Darkness. Silence. But this time, the silence was soaked in horror.
Kano Rom floated in that strange, endless space, his mind reeling as the goddess's words sliced through his thoughts like a bde.— You are dead.
— What?.. No! No, that can't be! I was just standing on the ptform! This is some kind of mistake! Somebody—bring me back!
His cloudy, translucent body jolted in all directions, drifting chaotically through the white void. He twisted and turned, frantic, as if some exit might appear if he only panicked hard enough.
— DON'T TOUCH ME! — he shouted, jerking away the moment He reached toward him. — Are you insane?! WHERE AM I?!
He raised an eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest. A flicker of surprise danced across her face—then she smiled.
— Predictable. Humans always panic when they hear the truth, — she sighed. — It's not the first time.
Then, all at once, she snapped her head to the side, speaking sharply—though no one else was there.
— Of course he's in shock! What did you expect? — her tone was cold, commanding.
— Oh, don't be such a bore! Look how cute he is when he's filing around! — she replied… to herself. Her voice now pyful, teasing.
She's… she's talking to herself?! What the hell is going on here?!
Kano froze, watching as He argued with herself—her voice shifting back and forth between icy authority and mischievous amusement.
— Maybe we should just leave him here. He's adorable when he's terrified! — chirped her lighthearted side.
— Silence, lunatic! He needs to focus! — barked her sterner self.
Kano opened his mouth to speak—but no sound came. His body no longer obeyed him, and his mind couldn't tell if this was a dream… or full-blown madness.
Then, without warning, He seized his cloudy form and… pressed him against her chest.
— Rex already, — she whispered softly.
B-b-boobs?! She's… she's pressing me… against herself?! I… what am I supposed to— I can't— I've never been this close to—
He froze mid-thought, utterly paralyzed. His mind shattered into a thousand racing fragments as the world faded into the warm, dizzying scent of the goddess.
He let him go, still smiling.
— There, my little cloud. Now you're ready. It's time to choose.
A glowing screen blinked into existence in front of him, shimmering with changing text:
[Superhuman Strength][Instant Regeneration][Elemental Control][Invisibility][Karaoke Magic][Infinite Sock Supply][Fluent in Frog][Cabbage Alchemy: From Stone to Sw]
What the hell is this?! Cabbage alchemy?! Are they messing with me?!
— Ooooh, pick the socks! — the pyful He squealed with delight. — That one's so fun!
— Enough. This is a serious decision, — the strict side growled, eyes fshing.
— Serious? Come on! Imagine conjuring socks wherever you go! — she ughed.
One of them has definitely lost it. Or both... probably both.
He cpped her hands excitedly, locking eyes with him.
— So? What's it gonna be?
— I… — Kano looked at the screen again. And for the first time…he truly started to consider.
Kano was just about to reach for one of the more reasonable abilities when the screen suddenly flickered—glitching like a busted console on its st breath.
— Huh? What the hell is that?! — He leaned in, clearly startled.
Then, without warning, the screen burst open in a blinding surge of red light.
From the bze emerged a shape—a tiny dragon.Small, semi-transparent, and glowing in shades of crimson, it twisted through the air like living fire. Its eyes burned, not with malice, but with something far more ancient… and far more dangerous.
— WHAT IS THAT?! — Kano screamed.
The dragonlet lunged straight at him, tching onto his cloud-like form.
— HELP! IT'S GONNA EAT ME! — he shrieked, filing wildly through the void.
— Aww, look at the cutie! — the pyful side of He cooed, csping her hands.
— This… this wasn't supposed to happen! — her stern self actually looked rattled now.
Suddenly, the screen fshed one final time—and a cold, mechanical voice echoed through the space:
"SKILL SELECTED."
Kano froze.
The dragonlet vanished into thin air, as though it had never been real—just a flicker of something too strange to understand.
What… what the hell was that?!
Even He seemed unsure.Her serious half spoke first, her voice unsteady for the first time:
— You've chosen… a power that will change everything.
— Oh, don't bluff! — her pyful side interrupted. — You don't even know what just happened!
— Silence! — barked the serious one, finally losing her composure.
Kano stared at them both, utterly stunned. His mouth opened to speak— but then his form began to dissolve.
— HEY! WHAT DO I DO NOW?! — he shouted in panic as pieces of his body turned to light.
He reached out instinctively—but it was already too te.
— DON'T DIE! AND FIND OUT WHAT YOU'VE BECOME! — she called after him as his soul was torn away.
Kano vanished.And the world colpsed into darkness.
