Helping the Hound, who had turned into a human, wasn't out of pity. Lucky wasn't as magnanimous as one might imagine; his reason was much simpler—pure curiosity. Never in his life had he witnessed a three-headed beast take on a lower life form. It was interesting.

Lucky gazed down at the woman, squatting leisurely beside her.

"Ugh…" the woman let out a faint whimper, blinking weakly. Her pale, dry lips quivered as they parted, looking at the pair of eyes hovering over her. "... you… who… hurts."

"Hmm." Lucky rubbed his chin, trying to make sense of the woman's words. After a few seconds, he shook his head.

"You should say more than that for me to understand," Lucky casually complained. "What are you trying to say? 'You hurt' me?"

The woman let out a helpless sigh, closing her eyes. "Water."

"Sadly, I don't have any." He shook his head again. "So? Where are the other two heads?"

The woman tried to open her eyes, only to close them again. She grunted faintly, stretching her hand to feel the ground. Lucky watched without any trace of sympathy, still waiting for the "magical" moment.

But it didn't happen.

The woman simply struggled, using the last bit of strength to say, "Water."

"Fine." Lucky clicked his tongue as he grabbed his backpack. He took out the half-filled water, opened its cap, and then poured it straight onto her face.

"Ah!" the woman whimpered again, turning her head to avoid choking. Yet, she still turned her head to catch water with her mouth and hand. It wasn't the best way to drink, but it soothed her somehow.

"It seems like you've got some energy now." Lucky retrieved the bottle, looking at the now damp woman. "So? That's it? Not going back to having three heads?"

The woman weakly shifted her eyes to him. She didn't say anything, gulping the remaining water in her mouth. Her brows rose a little as if realization struck her, lifting her hand to see it. She lifted her hands over her, and traces of life and shock slowly appeared in her eyes.

"I'm…" The woman then touched her face, and then her shoulders, and as if by magic, she suddenly sat up. She winced in pain, but that didn't hinder her from marveling at her arms.

"Haha…" she laughed airily and weakly. "I'm… free?"

Lucky lazily cupped his face, his expression dead.

"I'm…" she trailed off as she sniffed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. But before she could say anything, she finally noticed the person squatting beside her. She turned and flinched, seeing the lack of interest dominating Lucky's face.

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

"Where are the other two heads?" he asked in a deadpan tone. "Did you eat them?"

"Huh? Who are you…?"

"The one who gave you magical water."

"That's magical water?"

"Oh, come on!" Lucky hissed. "Don't tell me that the big hound I took with me is actually a gigantic idiot?"

The woman flinched, frowning at the man's irritable mood. "What are you — ouch!" She pinched the bridge of her nose, her head throbbing even more painfully now. "Ugh. My head… it's killing me — ah!"

Lucky arched a brow, watching the woman squirm in pain. She started clasping her hair, hunching over, screaming. Her scream, however, didn't last long as she started losing breath.

'Was it the water?' he wondered curiously, only to squint his eyes when he saw an eye, opening at the back of her ear. It was small, about an inch in size, but it was an eye.

Now, that was interesting.

Another eye appeared on her arm. Now, that was two pairs of eyes. The woman's eyes were the first pair, while the other pair emerged from behind her ear and arm. Lucky tilted his head to see if more eyes would appear. But then the woman suddenly straightened her back and clasped his chest.

"Help!" she turned to him, facing him squarely. "It… hurts!"

Lucky froze for a second, staring at the woman's face covered with several pairs of eyes. Some eyes shook from corner to corner, others were tearing up with blood. Her grip on his collar tightened, desperate for his help.

Any help would suffice for her. Even if he killed her, that would also be fine. As long as she wouldn't be in pain.

"Answer me first," Lucky remarked coldly. "Do you remember everything? And by that, your origins, that number on your back, and how you became a person?"

The woman nodded profusely while Lucky assessed her. Everyone lies to get what they want. Hence, her words weren't enough.

"If so, where did you come from?" he asked once more, eliciting a cry from her.

"Please…" the woman hunched in. "... help — please. It hurts. Ah!"

Soon, she realized begging wouldn't help. For him to help her, she needed to answer him.

"Genesis," she breathed out through gritted teeth. "The number on my back is 93109. I was — ah! They turned me like this! Please! I cannot take this anymore!"

She looked up at him once more, begging him one last time. "Kill me."

"Imp," Lucky called, hearing a little squeak as if the Imp who tagged along with him didn't expect him to know it was around. "Make her sleep."

"Ke?" The Imp slowly appeared in sight, standing just right beside Lucky. It looked up at Lucky, only to see the sharpness in Lucky's eyes.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Ke!" The Imp jumped in panic, landing on the woman's shoulder. It then jumped once more, flying to the woman's face, and blowing at her face. When the Imp landed, he looked up and watched the woman's eyes droop slowly.

"Thank…" the woman couldn't finish her sentence as she slowly fell back on the floor.

"Kekeke!" the Imp giggled, jumping in joy as it jumped back to the woman. It blew on her face a couple more times while Lucky kept his observing eyes on her. After a moment, Lucky rose to his feet and walked away.

"Look after her for a while, Imp," he said, walking back to the entrance. "I'm gonna get some not-so-fresh air."

The Imp let out another questioning, "ke?" but stayed as instructed.

*****

When Lucky stepped out of the ruined building, he glanced up. It was already "night." He could barely see the moonlight slipping through the fog. However, it wasn't totally dark because the city up there was quite bright.

"Haha." He let out a short laugh, wishing to have a stick of cigarette to smoke at the moment. "No wonder it's called the Land of Horrors. It's not because it's like a ghost town."

The quirk on his lips formed into a smirk. "Land of Horrors, or rather, the Gods's Horror. A place where the gods lost control, huh?" he shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Even this will piss off my dearest inmate, that god of the underworld."