"Amethiel, my dear… oh, my little one."
The voice was soft.
Gentle.
It floated through the quiet space around him like a warm breeze.
Amethiel slowly lifted his head.
A woman stood a few steps away from him.
She was beautiful.
Her hair fell in long waves of blackish-purple, the same shade as his own. Her eyes shone bright neon green, glowing softly in a way that felt painfully familiar.
For a moment, Amethiel simply stared at her.
His heart skipped.
Then something inside him twisted.
Recognition.
"Mother…?" Amethiel whispered.
His eyes widened as the word left his lips.
The woman smiled at him.
The smile was warm. Loving. The kind that made his chest tighten in a way he hadn't felt in years.
"Amethiel…" she said softly.
Her voice carried the same gentle fondness he remembered.
Amethiel's breath caught.
He took a small step forward, almost afraid that if he moved too quickly, she would disappear.
"Mother," he whispered again, his voice trembling slightly. "Is it… really you?"
The woman looked at him the same way she always had.
Soft.
Proud.
As if the sight of him alone made her happy.
"Amethiel…" she repeated quietly, speaking his name as though it were something delicate, something she was afraid to lose.
Amethiel felt his chest tighten.
Painfully.
'That voice…'
Was it really her voice?
He wasn't sure.
Amethiel had never truly heard his mother speak before. She had passed away only months after giving birth to him. All he had ever known of her were portraits, stories, and the way people said he looked exactly like her.
And yet this voice…
It felt familiar.
Comforting.
Like something his heart recognized even if his mind could not.
"Amethiel," she said again.
Her smile remained soft.
"Amethiel… Amethiel…"
His name kept falling from her lips.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Amethiel frowned slightly.
"Mother," he said carefully, taking a step closer. "Why are you just repeating my name?"
He reached forward, his hand lifting slowly until his fingers brushed against her cheek.
The moment he touched her—
Something changed.
Her smile vanished.
Her eyes widened suddenly, the bright green color darkening as red slowly flooded into them.
Fear.
Pure fear.
"M-Mother?" Amethiel whispered, startled.
The woman's breathing quickened.
Her hands trembled.
Then suddenly—
"AMETHIEL!"
The scream shattered the silence.
Amethiel stumbled backward in shock.
"AMETHIEL! AMETHIEL! AMETHIEL!"
Her voice was no longer gentle.
It was frantic.
Desperate.
Loud enough to make his ears ring.
"Mother, I don't understand… please—"
"AMETHIEL! AMETHIEL! AMETHIEL!"
Her voice rose higher with each repetition, turning almost hysterical.
"M-Mother—"
"AME–"
"–THIEL!!!"
Amethiel's eyes shot open.
He pushed himself upright in bed, breath uneven as he looked around the dark room.
"What is happening…?" he muttered groggily, rubbing a hand over his face.
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then—
"AMETHIEL!"
The sound exploded through the walls.
It wasn't just a shout.
It was a roar.
Amethiel froze.
"What the—?"
His head snapped toward the large portrait hanging on the wall.
"AME… THIEL!"
The voice came again, louder this time, echoing through the hidden space behind the wall.
Amethiel's eyes widened.
Realization crept in slowly.
"Is that…?" he whispered. "Is that the monster…?"
His mind struggled to catch up.
"How—"
He didn't finish the thought.
Instead, he kicked his legs off the bed and rushed forward. His feet hit the floor unevenly, making him stumble slightly before he caught himself against the wall.
'He's calling my name?' Amethiel thought, his heart beating faster now. 'Not Master… my name.'
He reached the portrait and pulled it open without hesitation.
The hidden doorway creaked as it swung aside.
Darkness greeted him.
Amethiel grabbed one of the small potion vials sitting near the entrance. With practiced ease, he uncorked it and tossed the liquid toward the torches lining the stone walls.
One by one, flames flickered back to life.
The laboratory slowly lit up.
And then—
"AMETHIEL!"
The monster's voice roared again.
The sound was so powerful it made the metal cages rattle and the glass bottles on the shelves tremble slightly.
Amethiel's eyes widened further.
'That was loud,' he thought, stunned. 'Far louder than before.'
He hurried down the stone steps.
When he reached the bottom, he finally saw the creature.
The monster was on the ground.
Its body strained violently against the chains binding its wrists. The metal links stretched tight as it pulled again and again, claws scraping against the floor.
The moment the monster saw him—
It stopped.
Its red eyes widened.
For a brief moment, Amethiel thought he saw something glistening beneath them.
"…Ame… Amethiel…"
The monster's voice was weaker now.
Almost like a whimper.
Amethiel slowed his steps as he approached.
"You're calling my name," he said, studying the creature closely.
He stopped a few feet away.
"Not only that," he added calmly, "you were shouting it loud enough to make my entire laboratory shake."
His gaze lingered on the creature's face.
Something about it looked different now.
Desperate.
Amethiel stared at the creature for a moment longer.
Then, slowly, he began to laugh.
"Hah…"
It started as a small sound, almost quiet enough to be mistaken for a breath.
Then it grew.
"Hah… hahah…"
His shoulders trembled slightly as the realization settled in.
"So that's it," Amethiel murmured.
The monster continued to watch him, confused but attentive. Its red eyes stayed fixed on his face, as if trying to understand why he was laughing.
Amethiel brought a hand to his mouth as the laughter faded.
'Leaving it alone scared it,' he thought, the idea settling neatly in his mind. 'Interesting.'
He had always believed pain was the simplest way to control a creature. Physical responses were easy to measure. Easy to repeat.
But this…
This was something else entirely.
The monster had been desperate.
Calling his name.
Screaming it loud enough to shake the entire laboratory.
Amethiel's eyes gleamed with quiet excitement.
'So it isn't just physical pain,' he realized. 'Psychological discomfort works too.'
That alone made this creature far more fascinating than any monster he had ever encountered before.
He stepped a little closer.
Immediately, the monster reached toward him again.
Its chains rattled softly as its arm stretched out. The creature's fingers opened and closed slightly, almost hesitant, as if it wasn't sure whether it was allowed to touch him.
Amethiel noticed that.
Of course he did.
'Affection,' he thought slowly. 'Or something close to it.'
The creature had done this before. Wrapping its arms around his waist. Holding his hand. Clinging to him whenever he came near.
At the time, Amethiel had simply allowed it because it kept the monster calm.
But now…
Now it meant something else.
The monster reached for him again.
Amethiel looked down at the outstretched hand.
For a moment, he did nothing.
Then he took it.
The monster froze.
Its fingers immediately tightened around Amethiel's hand, gripping him carefully but firmly, as though afraid he might pull away again.
The change in the creature was almost instant.
The tension in its shoulders eased.
The frantic look in its eyes softened.
And something else appeared there.
Relief.
'Look at that,' Amethiel thought, fascinated. 'It's happy.'
The realization made him smile.
"Well done," he said lightly.
He lifted their joined hands slightly, studying the creature's face with clear amusement.
"You finally said my name."
The monster blinked slowly.
"Ame… Amethiel…"
The word came out clumsy, uneven.
But unmistakable.
Amethiel's smile widened.
"Good boy," he said. "You've been a very good boy."
The praise seemed to ignite something inside the creature. Its grip tightened slightly around Amethiel's hand, holding onto him like the approval itself meant everything.
Amethiel watched the reaction carefully.
Every detail.
Every shift in expression.
Then his smile slowly sharpened.
'Pain works,' he thought. 'But this works too.'
A new idea was already beginning to take shape in his mind.
One far more interesting than simple punishment.
"Oh," Amethiel murmured quietly.
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"You just gave me an interesting idea."