...

Months ago, a hideous figure shambled through the outskirts of the refugee camp in Kratikal, resembling an animated corpse. Each step stirred up the dust of countless beings who once inhabited the land, their essences lingering like forgotten whispers. Corrupted and decayed by innumerable corpse gems, Klepto barely clung to life. Every motion was a battle against the screaming souls trapped within him, their wails pulsing beneath his skin with a sickly purple light—each gem a prison for a stolen life.

Klepto's upper eyes slowly closed, revealing nothing but milky whites as he peered through the endless miasma. 'William... wanted me... here... where?' The thought echoed in his fractured mind like a broken clock, the relentless hammering never ceasing. Weeks earlier, after recruiting another noble to their cause, he'd received William's letter summoning him back to Kratikal. The memory was vivid; each word etched perfectly despite his decaying mind.

From afar, he observed the nearly abandoned camp, now home only to occasional hunters and those who bred parasitic demons—twisted creatures used to manipulate other demonic beings. The demons writhed in their containment chambers, their keepers moving with practiced caution, fully aware that one mistake could lead to possession. Yet none of it mattered to him.

'Will...iam...' His thoughts were warmly entangled in an intricate web, trapped at the center, unable to move or breathe—a strangely beautiful sensation. Each corpse gem pulsed in rhythm with his obsession, the captured souls forced to share in his longing—an unstoppable and infectious mania.

"I... want... you..." he whispered, his voice barely audible over the cacophony in his mind. Relief potions no longer silenced the cursed souls; their endless screams pushed him toward oblivion, destroying his body piece by piece. The corpse gems consumed him from within, each one vying for dominance over his failing flesh. Yet he persisted, desperate for one final touch from his beloved—a warmth he yearned for amid the desperation and terror.

Hope flickered through his corrupted form when he finally spotted William in the distance. "Will...iam... please..." He stumbled forward, arms outstretched for the embrace he so desperately sought, each step leaving a trail of purple-black ichor. The souls within him howled louder, sensing his desperation.

But the reunion he envisioned shattered in an instant. "Urgh!" William's sudden charge caught him off guard, a massive surge of [Energy] crushing Klepto's upper body. His breath halted; he couldn't feel his heartbeat or the movement of his lungs—only pain remained. The corpse gems fractured within him, their contained souls shrieking in shared agony as they assaulted his own soul.

"I... why..." Like a puppet with its strings severed, he collapsed lifelessly. "Why..." Tears blurred his vision as his love walked away, chuckling coldly and not even granting him a final glance. Each of William's steps echoed with crushing finality. "Please..." he whispered, the word hanging in the air. I... love... you."

The physical pain was unimaginable, but it wasn't what broke him in those final moments. Betrayal crystallized as he lay dying in the camp he'd sacrificed everything for. 'Mistake...' His entire existence—all the manipulation, the violence, the devotion—had been for nothing. Disposed of like a broken tool, the souls within him pulsed erratically, feeding on his despair.

'What... did... I... do... wrong?' He had given everything, destroying himself for this final moment of closure. Every sacrifice, every soul he'd stolen, every atrocity committed in William's name—all meaningless now, evaporated like a mirage.

As darkness crept in, a demonic imp approached, gurgling menacingly. 'I will die,' Klepto realized, a chilling acceptance washing over him. The creature paused before his drained eyes. No bigger than a meter, its reddish-black skin gleamed under the dim light. A worm-like parasite emerged from its mouth, inching toward the gaping wound in his upper body.

When it entered, the pain intensified exponentially, silencing all other voices and bringing him a clarity he hadn't felt in years. 'I... don't want... to die...' Anger and desperation surged within him. Memories of his family and past mistakes flooded back—moments of love and care overshadowed by youthful folly. He longed to turn back time, but one thought burned brighter than all others: 'William.' Like a tidal wave, the thought swept away everything else. Despite the betrayal, Klepto still craved his touch, his love.

'Something happened,' he thought, a spark of logic piercing through the agony. 'He wouldn't do this. William was corrupted.' It was the only explanation. They had been happy together—eating, making love, cuddling, talking. It was perfect. "I need to stop it; I need him to come back and destroy all those bad influences."

As his mind sharpened, the parasite burrowed deeper, tiny tentacles wriggling through his throat into his brain. It released its [Energy], aiming to make him its puppet. But Klepto's own [Energy] surged in response—grit and determination were his only weapons against the incursion. This was a stepping stone to bring back his beloved. 'Time to reverse the roles.'

'William... you will be mine,' he vowed. If he received only betrayal instead of the love he desired, then he'd take it by force and punish those who stood in their way. All the planning, all the wasted time, all the sacrifices—why not seize everything? Why not turn obstacles into puppets for their desires?

The battle over his body became a minor inconvenience. Despite the searing pain grinding his mind into a paste, it didn't matter. It was all for William, all so they could be together again, no matter the means. 'I will give up everything,' a thought of no return occurred as their [Energies] intertwined, sacrificing the last of his sapience, trapping the parasite with no escape, his own [Energy] shadowing its every move—it would become him.

Hours passed as the parasite panicked, attempting to destroy and rebuild his body with its [Energy]. It invaded his organs with tiny tentacles, but Klepto remained focused. His [Energy] never attacked but followed, intertwining repeatedly, accepting all pain in its wake. The parasite grew exhausted with each bone it dissolved, each organ it crushed, each vein it ripped. Klepto's [Energy] was there, pushing into the parasite's essence when it rebuilt, never relenting.

A single purpose sustained him during this internal war. 'William, William, William...' The mantra enabled him to endure the endless cycle of destruction and regeneration, his organs and mind ripped apart and rebuilt over and over.

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Time lost meaning; pain became a mere byproduct of survival and his greater purpose—to reclaim the life he imagined—an eternal life sustained by eliminating those who manipulated William and held his Mother hostage. 'I will save you.'

An eternity seemed to pass before his [Energy] merged with the now-dying parasite, his body fully rebuilt. The voices were gone, leaving only echoes of desperation. Klepto was free from sacrifice, ready to make his purpose a reality. Yet there was a problem: he couldn't move. Weak but clear-minded, his body lay lifeless on the dark, sandy ground. 'Hunger.'

Hours went by as Klepto crawled, barely moving inches, driven by a singular goal as his stomach growled incessantly. Fortunately, voices and footsteps broke through his haze.

"It should be here, right?" one voice said, the ground vibrations growing stronger.

"Yeah... Ah, here it is, but it's dead? And who's that? Did someone get invaded by a parasite?"

As they approached, Klepto felt their gazes full of suspicion. "See? I told you it was a good idea to check again! Imagine this guy," one kicked him lightly in the stomach, "going around creating a Demon Run—what a fucking disaster."

A sigh followed. "Fine, I'll handle it." The sound of a weapon being unsheathed cut through the air. "Now I have to hear about this for the next year, I guess?"

"Of course! Would we keep living on Dog-Pudding Island if abominations like him could be traced back to us? Better check twice, even thrice," the other retorted. "You are right... I am pretty happy now with my first kid who isn't dying a miserable death after two weeks of suffering."

'William is on Dog-Pudding Island?' Knowledge surged into his mind from the corpse gems he'd ingested. 'A little island for the two of us!'

Their voices dripped with disgust. "Ugh, he's still alive? Can we save him?"

The other scoffed. "No? Are you crazy? Do you want to risk it? I told—"

"Alright, alright! Just take the [Experience]. I don't deserve them anyway, fuck it."

Before they could strike, unknown instincts flared within Klepto. Something sprouted from his back—black charcoal limbs with numerous hooks, impaling the two attackers.

"What the—?!"

"Get back—argh!"

Blood seeped into the appendages now visible behind him, spider legs that siphoned their life force, allowing him to stand up slowly. 'Tasty.'

Looking into their eyes, Klepto felt a mix of disgust and allure. Something about them felt off, yet they seemed oddly appealing. 'I want [Experience].' Despite a brief sense of satisfaction, hunger still gnawed at him.

They struggled, damaging his monstrous appendages, wiggling inside them, but new ones sprouted, impaling them repeatedly and draining their blood until one lay lifeless while the other gasped for breath. "Please don't! Urgh..." One of his appendages liquefied, forcing itself into their mouth and silencing their pleas. "Not now."

Klepto pulled the dead body closer. "The scent... so sweet." Biting into the corpse, he was surprised by the richness—a culinary masterpiece that needed to be savored.

Like a connoisseur, he experimented with every part, relishing each new combination. He cracked the skull to taste the brain—a blend of crunch and softness he found delightful. Extracting the heart, he squeezed its contents into his mouth, enjoying the warmth trickling down his throat. Breaking the mana and [Energy] cores, he marinated the veins in them, only to slurp them like noodles, savoring their unique textures. "Delicious!"

Kneeling beside the body, he couldn't have been happier. Every new flavor brought him immense joy. He wrapped strips of skin around eyeballs, creating morsels that burst with flavor. He nibbled on the tongue and teeth, finding the crunch reminiscent of overdone garlic bread.

Carefully extracting the stomach, he used his [Energy] to fashion it into a bowl. He drank the sour, nutritious juices, enjoying every bit of digested food streaming down his throat. He closed his eyes to immerse himself fully in the experience. "This is Core."

Sighing in satisfaction, he glanced down at his bloodied attire. "I really am a mess." He chuckled softly, a rare moment of levity after all the darkness he experienced. "Perhaps proper utensils next time." He licked his lips, the taste lingering pleasantly.

A muffled whimper brought him back. Turning, he saw the wind djinn—the surviving attacker—watching in horror. Their eyes were wide with terror, tears streaking down their face.

"I was always bad at etiquette, never eating how I should." He approached them slowly. "Do not worry." He offered a disarming smile, though it did little to ease their fear. "I'm not hungry anymore, but..."

Something ignited within him—a desire he hadn't known existed. His spider-like appendages extended, gently brushing against the djinn's trembling form. "You can become my servant," he suggested softly. "I just need to remodel your face a little."

His limbs moved with unsettling precision, reshaping the djinn's features despite their muffled screams. He sculpted them into a bloody approximation of William's features. "You betrayed me, but..." He tore at his own clothing, his face flushed with a mix of emotions. "It doesn't matter! We can still make beautiful hatchlings! Lovely hatchlings! Loyal hatchlings! A family—"

He hesitated as a distant memory surfaced—a fleeting image of his past self. "No," he whispered, pain flickering in his eyes. In a sudden act of self-harm, he rammed one of his appendages into his own temple. "Get out!" Pulling it out slowly, the wound healed instantly. "No more past, only the future with us together." He looked back at the djinn, a determined gleam in his eyes. "But I need relief... now. I'll apologize to my darling later."

Forcing the djinn toward the ground, he violated them with immense pleasure while ripping arms apart, asphyxiating and biting parts of them as ecstasy overcame him, "William! Ohhh!"

Pleading and begging stopped as he thrust harder, pushing himself into the djinn, unknowingly forcing his appendages into every single opening they had until it became still, lifeless.

Confusion graced Klepto's face, "Why did you die?" Turning immediately into wrath. "I didn't allow you to die!" His [Energy] surged, reconstructing the face to perfection, making their heart beat out of nowhere. "Like William... you are alive!"

Guiding the djinn to the stand-up, he noticed their unsteady movements. "You may not be William, but you'll do for now," he licked his lips, blushing. "You'll help me until I can have him back, dear sex slave."

A faint whisper echoed in his mind. [Please kill me... please... I beg...], but he ignored them, gently grabbing their private parts, ripping them slowly out, "Do not worry, my dear, we will be a happy family, and you will help me release my stress and enjoy it."

With an elegant swiftness, he tore it away, looking toward the sky, focusing on his next move. "Hm, maybe we should go and meet your new daddy?" Yet, he stopped suddenly. "No!" One of his appendages cut the leg of his slave, making them fall to the ground. "No, No, No! Bad idea, sex slave!"

Klepto knew that he was still too weak and that he had made a promise, one he liked to keep, to make William proud: "The nobles! That's right!" He turned around, seeing the slave wiggling around on the ground. He sat over them, thinking aloud, "Do you know how to talk to them?"

[Kill me... pain... help... mommy], he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, you'll look the part, and that's enough."

As he pondered about his plan, his appendages absentmindedly grabbed into the slave's mouth, plucking one tooth after the other out, like leaves from a beautiful flower, as screams of the trapped soul shrieked in agony at him, "No, that's a bad idea, that's not good too, hm..." The repetitive motion was oddly soothing.

While filled with beautiful love and obsession, he knew others wouldn't understand it and hunt him down, but something came to his mind, making him stop the new habit he immensely enjoyed, "That's right! I can manipulate you and so them!"

But uncertainty nagged at him. "How did I manipulate you before? Without [Mystic Skills] or the [System window]..." His thoughts trailed off as a familiar sensation washed over him. A translucent interface appeared before his eyes.

A slow grin spread across his face. "Well, isn't this interesting?"