Little, surprised, removed her eyeball, gazing at the swiftly fading mark on her forehead, and asked: "Is this—what marriage is?"
The Witch God Skull, smiling warmly, lovingly explained, "No, dear—this is just a mark that allows you two to understand each other better—it's not marriage. Of course—if one day you find it unsuitable—it can be erased. If, after a long time, you still don't find each other disagreeable—that's when the true mark of marriage appears."
Her smile was one of pure happiness, like a mother witnessing her daughter's growth.
Little, curious, remarked, "I see—so that's how it is."
Though not fully understanding, it seemed like a wonderful thing. Because she immediately felt a magical connection with the doctor!
Little eagerly (ω) extended a tendril, bringing the o(╥﹏╥)o state Lynne to her face, and said: "Doctor—it's a wonderful—connection."
The 'face-hugger' that had been muffling Lynne snapped off under the Witch God Skull's control, freeing Lynne to speak.
Looking into Little's innocently unaware eyes, Lynneo(╥﹏╥)o said: "How should I explain this to you..."
It was all too fast! This whole sequence of events was incredibly rapid! So fast that he couldn't react, so fast that he didn't even know how to explain the current situation. And from the moment the Witch God Skull covered his mouth, he realized that she must have known this was a misunderstanding, that she was feigning ignorance! What a great determination it must be, so eager to marry off her daughter!
No! He must find an opportunity to explain the complex situation to Little in detail! Otherwise, things would really become troublesome!
Unaware of the complexities, Little (ω) joyfully placed Lynne on her head. Turning to her mother, she asked: "Mother—can we go now?"
The Witch God Skull smiled Favorabilityately, "Yes, we can—ha ha ha ha."
At last, a deep-seated obsession in her heart was fulfilled.
...
Evening.
The black fog swirled. By a small hill in the desolate wilderness, Lynne sat despondently, accompanied by the curiously-faced Little.
Noticing Lynne's dejection, Little extended a tendril, gently prodding his shoulder. "Doctor—are you unhappy?"
Lynne lifted his head, staring blankly into the distance, "How can I be happy? This happened so suddenly that I didn't even get a chance to speak before signing that kind of pact with you, Little."
"I'm sorry—" Little, perplexed (‸), said, "I thought—the Doctor also wanted—to enhance our relationship—"
Lynne helplessly hung his head. He knew it wasn't Little's fault; though powerful, her mind seemed quite young, easily influenced.
Lynne, disheartened, said, "It's not that I don't want to deepen our relationship, but... Little, do you know what marriage is?"
Little blinked, "It's like with mom and dad—a better playmate and friend—"
Lynne gave a wry smile, "No, that's not it. Marriage is a sacred thing. It means spending a lifetime with someone, a holy vow made after a long period of emotional build-up."
Little looked puzzled, not quite understanding.
The evening breeze blew.
Lynne sighed and shook his head. How could Little possibly understand? Though immense in size, by giant standards, she was still a child, wasn't she?
In Lynne's mind flashed the introduction from Little's parents' profile. Heads fallen from a higher world... Living on with resentment and curses...
War.
Death.
Titans...
Lynne stared blankly ahead, his gaze falling on Little's oblivious and pure face.
A Titan... beheaded? Then what about Little? Could it be that 3,000 years ago, at that very point, Little too was beheaded, plummeting from a higher world into this hellish realm? If that were the case...
"Little, may I ask you a question... How old are you?"
Little, bouncing curiously (ω) and causing the ground to tremble, replied, "Daddy says I'm five—Mommy says I'm three thousand and five—I don't remember anymore—"
Lynne was shaken. Five years old... He murmured. Could it mean...
"Have you always been without a body? Or is it just here?"
Little, puzzled (´◡`), said, "I seem to remember—having one long ago—then suddenly not anymore—it's too distant—can't recall clearly—"
Lynne sat there, stunned.
Could it be... At the age of five, during that war they experienced, Little was beheaded... Then fell. And eventually became the current Headhunter...
Lynne suddenly felt an indescribable chill growing within him. If even children were not spared... Then what they experienced back then might have been a true genocide...
Lynne turned his head, looking at Little with an added layer of emotion in his gaze. Perhaps it was sympathy. Or maybe pity. Especially seeing her still innocent demeanor, seemingly without any memories of her past life. How exactly had she died back then... A calamity. He closed his eyes. His hands clenched slightly.
Little gazed curiously at Lynne's face and asked, "Doctor—what's wrong? Are you unhappy again?"
Lynne lifted his head, standing up from the ground. The evening breeze tousled his hair, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Nothing!" He brushed the dust off his clothes. "Just thought of something."
Turning, he smiled and extended his hand towards Little, suddenly asking: "Little, do you want to return to what you looked like when you had a body?"
Little, puzzled yet curious, responded, "Eh?"
Lynne opened his arms with a smile and said: "Yes, like me, Doctor, having parts other than just a head. Would you like that? If you do, I can help you!"
Little instantly brightened up, excited.
"Really—can you?"
"Really! It will only be for a short hour, but that's enough."
Lynne slowly extended his right hand towards her, his face brimming with a warm smile.
"Because I too am eager to see what the real Little looks like."
In the wilderness.
"What! You allowed our daughter to—form a soul contract—with that man—?!"
Titan Skull, in a fit of rage, extended massive tendrils, lashing out towards the Witch God Skull.
The Witch God Skull confronted him with a cold sneer, venomously retorting: "So what if I did—since it's a creature my daughter fancies—naturally, I'd do anything—to keep it around—"
Hearing this, Titan Skull was nearly driven mad with anger. His eyes bulged in fury, his expression growing more grotesque as he cruelly spat: "You're insane—a madwoman—my daughter is only five years old—how dare you—you're testing my limits—!"
The Witch God Skull stood firm like a mountain before her, replying with a cold laugh: "Hey—we've been dead for three thousand years—do you still think it's the past—if you hadn't lost back then—my daughter wouldn't have to suffer here— My poor child—beheaded at the age of five—she was so young—knew nothing—It's all because of you, this worthless being—now you dare accuse me—!"
As the Witch God spoke, her anger intensified, the venom and chaos in her enormous eyes growing more evident. A sinister, pitch-black aura began to manifest around her head, a vicious curse spreading recklessly in the surroundings.
"Get out of my way—I'm going to kill that human—right now—"
He roared, his massive head instantly knocking the Witch God Skull dozens of meters away. He looked furiously towards the night sky. His enormous head, like Mount Tai, thundered in the direction he faced.
How could he not understand the madwoman's intentions? She felt she had wronged her daughter, so after becoming this monster, she obsessively sought to atone for her guilt towards her daughter. She desperately tried to let her daughter live a normal human life.
But how could that be possible!? It was nearly delusional! And how could his daughter, form a sacred contract of the Titan tribe, with such a frail race?!
But just then, behind him.
Whoosh—
Tendrils, like pythons, suddenly shot out, coiling tightly around his head.
"You dare to—strike me—"
Titan Skull raged, his eyes wild with fury.
The Witch God Skull, venomous and cruel, controlled the tendrils, saying, "You useless waste—you really think our daughter—is still that five-year-old child from back then— If it weren't for you—my daughter would have grown up—become a distinguished Titan—I'm telling you—if you dare—interfere with my daughter's preferences today—I'll tear you into bloody shreds—"
Almost the instant she finished speaking, the Witch God Skull, with a whoosh, maneuvered her tendrils. A foul, horrifying maw viciously clamped onto his face.
Squelch—
A large chunk of flesh was torn off by her and swallowed.
Titan Skull, humiliated and enraged, eyes wilder than ever, like a madman, instantly burst her binding tendrils into countless bloody fragments.
"You madwoman—it's all you—all you! Curse! You've robbed me of peace—you deserve death—"
Squelch—squelch—
His massive tendrils instantly pierced the Witch God Skull's eye sockets, crushing her eyeballs into blood. Yet the Witch God Skull seemed to feel no pain, frenziedly gnawing at his head.
"Ha ha ha ha hee hee—you useless thing—the madder you get, the more useless you are—you can't return to the past no matter how angry—ha ha ha ha—you're just a twisted monster—" She laughed venomously.
The two heads frenziedly tore at each other's flesh, grotesquely. The suppressed curses and malice once again swept over them. Clarity in their eyes quickly gave way to chaos and venom. But they seemed immortal. The flesh they gnawed off each other rapidly healed, visible to the naked eye, and with each healing, the curse grew stronger.
Squelch—
Titan Skull viciously tore off her entire face, torrents of blood flowing between his teeth.
In a fury-driven onslaught, the Witch God Skull was violently struck, and sent hundreds of meters away. And once the anger surged, it grew uncontrollably wild, sinking deeper into hate and despair!
Titan Skull abruptly turned, furiously heading towards Lynne and the others.
"Ha ha ha ha hee hee—you useless waste—ha ha ha ha—you only know impotent rage—hee hee hee—"
Tendril after tendril again shot out from behind him, dragging him firmly back. But Titan Skull no longer cared about the madwoman behind him, dragging the jeering, laughing head as he furiously trudged forward.
"Death—all shall die—"
…
Meanwhile, atop the hill.
The evening breeze gently tousled Lynne's forehead hair as he extended his hand towards Little with a smile.
"Little, if you're ready, just relax your mind. Only if you trust me, without any guard against me, can I perform that spell."
Little nervously replied with anticipation, "Really—can you—?"
Lynne smiled, "I believe I can do it. Here we go!"
His expression instantly turned serious, focusing all his mental energy on Little. Perhaps it was sympathy, or maybe pity. He suddenly thought, why should such an unjust fate befall a girl, naive and curious about everything?
She knew nothing. She might even have been asleep. Just like that, beheaded without reason, falling into this dark hell, becoming a monster no one dared approach... If that's the case...
In an instant, Lynne's eyes filled with countless tiny specks of light.
[Ding! You are about to use the skill "Remnants of the Past." Do you wish to intervene with the target immediately?]
"Yes!"
Without a doubt, the description of that legendary skill appeared in his mind. Even if it was only for an hour, or even shorter due to her being of Origin-level, if it could bring back the Little of the past, even if not forever, it would at least be... A consolation.
[Ding! Please set the time point for the reappearance!]
"3000 years ago, the moment before her head was severed."
[Ding! Setting complete, analyzing the target's rejection of the host...]
[Ding! Analysis complete. Current target's rejection of you: 0, resistance to you: 0, trust level towards you: 200]
"Really..." Lynne looked at Little, who was gazing back with expectation (ω), and his lips slowly curled into a smile. "This is truly moving, Little!"
In an instant, [Remnants of the Past] activated!
Little, surprised, removed her eyeball, gazing at the swiftly fading mark on her forehead, and asked: "Is this—what marriage is?"
The Witch God Skull, smiling warmly, lovingly explained, "No, dear—this is just a mark that allows you two to understand each other better—it's not marriage. Of course—if one day you find it unsuitable—it can be erased. If, after a long time, you still don't find each other disagreeable—that's when the true mark of marriage appears."
Her smile was one of pure happiness, like a mother witnessing her daughter's growth.
Little, curious, remarked, "I see—so that's how it is."
Though not fully understanding, it seemed like a wonderful thing. Because she immediately felt a magical connection with the doctor!
Little eagerly (ω) extended a tendril, bringing the o(╥﹏╥)o state Lynne to her face, and said: "Doctor—it's a wonderful—connection."
The 'face-hugger' that had been muffling Lynne snapped off under the Witch God Skull's control, freeing Lynne to speak.
Looking into Little's innocently unaware eyes, Lynneo(╥﹏╥)o said: "How should I explain this to you..."
It was all too fast! This whole sequence of events was incredibly rapid! So fast that he couldn't react, so fast that he didn't even know how to explain the current situation. And from the moment the Witch God Skull covered his mouth, he realized that she must have known this was a misunderstanding, that she was feigning ignorance! What a great determination it must be, so eager to marry off her daughter!
No! He must find an opportunity to explain the complex situation to Little in detail! Otherwise, things would really become troublesome!
Unaware of the complexities, Little (ω) joyfully placed Lynne on her head. Turning to her mother, she asked: "Mother—can we go now?"
The Witch God Skull smiled Favorabilityately, "Yes, we can—ha ha ha ha."
At last, a deep-seated obsession in her heart was fulfilled.
...
Evening.
The black fog swirled. By a small hill in the desolate wilderness, Lynne sat despondently, accompanied by the curiously-faced Little.
Noticing Lynne's dejection, Little extended a tendril, gently prodding his shoulder. "Doctor—are you unhappy?"
Lynne lifted his head, staring blankly into the distance, "How can I be happy? This happened so suddenly that I didn't even get a chance to speak before signing that kind of pact with you, Little."
"I'm sorry—" Little, perplexed (‸), said, "I thought—the Doctor also wanted—to enhance our relationship—"
Lynne helplessly hung his head. He knew it wasn't Little's fault; though powerful, her mind seemed quite young, easily influenced.
Lynne, disheartened, said, "It's not that I don't want to deepen our relationship, but... Little, do you know what marriage is?"
Little blinked, "It's like with mom and dad—a better playmate and friend—"
Lynne gave a wry smile, "No, that's not it. Marriage is a sacred thing. It means spending a lifetime with someone, a holy vow made after a long period of emotional build-up."
Little looked puzzled, not quite understanding.
The evening breeze blew.
Lynne sighed and shook his head. How could Little possibly understand? Though immense in size, by giant standards, she was still a child, wasn't she?
In Lynne's mind flashed the introduction from Little's parents' profile. Heads fallen from a higher world... Living on with resentment and curses...
War.
Death.
Titans...
Lynne stared blankly ahead, his gaze falling on Little's oblivious and pure face.
A Titan... beheaded? Then what about Little? Could it be that 3,000 years ago, at that very point, Little too was beheaded, plummeting from a higher world into this hellish realm? If that were the case...
"Little, may I ask you a question... How old are you?"
Little, bouncing curiously (ω) and causing the ground to tremble, replied, "Daddy says I'm five—Mommy says I'm three thousand and five—I don't remember anymore—"
Lynne was shaken. Five years old... He murmured. Could it mean...
"Have you always been without a body? Or is it just here?"
Little, puzzled (´◡`), said, "I seem to remember—having one long ago—then suddenly not anymore—it's too distant—can't recall clearly—"
Lynne sat there, stunned.
Could it be... At the age of five, during that war they experienced, Little was beheaded... Then fell. And eventually became the current Headhunter...
Lynne suddenly felt an indescribable chill growing within him. If even children were not spared... Then what they experienced back then might have been a true genocide...
Lynne turned his head, looking at Little with an added layer of emotion in his gaze. Perhaps it was sympathy. Or maybe pity. Especially seeing her still innocent demeanor, seemingly without any memories of her past life. How exactly had she died back then... A calamity. He closed his eyes. His hands clenched slightly.
Little gazed curiously at Lynne's face and asked, "Doctor—what's wrong? Are you unhappy again?"
Lynne lifted his head, standing up from the ground. The evening breeze tousled his hair, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Nothing!" He brushed the dust off his clothes. "Just thought of something."
Turning, he smiled and extended his hand towards Little, suddenly asking: "Little, do you want to return to what you looked like when you had a body?"
Little, puzzled yet curious, responded, "Eh?"
Lynne opened his arms with a smile and said: "Yes, like me, Doctor, having parts other than just a head. Would you like that? If you do, I can help you!"
Little instantly brightened up, excited.
"Really—can you?"
"Really! It will only be for a short hour, but that's enough."
Lynne slowly extended his right hand towards her, his face brimming with a warm smile.
"Because I too am eager to see what the real Little looks like."
In the wilderness.
"What! You allowed our daughter to—form a soul contract—with that man—?!"
Titan Skull, in a fit of rage, extended massive tendrils, lashing out towards the Witch God Skull.
The Witch God Skull confronted him with a cold sneer, venomously retorting: "So what if I did—since it's a creature my daughter fancies—naturally, I'd do anything—to keep it around—"
Hearing this, Titan Skull was nearly driven mad with anger. His eyes bulged in fury, his expression growing more grotesque as he cruelly spat: "You're insane—a madwoman—my daughter is only five years old—how dare you—you're testing my limits—!"
The Witch God Skull stood firm like a mountain before her, replying with a cold laugh: "Hey—we've been dead for three thousand years—do you still think it's the past—if you hadn't lost back then—my daughter wouldn't have to suffer here— My poor child—beheaded at the age of five—she was so young—knew nothing—It's all because of you, this worthless being—now you dare accuse me—!"
As the Witch God spoke, her anger intensified, the venom and chaos in her enormous eyes growing more evident. A sinister, pitch-black aura began to manifest around her head, a vicious curse spreading recklessly in the surroundings.
"Get out of my way—I'm going to kill that human—right now—"
He roared, his massive head instantly knocking the Witch God Skull dozens of meters away. He looked furiously towards the night sky. His enormous head, like Mount Tai, thundered in the direction he faced.
How could he not understand the madwoman's intentions? She felt she had wronged her daughter, so after becoming this monster, she obsessively sought to atone for her guilt towards her daughter. She desperately tried to let her daughter live a normal human life.
But how could that be possible!? It was nearly delusional! And how could his daughter, form a sacred contract of the Titan tribe, with such a frail race?!
But just then, behind him.
Whoosh—
Tendrils, like pythons, suddenly shot out, coiling tightly around his head.
"You dare to—strike me—"
Titan Skull raged, his eyes wild with fury.
The Witch God Skull, venomous and cruel, controlled the tendrils, saying, "You useless waste—you really think our daughter—is still that five-year-old child from back then— If it weren't for you—my daughter would have grown up—become a distinguished Titan—I'm telling you—if you dare—interfere with my daughter's preferences today—I'll tear you into bloody shreds—"
Almost the instant she finished speaking, the Witch God Skull, with a whoosh, maneuvered her tendrils. A foul, horrifying maw viciously clamped onto his face.
Squelch—
A large chunk of flesh was torn off by her and swallowed.
Titan Skull, humiliated and enraged, eyes wilder than ever, like a madman, instantly burst her binding tendrils into countless bloody fragments.
"You madwoman—it's all you—all you! Curse! You've robbed me of peace—you deserve death—"
Squelch—squelch—
His massive tendrils instantly pierced the Witch God Skull's eye sockets, crushing her eyeballs into blood. Yet the Witch God Skull seemed to feel no pain, frenziedly gnawing at his head.
"Ha ha ha ha hee hee—you useless thing—the madder you get, the more useless you are—you can't return to the past no matter how angry—ha ha ha ha—you're just a twisted monster—" She laughed venomously.
The two heads frenziedly tore at each other's flesh, grotesquely. The suppressed curses and malice once again swept over them. Clarity in their eyes quickly gave way to chaos and venom. But they seemed immortal. The flesh they gnawed off each other rapidly healed, visible to the naked eye, and with each healing, the curse grew stronger.
Squelch—
Titan Skull viciously tore off her entire face, torrents of blood flowing between his teeth.
In a fury-driven onslaught, the Witch God Skull was violently struck, and sent hundreds of meters away. And once the anger surged, it grew uncontrollably wild, sinking deeper into hate and despair!
Titan Skull abruptly turned, furiously heading towards Lynne and the others.
"Ha ha ha ha hee hee—you useless waste—ha ha ha ha—you only know impotent rage—hee hee hee—"
Tendril after tendril again shot out from behind him, dragging him firmly back. But Titan Skull no longer cared about the madwoman behind him, dragging the jeering, laughing head as he furiously trudged forward.
"Death—all shall die—"
…
Meanwhile, atop the hill.
The evening breeze gently tousled Lynne's forehead hair as he extended his hand towards Little with a smile.
"Little, if you're ready, just relax your mind. Only if you trust me, without any guard against me, can I perform that spell."
Little nervously replied with anticipation, "Really—can you—?"
Lynne smiled, "I believe I can do it. Here we go!"
His expression instantly turned serious, focusing all his mental energy on Little. Perhaps it was sympathy, or maybe pity. He suddenly thought, why should such an unjust fate befall a girl, naive and curious about everything?
She knew nothing. She might even have been asleep. Just like that, beheaded without reason, falling into this dark hell, becoming a monster no one dared approach... If that's the case...
In an instant, Lynne's eyes filled with countless tiny specks of light.
[Ding! You are about to use the skill "Remnants of the Past." Do you wish to intervene with the target immediately?]
"Yes!"
Without a doubt, the description of that legendary skill appeared in his mind. Even if it was only for an hour, or even shorter due to her being of Origin-level, if it could bring back the Little of the past, even if not forever, it would at least be... A consolation.
[Ding! Please set the time point for the reappearance!]
"3000 years ago, the moment before her head was severed."
[Ding! Setting complete, analyzing the target's rejection of the host...]
[Ding! Analysis complete. Current target's rejection of you: 0, resistance to you: 0, trust level towards you: 200]
"Really..." Lynne looked at Little, who was gazing back with expectation (ω), and his lips slowly curled into a smile. "This is truly moving, Little!"
In an instant, [Remnants of the Past] activated!
