When I think of family, certain memories naturally follow. The scent of wildflowers tickling my nose, the boisterous laughter of children, the warm embrace that held me close. All of it comes alive before my eyes, vivid and breathing.

But the sweetness is brief—at the end of memory comes my family’s desperate anguish. The warmth that grew cold never returns. Eyes that once sparkled lose their light and hold only the emptiness of nonexistence.

The face of my beloved turns deathly pale. His eyes fill with blood-red fury and immeasurable sorrow before taking flight. Piercing screams and blood spattering in all directions, voices filled with rage toward humans echo everywhere.

His massive form gradually scatters. Blood and flesh tear away until his original shape becomes unrecognizable, crumbling into ruin.

Yet his fighting spirit burns more brilliantly than the blazing sun.

“I’m sorry, children. You must… survive.”

His wish carried on the wind didn’t last long. The small dragon whose smile was fresh like sunlight died with his throat cut while trying to protect his beloved, and the young dragon who whispered dawn songs with her gentle voice sacrificed her own body to protect someone precious.

‘No, please…!’

One by one, the family members who looked at me with warm eyes fell before me.

No matter how much I cried and pleaded, the dead gave no answer. Their souls became stars and crossed the eternal river from which there is no return.

Leaving me howling behind. Leaving me alone in this world. I wailed at the top of my lungs, longing for those I could never see again.

Despair darker than shadows swallowed me, and grief like crashing waves filled me like a tsunami. After crying like that for a long time, silent darkness enveloped me where even my sobs couldn’t be heard.

And there I met the family I thought had died. With faces grown cold, they spoke to me. Why did only you survive? Why did you of all people live? No matter how I pleaded for forgiveness, their anger never cooled.

Wherever I fled, eyes filled with resentment followed me. Eight eyeballs multiplied endlessly each time I turned my gaze. Soon the murky pupils filled the air without gaps, reflecting my terrified form.

‘I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Please don’t look at me with those eyes…’

Their voices that had thundered with rage became raindrops falling everywhere.

Drip, drop.

Black water soaked the ground. When I turned around, the faces of my family standing in the distance were melting like candle wax. The black rain and flowing wax mixed together chaotically.

Their laughter split the air.

“Hahahaha!”

“Hahahaha!”

It contained hatred and mockery directed at me. Even closing my eyes and covering my ears couldn’t help me escape. Then, when the rising rainwater reached my chin and began choking me, my eyes suddenly snapped open.

“Hah, hah, hah…”

The same dream again. The persistent nightmare that torments me every night. My heartbeat thundered louder than thunder. My entire body was sticky with cold sweat. No matter how I tried to calm my trembling body, there was no way to control it.

The overwhelming fear and guilt drove me to the edge of a cliff, shattering and crushing my heart again and again.

“I should have died back then…”

My clenched fist trembled violently. The bloodless, transparent skin visible through my dark vision approached horrifyingly.

The human shell I forcibly wore was disgusting like something crawling with maggots. Becoming human of all things and continuing this wretched life was utterly despairing.

Especially receiving help from a mage—no different from my family’s enemy.

On top of that, I was no different from a caged bird unable to take even one step outside the manor. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to achieve the revenge for my family that I so desperately wanted. I found myself so pathetic and miserable that I’d considered death countless times.

But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The faces of my family who sacrificed their lives for me haunted me, and their final words telling me to survive became shackles that wouldn’t release me.

And this arrow of rage was aimed at the mage who saved me.

“It’s all because of that bastard. Why did he make me into this kind of body…!”

Finally unable to lie there any longer, I kicked off the covers and got up. The manor steeped in silence showed not a single human shadow. My angry footsteps headed toward the study where he was. As expected, Veriton was there conducting magical research.

“You’re here.”

His casual acknowledgment made me angry. The shamelessness of briefly turning his head before focusing on his research again made my blood boil. Unable to contain my surging emotions, I threw the object he’d been researching onto the floor.

That wasn’t enough, so I knocked down all the books in the study and trampled on his precious belongings. Even after doing this, the exploding rage wasn’t relieved but boiled even more fiercely.

“This is all because of you! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be living so miserably…!”

“It’s starting again. Had another nightmare today, I see?”

At Veriton’s calm voice, the single thread I’d been barely holding onto seemed to snap.

What would someone like you know?

Just when I was about to rush at him, Veriton swept his hand widely toward me. The surroundings warped and shooting stars poured down everywhere. Blinding bright light enveloped me and the world spun dizzily.

When I closed and opened my eyes once, I saw my hands had become fluffy.

“What… is this…?”

Unable to believe what I was seeing, I checked my body and turned to look at the window. My reflection in the window glass was definitely a dragon doll stuffed with cotton. It was made so carelessly that even clenching my fists didn’t show.

“You… crazy mage…!”

“What a hopeless brat. Always getting caught like this and still not learning.”

I spewed every vile curse I could think of at him. But no words came out. Instead, colorful stone-like objects shot out of my mouth. Unlike my panic, Veriton laughed carelessly with an unbothered expression.

“This makes you much more tolerable to look at. And we get delicious star candy too.”

He picked up one of the yellow star candies that had popped out of my mouth and put it in his own mouth. Along with the crunching sound of chewing the star candy, popping sounds came from inside his mouth.

“Mm, the sweet and sour taste is quite delicious.”

At his words that poked at my nerves, I erupted in anger again, but once more star candies shot out of my mouth. The feeling of spitting out stones was truly unpleasant.

“As I always tell you, you need to fix that fiery temper. I have to finish my research, so stay here quietly and cool your anger.”

Veriton picked me up with one hand. Annoyed by this situation where I couldn’t even get angry, I punched his hand with all my strength. But when cute squeaking sounds came from my hand, Veriton burst into laughter.

‘So annoying…! This useless doll body!’

He wiped away a tear with his finger and placed me on the desk. Then he cleaned up the mess I’d made and began focusing on his research again.

I wanted to ruin everything, but realizing I couldn’t inflict any damage with this strange doll body, I lost motivation. I just stared blankly at what Veriton was doing like a decorative doll on the desk.

He was conducting bizarre research today as well. The things Veriton mainly made in the study were strangely shaped toys. Generally, they resembled male g*nitalia or were modeled after women’s intimate interiors.

Besides those, he made inanimate objects that would transform into living creatures when opened and wouldn’t stop until the other party fainted, tentacle plants that could create a hundred different vibrations, and ingenious items for people who enjoyed hard play.

Veriton actually called women to the manor once a week to enjoy himself using the toys he’d made. During those times, I would hole up in my room and absolutely never come out. The fact of being in the same space as humans was unpleasant, and I didn’t want to hear their beast-like cries.

After several years of this, one day I couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked him.

“Why do you keep doing such filthy things?”

Then Veriton said with a face drunk on sweet dreams.

“S*x is instinctual love. A brat like you wouldn’t understand.”

“That’s love?”

“Bodies don’t lie. They’re pure and lovable beings. So when you engage in bodily conversation, anyone inevitably falls in love.”

I still couldn’t understand what he’d said. The love I knew wasn’t like that. When I thought of my family, the emotions that naturally followed—wasn’t that love?

Anyway, he was an incomprehensible human. While watching what Veriton was doing, at some point my eyes slowly closed.

“Finally finished!”

I seemed to have dozed off briefly. Then Veriton’s sudden cheer made my eyes snap open. He was preciously holding a triple d*ldo modeled after male g*nitalia.

The thing was so hideously shaped—three d*ldos extending in all directions, each with a different form. His face, almost on the verge of tears, was quite unsightly.

“This is my life’s greatest masterpiece. How is it? Doesn’t just looking at it excite you?”

“Get that hideous thing away from my sight.”

Even though he should have heard me tell him to remove it, he deliberately brought it close to my face. And regardless of what I said, he stubbornly continued speaking.

“Speaking of this d*ldo, it’s an item that incorporates all the requirements from female customers so far. First, it warms up like making love with a real person—that’s basic—and each shape is different. Plus, you don’t need to add lubricant since it automatically generates and releases it from inside. And that’s not all…”

Veriton’s words continued. The thought of wanting to escape filled my head. Actually, last time I hated listening so much that I ran out of there, but he followed me to the end, chattering away. Even when I locked the door and hid in my room, he was such a persistent human that he’d somehow get in using magic.

After listening with one ear and letting it out the other for a while, when I’d yawned about thirteen times from the pouring drowsiness, he asked with sparkling eyes.

“…So what are your thoughts on my masterpiece?”

“Uh, completely awful.”

“As expected, there’s nothing to be done about a brat. Not recognizing the true value of this item.”

Veriton grumbled to himself, seemingly disappointed by my answer. As I looked at him with pitying eyes, my body that had been transformed into a doll gradually twisted. My hands that had been filled with cotton became five fingers with smooth skin, and my shrunken body grew rapidly. In an instant, I returned to the form of a young human.

“You seem completely calm now. Well, quite some time has passed, so shall we eat together?”

“Why would I?”

“Well, if you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do. I made pickery stew that you like.”

“Pickery stew…?”

My ears perked up at his words. Pickery stew was a stew packed with meat and vegetables. When you put it in your mouth, the meat melted tenderly and indescribable flavors flowed throughout your mouth.

Since I didn’t need to eat food without much trouble, I usually didn’t eat anything, but Veriton’s pickery stew was so delicious that I often made sure to eat it. Worried he might go alone, I quickly added.

“Since you’re asking so earnestly, I’ll eat with you. But don’t think this will improve my mood. I still find you annoyingly hateful.”

Even at my sharp, barbed words, Veriton always laughed carelessly.

“Really? Then I’ll have to like you even more to match how much you hate me.”

He was truly an incomprehensible human. But what was stranger than that was the fact that Veriton’s words like that weren’t really unpleasant to me. Strangely enough.