William woke with a jolt.
His heart hammered.
His breath shook.
His thoughts raced like a storm he couldn't outrun.
Not anger at the demon.
Not at the Imperfect Perfect Human.
Not even at his friends.
He hated himself.
The self‑loathing wrapped around him tighter than the chains ever could.
Every failure.
Every mistake.
Every moment he wasn't strong enough.
It all crashed down at once.
The insect demon stepped into the chamber, mandibles clicking with anticipation.
"Awake," it hissed. "Good. The trial continues."
William didn't answer.
He didn't scream.
He didn't beg.
He didn't panic.
He just stared at the ground, jaw clenched, eyes burning with something new.
Not kindness.
Not fear.
Ruthlessness.
A hand touched his head.
William froze.
The Imperfect Perfect Human stood behind him — or rather, the version William's mind created. A hallucination born from exhaustion, pain, and self‑hatred.
The figure leaned close, whispering into his ear:
"Command."
William's breath hitched.
Something inside him snapped.
A soft rumble echoed through the chamber.
From William's waist, a small cloud‑shaped creature uncurled — his companion, Ed.
But this time, Ed didn't stay small.
Clouds swirled around the creature's neck.
Its body expanded, stretching, growing, towering.
Lightning flickered beneath its skin.
Ed became a massive sky‑lizard, clouds swirling around its limbs like armor.
William climbed onto its back without hesitation.
His halberd materialized in his hand, humming with storm energy.
The insect demon hissed.
"So the prey grows teeth."
The demon snapped its claws.
The insect‑dog beast from before crawled out — but this time, it grew.
And grew.
And grew.
Its legs thickened.
Its carapace hardened.
Its eyes burned with unnatural power.
"Level eight," the demon whispered. "Let's see if you survive."
William didn't flinch.
He tapped Ed's neck.
"Go." CLOUD MASSACRE
Ed surged forward, clouds forming beneath its feet like stepping stones.
The lizard spiraled upward, creating a vortex of swirling mist.
William's halberd slashed downward, cutting through the air with a roar of thunder.
The insect‑beast lunged.
William met it head‑on.
He struck.
He dodged.
He spun the halberd in ruthless arcs, each blow fueled by the storm inside him.
The beast snapped its jaws — William countered, forcing its mouth shut and binding it with cloud‑threads that tightened like restraints.
The demon watching from the shadows clicked its mandibles in excitement.
William didn't stop.
He drove Ed higher, spiraling upward, clouds forming a staircase into the air.
Then he dove.
Halberd first.
A storm of slashes.
A barrage of strikes.
A relentless assault that shook the chamber.
The insect‑beast staggered.
William rose for one final strike.
He whispered:
"End."
He descended in a blur of cloud and steel.
The beast fell.
Silence.
Then the insect demon whispered:
"…interesting."