I bore a flame stronger than his.

> "My emotion… will tear your fire apart!"

Biselga whipped downward.

I spun my blade and leapt—

CLAAAASH!!

Whip met blade.

Flames exploded in a spiral, consuming the space.

Biselga staggered.

Cracks spread along his flaming hand.

A being of pure fire—

Wounded by my emotional flame.

> "Your fire was pain…

Mine is love."

I dove forward.

Final strike.

My blade spun—

And pierced his chest.

Biselga stumbled… then smiled.

> "Purifier Zero… if you're the one…

Then you'll face the next fire…"

He exploded.

Fire erupted.

And from within—

A gate opened.

> [Temple of Senses – Tongue Trial: Spiciness Cleared]

[Acquired: Shard of Pyroblossom]

[Emotions Stored: Regret / Love / Hate]

[Next Zone Unlocked: Trial of Sourness]

I panted.

Or rather—

Simulated panting.

Here, emotions are weapons.

And now—

I had one.

Next gate.

I retrieved the Pyroblossom Shard.

A rotating flame weapon—

Born from my regret.

A flame that didn't burn me.

Traces of Biselga still scorched the air.

The floor cracked.

The scent of pain lingered.

But I endured.

This world had taught me—

Only those who endure survive.

> [Trial Clear Rate: 62%]

[Emotion Weapon Log Saved]

"Sixty-two percent…"

Not complete.

Something remains.

I looked at the weapon.

The final ember flickered.

It was… lingering emotion.

Unresolved pain.

The next gate lit up.

The tongue-shaped passage squirmed,

And the sigil of the next trial glowed—

> [Next Trial – Sourness Zone Entry Approved]

[Caution – Internal Acidity Stimulation / Emotional Instability High]

[Associated Emotions: Shame, Guilt, Disappointment, Self-Loathing]

> "…This one's going to be even worse."

I stored the Pyroblossom Shard.

The emotion weapon fused with my tail—

Now part of me, sealed as a mental construct.

Emotions birth weapons.

Weapons guard emotions.

I approached the next gate.

Lemon-colored acid mist curled around it.

It wasn't just a smell.

It was a memory.

A scar reopened.

The gate opened.

> [Temple of Senses – Trial 2: Zone of Sourness]

[Condition – Emotion Weapon Required / 50% Evasion Rate Recommended]

As I stepped in—

My outer shell began to melt.

Here, even the air was an attack.

It burrowed into memories.

Scraped open old wounds.

I braced myself—

And there she was again.

Juhui.

But this time, not in a hospital.

In a courtroom.

She sat with her back to me.

In front of her—

A judge.

Wearing robes.

With my face.

> '…What is this?'

> [Hallucination Rate: 81%]

[Memory System Disruption Detected]

[Warning – Emotional Erosion Increasing]

I stood at the edge of dream and reality.

Her voice echoed—

> "That day… you looked away, didn't you?"

She turned slowly.

No eyes.

Only black voids.

I stepped back.

A tidal wave of emotion surged—

Shame.

Guilt.

Regret.

Self-hate.

I didn't save her.

I did nothing.

I…

Let her die.

> "No… I tried…"

> "Tried? You refused the transfusion."

That word shattered everything.

The gavel broke.

The courtroom warped.

And from within—

Black figures emerged.

They were all—

Me.

They pointed, laughing—

> "You're the murderer."

"Accessory to death."

"You could've saved her."

"But you were afraid."

"Afraid your blood was flawed."

I clenched my fists.

I reached for my weapon.

But I couldn't.

Here, even drawing a weapon was resistance.

All senses were failing.

> [Pyroblossom Shard – Manifestation Blocked]

[Conflict: Fire vs. Acid Emotional Types]

[Neutralization Failed]

Damn it…

This wasn't a battle of weapons.

It was a battle with myself.

I closed my eyes.

Run, and I die.

Deny, and I shatter.

So I screamed—

> "Yeah—I let her die.

I was a coward.

I looked away.

> But I'm not here to escape that guilt—

I'm here to atone."

Boom.

Emotion exploded.

The acidic zone shook.

The mist split.

And the gray copies—

Broke.

> [Emotion Purification Rate: 48%]

[Pyroblossom Shard – Acid Adaptation Complete]

[Hidden Skill – Empathy Resistance (Unlocking…)]

I opened my eyes.

And remembered—

How she looked at me.

Right before the end.

Not with hate.

But with… understanding.

Understanding isn't forgiveness.

But that understanding—

Gave me a second chance.

And so I walked.

To the next trial.