What have I become?

"How long has it truly been?"

Makia, with many corpses inside his cell, was eating their flesh.

"How long have I become a monster?"

Makia endured a horrifying existence, trapped within a nightmarish hellhole for a harrowing period of seven years. As an unwilling subject of a deranged scientist's experiments, he resorted to consuming the flesh and bones of kidnapped individuals who became his gruesome sustenance.

"Subject X-44, step forward immediately," commanded the mad scientist, positioned at the front of X-44's cell.

Makia emerged from his cell, his humanoid form bearing bloodstains on his mouth, evidence of his macabre meals from the corpses of his victims.

The mad scientist appeared well-prepared, surrounded by bodyguards and armed with weapons. Filled with fear and confusion, Makia reluctantly complied with the scientist's orders.

Makia had been a naive and oblivious boy, snatched away and imprisoned before even reaching the age of twelve. Subjected to brutal experiments, his body was mutated, he was drugged, his limbs were severed, and he was forced to consume human flesh to strip away his humanity.

His tears went unnoticed, his agonies and suffering mere trifles to the mad scientist, who showed no mercy.

Eventually, Makia found himself confined in a chamber alongside X-56, the most flawless, destructive, and perfected subject the mad scientist had ever created. Faced with X-44, X-56 stood as a formidable opponent, possessing a power that outmatched Makia's own.

Even though Makia unleashed a rampage, nearly decimating the entire laboratory, X-56 effortlessly defeated him without so much as breaking a bone or breaking a sweat.

"Perfect! Perfect! My most wonderful creation!" The mad scientist reveled in his victory, applauding while callously stepping on Makia's defeated body, treating him like a mere carpet to trample upon.

Consumed by an overwhelming surge of hatred, wrath, sadness, and envy, Makia's mind had descended into madness, stripped of the freedom he once knew.

However, a glimmer of hope emerged when an individual broke into the laboratory to investigate the illegal experiments taking place.

In that moment, Makia saw an opportunity to escape and joined the ranks of others desperate to break free. Fueled by desperation, he fought fiercely, taking the lives of many warriors in his bid for freedom. But his path was halted by a man named Kamui Hirohito, who stood in his way, determined to prevent his escape.

Many managed, including X-56.

"Tch, I suppose you'll have to suffice," muttered the mad scientist, annoyed that his lab was destroyed but already planning to relocate his experiments to the southern region of Qiangwuen Mountain, known as Sebrana.

From there, the mad scientist's ruthless actions became apparent, as he razed villages to the ground, reducing them to ashes, and kidnapping children he deemed to possess potential for his nefarious experiments.

"Is this even human?" Makia felt there was no hope for humanity, seeing such sickening character.

As five years passed, Makia witnessed the growth of the two children who had suffered through a life of being shouted at and treated as guinea pigs. His heart went out to them, and eventually, they were named Yao and Tao, reflecting their twin status and extraordinary powers. Makia couldn't help but feel a deep sadness, as their situation reminded him of his own wretched childhood spent as an experiment for countless years.

Makia held onto a flicker of hope that someone would come to their rescue, but that hope was shattered when no saviors appeared after the village's destruction.

It was during this time that Makia caught wind of X-56, a once experimental subject who had risen to the rank of a general, seemingly unconcerned about the plight of those affected. Rumors circulated that the mad scientist had already faced consequences, but little attention was given to the aftermath following the village's fiery demise.

Had no one heard their screams?

Thus, his anger eventually grew more stronger and stronger, his form later become hideous as the mad scientist tried to experiment one of his subjects.

"Recording session number 24, ahem, T-33, power: monsterization, able to transform into many forms of an animal, Huh! Subject X-44, stand down! *Bang* No, STAY AWAY!!! AGHHHH****"

Makia, now liberated from his captor, took swift action to ensure the safety of his fellow experimental subjects, Yao and Tao. With a calculated touch, he injected them with a potent toxin, rendering them unconscious but ultimately safeguarding them. Finding solace in the vicinity of the Red Phoenix squad headquarters, he carefully placed them in a protective cardboard box, shielding them from the elements, and patiently awaited their potential adoption by a caring individual.

Having fulfilled his duty, Makia embarked on his own journey to commemorate his newfound freedom. Memories of his loving parents fueled his anticipation to reunite with them, blissfully unaware of the monstrous transformation he had undergone. Determined to conceal his grotesque appearance, he scavenged for clothing and cleansed himself of the lingering stench of blood.

Finally, the moment arrived when Makia stood before his childhood home, his heart pounding with excitement at the thought of seeing his mother once more. Peering through a window under the cloak of night, he caught sight of her, peacefully savoring a cup of tea while engrossed in the day's headlines. Overwhelmed by joy, Makia blushed, his eagerness to be reunited intensifying.

He summoned the courage to knock on the door, yearning for the warmth of his mother's embrace. Startled by the sight of the grotesque figure standing before her, his mother's face grew pale with shock. "W-who are you?" she stammered, her voice trembling.

"It's me, Mom," Makia replied, his heart swelling with love.

"You're not my son! Stop lying! He's dead! You must be his kidnapper! LEAVE BEFORE I CONTACT THE WARRIORS!" Unfamiliar with Makia's monstrous visage—his emaciated frame, vacant eyes, and the scent of death that clung to him—his mother vehemently rejected his claim, consumed by fear and suspicion.

In the midst of the intense confrontation with his mother, Makia was overwhelmed with distress, his ears tightly shut as tears streamed down his face. Desperate to make her understand, he reached out to grab her arm.

Unbeknownst to him, his monstrous strength caused his grip to sever his mother's arm. The instinctive nature of his monstrous form perceived her as a threat, triggered by the stress she had caused him.

"N-no...," Makia whispered, paralyzed by the horrifying sight before him. "Y-you monster!" His mother screamed in agony, clutching her severed limb as blood poured from the wound.

Alarmed by the commotion, Makia's father rushed into the room, armed with a shotgun. Without hesitation, he aimed at Makia and fired, his words laced with contempt. "Die, monster!"

The impact of his father's betrayal pierced Makia's heart, fueling a torrent of sadness and unbridled rage. He clawed at his face, drawing blood, his anguished cries blending with incoherent mutterings. As his flesh morphed and contorted, he transformed into a towering abomination, his monstrous form dripping with seething hatred.

Consumed by uncontrollable impulses, Makia succumbed to his monstrous hunger...

...and devoured his own parents.

He wailed in despair, his actions born out of tragedy rather than intention. The rain served as a somber backdrop, concealing his anguished reflection in a puddle.

"What have I become?"

His heart aching with a pain that no amount of regeneration could heal.

A year passed, and Makia, tormented by his nightmarish past, struggled to regain control over his monstrous self. However, fate intervened when he encountered a woman being accosted by criminals.

Driven by a newfound purpose, Makia took swift action, eliminating the threat and absorbing their blood and mana, ultimately saving the woman's life. In this unexpected act of heroism, a glimmer of redemption emerged amidst the darkness of his existence.

Despite his grotesque appearance, unlike others who ran away, the woman didn't flee. Instead, she smiled and expressed gratitude for his hell.

No one had ever smiled at him before, so Makia returned the smile.

That was the moment he encountered the woman who would become the love of his life.

However...

...It didn't end so well.

Two years after their marriage, Makia developed a condition that caused him to lose control of his monstrous form. The intense hatred within him continued to grow, fueled by people labeling him a monster and a freak.

His wife expressed concern, fearing that these words would push him into depression. She provided support and reassured him.

"It's okay. Don't listen to them. Behind all your monstrous appearance, you're still the man I love, and I wouldn't trade you for anyone else..." His wife comforted Makia by patting his back.

"But your parents said otherwise." Makia stood up and, consumed by anger, slapped her.

Once her parents discovered Makia's terrible history, including murder and cannibalism, they considered him a monster and believed their daughter should leave him.

"I know everything! You were planning to divorce me and be with someone else!" Makia's hands tightened into fists as he clenched his jaw tightly.

"Yes... But I didn't want this... My parents did... I'm sorry..."

"YOU'RE JUST GOING TO ABANDON ME TO SUFFER ALONE! BECAUSE I'M A MONSTER!"

"Please, don't say tha-"

"LOOK AT ME, MAKIA ! I'M A MONSTER! EVERYONE KNOWS IT!"

"Is that really what you want to be? Devoid of change?"

"A monster...?" His wife wept in front of Makia.

"Listen to me, John... please, I love you..." His wife embraced him.

However...

His anger overshadowed his feelings...

...and he ate his wife...

Makia knelt down beside his wife's lifeless body, having only consumed her upper portion.

The deep sorrow in his heart, unshakable and profound, led him to embrace and accept who he truly was...

"I'm a monster..."

From then on, Makia adopted the name Makia after his wife, discarding his former name, John.

He later became, Makia the Carnage...