Chapter 104: Human

Seraphina remained silent for a long moment after speaking, letting the stillness stretch between them.

​Then she took a slow, steady breath. "I was not originally human."

​She stared at the family celestial altar as though recalling a distant, fading dream.

​"In fact..." A faint, troubled frown appeared on her face. "I don’t even know how to describe what I was."

"There was a time when I lacked any sense of individuality. It felt as though I belonged to some vast, boundless collective, a single existence made up of countless living parts."

"Only one thought echoed through my mind. Again and again. Without end. Without rest."

​Cassian remained completely silent. Even without activating his skills, he could hear the deep, unsettling discomfort hidden behind her words.

"But one day, the voices finally stopped. I woke up on this planet... alone. With my own thoughts, my own identity, and my own distinct individuality."

"The silence was heavenly. It felt as though I had spent an eternity as a prisoner, and then, suddenly... I was free."

​Her hand rose to lightly touch her temple, a troubled expression flickering across her face. "However, I quickly realized I had suffered severe cognitive degradation. My memories were fragmented, my thoughts were damaged, and my sense of self was terribly unstable."

​"I remembered things, then forgot them, remembered them again, only for them to disappear once more. The memories of how I arrived here were mostly a blur, and I couldn’t even remember what I had been doing before waking up."

​Despite the lingering confusion, a warm, genuine smile touched her lips. "But despite all of that... I decided to start over."

​"I learned the language," she continued, her tone softening. "I studied the culture, I learned how to live among ordinary people... I even learned how to cook."

​That last sentence carried a subtle, undeniable hint of pride.

​"And eventually..." Her smile softened further, radiating a quiet warmth. "...I found love."

​For a brief moment, she seemed completely lost in memory. Her expression was so intensely gentle that Cassian felt as though he were looking at an entirely different person.

​"There were countless things I couldn’t experience before," she murmured. "Things that should have been insignificant... things that should have been far beneath an existence with my power."

​"The joy of sharing a warm meal. The comfort of a family. The miracle of childbirth... the quiet happiness of holding your grandchild for the first time."

​A faint, nostalgic laugh escaped her lips. "Such mundane, fragile things. And yet, they became the most precious moments of my entire life."

​Her bright blue eyes turned toward him, filled with absolute honesty. "You asked what I am. I don’t know, Cassian. I truly don’t."

​She took a step forward, her gaze softening. "But I believe all of these things... make me human."

​Silence filled the room once more.

​Cassian stared at her, his mind racing to process every word. Then, his eyes glowed with a faint, cerulean light.

​[Soul Gaze].

​The commander’s skill swept across her existence, piercing past her physical body, past the spiritual soul, and reaching into the deepest, most hidden layers beneath.

​For a brief, terrifying instant—

​Cassian saw something.

​Something immeasurably vast. Something endless, incomprehensible, and dark. Something that made even the horrific memory of the Eternal Serpent seem completely insignificant.

​His eyes instantly snapped shut as a sharp, agonizing pain exploded through his head.

​Several seconds passed before he managed to force his eyes open again, blood vessels throbbing near his temples. This time, he didn’t dare activate [Soul Gaze]. He simply looked at his mother with a normal gaze.

​Then, he asked quietly, "What was the word you remember hearing?"

​Seraphina froze.

​The warmth in her expression vanished in an instant. The nostalgic softness dissolved, and even the surrounding air in the living room seemed to instantly drop several degrees.

​Cassian immediately noticed the sudden shift, the crushing gravity, the intense caution, and the terrifying seriousness that settled over her.

​A moment ago, she had looked like a fond mother reminiscing about her life. Now, she looked like an ancient, primordial existence recalling a living nightmare.

​Her blue eyes locked onto his, completely unblinking. "The word?"

​Cassian nodded slowly. "The one thought. The one thing that kept echoing through your mind."

​A long, suffocating silence descended upon the apartment.

​Then Seraphina spoke, her voice colder than Cassian had ever heard it, colder than the deepest winter, colder than the void of space, colder than death itself.

​"The Endless Blackness."

​The moment those three words left her mouth—

​Cassian felt every hair on his body stand on end, a chill running straight down his spine.

​Because for the second time in a single day...

​That terrifying name had surfaced.

Seraphina immediately noticed the change in Cassian.

"Cassian?"

​She stepped forward, instinctively reaching her hand out toward him. "Are you alright?"

​Before her hand could touch him—

​Cassian shifted backward.

​The movement was small, barely noticeable, yet it was more than enough.

​Seraphina froze in place, her hand remaining suspended in midair.

​For a brief, suffocating moment, neither of them spoke.

​Cassian lowered his head, his thoughts a complete, chaotic mess.

​The Eternal Serpent. The Endless Blackness. His mother’s words. The cosmic horror he had just glimpsed through [Soul Gaze]. Every single piece was crashing together in his mind, and the worst part was that they fit far too well.

​He pressed a palm firmly against his forehead. "We’ll... continue this later," his voice sounded noticeably strained. "I just need some time alone."

​Seraphina’s lips parted slightly, a profound trace of sadness surfacing in her blue eyes. Yet she didn’t stop him or push the issue; she simply lowered her hand to her side.

​"Alright," she murmured softly. "Take as much time as you need."

​Cassian gave a tight nod.

​Without another word, he turned around and walked away, his footsteps echoing softly through the quiet house. Past the living room, past the hallway, until he finally reached his bedroom.

​The door opened.

​Then closed.

​Click.

​The lock slid smoothly into place.

​Only then did Cassian finally allow himself to exhale a long, ragged breath.

​He rested his back against the solid wood of the door, his body slowly sliding downward until he was sitting on the cold floor.

​Silence filled the bedroom.

​No Overseers, no system notifications, no immediate life-or-death responsibilities, just him and the chaotic noise in his head.

​The image he had seen flashed through his mind once more: that impossible, incomprehensible existence hidden beneath his mother’s soul.

​The Endless Blackness.

​The very entity the Eternal Serpent had spoken of with immense caution. The primeval force that existed long before creation itself, and the cosmic anomaly that even the Eternal Will could not fully comprehend.

​And his mother had just casually admitted that it was the only thing echoing in her consciousness before gaining individuality.

​Cassian buried his face in his hands.

​Only one single thought remained, a thought so profound that it transcended realms, ancient civilizations, and cosmic revelations alike.

​"...Fuck me."

​The words escaped his mouth in a quiet, utterly defeated whisper.

​A few seconds later, he tilted his head back against the door, staring up at the plain white ceiling, and let out a breathless laugh.

​He didn’t laugh because anything was funny, but because if he didn’t laugh right now, he was fairly certain his brain would physically stop functioning.

​Twenty-four hours ago, he had been obsessing over how to survive his initial drop into the Lord’s Domain.

​Now, he was trying to process the terrifying reality that his sweet, domestic mother might somehow be directly connected to the oldest and most dangerous cosmic nightmare in existence.