The morning sun felt warm against Maddy's back. It was a soft, golden light she hadn't seen in a long time. She was in the kitchen preparing the perfect breakfast for her little family.
"Mother! Look!"
A toddler burst into the room, his giggles echoing. He was small, round cheeked, and glowing with health. In his dirty palms, he held a fat, beige worm that wiggled between his fingers.
Maddy leaned down and smiled genuinely.
"Oh, sweetie, back to digging in the garden? Those wiggly things have lives too, you know. You can't just pull them out of their homes."
"But he's cute! He's fat and wiggly, just like me!"
Maddy's heart swelled. This was peace. This was the life she had prayed for. The door opened, and her husband stepped in, looking sharp in the suit she had spent all morning pressing. He smelled of fresh cologne as he leaned over to kiss her.
"Good morning, honey."
Maddy closed her eyes, leaning into the warmth of his touch. He picked up the boy, spinning him around.
"And good morning to you, buddy!"
Maddy watched them, her world slowing down. She reached for a carrot on the cutting board, her knife moving with practiced ease. But as the blade came down, it didn't hit wood. It hit something soft, yet resistant.
She looked down. Her kitchen was gone. Her husband wasn't holding their son anymore; he was standing right in front of her, his white shirt blossoming with a red stain. The knife in her hand had become a… scalpel.
"W-what? No…"
"You killed me, Maddy."
Her husband whispered, his voice distorted.
"After everything I gave you… you ungrateful, infertile woman—you killed me."
She looked at the boy. Two dark horns sprouted from his forehead, and his eyes turns into a demonic eyes. With a manic grin, he stuffed the fat worm into his mouth and bit down.
"Mother!"
Maddy snapped awake with a heavy gasp, her lungs burning as she sucked in for air of the Ogre Clan's home. Sweat matted her hair to her forehead, and her hand was pressed so hard against her chest she could feel the frantic thumping of her heart.
"What is that dream… My husband..."
A small, gentle hand touched her arm. Maddy's instincts flared.
"Mother???"
She turned slowly toward the voice. The moment she caught sight of him, she scrambled backward, her spine striking the cold stone wall as she stared at the figure beside her bed.
"AH! Demon! Who are you?!"
The boy flinched. His eyes shined as tears is forming.
"Mother... you're scaring me."
Maddy's head was spinning.
"How did you get in here? This place is supposed to be safe!"
Panic surged as she remembered Sephiran—the baby.
"SEPHIRAN!? Where is Sephiran?! God, how long was I out? Sephiran!"
The boy stepped forward hesitantly.
"Me—Sephiran! Mother, I am Sephiran. Did the bad dreams hurt your head? I didn't let the cave worms get to you. I protected you while you slept."
Maddy stared at his eyes. They were a haunting violet, the exact shade of the princess body she now inhabited. Two small horns from his forehead, and his soft hair was the same color as hers. The realization struck her all at once, and her vision swam as she nearly fainted again.
"YOU ARE SEPHIRAN!? HOW DID YOU—WHA—"
[Response: Sephiran's rapid growth is a natural effect of his demonic ogre bloodline. Ogre offspring are designed to compress their early years into weeks, accelerating bone, muscle, and neural development to survive hostile conditions. His body is currently aging at roughly 156 times the human rate.]
Maddy shouted at the empty air, her field zoologist mind reeling.
"One hundred and fifty-six times?! That's insane! Am I still dreaming? Gosh… they're like octopuses—they mature fast, reproduce once, and then die soon after…"
She repeated her own words more slowly, her gaze traveling from his feet up to Sephiran's horns. Sadness filled her eyes.
"They mature fast, reproduce once… and then die shortly after… Oh no, Sephiran."
[Response: They share a similar pattern, Maddy, but unlike an octopus, his growth will stabilize once he reaches maturity—the equivalent of sixteen human years. He will not die after reproducing… as you have already seen. His father—the chief ogre remains very much alive.]
Maddy covered her mouth, guilt crashing over her as she remembered calling Sephiran a demon. She hurried toward him and pulled him into her arms.
"I'm so sorry, sweetie… my boy, I'm so sorry. Mother is sorry. I just woke up—really woke up—from a terrible nightmare and…"
She broke down against his shoulder, still shaken from the dream. And then that word echoed in her mind.
"He called me mother… he called me mother… Oh God."
Sephiran hugged her back, tighter this time, resting his head gently against hers.
"It's okay, Mother… Sephiran understands. You were very tired… you had just woken up after sleeping for seven days. Anyone would still feel confused."
"SEVEN DAYS?! THAT'S A WHOLE WEEK!"
[Response: Your body required that time to recover. You consumed large amounts of minerals, fought an entire family of demonic ogres, devoured a princess Demigod, battled an army of spiders, and… the princess body sustained severe damage. All of these contributed to your extended sleep.]
Maddy pulled back from the hug, wiping her tears.
"You really are my friend, Lucy… thank you for caring not just about me, but about the princess too… and wow, that's a hella long sleep!"
Sephiran stared at her for a moment, then remembered something he wanted to show his mother.
"Mother! I have a present for you—I want to show it to you."
"A-a present? What is it, my sweetie?"
Maddy's heart melted all over again.
"Oh… he has a present for me… this is the best thing ever!"
Sephiran took her hand and tugged her along, running toward the location of his surprise. They arrived in the ogres' kitchen area. Sephiran's excitement bubbled over.
"Here! Look at this harvest! I collected all these big worms for you, Mother! I bet you're sooo hungry after that loooong sleep!"
Maddy froze. In front of her, every pot, pan, and kitchen vessel was filled with fresh worms. She felt bile rise in her throat, as if staring at the corpses of her own family.
"A worm… gosh, did you… beat them up? No… you're just… like… your. Freaking. Father."