Hmmm? The great fortress I built is invincible!"

  On the TV screen, a massive invading army of monsters was being repelled by a towering fortress.

  Magic and arrows rained down from its walls, cutting down monsters one after another.

  The elite Knight Golems finished off anything that survived the barrage.

  Then the words appeared:

  **GAME CLEARED**

  "Yes!"

  I had seen it countless times, yet it still filled me with a deep sense of accomplishment.

  Just as I was savoring that feeling, the front door burst open violently.

  "Huh?!"

  I glanced at the clock.

  Two in the afternoon.

  Too early. Way too early.

  I reacted instantly.

  I shut off my outdated console—leaving the disc inside—and rushed to hide it in the cupboard beneath the TV.

  But before I could—

  BAM!

  My bedroom door was kicked open.

  "Hey."

  "W-What? Teppei… were you playing games again?"

  "Y-Yes..."

  I turned around, still holding the console.

  My father stood there. Drunk. Face red. Eyes irritated—probably after losing at pachinko again.

  He strode toward me.

  "You’ve got it easy, don’t you, Teppei? While I’m struggling out there…!"

  The next thing I knew—

  Impact.

  Only after my body twisted sideways did I realize I’d been hit.

  A delayed throbbing pain bloomed in my temple.

  "You should suffer too!"

  A kick slammed into my stomach.

  Air left my lungs. Breakfast came up with it.

  "Disgusting! What a waste! Who do you think pays for your food?!"

  He mounted me.

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  Then came the endless stream of blows.

  Pain lagged behind each strike, tears distorting my vision—only to be blown away by the next hit.

  Today… is going to be long.

  My thoughts grew hazy.

  The pain started to feel distant. Unreal.

  Darkness crept in from the edges of my vision.

  The last thing I saw—

  —was my father raising his fist.

  ◇

  Consciousness returned in a haze.

  Like waking from deep sleep.

  My vision was blurry.

  A brown ceiling.

  Where… am I?

  I tried to move.

  No strength.

  I shifted only my eyes.

  Wooden rails surrounded me.

  A bed?

  I never had something like this at home…

  My memory cut off at the beating.

  A hospital?

  No… my parents would never take me to one.

  The fabric beneath me felt rough. It scratched my skin.

  "Hmm…?"

  When I tried to speak, only a strange, slurred sound came out.

  Did he damage my throat?

  Then—

  Something entered my vision.

  A tiny hand.

  Soft. Small. Baby-like.

  But it moved exactly as I intended.

  What…?

  Before I could process it, a large figure loomed over me.

  A person.

  They lifted me effortlessly.

  Closer now—I could see through the blur.

  "Aah?"

  A black-haired girl.

  Seventeen? Maybe.

  But… why am I so small?

  My legs only reached her stomach.

  Even an idiot like me could tell.

  I’ve become… a baby?

  "Huh…"

  As I began to fuss, she gently rocked me and started singing.

  A song I didn’t recognize. Words unfamiliar.

  This isn’t Japan.

  My head filled with questions.

  She smiled warmly and sat on a simple bed, placing me on her lap.

  I looked down.

  Short arms. Stubby legs.

  Completely baby-like.

  "Clark."

  "Oh?"

  She lifted me again and placed something in my mouth.

  What is—

  Before I could think, my body instinctively began to suck.

  Warm.

  Sweet.

  Delicious…?

  What am I doing?!

  But when I looked up—

  It didn’t matter.

  "Clark..."

  She gazed at me with eyes overflowing with happiness.

  I had never seen someone look so happy just because I existed.

  The resentment inside me… began to melt.

  Her smile made me happy too.

  "Ah!"

  Before I realized it, I was laughing.

  I could trust her.

  I felt that deeply.

  ◇

  After feeding me, she gently patted my back until I burped.

  If she’s feeding me…

  Is she my mother?

  I hope so.

  A knock came at the door.

  A large red-haired man entered, ducking through the low doorway.

  He was enormous. Twice her size, easily.

  Face hidden by messy hair and beard.

  A robber?

  But she smiled at him.

  Could this be… my father?

  She proudly showed me to him.

  He reached out his hand.

  —Hit?

  My body stiffened instinctively.

  I shut my eyes.

  Something rough—but warm—touched my cheek.

  I forced my eyes open.

  The man’s eyes were calm… nervous, even.

  Carefully—almost fearfully—he stroked my cheek.

  Is he… scared of me crying?

  He withdrew his hand and sighed in relief.

  That huge man suddenly looked… kind.

  The girl smiled at him.

  He scratched his hair shyly.

  There was no violence here.

  Only warmth.

  And I was part of it.

  That made me happy.

  ◇

  After they left me alone in the bed, my chest tightened strangely.

  To distract myself, I looked inward.

  "Hm?"

  There was something inside me.

  Below my navel.

  Hot. Solid.

  That wasn’t there before.

  Curious, I focused on it.

  It felt firm—yet movable.

  Fear crept in.

  I tried pushing it outward.

  It shifted.

  At first solid—

  Then it softened.

  Like clay.

  The moment it left my body—

  Something strange happened.

  Sand piled onto my stomach.

  Sand?

  Yet I felt connected to it.

  As if a line tied us together.

  I could control it.

  "Eh!"

  I imagined the Wall Golem from *Guard Golem*.

  The sand moved.

  It shaped itself—

  Into the Wall Golem I envisioned.

  "What?!"

  Small.

  Doll-sized.

  But unmistakable.

  And it obeyed me perfectly.

  Emotion surged in my chest.

  I created a character from my favorite game.

  And it moved exactly as I willed.

  Is this… magic?

  Excited, I kept drawing out that power.

  Each time it left my body, it turned into sand.

  I shaped more golems.

  Normal Golems. Shot Golems. Guard Golems.

  One after another.

  But soon—

  Cold crept into my limbs.

  Sleepiness followed.

  The warmth below my navel vanished.

  So this is what happens when I use it all.

  "Ahh..."

  I couldn’t resist.

  And just like that—

  I fell asleep.