Weirdface

Outside, there was only fire.

Inside, there was only pain.

He stood where he was, a chain as thick and heavy as an ordinary man's arm tightly locking down his right leg, its other end fixed to the floor.

There was no slack in those shackles. If he wanted to regain his freedom, he could only cut off his own leg at the knee.

Yet his attention was not on that.

His masters had left him in this room missing one wall. Where the wall should have been, there was fire—raging, frenzied flames.

He understood that an energy membrane as thin as a cicada's wing separated him from that blazing hellfire, though he had no way of knowing the principles behind it—such power was far beyond his comprehension.

He only knew that he was staring directly into the void, and thus the void was staring back at him.

He howled and yanked fiercely at the chain.

The inscriptions and sigils covering his bare body began to itch in waves, scorching hot yet ice-cold, tormenting him beyond measure.

The void was tugging at those sinister patterns and obscure words branded onto his body.

He howled again, but this time he received his master's response.

"Be afraid—"

The cyan humanoid flame told him so.

"Fear will make the fusion process go more smoothly. It will give it somewhere to bite."

He found it difficult to tell where the voice was coming from.

Ever since the iron door of his cage had opened, his master seemed able to enter his mind at will. This had happened many times already.

Sometimes, his master would leave something behind—knowledge, abilities, Hunger.

Sometimes, he would take something away instead—perhaps memories, perhaps emotions. It was hard to be certain.

He had many questions.

Yet when he saw the