THE HERO'S SON IS A MONSTER-Chapter 50: Awakening first personality

This time, as if to accompany the affirmation, the child voluntarily stood up for the first time. Since his arrival here, he had undergone significant evolution, each step marking a subtle yet irreversible change within him.

Ariane observed him with a slight smirk, floating a few centimeters above the ground, arms crossed.

"Oh, so you’re ready for the next step?" she asked in a tone of feigned nonchalance.

She ceased levitating and landed gracefully beside him, her bare feet touching the cold ground without a sound. But the child remained impassive, just as expressionless as on the day of his birth. He stared at her without any real emotion, as if he couldn’t grasp the meaning of the words she had spoken.

Ariane sighed, placing a hand on her hip.

"Hmm... I really need to do something about that expression..."

Her golden gaze lingered on the child’s smooth, unmoving face. She wasn’t exactly disturbed by his lack of emotions, but it was a problem. A being without expression was difficult to read.

I would have nothing to say, Ruler of Pandemonium, she thought. These tests I conduct... they’re just a way to pass the time. But what should I do?

Indecision was rare for her. Yet, at this moment, she hesitated. She could continue her experiments, probe the child with her powers and devices, trying to analyze the strange phenomenon he represented. One or the other—it didn’t really matter. What was certain was that she needed to do both.

"Well, I know. Let’s start with this."

With a delicate yet firm gesture, she placed her hand on the child’s head, immediately feeling a nearly imperceptible, almost unreal sensation.

"He’s absorbing my life energy.

It was subtle, barely noticeable. Like a single drop of water vanishing into the vastness of an ocean. An ordinary person wouldn’t even realize it. But Ariane, with her knowledge and sensitivity, could feel it.

If someone in a weakened state were to touch him, the result would be obvious...

Her gaze darkened slightly. That wasn’t all. There was something more.

All spells utilizing Matron are nullified, and worse...

"The Matron itself disappears."

That was an impossibility.

The Matron, a fundamental particle responsible for the circulation and utilization of magical energy, was omnipresent, existing in varying concentrations depending on places and beings. The more Matrons an individual or area contained, the greater their magical potential.

"So why... is it disappearing?

If the child merely nullified magic, the Matron should have been dispersed, fragmented into the environment. That would have been a normal, understandable occurrence. But this... He wasn’t just nullifying it. He was erasing it. Obliterating it.

A shiver of excitement ran through Ariane.

I think I have an idea for the next experiment...

She stepped back slightly, allowing her thoughts to align one after another.

"A high regeneration capability due to life energy absorption? Yes, but it’s more complex than that...

She ran a hand through her long red hair, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Magic nullification and life energy absorption... These two abilities combined create an anomaly far greater than the sum of their effects.

This wasn’t just a passive ability. There was something unprecedented at play, a fundamental interaction that defied the world’s rules.

A smirk played on her lips.

The problem with living as long as she had was that one ended up doing things backward. So much so that she no longer shared the same concerns as most people. She often found herself in the middle of something, only to drift into her own thoughts, as if time itself no longer mattered.

"Oh... I almost forgot why we came here."

The worst part was that she had just lost track of an idea—one that had only just formed and needed to be tested.

She blinked, realizing she had gotten carried away again.

Oh well.

She resumed her little game, setting up new practical cases to see how the child would react.

"I’m hungry..."

After a long silence, the child spoke again, this time to express a need. Yet, the truth was that he wasn’t actually hungry.

The word was merely an approximation, the closest one he could find within the fragmented memories in his mind to describe what he was feeling. Even then, it was more complicated than that. Most of the memories awakened by his Scarlet Lineage were being suppressed by the terminal implanted by Ariane.

Because of this, it would take him some time to reach mental stability.

Ariane raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, then a playful smile curled her lips.

"Oh? So you can express desire?"

She placed a hand on her hip, observing him with renewed interest.

"If you help me this time, I’ll give you something interesting."

The child didn’t respond. He simply stared at her, his gaze empty. Then, after a few seconds:

"I’m hungry..."

Ariane sighed, crossing her arms.

"Well... What a shitty personality for a newborn."

The moment she spoke those words, a strange premonition washed over her.

Instinctively, she leaped back several steps, her expression hardening.

Without hesitation, she thrust out her hand, sending the child flying away with a simple flick of her wrist.

The next instant, she raised her arm, and shadows stirred around her.

Creatures, hidden in the darkness of the level until now, emerged, drawn to her silent command. Some crawled across the floor, others floated, their indistinct forms shifting between the tangible and the ethereal.

Multiple eyes flickered open in the gloom, all of them locking onto the frail silhouette of the child she had just flung into the distance.

Ariane smiled, satisfied.

"We’re moving on to the next stage of the experiment."

She stepped back further, giving free rein to the entities she had summoned.

They slowly gathered around the child, circling their prey, hesitant yet starving in a way beyond words. Ariane had once again done something terrible. If Eresheb were present, she wasn’t sure the woman would approve.

As for the Ruler of Pandemonium... there was no point in even thinking about it.

Ariane watched the scene unfold, amusement glinting in her eyes.

"Consider this an opportunity. A chance to improve your lifespan... Don’t die."

She wanted to multiply the quality, number, and variety of creatures to test which would be the most effective. Her researcher’s spirit remained intact.

Crossing her arms, she waited.