"Vanrra. How does he know my name? What is that thing? Another titan!? But this one... is very different. How can something like that even exist?".
He laughed lightly. —Oh, boy! Why so quiet? Can't you control your body yet?
His mind only thought about running away; those eyes kept him anchored to the sand. —My body?! What do you mean?!
He kept watching him from up there. He walked to the edge of the titan's palm and knelt on one knee. He could hear him as if he were right in front of him. —You squeal like a little bunny. Why don't you run away? Soldier. —He held back a laugh.
—Soldier? What are you talking about?
—Little bunny, you don't have to turn your back on the wolf; no matter how much you wish to forget, the wolves will always be there.
—Who are you?! How do you know my name?! What, that monster?
He pounded his chest. —This? Do I look like a monster? You and I are not that different; deep down, we are the same.
—What are you talking about?! Who are you?!
—I see you still have it inside: that rage, that fury, that strength. How long I've searched for you, oh my precious vessel! The wait was worth it; it's a shame that a crybaby gets in my way.
He still couldn't process that being; he felt vomit rise up his esophagus. How could he hear him from that distance? —Vessel?
—You ask too many questions. Do you really think I'll answer you? You don't have control over anything. This isn't about you; you're nothing but a madman. Everyone hates you.
—That's not true! You… you…u…
He spoke as if delivering a blasphemous sermon, enjoying himself as he did so. —You don't know what to say to me, little bunny; you have no idea how much I enjoy these moments, much better than scaring a little boy; your face is priceless. Repeating this moment, again and again, seeing how they react.
—Who reacts?
He stood up and spread his arms. —Don't you hear them? Our audience! They love our show; they watch us all the time. They devour our light and relish our suffering; sooner or later, you'll learn.
—Who the hell are you?! Are you real?!
He let out a laugh to himself. —Of course, I'm real; I'm inside you right now. I whisper to you at all times; it's impossible to escape from me. Cattle like you are only entertainment for me; they exist for my will.
"Should I run away? I can't stay here all night talking to that monster; it could move at any moment. Vanrra tried to turn his head to stop looking at those eyes. Why can't I run? Stop looking at me!"
—Do what you want, little bunny. Why don't you run? Will you keep watching the wolf any longer?
—What do you want from me?!
—You finally learned to ask; I was starting to get desperate. I thought we would be talking all night.
—What do you want from me, damn monster?!
—How rude you are; didn't they teach you to call people by their names?
—Well, what's your name?!
—I won't repeat it; I remember how you disrespected me. How does it feel now?
—What are you talking about? If you won't answer me, then why do you force me to ask?!
—Because it's so much fun to see you like this, you kill me with laughter. Seeing you like this, small and pathetic, is very funny. I have to take advantage.
Vanrra tried to calm himself a little, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "It's not real; don't be afraid." It's just a nightmare.
—Why do you close your eyes? I'm still here. You look very stupid.
"It's not real, it's not real, it's a nightmare; if you fear it, it will stay there. Ignore it, and it will disappear. These are the hallucinations of a madman in the middle of the desert. Breathe in and out; when you open your eyes, it will be gone." He opened his eyes slightly; as soon as he saw that titan, he immediately closed them again. "Shit, it is real." —Hey! Can you make that thing stop looking at me?
His eyes were like headlights. —My eyes? Why do they bother you?
—I don't like them. Can you close them?
—No, I like to see you.
—What do you want from me?! Tell me now! —A total silence fell; the wind stopped. The only thing he could hear was his heartbeat.
—You insist too much; you could have asked me other things or just run away. Even though I mock you, I don't underestimate you, boy; I know what you're capable of. We both wear a mask, a puppet that hides our true selves; even in that, we are still identical. You are a perfect imitation of my persona.
—I'm nothing like you!
He let out a laugh; it was a rehearsed laugh. —Inside, we are identical, do you understand now?
—No! What I'm capable of... What do you mean by that?! —"What does this bastard know about me? Is he a person? He talks like an idiot; he's just playing with me."
—You would treat me the same way if you were in my position; I have no doubt. You have many questions, and I have all the answers. I'll be generous and do you another favor. I'll let you ask me one question; I'll answer honestly, no tricks... no silly games.
—Are you serious?
—Is that your question?
"Will he tell the truth, or is he just playing with me? Well, I lose nothing by playing along; besides, I have no other choice." —Anything?! —The man ignored him; that titan didn't take its eyes off him. "What does he know about me? Who is he?" —What do you want, and why are you looking for me?!
—Those are two questions, you dirty cheater. Can't you pay attention?
He clenched his fists. —What do you want?!
—It's not too obvious. —He pointed at his chest. —My only goal… is to be free; I seek nothing else.
—To be free? Is that a joke? What do I have to do with it?!
He left behind his mischievous, mocking tone. For the first time, he spoke without theatrics. —What you call freedom is nothing but an illusion, a lie of language. No one is truly free.
—What does it mean to be truly free?
—To be able to escape this prison and then do whatever I want. You know that people are cattle, right? What drives men is the search for truth, and what drives cattle is the men. We are all bound, to a greater or lesser extent. I don't want to break my chains; I want to destroy the whole prison, the whole damn city. Not before saving some children first.
—I don't understand you; maybe you're crazy too.
—We're both a couple of madmen; we're both slaves. What sets us apart from the rest is that we have enough strength to break free from our chains. Don't you want to be free?
—I'm already free.
—Are you sure? Can you do whatever you want? Or is there someone who stops you? Is it yourself?
—No... there's nothing stopping me.
—I like your attitude, but you're a silly-ass liar. You lie to yourself; that way, you'll never be free or take what belongs to you. Deep inside you, that desire is there; I can smell it. You have to be quick. You're not the only one who wants to be free; you'll have to fight to keep your place. I like you, not like the other one; with you, I can have a conversation.
—Another? What other?!
—The one who destroyed your village.
—My village. Do you mean the titan?!
—Yes.
"That splendor titan, the one that crushed Devi, was different from the other monsters; could it be someone like this guy?" —What do you know about that?!
—Your questions are over. I was very generous, but don't worry, we'll see each other again very soon. —He walked out of his line of sight.
He took a few steps forward. —Wait! Where are you going?! Who destroyed my village? Tell me! Who killed everyone?!
—You scream just like your father. —Vanrra froze, completely in shock. —You cry just like your father, oh! That bastard really knew how to scream, until he tore his throat. You have no idea how much I enjoyed it. It was like letting a fine wine ferment; every second was worth it. —He mimicked a mocking sip.
"Father? I have a father? Does he know my father?" —My father?! What do you know about him?! What did you do to him?! —He felt tremors in the earth; some large rocks in front of him began to move.
—I hope you'll be just as useful to me. —The titan's arm moved slowly toward his nape. —I want you to show me why you're so valuable. Don't do it for me; do it for the thousands who have died for you.
A gigantic shell-shaped rock began to rise slowly. Many more rocks rose at its sides. A monster stood up; it looked like a giant coconut crab; its shell was made of that same rusted stone that covered the beast of the forest. It had two large front pincers and six long legs. Its span exceeded fifteen meters. A large scorpion tail came out of its rear, segmented into several portions of stone. It let out a characteristic screech, similar to the one in the forest. The distortion of thousands of hungry people.
Vanrra stepped aside; he ran far from its massive pincers. He could still hear the disgusting laughter of that stranger. The crab moved slowly toward him. Whitish foam came out of its mouth. Two blue eyes lit up, like bonfires in the darkness.
Little by little, the crab's movements grew faster. —Where are you going to run, little bunny? Who will save you? Who will you beg for help?
Vanrra hid behind some rocks. —What is this thing?!
—Come on, let it out! I'm dying to see it. Make him scream! —The crab lunged at the rock; Vanrra started running again. Wherever Vanrra went, that monster pounced on his position. Vanrra was exhausted; he hid in a small cave. —Come out! Come out, little bunny, come out! Come play with me! Come have fun!
The crab's pincers struck the cave, again and again. Vanrra began to hyperventilate and went into shock. Absolute terror. He went even deeper into the cave until he couldn't go any further; he tore his skin; he was on the verge of fainting. Blow after blow, his heart was about to explode. One of the pincers was about to enter the cave; it opened and closed repeatedly. Each slash had the strength to tear a bear apart.
Before that pincer could split him in half, a great flash of lightning illuminated the night valley. The monster stopped at that moment. Through the limited view from the cave, he managed to see how the crab was rammed by a titan; the pincer got stuck in the cave, being torn out at the root. The monster spewed that milky fluid from its wound, screaming like a thousand demons.
He managed to see the titan through the cave; the red color of the titan was reflected in his eyes. It was very similar to the one from the village, with the same build. A humanoid over fifteen meters tall, dressed in tactical combat armor. He recognized it instantly; that titan was the same one he had seen in his dream before the tragedy. Behind its arms, it had a series of metal plates sticking out like wings. It wore a closed helmet, Burgundian style, with a crest on the crown.
The titan lunged at the monster and tried to rip off its shell by brute force. The crab closed its remaining pincer at supersonic speed; the force pushed the titan back as if it were a leaf. He fell to the ground.
The titan grew furious and let out a roar of rage. Steam began to escape from its armor. He separated a large metal plate protruding from beneath his knee to use it as a huge knife. The crab charged its pincer again and fired. The force was so great that it knocked the titan to the ground once more.
The titan grabbed the knife from his other knee. He got up and charged at the beast. He ran diagonally toward one of the large hoodoos; he used his momentum to keep running along the rock wall. He leapt onto the shell. The beast raised its stinger. The titan managed to grab it in the air and make it fall upon himself. He stabbed repeatedly at the base of the stinger until he amputated it. He was covered in that milky blood.
The crab screamed: thousands of cries and moans at once. It began to move erratically, charging at the warrior. It managed to grab the armor plate from the titan's right forearm and shook him all over. The titan anchored himself to the ground and tried to pull the pincer back to amputate it. Both beasts pulled in their respective directions using all their weight.
The crab tucked its legs into its shell, quickly dropping to the ground with a thud. The earth rumbled. That sudden movement tore off the titan's forearm. Blood gushed from his wound; pieces of flesh flew in all directions. He let out an immense cry of pain, much louder than the monster's screeches. The titan looked at his exposed wound; hot steam came out of his flesh.
The crab had hidden inside its shell; now it was nothing more than a large rock. The titan screamed in fury and ran to the shell. He took the great rock from below and tried to lift it. It seemed impossible; the titan screamed in rage, louder and louder; more steam came out of him. He squeezed with all his strength, with even more hatred. Slowly he managed to lift that rock above his head; the ground at his feet cracked. He threw the rock over his shoulders; the crab's shell ended up upside down. He lunged at the soft part and mutilated it with his blades. He cut the flesh with all his fury, tearing every fiber apart. He was completely drenched in that whitish honey.
The titan breathed like a great ogre, expelling steam. He gave a great final roar that echoed throughout the desert. He was the avatar of strength, a cosmic lord.
Ariman says. —I knew you weren't going to disappoint me.