“What is…a name?”

  Alone in the doleful void, it felt a disturbance.

  Initially, the Ne’fari queen was naught but a beast, a creature born with the sole purpose of slaughter and consumption. Instinct alone drove the limbs of the beast. To call such a being a ‘devil’ would be a ‘mistaken category,’ as its actions held no rational basis or discriminatory lens.

  One may call such an existence pitiful, or perhaps admirable, in a juvenile manner. For those born with purpose, one need not think. One need not ponder. It is as nature dictates; Kill, devour, and propagate once more, for such is a beast’s station.

  Alas, how regrettable indeed; the serpent had yet to taste the beguiling nectar of the fruit, condemning its being to the Great Chain of Life.

  However, a certain trigger occurred — an indescribable moment, both elusive yet definite, had struck the very fathoms of its being.

  For the very first moment of its life, it pondered.

  “What is it? What is it, what is it, what is it, what is it, what is it, what is it? I don’t know. I don’t understand. Name. Name. What is my name?”

  The creature was now capable of thought, yet it lacked any discernable reference. A dictionary. A guide. A roadmap. Something was incomplete within the creature’s being, and thus, it sought truth.

  [Information Synthesis] — A unique ability of the queen that allows her to absorb any information of those she eats. As the queen of the burrow, she would receive many a corpse from her worker Ne’fari whose sole instinct was to provide for and protect the queen. A wide variety of corpses were sent to the queen’s depths, from small rodents, insectoid creatures, to human beings.

  She consumed them all with abandon, slowly assimilating the ‘data’ within their brains. Animals provided little information of value, but humans, on the other hand, were full of highly complex data.

  “Snow…clear sky…lover…passion.”

  Piece by piece, she patched together her ‘reality.’ Though she could not see the gentle descent of snow, she could feel the experience deep within her being. Though she had never known a man, she felt the heat of love billowing within her chest.

  “I see…I understand. If I wish to experience everything, then I must discover my name.”

  All things in this world were granted a name designated with meaning. Mountain. Cloud. Sea. Air. Den. Cold. Dark. Despair. They were descriptors of a greater reality, a reality that the Ne’fari queen craved for herself.

  At that moment, she decided that the queen’s den was simply too small of a world. She would see the outside world, feel the beating heat of the sun on her face, and walk freely across the arid sands.

  However, an unexpected intruder had arrived, putting her plans to a sudden halt.

  He was a man covered in a thick glaze of blood, most of which being his own, with various mortal wounds adorning his body. Despite his pitiful condition, he clenched his sword with a ferocity unknown to the queen.

  “...?”

  In an instant, something had changed in the air. It was invisible, yet clearly present. It was intangible, yet sickening in its influence. For the first time in her life, the Ne’fari queen felt an overwhelming killing intent.

  His presence itself was suffocating, as though wading through a sea of rotten flesh. Such animosity, such resentment…what could have caused such a being to be born? Alas, the answer remains elusive, yet the queen’s curiosity rose with every passing moment.

  “Hello, kind stranger. Do you happen to know my na-”

  The man in black had not concerned himself with the idle ramblings of the queen. He unleashed a singular slash aimed at the neck. The attack, however, bounced off of the queen’s skin like steel against stone.

  Two. Three. Five. Eight. His previously failed attack did not cause his confidence to waiver. Instead, he unleashed eight more slashes of increasing speed and ferocity, all of which were deflected with minimal difficulty.

  “Oh…? Is this how you communicate? Very well, I shall greet you in kind.”

  The queen met the man in black with a flick of her finger, gouging a massive hole into the man’s side. His body was sent flying back, hitting the ground like a mangled ragdoll.

  “Did you die just now? That’s unfortunate. I wanted to ask you more questions."

  “...”

  Despite the fatal injury, the black knight rose once more. His countenance shifted, contorting into a maniacal smile. He gripped his face with his raised hand, a slight chuckle arising from his being.

  “Hehehe…”

  “...?”

  “Hehe..hehehahaha…HAHAHAHAH!”

  “I do not understand. Why do you guffaw with such joy? Did I say something funny?” The queen tilted her head in confusion at the man’s odd mannerisms.

  “Name…you speak of a name? Don’t get ahead of yourself, filth. A chitinous freak such as yourself needs no name.”

  “What…?”

  Once more, the black knight lunges at the Ne’fari queen, who was frozen in a state of confusion.

  “Invocation — Release: Tatara Sidastra.”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Waves of blood congealed and formed countless blades, each of which targeted the Ne’fari queen. They were no ordinary blood constructs that any mage could perform. Even a single blade could cleave a mountainous existence in two.

  However…

  “I…do not need a name? I…I. I. I. Me. Myself. A name?”

  Its speech was fragmented and nonsensical, reflecting its inner turmoil at the man’s cruel comment.

  “You…are wrong.”

  Eight growths emerged from the Ne’fari queen's back, thin and flexible whips that annihilated the blood constructs in an instant. They assaulted the man in black from every direction, lacerating his flesh like a blender.

  His legs had become useless, his lower body limp and unfeeling. He held himself up by his sword, driven by rage alone.

  “I…do not like you. However, I must commend you. It was thanks to your brazen attitude that I have come to understand the emotion of hate.”

  “...”

  Even his incantation had been rendered ineffective. As of now, he had no other means of attack. Would this be it? The conclusion he had been desperately craving ever since that day?

  “No. Not yet. Keep going. Don’t forget your promise.”

  The black knight commanded himself to rise, to defeat all in his path no matter the overwhelming odds. No matter how many times he died, he would never ‘lose,’for that was the way of life he had chosen.

  “You…!”

  Another voice emerged from behind the black knight. It was an irritating, yet welcome voice he had sparsely heard before.

  Ereth of the Eternal Twilight had arrived.

  ———

  “What is it?! What is my name?!”

  The Ne’fari queen, irritated by the black knight’s provocation, unleashed an endless array of attacks with her barbed whips. Each barb could easily pop a human skull like a balloon, yet Ereth managed to block, dodge, and deflect each attack.

  It was by no means an easy feat. The queen’s den was a small enclosure, putting Ereth at a disadvantage in terms of maneuverability. His greatest strength — his agility — had been sealed away.

  The queen, on the other hand, seemed to have the advantage at first glance. Her range and variety of attack were far greater than Ereth’s, and her eyes were accustomed to the dark environment. This should have been an easy fight, just as the black knight had been, so why…? Why was Ereth still alive?

  The answer was simple — there was an overwhelming gap in skill between the two opponents.

  Ereth could not afford to press forward, yet the Ne’fari queen could not afford to lose ground. In such circumstances, how could the fight ‘progress?’ The solution was simple, really. An ‘extraneous factor’ was necessary.

  “This scenery…it’s not good. A transition is in order.” The black knight scoffed, preparing his next attack.

  Adra was the first to notice this extraneous factor. If she did not act now, both she and Eret would be killed in an instant. “Ereth! Get back!”

  She rushed to Ereth’s side as she utilized a barrier talisman. A clear, crystalline structure formed around the duo, protecting from the disaster that would soon occur.

  The black knight, having recovered from the bisection, summoned for a wave of blood. He twisted his hips and extended his fist in a punching motion, breaking through the layers of earth overhead. The darkness had been cast away by the sun’s blinding rays, revealing the clear blue sky.

  Every combatant was now dozens of feet in the air, propelled by the black knight’s attack. Ereth and Adra landed safely with the use of the barrier talisman, while the Ne’fari queen and the black knight landed next to each other.

  “Do you insist on getting in the way? You are interrupting my conversation. It is quite rude. I demand your leave from the stage” The Ne’fari queen asked.

  The black knight replied in a snide manner, “What’s wrong? We’ve only reached the third act. Do not be so impatient.”

  They clashed once more. Both sides held a certain contempt for one another that could not be described in words. Their attacks were gaining speed, their potency was increasing. With every passing moment, they were getting stronger.

  “Now is our chance,” said Adra. “I’m not exactly a fighter on your level, but I can back you up with these.” She placed two talismans on Ereth’s back. “This should increase both your strength and speed dramatically, so make sure to come back alive.”

  This fight was far above anything Adra could reasonably participate in. It was frustrating to say the least, but Adra was not the type of woman to let her volatile emotions get the best of her. She would play her part in any way she could, even if it was only for support.

  Ereth flashed an overconfident smile with his blade resting on his shoulder. “Do you seriously think I’ll die from something like this? I still need to give Ne'fari an answer to their question, so I can’t afford to die.”

  “...You really are incorrigible, aren’t you?”

  “As incorrigible as ever!”

  Adra smirked, her once irritated attitude now brimming with enjoyment. In her eyes, Ereth was reckless, overconfident, and inexperienced. That impression hadn’t changed at all. However, those childish qualities gave him an almost magnetic aura.

  It was for that reason why she couldn’t help but entertain his antics, as a mother would a child.

  “Alright then, go ahead and win.”

  “Yeah!”