15. Goddess of Force

Number 17 didn't often move under the sun.

He was found by the White Lion Club when he was only the size of a palm.

His memories from that time were almost all from a bystander's perspective. He couldn't understand the outside world or others, no matter how many experiments they did on him. Everything was meaningless; his only possession was his instinct.

The instinct to transform and the hunger rooted deep in his soul.

The first time he distinctly felt an emotion was when he saw that pink, jelly-like brain tissue.

He felt hunger, he felt desire, he felt he wanted that thing.

So he opened his mouth and enjoyed it. However, those guys stopped him immediately. He only ate less than a quarter of the brain, the fragmented memories didn't even connect, but the emotions were gestating inside him.

The second emotion he noticed was anger, the third dissatisfaction, the fourth resentment. The fifth was fear, the sixth was despair.

After he began thinking like a human, he first wanted to kill all those who imprisoned him, and then he yearned for freedom.

Although he didn't know what species he was, he was very clear that he was far superior to humans. Having obtained some of a member's partial memories, he thought he could escape from there at first.

However, he was wrong, very wrong.

All disguise and intrigue were like a joke; they knew him better than he did himself. All his efforts were useless.

It was as if a bug saw the moon and believed that if it tried hard enough, one day it could jump to it.

He resigned himself to the fact that his whole life would be spent as an experimental subject.

He even gave up thinking, passing every day like a stone. Even when needles were inserted into his body or chunks of flesh were cut off, he was completely indifferent.

Until he saw the light.

That was his god.

The Goddess of Force, dressed in a silver helmet and a blood-red robe with a bird's feather in her hair, rode a white horse that brought frost and dew, carrying the Light Spear and a round shield made of light. She effortlessly tore apart the whole building.

She didn't even glance at Number 17, nor did she care about the small creature who had gained freedom because of her. She went straight to the Number 1 cell and released the monster that even those guys were afraid to wake up.

Number 1, furious at being awakened, sometimes transformed into a Giant Dragon, crushing the ground, sometimes became an Elf, summoning the strong wind, and sometimes like a demon, conjuring magma.

However, none of that could stop the Goddess of Force for even a moment. She pierced Number 1's skull with her Light Spear, making him another one of her trophies.

Number 17 got what he wanted most: freedom.

And now he had a new goal: to see his goddess again.

Escaping from the prison, Number 17 no longer needed to suppress his desires. He quickly tore open a giant bear and enjoyed the food unique to their race.

He could remember his mother's first milk, his first fish-catching, his first time dodging hunters, his first fight with another bear, and his first mating experience.

He was that bear. The bliss almost overwhelmed Number 17, but it wasn't enough. The taste of bears was far inferior to another creature - the one who had imprisoned him for decades.

Humans.

However, fortunately or unfortunately, the first human he consumed was quite special.

The first time he saw Rebecca's smile, held her hand, kissed her gently, separated from his lover, held the sword, killed the first person, fell, detoxed, understood the weight of life, returned home, eloped, became intimate, saw their child's smile, understood responsibility, argued, reconciled and learned the meaning of love.

At that moment, he was Ogden. He inherited all of Ogden's feelings, love, and hatred, as well as Ogden's strong willpower.

For the first time, he thought about stopping. As long as he didn't eat anyone else's brain, maybe he could stay as Ogden forever, living like an ordinary person, happily.

But they came looking for him again, like vengeful ghosts. He had indeed killed quite a few of their people, but he didn't have time to eat their brains.

It was fortunate; he could remain only Ogden, living like this and forgetting he was a monster.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how they had found him.

Good thing he had another plan. He knew of some places where even the White Lion Club wouldn't dare to go: the capital of the kingdom, Worton.

But he had to leave immediately. He had killed Peter, and Nelson probably thought Hewitt had done it, so he wouldn't come looking for them. Even if he did, Ogden was confident he could kill him.

But Hewitt was different. He didn't know whether Hewitt knew his identity or not, but staying in front of him for one more second increased the risk of exposure.

He just wanted to live a peaceful and happy life, like a human. Was that too much to ask?

Ogden said,

"What are you talking about? Have you gone mad?"

Nellie looked at Hela:

"Did Hewitt give you something that makes others like you and unable to think about attacking you?"

Hela hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

"So, the father who can ignore mysterious items, are you really our original father?"

Rebecca asked incredulously,

"Ogden, is what she said true?"

Number 17 fell silent.

Rebecca clenched her teeth and yelled,

"Speak!"

Ogden smiled at Nellie first:

"If you weren't so smart, we might have spent our whole lives happily in Worton. My love for you is true, and what I just said was also sincere. But I'm indeed not your original father. However, being so clever is exactly like my Nellie."

Ogden looked affectionately at his wife and replied,

"There's no difference between me and your former husband. The love I have for you, for the child, and every moment I spent with you, they're all etched in my brain. We've shared every suffering together, and I've felt it all. I am him!"

Rebecca bit her lip.

Ogden continued, saying,

"If you're willing, I know a friend who can modify memories. We can still live happily together as a family. If not…"

Ogden closed his eyes and took a deep breath:

"I will turn and leave. I can never hurt any of my family, but in my future, I might fall and want to kill you again. You'll have to escape to a place I can't find or imagine."

Rebecca asked,

"What about my original husband?"

Ogden's face showed pain; this was the outcome he least wanted:

"He's dead. I killed him and ate his brain. But I can still atone for his death…"

Jimmy sat on the ground with lifeless eyes, mumbling something repeatedly.

Rebecca said,

"Shut up, just prove it to me. Since you love me like he did, then show me your love."

Rebecca smashed the glass cabinet holding the axe with her hand. Glass shards pierced her delicate skin, and her palm was half covered in blood. She gently picked up the axe.

The axe seemed alive and emitted a sinister, eerie red light, like it was excited to take another life.

"Show me that, if you're almost the same as him, I can avenge him by killing you, and you won't fight back, right?"

Number 17 closed his eyes.