Chapter 28

Chapter 28.

And now.

"…Velmareth…."

Lee Yeon-woo's objective was precisely that 'deep collapse.'

"Let the vein speak what I forgot."

Eternal life?

A body of blood?

Expansion of the self?

'Fascinating, admittedly.'

But that wasn't what he sought.

'Even if I succeed, all that changes is the deformation of the body I currently have.'

Lee Yeon-woo simply wanted this ritual to fail.

Only then could he reach the 'side effect' he desired. The plan was to invoke the resurrection algorithm the moment he touched the soul—the deepest element of blood.

"I will not return I have already bled."

Of course it would fail. Lee Yeon-woo hadn't fully understood this text.

'Scratching the surface, as they say.'

It was like shooting blindfolded and hoping a bird that might or might not exist would fall.

'So naturally only the bullet flies. The bird won't fall.'

But the gun still had to be fired. This was the most precise form of failure Lee Yeon-woo possessed. A clear failure was better than an unpredictable success. Failure could be controlled.

It was not a method for surviving. It was merely the method Lee Yeon-woo could choose to the very end. So long as a choice exists, it belongs to me.

"Spinal-red, hush the marrow."

So just don't die, at least.

'I know the theory.'

His body was gradually collapsing.

'Consciousness still exists.'

Sensation dulled. Or sharpened.

'Me…?'

Me, me. Blood.

Sinking further down.

'Will I be there?'

Beyond life.

Overcoming memory.

Trampling emotion.

Wounding will.

Reaching the soul.

'Or perhaps.'

Only my memory.

Will remain.

"……."

VelmarethquorasolvendeiDismantle the structure of the goddess VelmarethRithmarrithmardelashtainkeenRithmar open your griefMyornbeunspokenskinrendtonamefallDo not speak the name tear the flesh destroy the selfReduponredhushthebreaththatneverleftRed upon red still the breath that never leftTakenotmetakewhatknewmeTake not me take the blood that remembered meMallianethbeturnedbelowtheknownveinTurn Mallianeth below the known veinThebreathloopsbackwardsmynamediesbeforeit'sspokenThe breath loops backwards my name dies before it is spokenSpinalredbonedeephushthemarrowSpinal-red bone-deep hush the marrowLettheveinspeakwhatIforgotLet the vein speak what I forgotIwillnotreturnIhavealreadybledwhereImustbeI will not return my blood has already bled where I must beMirrormeintheclotDrownmeinwhatIescapedMirror me in the clot drown me in what I escapedMybonesdonotspeakmybloodwritesinsilenceMy bones do not speak my blood writes in silenceReturnnotthefleshreturntheproofthatbledReturn not the flesh return the proof that bledUnfoldmeinredstitchmenot.LettheleakremainUnfold me in red stitch me not let the leak remainIbledwithoutdyingthereforeIremainwithoutnameI bled without dying therefore I remain without name

"……."

CrimsonCoreCommentaryinternalanalysisreport4BsummarycollapsereactionphasesummaryPhase1venousrefluxpressuredispersionirregularheartbeatthenstoptemperaturedropbrainwavealphainstablebetadecreasebloodpressuredeclinesignscyanosispupildilationPhase2memoryoverfloatsensorydistortionheartbeatstagnationthetawaveincreasesignshandtremorsrepetitivespeechPhase3emotionalsurgesympatheticoverexcitationheartbeatspikestemperaturerisesbrainwaveexcessivegammainfiltrationSignshyperventilationselfamputationPhase4willfractionationselfdetachmentheartbeatplummettemperaturedropbrainwavechaoticSignsspeechlosslossofinvoluntarymusclecontrolPhase5souldisorientationselfannihilationheartbeatresidualornoneEEGflatlineSignsconsciousnesslossautonomousbloodresponseSideeffectcasesummaryCaseARJmemorypastloopemotionunresponsivenessrepetitivemutteringunrecoverablebloodmarkpersistsCaseBH22emotionalsurgehighfeverrepeatedselfamputationattemptsrepetitivesentencesunrecoverableinfectiondeathCaseCNoIDexternalrestorationEEGflatlinebloodwritessentencesbloodcontactshumanbodyunrecoverableOverallconclusiondeepcollapseisaprocessinwhichbloodrespondsbeforetheselftheselfprecipitatesandisannihilatederreplacedbybloodautonomousbloodresponsecontinuesevenafterconsciousnessvanishesrestorationpreservesonlymemorypersonalityisnotreplicated

"…Stop."

CrimsonCoreCommentaryChapter12experimentreportsummaryhemobodytransferfailurerecordExperimentalpurposestoreidentityemotionwillandsoulinbloodandtransitiontoasustainablehemobodymaintainingselfwithoutfleshExperimentalconditionsconsciousconsentbloodextractionbeforecardiacarrestformmemoryformation selfcorenucleusrestorationexecutedbybloodautonomousjudgmentExperimentalprocedure1commandinjection2cardiacarrest3plasmalayerseparation4restorationwait6to12hoursSubject01RemmainMale31restorationareaonlyfrontallowercentralregionregeneratesnoopticnerveconnectionsensoryunresponsivemicrovoltagetremoringbloodmarkrepeatformrestorationfailureselfmemoryonlypresentlanguagefunctionlostSubject02NTadolescentgenderunknownfullbodydissectionthenmultilayerplasmaseparationrestorationresulttwoupperbodiesfourlegscraniofacialmalformationselfconflictrespiratorydistressunidentifiablerepetitivemutteringselfsegreationfailmemoryconflictemotionexcessbodydeformitySubject03BriantFemale29restorationexternalappearancenormalnoheartbeatnoEEGresponsepupilreflexabsentconsciousnessabsentbloodmarkrecordedselfunclearformmaintenancefailingSubject04recordincompletenoformrestorationbloodregularlydetachesbloodmarkformsbloodattemptstobecomeitsownselfSideeffectsummarymemoryoverflowbloodmemoryfloatserodeselfbloodmuttersemotionalsurgeemotionfunctionspriortoformalaggressionfrenzyselfinflictionselfdoublerestoredselffightsbloodselfschizogenesisinducedlanguagecollapsesoulmisalignmentcoreselfleadershipshiftstobloodconsciousnessloststatefrozenOverallconclusionbloodcanpreservememorybumemoryisnotidentitybloodcanbecomeasubjectbutinthemomentthehumanisnotrestorationfailsrepetitioncontinues

"Stop."

InitialresponsebeganasinversionofsubcutaneousbloodtemperatureBlooddidnotcoolVascularfunctionceasedcontractionandwentpassiveTheheartcontinuedbeatingbutcirculatorycontrolshiftedtovesselwallsMediumartariescontractedinreverseandbloodflowdidnotexitbutscrapedinnerwallsandpressedinwardSensorynerveswereunresponsiveandpainwasnotfeltIfeltnopainandpercievedonlythesensationofmyexistentialstructureinvertingUpperlimbmotionwasnormalbutmotorcommandswerexecutedbybloodandnervousdominancewasrevokedFingertipstouchedmyforeheadbutthatsensationwasnotminebloodoperatedasscanningepidermistouchreplacedbydetectionfunctionandIfeltIwasnottheagentofmyfingernailsThenmemorifracturebeganHippocampalmemoryloopswereblackedandbloodreplayedmypastlanguagevisionemotioninanorderlessmannerMemoriesdriftedwithoutlogicandthenervesystemreducedtoamerereceivingapparatusIcouldnotsendmemoresandcouldreceiveonlywhatthebloodsentItrieedtospeakbuttogguemovementwascoupledtobloodflowandunlessthebloodhadintentspeechwasforbiddenNovoicebloodspokeninmysteadIcouldnotexpresswillandfollowedonlywhatthebloodexpressedVisionwasnormalbutvisualinformationwasrearrangedbybloodcirculationIdidnotseesawwhatthevesselshowedmeIwasneitherobservernorsubjectonlyarelayfiorbloodHeartdidnotstopbutitscenteremptiedandtheselfsubsidedthereThatspacewasfilledwithredcoagulatememorycoreshelfragmentsemotionalresidueIwasmybloodbutnolongerfeltmyselfYetthebloodrememberedmemorepreciselyandIdidnotdenythatfactVelmarethquorasolvendeiDismantlethestructureofthegoddessVelmarethRithmarrithmardelashtainkeenRithmaropenyourgriefMyornbeunspokenskinrendtonamefallDonotspeakthenametearthefleshdestroytheselfReduponredhushthebreaththatneverleftReduponredstillthebreathtahtnverleftTakenotmetakewhatknewmeTakenotmetakethebloodthatrememberedmeMallianethbeturnedbelowtheknownveinTurnMallianethbelowtheknownveinThebreathloopsbackwardsmynamediesbeforeitsspokenThebreathloopsbackwardsmynameisdiesbeforeitisspokenSpinalredbonedeephushthemarrowSpinalredbonedeephushthemarrowLettheveinspeakwhatIforgotLettheveinspeakwhatIforgotIwillnotreturnIhavealreadybledwhereImustbeIwillnotreturnmybloodhasalreadybledwhereImustbeMirrormeintheclotDrownmeinwhatIescapedMirrormeintheclotdrownmeinwhatIescapedMybonesdonotspeakmybloodwritesinsilenceMybonesdonotspeakmybloodwritesinsilenceReturnnotthefleshreturntheproofthatbledReturnnotthefleshreturntheproofthatbledUnfoldmeinredstitchmenotLettheleakremainUnfoldmeinredstitchmenotlettheleakremainIbledwithoutdyingthereforeIremainwithoutnameIbledwithoutdyingthereforeIremainwithoutname

【Stop】

"……."

"……."

***

…This.

This was not the failure I intended.

Something was recording me. It was the blood.

It was memory. It was the self. It was emotion. It was revolting. The manner in which it pressed nerves and peripherals to replicate itself. Simultaneously, something that was me. The irony of being unable to distinguish parasite from host.

【But isn't it strange】

He understood that revulsion. Could understand it. Because he understood, it was not repulsive.

Discarding form to survive. Sacrificing the self to persist. Not wrong. He didn't like it, but he could understand. The most fundamental form every living thing has chosen.

I—Lee Yeon-woo—like goodness.

But that is…

not a strictly necessary emotion.

No.

【Is that so】

It is.

It was not the intended failure.

In the sense that it was an answer he hadn't wanted, a thoroughly displeasing result. And yet this could save a person.

【How extravagant】

Yes, extravagant.

"……."

…It was a success.

"…Ha, hh…."

Though not in the way he'd wanted.

"Haha, ha… ungh…!"

Now this was inside him.

No longer possible to push away.

Nor any need to.

"Gkh…."

"……."

Me.

"……."

Itself.