The interaction so far awakened something within me—a dream, faint and fragile, yet compelling. It came accompanied by a whisper that clung to my mind like the remnants of an old melody.

"Home, huh? Perhaps I'll..."

The sentence trailed into silence as I stopped myself. It was a dangerous thought. How could I forget what I truly was? A soul encased in a beast of endless power, a vessel with an insatiable craving for destruction. To awaken that creature would almost certainly replay the horrors of that moment—the moment when all was consumed, when entire realities succumbed to the nightmare I embodied.

But what if the beast never returned? After all, it had longed for its own end. So much so, in fact, that it had ceased to think entirely, its mind abandoned to stillness in its desperate bid for death. That’s why I existed now, in this tenuous state of control. The monster’s silence was my chance.

I would tread carefully. Yet, for now, I allowed myself a small sliver of hope.

"...Perhaps I'll craft the house of my dreams and live a peaceful life."

"Mister! That sounds great! Can Ryna accompany you?" she exclaimed, her sparkling eyes wide with excitement.

Her enthusiasm pulled me from my musings. I began to move, shifting against the stones that had entombed me. My body had been trapped beneath boulders—truly stuck there, as if the ruins themselves had tried to keep me hidden. Ryna had been laboring to free me, her small hands clawing away bits of rubble. Yet she had barely managed to move the smallest of rocks.

As for me? I stood up without a shred of effort, the boulders shattering as though they were made of glass.

"WOAH! Mister is so strong!" Ryna exclaimed, her awe shining brightly.

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I stared at my hands, flexing my fingers. They felt familiar, yet alien—a paradox I couldn’t quite reconcile. These were the hands I’d known before the war, before the unthinkable had happened. My body… it was whole again. Human. That explained why Ryna had been curious rather than terrified. She had not seen the true form I once bore—the form that struck fear into the hearts of Gods and higher beings.

A small chuckle escaped me. "Haah. I guess so."

Ryna tilted her head, her feline ears twitching. "Hmm. Hey, mister! Ryna doesn’t know your name! What’s mister’s name?"

Oh. How careless of me. I’d forgotten to introduce myself. Yet as I opened my mouth to answer, I hesitated.

My name.

Did I even have one anymore? The eternity—no, time itself—had eroded that part of me, leaving it indistinct, like a faded engraving on an ancient monument. What had they called me before everything crumbled to dust? Whatever it was, it was lost now. Perhaps it was fitting to start anew.

"My name is..."

But before I could finish, a memory surfaced, vivid and intrusive. I saw it clearly: the Jester God’s demise, the moment he branded us with his mockery. Back then, we had been many, a chorus of ruin known as the Angels of Demise. Now, there was only me. Alone. If I were to bear the weight of such a title, what name could suit me better than that of the ultimate fallen being? A name that echoed through myth and fear?

"Lucifer."

I spoke it aloud, letting it settle into the air. It felt... fitting. Yes, from now on, I would be Lucifer.

Ryna’s eyes lit up with wonder. "Wow! Mister has such a pretty name!"

"Uhh, thank you," I replied, her earnest compliment catching me off guard.

Her tail swished excitedly as she declared with a grin, "From now on, Ryna and Lucy are the bestest friends!"

I blinked, stunned by her sudden proclamation. "Hold on... Lucy?"

"Yesh! Lucy!" she chirped, her voice brimming with pride at her clever nickname.

I sighed, a mix of exasperation and amusement bubbling within me. "It’s Lucifer. Not Lucy."

But she paid me no mind, her grin growing wider. "Lucy sounds cuter!"

I shook my head, my lips twitching into the faintest of smiles. She was insistent, this little nekojin. Despite myself, I found her presence oddly comforting. After eons of solitude, perhaps even a name like "Lucy" could bring a strange sense of warmth.

For the first time in an eternity, I allowed myself a small laugh. "Fine. Have it your way, Ryna."