A twitch—Danann’s fingertips stirred, and his eyes snapped open in a vast space littered with glass shards and rubble. His head throbbed… no, his entire body ached. Coughing violently, the young man tore off the blood-clogged gas mask and collapsed onto his back, his blurry vision reflecting the dim twilight above.

  A dream… He’d been dreaming of someone dear, someone long gone. Normally, Danann would scoff at the idea of dreaming about the dead, dismissing it as nonsense. But for some reason, the image of the old man from his dream lingered, tugging at his heart. The young man, who had always suppressed useless sentimentality to survive, never shedding a single tear, muttered weakly, “How ridiculous…”

  “You seem to have recovered. Turn this way, Relic Hunter.”

  A voice as clear as a bell struck his eardrums, and Danann, instantly on high alert, sprang to his feet. He fumbled at his waist, only to realize his gear had been stripped away, and he clicked his tongue in frustration.

  “Relax, I’m not here to kill you. Oh, looking for your equipment? It’s over there by the rubble. Lucky you, it wasn’t stolen by another scavenger.”

  “…”

  “Still on guard? Fair enough. In your current state, unarmed as you are, I must seem like quite the threat. But what can you do, really? Your mechanical arm is broken, your armor’s useless—you’re no better than the dust around us. Why not cool your head a bit, Relic Hunter?”

  A beautiful girl with silver hair cascading to her waist toyed with her locks, her prismatic eyes—shimmering with electronic particles—fixed on Danann. Bathed in the faint blue light streaming from the ceiling, she smirked atop a pile of rubble.

  “…Who are you?”

  “Oh? If you want my name, shouldn’t you offer yours first? Isn’t that proper manners?”

  Six silver wings extended from the girl’s back, their razor-sharp tips grazing Danann’s throat, slicing a thin layer of skin. A bead of blood glistened on the blade-like feathers. A body-mounted weapon? Cold sweat trickled down Danann’s back as he spoke.

  “Danann… That’s all the name I’ve got.” His eyes locked onto his gear, piled near the rubble where the girl sat.

  “So, your name’s Danann? I’ll remember that. After all, you’re going to be my arms and legs.”

  “What? What kind of nonsense—”

  A sudden thud echoed in his chest. Danann’s heart pounded like a war drum, and searing pain coursed through the veins threading his body.

  “Gah—argh, AHH!”

  “A rather slow reaction, but… how does it feel? Live or die—it’s your choice. I have high hopes for you, Relic Hunter… no, Danann.”

  His blood felt like boiling water, his brain scorched as if set ablaze. Every cell in his body seemed to warp, a grotesque sensation accompanied by his organs rejecting themselves. Screaming in agony, Danann vomited blood, his spinning vision catching glimmers of light.

  It was absurd. Laughter filled his ears. The throbbing in his brain, the squirming sensation in his heart—it morphed from discomfort into twisted pleasure, triggering a dual reaction of ecstasy and exhaustion. Danann, recognizing the cackling and chuckling as his own, slammed his head against the ground, clawing at his chest unconsciously.

  Blood spewed, laughter erupted, and he lost consciousness, only to awaken again. His fingernails tore off and regrew. His vision swarmed with writhing worms, and in his desperate attempt to find darkness within the blinding white, Danann clawed at his own eyes.

  He couldn’t make sense of it. Fear gripped him as his sense of self was swept away by a tide of worms, his consciousness clinging to the edge, resisting the torrent of information crashing over him. Then, an old man’s hand—wrinkled, yet gentle—gripped his, flashing through his madness-soaked mind.

  Grandfather…? The pale hand, the owner of that voice whispering his name, revealed a face not from Danann’s memories. A grotesque visage with black eyes consuming the whites and a missing nose stared at him, a cracked smile spreading across its lips.

  Ah… there you are, my other half, it murmured.

  “?!”

  His body convulsed, blood spraying as Danann’s distorted vision locked onto the girl. He shook his head violently.

  “…That was surprising,” she said.

  “What… was that?”

  “Just a figure of speech. But to think… a human still capable of adapting to Lumina’s worms exists in this world? Is it luck, or should you lament your misfortune? For now, rejoice, Danann. You’ve survived by sheer chance and grasped the key to your survival.”

  Clapping her hands, the girl flashed a faint smile and leapt down from the rubble, extending a pale hand toward him.

  “I’m Eve.”

  “…What?”

  “Didn’t hear me? Eve. That’s my name. Etch it into every cell of your brain—the name of the one who’ll decide whether your newfound life is a blessing or a curse. But for now, I’ll bless you. Congratulations, Danann.”

  What was she saying? What did Eve know? Danann glanced at her outstretched hand, then glared into her prismatic eyes, hesitating.

  “Still wary, huh? That’s fine. No matter what you do, no matter what schemes you concoct, you can’t defy me. I hold Lumina’s control.”

  “…Control?”

  “Exactly. If I command you to die, you’ll end your own life. If I order you to fight, you’ll keep fighting even if you’re reduced to a tattered rag. To put it simply, I hold your heart in my hands. A blessing and a curse. Lumina chose you, granted you power, and offered your life to me as payment. Understand?”

  Clenching his teeth, Danann staggered to his feet, his remaining left hand seizing Eve’s throat in a burst of fury.

  “Don’t screw with me…! What gives you the right?!”

  “You’re hurting me,” she said calmly.

  “I’ll snap your neck right now!”

  “…Looks like you need some discipline. Kneel before me, you mangy dog.”

  The moment Eve’s eyes gleamed ominously, the Lumina worms nesting in Danann’s heart went berserk, his heartbeat turning erratic, wracking his body with unbearable pain.

  “—?!”

  “Danann, I don’t like stupid, foolish humans. I told you, didn’t I? I hold your heart. So… why don’t we get along? Cooperate with me, and I won’t have to punish you.”

  Clutching his chest, writhing in agony, Danan glared at the girl as she approached with a faint smile.

  “Think about it. Do you have any way to escape this ruin in one piece? No weapons, no mechanical arm—what happens to a Relic Hunter in that state? Oh, my apologies. Your right arm was already a fake, wasn’t it?”

  Bre athing heavily, Danann glared at her.

  “Take my hand, Danann. I’ll guide you—to the exit, to paradise. Let’s reach it together, shall we?”

  “…Shut…”

  “What was that?”

  “Shut up, you damn brat!”

  Shoving her hand away, Danann stumbled toward the rubble, grabbing his gear. He pulled a pistol from its holster—one he could still fire with his flesh-and-blood arm.

  “I bow to no one…! No matter who they are!”

  His finger rested on the trigger, and he cocked the hammer.