Rabbit Food
We were the rabbit's next meal.
It looked at us, smoke fuming from its nostrils. As it opened its mouth, a putrid stench filled the air.
"Hey, rabbit! Over here!" Luna shouted.
She hurled a stone at the beast's head.
The rabbit sprinted toward Luna at full speed. I didn't waste a second.
I let my mana gather in my palm, transforming into fire. I cast the flames directly at the rabbit.
Its black fur began to blaze like dry kindling. It let out a furious shriek and turned its head toward me. Luna chanted.
Drowning in water, the rabbit shook its head violently left and right. Then, it opened its maw and spat a volley at Luna.
Luna dodged the first shot with agility.
But just as she was about to evade the second, blood began to leak from her eyes.
The acid struck her arm.
She screamed in agony. The rabbit had shaken off the water from its head.
"Luna!!!"
I began to cast fire magic as fast as I could. The rabbit had no intention of stopping. Luna, using the last of her strength, tried to put trees between herself and the beast.
Blood started trickling from my eyes. My head felt like it was splitting open. Luna had managed to put a little distance between them.
As I spoke, the pain in my head intensified. I couldn't hold it back. While trying to exhale, I ended up coughing up blood.
My vision was tinted crimson from the blood in my eyes. Nothing more than small sparks fizzled in my hand.
I had caught up to Luna and the rabbit, but there was a precipice right behind her.
Ignoring the pain, I used a final Dash to throw myself forward. I tried to grab Luna.
Before I could reach her, the rabbit snapped Luna up in a single bite. It didn't neglect to take a piece of my remaining arm, too.
The rabbit continued to chew.
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My arms had been replaced by mangled sticks of flesh. With every movement, blood gushed from my stumps.
It looked at me, blew smoke from its nose, and kicked me with its hind leg. But I held on with the last thing I had—my teeth. I sank them into its leg.
It slammed me against the ground repeatedly.
My teeth began to tear through the rabbit's rubbery meat. I could taste the rancid flesh. After a barrage of blows, my teeth finally severed a chunk of its meat, and the impact sent me flying into a nearby tree.
Involuntarily, I swallowed the torn flesh.
An indescribable pain shot through my right temple. A yellow electric current began to envelop my entire body. All my pain vanished in an instant.
Red sparks began to fly from my hand. The rabbit looked at me.
In the next instant, it bit down.
I shot up from the bed, gasping for air.
My body still hummed with that numbing electric sensation.
Luna… Where is Luna?
I threw the door open abruptly.
Luna was sitting at the table, drinking a red liquid.
"Nox… Nox," Luna stammered, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Luna."
I couldn't stop myself. I ran to her side and embraced her with the arms I now had back.
I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst into tears.
For a while, we just hugged and cried. My mind wouldn't allow me to do anything else.
When we finally composed ourselves and stopped crying, I noticed Victor looking at us with a pitiful expression.
"Cute, aren't they? Rabbits," Victor said.
"F*ck you."
Luna and I spoke in unison.
"Come on, Victor. Don't mess with the kids."
"Was that you, Markus? Luna's owner?" Victor asked, sounding displeased.
Markus stood before us. Unlike Victor's plain colors, he wore a purple suit, a yellow tie, and a matching shirt. With his long brown hair and simple earrings, he gave off a strange vibe.
"What's with the coldness, Victor? Aren't we old friends?"
"Heh… Right. Still drinking that Blood Rose wine?"
"Victor, my man. You know me well."
Victor poured a dark crimson wine into a goblet and handed it to the man.
As my eyes locked onto the red liquid in the glass, the vile taste of rabbit meat flooded my memory.
I retched right where I stood. Everyone looked at me with concern.
"Victor, I have a terrible taste in my mouth. Do you have anything sweet?"
"Here, drink some strawberry juice."
He handed me a glass containing a bright yellow liquid with floating red bits.
I brought the glass to my lips. It smelled like citrus. It tasted like a mix of orange and strawberry.
"Did you see the mission for the next floor?" Luna asked.
"No, I haven't looked yet. What is it this time?" I asked.
"The Hexian Academy Reactor disaster," Luna said.
"Hexian Academy…"
Wait a second. Hexian Academy. Why does that give me such a strange feeling?
Who is this person I see? Blonde hair, dressed in white. A laboratory with white crystals suspended in the air.
Nox Quartz. That is my full name.
"Hey man, you in there?" Markus asked.
"I think… I think I just recovered a few forgotten memories."
"Anyway, Victor, I'm heading back to the casino. Good luck to you."
"Does the name Alice ring a bell?"
Markus stopped as he walked toward the Rift Door. He looked back at me.
"Are you talking about Alice Quartz?" Victor and Markus asked simultaneously.
"Alice Quartz? Who is that?" Luna asked.
"Arguably the best researcher in Hexian history. But how do you know her?"
"She bought me when I was a slave, I think. The rest is blurry, but I remember the laboratory. Not fully, though," I said.
"Why is Alice such an important researcher?" Luna asked.
"She joined the Witch Council at a very young age thanks to a few key formulas," Markus explained.
"However, she became infamous for her strange taste in slaves," Victor said.
"Strange taste?" I asked.
"She would take the strange slaves she set her eyes on and raise them as her own disciples," Markus said.
"Sounds pretty good to me. What's weird about that? Unless…" Luna made a suggestive gesture with her fingers.
"Most likely, yes," Victor said.
"No, Victor, don't confuse things. Out of her 20 students, only a handful survived," Markus corrected.
"So, is Nox one of them?" Luna asked.
"Most likely, yes," Victor said.
