CHAPTER 2: THE REAPER

Twenty years, for a human, might be the most beautiful stretch of life.

Twenty years, for a Homunculus, is the moment we bid this world farewell.

I’ve existed in this world for twenty-two years.

They call me by grand titles: Miracle of Olympus, Wonder of the East, Guardian Angel of the Federation… The machine enemies know me by a simpler name: Reaper.

To the Homunculi, I’m Kira—light, hope.

“Have you two made your choice?” I asked them slowly, deliberately, trying to hide my pain. “Yes,” Iris replied. “If we choose sacrifice, we can depart like humans.” She and Joshua, inseparable from me since birth, saw me as their older sister. Yet now, I stood powerless to save my little siblings. Both Iris and Joshua were nearing twenty years, their time running out. They faced two fates: killed, their blood and flesh fused to birth new Homunculi, or joining the summoning ritual. In the ritual, Homunculi linked their remaining mana to form a wall of fire around them. When the wall fell, a Mythical Beast would be born.

“Don’t worry, big sis,” Joshua said with a carefree smile. “Humans have a custom—when someone dies, their body’s cremated and buried. The ritual’s kind of like that.” He was always so nonchalant, unlike cautious Iris. I bowed my head, struggling to hold back tears, and pulled them into an embrace. “I pray to the gods to guide you to paradise,” I said, though I no longer believed in them. We could never be saved.

Because we aren’t human. We’re Homunculi.

We have no souls.

March 1, 2142, at Battlefield No. 7.

Smoke clouded the air, the ground shook violently, fire raged everywhere. Kulshedra, the dragon summoned from the mana of Iris, Joshua, and other Homunculi, was tearing through Midgard’s lines. “Everything’s proceeding as planned,” Commander Serah announced. “Keep formation and maintain distance from the Androids. Don’t let them close in, or all our efforts will be for nothing.” Serah, a young Homunculus and Summoner, conjured crows from her mana to monitor the battlefield. Her caution reminded me of Iris.

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“Kira, how’s your mission?”

“The path’s clear. No obstacles.”

Two days before the battle, Druids—Homunculi skilled in shapeshifting—stumbled upon a forgotten cave. If the intel was correct, it led behind the Androids’ camp, a route even Midgard seemed unaware of. I’d been assigned to guard it to ensure the plan faced no disruptions.

“Good work. Now just wai—”

A deafening blast cut her off. Sensing trouble, I bolted out of the cave. A pillar of light pierced the sky, reducing the red dragon that had been rampaging moments before to a pile of ash.

“Iris… Joshua!!”

I screamed in despair, tears streaming down my face.

“Where are you going!? Your orders…” Serah’s telepathic voice echoed in my ears, but I ignored it. Though I knew Iris and Joshua were truly gone, for some reason, a surge of rage began to consume me. I dashed through the forest, stumbling upon a group of Androids amid the bodies of my fallen comrades.

“Looks like we missed one,” a red-haired Android sneered arrogantly.

“She doesn’t seem like a normal Homunculus,” a blonde one added. “Be careful, or—”

Before she could finish, I turned her into a torch. The redhead roared, activating his shield and charging at me. That shield might trouble ordinary Homunculi, but to me, it was child’s play. As he closed in, I grabbed his fiery red hair. “Nice hair,” I taunted, melting him slowly with flames.

Three others rushed me. One seemed to be calling for backup—it didn’t matter. With my left hand, I summoned ice spears that pierced him and the two Androids beside him, while my right hand still gripped the redhead tightly.

“Die!!”

Suddenly, an Android ambushed me from behind, unloading bullets relentlessly. Dust clouded the air. “Next time you ambush, keep your mouth shut,” I said, tossing the bullet-riddled remains of the redhead aside and striking the sneak with a bolt of lightning. He collapsed instantly, black smoke rising from his body.

Through the haze, I glimpsed her. Platinum hair, silver eyes glinting like metal. Unlike the blue-uniformed Androids I’d fought recently, this one wore white—the uniform of an older generation. Judging by her approach from the direction of the light pillar, those cold hands likely bore the blood of Iris and Joshua. A torrent of tangled emotions surged within me.

Madness. Fury. Hatred.