Shadowless Night

me than usual because Count Drythorne, who inherited the title two years ago, was a person who showed a lot of interest in subjugating the beasts.
As a result of the hunters and mercenaries entering the mountain, the number of beasts and animals plummeted.
Because of that, ‘It’ starved for a long time.

 

About three months ago, ‘It’ found a rotting fruit and ate some.
But the amount was not enough to satisfy its hunger, so ‘It’ got tired and fell asleep.
‘It’ didn’t move for a long time.

 

The reason ‘It’ awoke was because of the danger that pierced its senses sharply.
‘It’ felt the mountain beasts screaming and disappearing one by one, so ‘It’ mimicked a bluebird it had eaten in the past and went into hiding.
That was the right choice.
After a while, humans violently pushed into the place where ‘It’ had stayed.
‘It’ then turned into a ladybug and went deeper into hiding.
‘It’ saw shining silver armor flashing in the distance.
Apparently, humans had begun to subdue beasts in the mountain range, and their movements were as loud as thunder.

 

‘It’ held its breath as it waited for them to disappear.
Hiding for hours and years was its specialty.
And what ‘It’ came across after a not-so-long wait…

 

“…”

 

…Was a dying creature.
It was a human with black hair.
Her skin was torn, and her bones shattered by the rocks under the cliff.
Her body was sprawled over the largest rock there.

 

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‘It’ had found the woman while playing with a single white flower, and ‘It’ approached the rockery.
The woman had eyes similar to that of a young leaf just sprouting in spring.
She blinked her eyes and watched what slowly drew near.
Signs of panic appeared in her blurred eyes.
‘It’ waited nearby.
Eating the living was its only taboo.
The rock gradually became wet with blood from her shattered, twisted, and gaping wounds.

 

‘This human will die soon.’

 

‘It’ has seen this kind of scene quite a few times.
The high cliff had no mercy on humankind.
The drop will kill them at once.
Sometimes old men, sometimes strong and young men, sometimes lost children.
They had broken ribs and pierced lungs; they spat blood from their mouths; and, they were afraid.
They feared the black mass floating in front of them.
Humans ran, even crawled away from ‘It’.
They screamed and threw stones to drive ‘It’ away.
Their actions might not be the desire to live but simply the primal fear of an unknown creature.

 

But no one has ever had eyes like this.
It was the first time ‘It’ saw eyes like this.
They were crystal clear and pretty bead-like eyes.
In those eyes, there was no such thing as tears that humans often shed.
Just as ‘It’ looked at her, she did not take her eyes off ‘It’ as if observing ‘It’ as well.

 

“… You…”

 

The dark-haired human talked to ‘It’.
The wind whispered louder than her small, colorful voice.
‘It’ faltered a little, then moved faster than usual to stand a little closer to her.
The human grabbed ‘It’ without fear, and ‘It’ was surprised for the first time in its life.
The human was also surprised.
The black smoke she thought could not be caught had a familiar yet, at the same time, unfamiliar texture like dry sand and wood.
She could feel the scattering particles slipping out of her hand, but she was able to catch some.

 

“H- Help me…”

 

‘It’ was put in a difficult situation.
‘It’ knew the human language.
‘It’ could understand what the woman wanted, but ‘It’ had no means to heal her.

 

The black mass moved smoothly. 

 

‘Something seems to be stirring in it,’ she thought. 

 

‘It’ soon began to change into the form of a little girl.
The dark areas gradually disappeared, eventually becoming a perfect human being.
This was the little one ‘It’ had eaten several years ago. 

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She realized that the part she was holding had also turned into a child’s arm.
A feeling of warmth circulated, making her eyes widen.
She knew about ‘It’.
She was aware of its existence.

 

“You.
A lot of blood.
Die.
I can’t.”

 

‘You will die, and I cannot help you.’ 

 

She understood the child’s meaning.
She closed her eyes tightly and then opened them.
Something like sparks flashed in those clear eyes.
A fragment of her remaining fear flared up.
Her consciousness gradually waned due to her bleeding and rapid breathing.
She was well aware of her condition and her situation: her death was approaching.
It felt like time was running out.
She barely uttered a single word in her consciousness.

 

“… You can eat me.”

 

The child found this person very interesting.
‘It’ had never asked for permission to eat anyone, and this was the first time that someone granted permission.
The woman coughed up blood, and then she smiled.

 

“Instead, please do one thing in my stead.”

 

The child could not understand why she was smiling.
‘It’ may have wanted to know a little more, so ‘It’ shared a few more words with her, whose speech was beginning to stutter.

 

Drythorne County, Vista.

 

Somewhere in that deep forest…

 

A taboo contract was made.