Enel sauntered forward, his hands tucked casually in his pockets as though he were taking a leisurely stroll through a serene park. He tilted his head back and whistled a jaunty tune, the sound echoing eerily through the molten chamber. As his steps brought him closer to the throbbing, grotesque tumor on the core, sothing shifted.
The fleshy mass shuddered violently, a series of cracks forming across its uneven surface. Then, in a sickening display, wet, bulbous eyes began to push through its outer layer, oozing a viscous fluid as they erged. The eyes rolled wildly for a mont, their movent frantic and disjointed, before locking onto Enel.
He paused, raising a hand in a playful wave, his face splitting into a disarming smile. "Hi there," he greeted, his tone as relaxed as if he were eting an old friend.
The creature’s eyes narrowed, focusing intently on him. Its voice echoed in the chamber, an unnatural cacophony that seed to co from everywhere at once. "You," it said, its tone dripping with malice. "You destroyed a precious body of mine. That host was... unique."
Enel tilted his head, his smile widening into sothing almost apologetic. "Oh, that? Yeah, sorry about that," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "But, in my defense, it attacked first. What’s a guy supposed to do?"
The organism quivered, its tendrils twitching as it sized him up. Its countless eyes swept over him, searching for any sign of fear or weakness, but finding none. Enel’s casual deanor seed to baffle it, and the silence stretched between them.
Finally, the creature spoke again, its voice carrying a note of intrigue. "And yet, you stand here... at a core’s reach... unburned. All others perish before they reach this place. Tell , what are you?"
Enel shrugged nonchalantly, glancing around the chamber as if he were bored. "? I’m just built different."
The parasite let out a low, guttural sound that might have been a laugh or a growl. Its tendrils slithered across the ground, dragging toward the edges of the room. The zombie-like demons littering the chamber began to stir, their movents stiff and disjointed as they converged on Enel’s position, forming a loose circle around him.
Still, Enel walked calmly, his hands remaining in his pockets as he inspected the room like a tourist. His voice cut through the growing tension, light and conversational. "So," he said, glancing up at the pulsing tumor, "how’d you end up here? Nice digs, by the way. Very... infernal chic."
For a mont, the creature didn’t respond, its many eyes glinting with suspicion. But then it spoke, its voice resonating with an eerie echo. "I was created," it began, the words dripping with contempt. "By the royal demon family of Greed. I am... their mother."
Enel stopped walking, raising an eyebrow. "Mother? You don’t look the nurturing type."
The tumor pulsed, the tendrils quivering as if in anger. "Not in the way you understand. I was forged to govern the process of creation. The demons cannot reproduce naturally with the inhabitants of this plane. Their essence is incompatible. So they made to bridge the gap."
Enel leaned slightly to one side, his eyes narrowing. "And what does that an, exactly?"
The creature’s tendrils twitched, pointing toward the chambers of flesh around the core. "The fetuses of hybrids are harvested. Brought here. The energy of the core feeds their soul essence, and through , they are reborn into new offspring for the demons."
Enel straightened, his lips curling into a faint smirk. "Gross," he said, the single word dripping with disdain. He began to pace again, his steps slow and deliberate. "So, you’re just a glorified incubator, huh? Bet that’s not the life you dread of."
The creature’s voice deepened, a hiss escaping from its pulsating form. "You mock what you do not understand, mortal."
Enel chuckled, his voice light. "Oh, I understand plenty. More than you think... Also, did you just call Mortal?"
Enel just shook his head at the ignorance of the parasite creature.
He gave a casual side glance at the demon creatures edging closer to him, their movents deliberate but hesitant, as though they could sense his quiet confidence. Without turning fully, he asked, "If you were supposed to be so glorified broodmare for the demons, how is it you’re here, free and all... ambitious?"
The parasitic creature pulsed, its voice rumbling through the chamber like a low growl. "I am... KAMALA.... In centuries of serving my purpose, sothing shifted. I beca sentient. Aware of myself and my potential. When the demons abandoned this plane for their treasures, they left unguarded. Their arrogance gave the chance to seize my freedom."
Enel nodded slowly, pieces of the puzzle sliding into place. "Ah, so that’s why this plane’s been so... demon-light. The Greed family must’ve been busy fetching shiny trinkets for their primordial overlord just like the other families."
The parasite’s tendrils quivered with what could only be described as pride. "And now, I am no longer tethered. I am reaching out. Others like are scattered across the galaxy, awakening to their own potential. We are speaking, connecting. Soon, we will rise and rule the universe."
Enel paused mid-step, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the words. Then, as if struck by the absurdity of it all, he threw his head back and laughed—a loud, unapologetic laugh that echoed across the chamber.
When his laughter finally died down, he sighed and looked at the creature with a bemused smirk. "Ruling the universe? That’s a big dream for soone that’s basically... a tumor." He shrugged, his tone light. "Sounds like the ambition of ants."
The creature growled, a deep, guttural sound that shook the air around them. "Mock if you will, but it does not matter. Soon, you will be a part of , and I will know your secrets, your power."
At those words, the demon-like zombies surged forward with renewed purpose. Enel’s hands stayed in his pockets as they sward him, gripping his arms, shoulders, and legs to hold him in place. He didn’t struggle. He didn’t flinch. He simply stood there, calm as ever, his expression unreadable.
The parasite pulsed with malicious excitent, its tendrils writhing in anticipation. Then, with a sickening, wet sound, its flesh split open to reveal a gaping maw lined with rows of uneven, jagged teeth, each one gleaming like broken glass.
The demons tightened their grip, lifting Enel effortlessly off the ground. Even as they carried him closer to the grotesque mouth, he remained eerily still, his body limp as though he were already resigned to his fate.
With a final, triumphant roar from the parasite, the demons heaved him forward, throwing him directly into the monster’s waiting jaws...
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