"Ethan, can we do anything?"
"I—I have no idea."
"Did the doctor come back with the test results yet?"
"I don't think so. He said it would take some time. Still... we should prepare for the worst. I don't even want to imagine our baby boy might never walk."
"Then stop imagining it." Her voice steadied. "Whether he walks or not, we'll be by his side. Always."
"...I always loved that about you. Finding the light even in the darkest moments."
…
'Why does being a demon have to be so damn hard?! Arghhh! Why can't I stand up straight?! Why me—why these legs?!'
Sirus trembled with frustration, glaring down at his bent, hind-jointed leg. Freakish, twisted things. 'Why am I the only one with them? The others... they looked normal.'
'Okay. Breathe.' He inhaled sharply, trying to tame the surge in his chest.
'I've already passed the age where I should be walking, but this... this isn't what I'm used to. Sure, they look cool in a messed-up way—but stop. Just stop complaining. One step at a time. Literally.'
He scanned his cramped, dusty room. Nothing useful. Just bare walls and a creaky wooden floor. Guess I'm crawling.
He dropped to his belly and dragged himself across the floor, inch by inch.
'Alright. Made it. The corner. Let's try to just... stand. Get used to the weight first.'
He positioned himself upright, his tiny hands gripping the wall for support. He pushed—
[DING]
A robotic voice echoed in his skull:
[Hidden Quest Triggered]
[Objective: Stand up and learn to walk]
Sirus froze. Then promptly fell back with a thump.
"Oww..." he muttered, blinking in confusion. 'What the hell was that voice?!'
Out of the corner of his eye, something shimmered. A floating interface, translucent and blue, hovered nearby.
'Right... the cube. The one that brought me here.' He lifted his stubby hand and pinched the corner of the interface, dragging it in front of his face.
'This world has a system. Like a video game... no, like a phone interface. Interesting.'
He narrowed his eyes, reading the quest line again.
'Just to walk? That's it? And it's a hidden quest? Strange… I've been trying to walk all week. Why now?'
He stared at the corner he had crawled to.
'Could it be... no way. I didn't trigger a quest just by touching a wall, did I? That's dumb.'
He slapped his cheeks with his tiny palms. 'Focus, dammit.'
Once more, he leaned into the wall and pushed himself up.
'Alright. I'm standing. Time to get a feel for these cursed limbs.'
Sirus slowly bent his knees, rocked his hips, twisted experimentally.
'That's it. I've been walking like I did back on Earth. But these legs... they're different. This... I think I remember something like this—a rare mutation. Something a few unlucky humans were born with.'
His eyes narrowed.
'I won't be beaten by my own bones. If I have to force them into place, so be it.'
Without knowing how, mana began to wrap around his legs. Faintly glowing. Instinctual. Primitive.
His fangs clenched tightly, sharp and bloodied from the pressure. He didn't notice the metallic taste, nor the red dripping from his lips.
'I will walk.'
"I… wiLL… wALk!" he cried, the words breaking out of him like a primal scream.
[DING]
[Hidden Task Completed]
[Stand up and Learn to Walk: Complete]
[+2 Strength]
[+2 Knowledge]
The voice snapped him out of his trance. 'Wait, what? I… I walked?!'
[THUMP]
'Ow…' He landed on his rear again.
He groaned, rubbing his sore backside. Then, slowly, he lifted his head and smiled.
'I actually did it... I completed the task?'
Dragging the interface back into view, he confirmed it.
'I walked. I actually walked!'
With trembling excitement, Sirus Rose once again. This time, without hesitation. One step. Another. Around the room, triumphant.
But then—
[CRACK]
[SHISRRP]
"AAARGHH!!"
The scream shredded his throat. His tiny voice, overwhelmed by agony, snapped like a thread under tension.
'Somebody... help… me…'
Unimaginable pain flooded him—burning, wrenching, twisting inside every nerve. Far beyond anything he had known in two lifetimes.
He writhed, clawing the wooden floor, his limbs spasming like a puppet cut from its strings.
[DING] [Error]
[Host In Danger]
[System Override Attempted]
[Error]… Error… Error]
He didn't see the interface windows multiplying around him. Didn't feel the blood pouring from his eyes. The floor turned red beneath him—an infant demon writhing in a pool of his own crimson tears.
[System Override Completed]
[Host Requires Immediate Aid]
[Choose: Yes / No]
[Error: Host Unresponsive]
In that moment, he truly believed he would die. Six months old, reborn and already on death's doorstep.
No one heard his cries.
No one answered.
Only one thought remained in the bleeding haze of his mind:
'Help... s-somebody... help me…'