“I still remember it. My mother’s lullabies…” Dungeon Master 07 said to me one day, very randomly, after reporting to me about the situation on the other side.

"What?" I blurted out, confused about where exactly it was coming from.

Just a moment before, we were talking about their progression, and the next instant, he was talking about this.

"I said I still remember it. My mother's lullabies..."

I wouldn't be able to tell that. We were orphans before we got sent to that place. That is to say, I really don't remember what our mother looked like. As far as I could remember, I never had one—so I knew for a fact that the mother Dungeon Master 07 was currently talking about was not ours, but instead one in this world.

"This current incarnation's mother?" I asked. To which he replied with a shake of the head.

"No. I'm talking about my first incarnation's mother—Roland's mother."

"Oh, I see."

To be honest, I really didn't understand what reason he could have brought that up.

"I also vaguely remember the lullabies of my second mom. She was very different from my first mom. I can't remember much about her; I can't even remember her face. I guess that's normal considering how fast I died. But she was warm, young, pretty sure, given how clumsy she was with almost everything, that I was her first child. I wonder if she managed to have another one after I died. She was very clumsy, but I think she really deserves another shot at motherhood."

Feeling more and more perplexed at that moment, I finally decided to ask, "Why do you bring that up?"

"Come on, can't you tell?"

"Perhaps I can, perhaps I can't. Why don't you just tell me?"

He chuckled and then said, "You know it, but I will tell you nonetheless: you're wary of us, or to be exact, you're wary of what was exposed out there—wary that we'll become like the old man."

Touché, I thought, but nonetheless, I went on to reply, "What makes you think that?"

"Oh, come on. I'm still you enough for us not to have to play that little game."

"I guess you're right. So let's not do that, then. Let's talk about this openly," I followed.

"Alright then."

Even though we agreed to talk about it openly, what happened next was instead an awkward silence. It was only when I asked, "When did you realize that I was wary of it?" that the silence was finally broken.

"When did I realize, huh?" he sneered, "I'm not sure. Perhaps it was on my—No, I think I never really realized it. I just saw and felt it myself. And as I did, I realized that you most likely did too. If I were to choose a precise time, I guess that had to be when Dungeon Master 08, Dungeon Master 09, and Dungeon Master 10 were unleashed onto the world, and we met up out there. It was there that I realized it---they were not the same. If I felt that, no doubt that you would too, if you hadn’t already."

"I see, so you're not even denying that you have changed?"

"It's a messy position that you put me in, Dungeon Master 00. I would be lying if I were to say that I did not change, and I would be looking like a damn heretic if I were to say that I did change. Neither sounds good."

"So what other way would you put it that sounds good?"

"Mh, let's see. If I were to voice it in a simple and concise way, it is, 'that out there, it is very easy to mix up the persona we wield out there and the person we grow up to be out there; neither are exactly "us" in a Dungeon Master way, meaning that each "us" out there is not "us" anymore but rather an "us" that was once "us." In other words, a “us” that is no longer just ‘us,’ but is more than that."

Taking a moment to take in what he just said, I commented, “So what you’re telling me is that you have not changed, but that you’ve grown up to be different from the one you’ve once been?”

“It’s about that. Sounds similar but there’s a subtle difference that makes it that I’m not yet a despicable traitor to who--no, what we are.”

Wanting to hear more of it from his point of view, I spoke no word and simply listened.

"As I just told you, I still remember my first mother, and vaguely remember my second, after all if I've been at her side for what, three or two weeks. I remember details of each of my incarnations, each of my infancies, childhood, teenage years, adulthood. I remember details of those periods of my lives without being able to forget about them. All these experiences, memories have all found their way into whatever is working in the guise of a brain in me. So really, I can't say I'm the same Dungeon Master 07 that left this place for the outside world. I am different."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He let out a sighed then continued. "I guess this is the byproduct of using the Greed and Resurgence. I guess it is its curse, as that senile old man called it," he chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Now that I think about it, that's what he called it," I said, remembering the old man's very words.

"Do you think he believed that this is a sort of Karma for using Greed and Resurgence despite knowing full well what it does to the poor souls that didn't ask anything?"

Hearing those words that didn't sound very Dungeon Master 07 like, I couldn't help but wonder, "Are you using him to voice out your own thoughts?"

"Perhaps... Actually, I think it could be that. He was really the kind to believe in Karma."

"I guess he really was..."

"And you, Dungeon Master 00?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You who never changed. Do you believe in it—Karma?"

I pondered about it and said, "I think... I think I ironically do, but I think we have a duty that transcends the concept of Karma."

"I think so too," Dungeon Master 07 said after a while.

Wanting to make it clear once and for all, I said, "So long as your actions align with that duty, your acquired attachments don't get in the way of our ultimate goal—the one that brought us onto this world—we have no reason to fear things like karma," I tried to convey my words as both reassurance and a warning.

"Is that the line not to be crossed?"

"Yes, it is. It should be easy for us not to cross, shouldn't it?"

"It should be," he nodded and then asked, "what do you think would happen if one of us were to fail not to cross that line?"

"If one of us were to do that, which I hope won't happen, I would have no other choice but to consider them as no longer part of 'us' and use the authority that made us “us” in the first place, against them," I promptly replied.

"How ruthless," he said before sinking into silence.

"You?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. What would you have done if you were to learn that one of us crossed that line?"

"The same thing," he replied without a hint of hesitation.

His answer didn't surprise me in the slightest. In spite of all that he did today, which could have easily been flagged as suspicious, there was something about the way he conducted himself—the way he consistently reported not only the advancement of their missions but also reported on each of the Dungeon Masters' whereabouts—that simply told me that if there were one of us that was at least equally dedicated to our mission and equally influenced by the outside world on the Dungeon Masters as me, it would be him. He might have, as he said, been different than how he were when he left, but deep down I could tell with at least confidence that the "us" in him wasn't buried deep beneath the new him.

After that interaction with Dungeon Master 07, my heart more or less eased regarding the possibility of one of us losing oneself from our intended path. Of course, it was still in the back of my mind, but this time around, knowing that Dungeon Master 07 was keeping an even closer eye on the others and consistently reporting to me, I felt like I no longer had to worry about it as much.

***

Under the premise of Dungeon Master 07 keeping a close watch on everyone, the six first Dungeon Masters used Greed and Resurgence followed the others into the world. Soon after their departure, Dungeon Master 07 requested to borrow Otherworldly Synergy and Authority Gathering authorities. I granted approval, with the stipulation that they must promptly return these authorities once their designated purpose was fulfilled. Despite the potent abilities these authorities granted, enabling them to intricately navigate the unpredictable nature of Greed and Resurgence's reincarnation power—allowing precise selection of both the individuals they would incarnate into and even non-human forms—I couldn't afford the risk of losing such a formidable asset. Allowing them out was a huge gamble enough, it was with me that the authorities were the safest.

It was some time after he ventured his request to borrow the authority that Dungeon Master 07 approached me, explaining, "I may not be able to report to you for a while from here on out."

"Why's that?" I asked, wary of where that sudden revelation came from.

"I will soon be following Dungeon Master 04; we will be attempting to become angels," he simply explained.

Being one of the six sentient races along with humans, elves, dwarves, demons, and beastkin, angels were a nearly extinct race with only a handful of them remaining alive. This meant that there was no window of opportunity for us to incarnate as newborn angels. However, it seemed possible for a human—or to be exact, a Highbreed—to evolve into an angel. But that implied acquiring very specific skills and titles.

"That'll take time, which means that I'll have to live longer," Dungeon Master 07 explained.

Settled apart from other sentient races, angels were characterized by their ethereality. To become one, an individual had to leave behind their mortality. Dungeon Master 07, who usually lived a simple and peon-like life to maintain consistency in reporting, acknowledged that becoming an angel would disrupt that routine. "Too many eyes will be on me, so I wouldn't be able to keep up with the reports," he explained.

"I see, I understand." I replied, understanding.

"Dungeon Master 10 will take over my reporting duty until I'm done," Dungeon Master 07 added. "Dungeon Master 08 should also be visiting from time to time. She's aiming to raise her Longevity skill level, so no doubt she would like to spar and challenge Dungeon Master 02's domain guardian. Perhaps she'll be able to postpone her current vessel’s demise. So while my ascension will take some time, you should have plenty of company."

Aside from the fact that he referred, most likely unintentionally, to Dungeon Master 08 as "she," I couldn't help but ask, "Are you telling me this because you think I'll be lonely without you?"

He remained silent and then said, "I think the question is, Dungeon Master 00, will you be lonely?" I didn't answer his question, and he seemed fine with it.

As he finally prepared to use the authority, I bid him, "Good luck out there."

He thanked me, and at first, I assumed he would simply use the authority and leave. Instead, he remained there in silence before ultimately saying, "I may be trying to become an angel and keep a low profile, but I'll make sure to keep an eye on everyone."

I couldn't help but smile internally. "Should something unexpected happen, be it with us or the other reincarnated Dungeon Master, I will do my best—or rather, I will act in consequence."

"Don't worry, Dungeon Master 07. I never doubted that."

"I see, well then. It's a farewell then." As we exchanged a metaphorical nod, I felt the authority returning to me.