After Galian and Alagana left, Deiv collapsed to the ground, barely managing to take one last breath. Exhaustion wrapped around him like a heavy blanket. Pain pierced his body, but he had already begun to recover. His consciousness faded.

  The soldiers at the fence kept their eyes on him. No one could believe what had just happened. A parasite who fought against his own kind? It didn’t make sense.

  — What do we do with him now? — one of the soldiers asked quietly.

  — On one hand, he helped defend the village… — another started but fell silent.

  — And on the other… he’s a parasite, — a third one said grimly.

  They exchanged glances. Without speaking, they understood each other. It was a dilemma: trust him or see him as a threat? No one knew the answer.

  — Maybe he’s a spy? — a voice came from the darkness.

  — If he were a spy, it would have been a trap, and we’d all be dead already, — another soldier countered.

  Time passed. Hours went by, and night had fallen once again. Deiv remained still. His breathing was steady but heavy, as if every movement of his chest took immense effort.

  One of the soldiers — the one who had seen him before — stepped outside the fence. He approached slowly, holding his weapon in his hands. Deiv was in a deep sleep. He didn’t even flinch when a branch snapped nearby.

  The soldier crouched down, studying him. He remembered their first meeting. Back then, the parasite had been carrying someone. And later… he buried them.

  "Did his own kind kill someone he cared about?"

  The soldier sighed and sat down next to a rock, leaning against it.

  — We’ll see what you have to say when you wake up… — he muttered, gazing up at the night sky.

  Meanwhile, behind the fence, the other soldiers continued arguing.

  — It’s a trap! — one insisted.

  — Then why are we still alive? — another retorted. — If he wanted to kill us, he would’ve done it already. Parasites don’t wait for the right moment. They just attack.

  — So what? He could still be a spy, — the first soldier persisted.

  But even the most suspicious ones understood: if Deiv had wanted them dead, they would be.

  Endless darkness.

  Deiv opened his eyes. But this was not the place where he had fallen asleep. This was emptiness. There was no sound, no movement. No horizon, no sky, no ground. He felt neither cold nor warmth. Not even his own breath.

  Only himself.

  Slowly, he rose to his feet. Nothing changed. The world remained indifferent, bottomless.

  And then he noticed something strange.

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  His hands.

  Not clawed, not grotesque, not covered in parasitic flesh.

  Just hands. Human hands.

  He froze. No distorted forms. Just skin, warm and alive.

  He took a sharp breath.

  — Is this… a dream?..

  His voice sounded muffled as if sinking into the thick darkness.

  — Wait… am I dead?..

  And then — a voice.

  — How could you let this happen?..

  A chill ran down his spine.

  — W-what?..

  The darkness thickened. The space around him trembled, as if someone had torn it apart.

  — How… could… you… LET THIS HAPPEN?!

  The voice echoed through the void. It was filled with so much hatred, so much pain that something inside Deiv twisted in agony.

  And then he saw him.

  Himself.

  But mutilated.

  The figure stepped out of the darkness, and Deiv shuddered. His face… it was torn, one half of the skull exposed, the eye socket empty, lips twisted into a grotesque mockery of a smile. Parasitic flesh had fused with human skin, creating a monstrous symbiosis.

  — You could have saved them, — the Other rasped.

  Deiv stepped back, but his feet found no solid ground.

  — No… I couldn’t…

  — You could, but you didn’t, — the words poured out like thick, poisonous liquid. — You just WATCHED as our parents, our friends, everyone… died…

  — Shut up…

  — You could have saved at least Father…

  — Shut up!

  — But you killed him with your own hands.

  — SHUT UP!!!

  The darkness trembled.

  And then the space filled with whispers.

  — You could have…

  — You could have saved them…

  — You just watched…

  — Coward…

  — COWARD…

  — COWARD, COWARD, COWARD, COWARD!!!

  Deiv clutched his head.

  — Please… stop…

  The whispering didn’t fade. It only grew louder.

  — You could have…

  — No…

  — You should have…

  — No, please…

  — BUT YOU DID NOTHING!!!

  Deiv screamed.

  — STOP!!!

  The darkness shattered.

  He woke up.

  His body jerked, and a cry tore from his throat:

  — PLEASE, STOP!!!

  A sharp breath. His chest heaved in a feverish rhythm. Sweat streamed down his skin, his hands trembled.

  The soldier sitting nearby fell onto his back in shock, staring at him with wide eyes.

  — Shit…

  The others had already raised their weapons.

  — What the hell?!

  Deiv panted heavily, his gaze darting around.

  But even awake, he still heard the echo of that voice.

  — Coward…

  Deiv took another shaky breath, trying to regain control. Slowly, he lowered his gaze…

  His hands.

  Once again, they were covered in rough, uneven flesh. Not human.

  He was a monster again.

  — So it really was just a dream… — he whispered to himself.

  — Hey… Are you okay? — a voice came from beside him.

  Deiv slowly turned his head.

  The soldier who had been sitting next to him was still there. He was watching him but didn’t move closer.

  Deiv said nothing and looked away.

  — You know… — the soldier shifted slightly. — It’s kinda rude to turn away when someone’s talking to you.

  Silence.

  — Alright, if you don’t wanna talk, fine, — the soldier sighed.

  He was about to say something else when Deiv suddenly spoke:

  — Why do you care if I’m okay?.. — his voice was low, strained. — Aren’t you afraid of me?..

  The soldier froze for a moment. He was clearly used to seeing monsters, but hearing one speak his language—that was something else.

  — It’d be pretty stupid to be afraid of the guy who saved us, — he finally said.

  Another pause.

  The soldier took the chance:

  — Why did you fight against your own kind?…

  But before he could finish, Deiv sharply turned his head toward him.

  — THEY ARE NOT MY KIND!!!

  His snarl was filled with fury.

  The soldier flinched, his hand instinctively twitching toward his weapon… but he held back.

  — Sorry… — he swallowed. — I didn’t mean to offend you.

  He quickly corrected himself:

  — Then why did you fight the parasites? Why did you help us at all?

  Deiv frowned, his claws clenching.

  — I have my reasons… But you don’t need to know them.

  Another pause.

  And then he asked a question of his own:

  — Why didn’t you turn me in?

  The soldier raised an eyebrow.

  — What?

  — Back then. When you saw me. Why did you just leave? Why didn’t you call your people?

  The soldier looked away for a moment, thinking.

  — I… I saw that you were in pain, — he finally said. — And I didn’t want to make it worse. I saw you burying someone. That’s all.

  He chuckled, shaking his head:

  — You don’t see a parasite burying someone every day.

  He looked at Deiv again and asked:

  — By the way… I was thinking. Thanks. You saved us. But, you know… what should I call you? I don’t wanna just call you “parasite.”

  Deiv hesitated for a moment before answering:

  — Just call me Deiv.