"Good morning."
Amethiel stretched his arms above his head as he stepped into the laboratory.
The Monster was awake.
That alone was impressive, considering how much he had forced it to ingest the night before.
Sleeping potions. Sedatives. A few questionable mixtures he had lazily thrown together while half-asleep.
'Honestly, I'm surprised it survived.'
But the creature was still there.
Still chained.
Still staring at him.
"And it's a new day," Amethiel murmured.
He walked slowly across the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"I'm sure Father will storm in eventually," he continued casually. "I didn't eat dinner last night and skipped breakfast as well. That usually sends him into a panic."
Amethiel stopped in front of the Monster and tilted his head.
"…So let's make this day worth it."
He smiled.
The Monster reacted immediately.
It rose to its feet the moment Amethiel approached, movements quick and obedient.
"M-Master… Ma…ster… Master…"
It repeated the word again and again, as if it were the only sound it knew how to form.
Amethiel glanced briefly toward the worktable where his gloves sat neatly folded.
'Seems I won't need those today.'
He walked closer.
"Hello," Amethiel said, his voice soft. Almost gentle.
But very fake.
He lifted his hand toward the creature.
Exactly as expected, the Monster lowered its head.
Its cheek pressed carefully against Amethiel's palm.
"As expected," Amethiel murmured, observing the reaction. "You like affection."
His fingers moved slowly against the creature's skin.
"That's why you kept grabbing me yesterday."
The Monster leaned closer.
"You want physical contact."
Or maybe it simply liked warmth.
Either explanation worked.
"Say Amethiel again," Amethiel instructed calmly, his hand still resting against the Monster's face.
The Monster stayed silent.
Amethiel's eyes narrowed.
Then he pulled his hand away.
Immediately the Monster's eyes widened.
"Say Amethiel," Amethiel repeated.
The creature whimpered.
"M-Mas—"
Amethiel took a step back.
"I'm going upstairs."
The reaction was immediate.
The chain rattled violently as the Monster lunged forward, trying to follow him.
"Ame—Amethiel… Amethiel… Amethiel—"
"Ah," Amethiel laughed softly.
He stepped forward again.
"Clingy little bastard, aren't you?"
He lifted his hand again.
The Monster grabbed it instantly, holding it carefully as if afraid it would disappear again.
"M-Master… Ame… Amethiel…"
Amethiel watched it closely.
'Interesting.'
Amethiel studied the creature for a moment before speaking again, a small smile forming on his lips.
"You know," he said thoughtfully, "I'm about to do something I've never done for any of my other pets."
His gaze drifted briefly toward the cages lining the walls.
"Or specimens, as I usually call them."
The other monsters remained still inside their enclosures. Some crouched low. Others stared through the metal bars with quiet wariness.
None of them had ever been given the privilege he was about to offer.
Amethiel reached into his coat and pulled out a small ring of keys. The metal chimed softly as he sorted through them before selecting the right one.
'Let's see how you behave without restraints,' he thought.
He stepped closer and unlocked the chains binding the creature's wrists. The metal cuffs loosened with a quiet click before sliding off completely.
The chains fell away with a dull clatter.
For the first time since arriving in the laboratory, the monster's arms were free.
The creature blinked slowly, clearly confused by the sudden change.
Amethiel ignored the expression.
Instead, he reached out and took the monster's hand.
"Come," he said simply.
The creature followed immediately.
Amethiel guided it across the room toward a metal bed positioned along the far wall of the laboratory.
The frame was sturdy, heavy, and bolted firmly into the stone floor. It had originally been installed for restraints during certain experiments.
When they reached it, Amethiel stopped and pointed down at the bed.
"Sit."
The monster didn't move.
Instead, it looked down at their joined hands.
Its red eyes remained fixed on their fingers touching, as if the contact itself had become the most important thing in the room.
Amethiel frowned slightly.
"Sit," he repeated.
Still nothing.
The creature continued staring at their hands, its attention completely absorbed.
Amethiel sighed softly.
"Don't tell me you don't understand something this simple," he muttered.
Even as he said it, he knew the command might not make sense to the creature.
Sometimes Amethiel forgot that this was a monster.
Not a human.
He placed a hand on the creature's shoulder and pushed lightly.
The monster barely moved.
Amethiel pushed harder.
"Sit."
The creature remained standing.
Amethiel felt his patience begin to thin.
Without warning, he released the monster's hand and stepped back.
"Fine," he said coldly. "I'll just leave."
The reaction was immediate.
"Amethiel!"
The creature's voice cracked as it reached for him, panic flashing across its face.
'That he understands immediately,' Amethiel thought with quiet satisfaction.
But he didn't move closer.
Instead, he rose slightly onto his toes and grabbed the monster by its shoulders before shoving it down onto the metal bed.
"Sit," he said firmly.
The monster froze.
Then slowly, obediently, it stayed where he had placed it.
Amethiel watched for a moment.
Then he smiled.
Satisfied.
"Good," he murmured softly.
He stepped closer again and cupped the creature's face in both hands, rubbing its cheek slowly in clear approval.
"See? That wasn't difficult," he said lightly. "That's called sitting."
The monster leaned into the touch almost instantly.
"Sitting is when you do that—"
Then suddenly—
A strange sound vibrated from the creature's chest.
A low, soft rumble.
Amethiel blinked.
"…Did you just—"
The sound came again.
A gentle, steady vibration beneath his hands.
Amethiel stared at the creature.
The monster was purring.
Like a cat.
"How many animals are mixed inside you?" Amethiel asked, furrowing his brows as he studied the creature carefully. "Most monsters are combinations of two. Three at most. Sometimes they are simply exaggerated versions of a single animal."
That was why Amethiel found them so fascinating.
For most people in the Prismara Kingdom, monsters were simply part of life. Creatures that had existed for generations upon generations. Their origins had been debated endlessly.
Some scholars claimed the monsters were blessings from the gods.
Others said they were punishments.
Amethiel found both explanations boring.
'Blessings from the gods,' he thought dismissively. 'What a lazy answer.'
Prismara had little else worth mentioning besides monsters anyway. They were the kingdom's pride, its curiosity, its greatest export. Other nations traded generously for them.
But Amethiel had always believed something else.
'They're just animals that evolved strangely,' he thought. 'Or were exposed to something unusual.'
Perhaps mutations.
Perhaps breeding experiments long forgotten.
Although that theory became complicated when certain monsters displayed abilities that ordinary animals simply could not possess.
And now…
Now he had this.
A creature that looked almost human.
Which made the situation far more interesting.
Amethiel circled the Monster slowly, observing it with sharp curiosity.
"You're like a dog," he muttered thoughtfully. "A bit of a cat as well. And somehow you can—"
His eyes widened suddenly.
"Right. I almost forgot!"
He said it so loudly that the Monster flinched in surprise.
Amethiel pointed at it excitedly.
"When you thought I was about to be attacked yesterday, you grew two extra arms."
The memory returned clearly.
"You have retractable limbs."
Amethiel rubbed his forehead in disbelief.
"I can't believe I almost forgot something like that."
He turned and walked toward the worktable where his gloves rested.
"I placed you here to examine your anatomy," he continued, pulling the gloves on slowly. "Now I know exactly where to start."
Then he paused.
"Oh. Wait."
Amethiel turned back toward the Monster.
"But before I begin opening you up or studying your internal structure…"
He tilted his head.
"It's a personal tradition."
Whenever he started proper research on a specimen, it needed a name.
"Mhm," he hummed thoughtfully.
The Monster watched him quietly.
"You don't look like the type of creature that should have a ridiculous name like Fluffy Flufferson," Amethiel said.
He tapped his chin.
"But something too serious would also be strange. Bob, for example, would be ridiculous."
The Monster was humanoid.
A strange creature.
Something unfamiliar.
Something new.
Amethiel's lips curled slightly.
"How about… Kree?"