Aziel took a step back, his eyes fixed on the terrible mark left by the giant arm he had summoned.
The ground was scarred, a testament to the immense power he had just wielded, and he was momentarily overwhelmed by the sight.
He remained frozen in place, shock paralyzing his entire body like a statue trapped in a moment of horror, the reality of what he had done sinking in.
"What... what happened to the crazy beast just now?" Aziel stammered, his voice barely above a whisper as he turned to Blackie for answers.
"The crazy beast is dead. It was crushed by the giant arm you summoned," Blackie explained calmly, his tone steady and devoid of emotion. "You successfully used your power. Well done!"
Aziel looked back at the gigantic iron arm, its surface gleaming ominously in the light.
Power? Is this the power he possesses?
The thought sent a shiver down his spine, a mix of awe and fear coursing through him.
"What kind of power is this? Severed arms? Seriously? This whole thing is just... weird. And a little disturbing." He rubs his chin as if trying to process the horror, looking at the arm with a mix of fascination and revulsion.
"That's just the introduction, Aziel," replied Blackie, as if reading Aziel's mind and anticipating his apprehension. "The arm you summoned, you can control it. It's like an additional arm of yours. You can move it, direct it to do whatever you want."
"Control?" Aziel furrowed his brow, looking at the giant iron arm skeptically, uncertainty clouding his features. "How?"
"Try to focus on that arm," Blackie instructed, its voice firm but encouraging. "Imagine it's part of you. Imagine you want to lift it, lower it, anything. Feel the connection."
Aziel took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself.
Then, he directed his gaze at the giant iron arm.
He tried to picture the arm as his own, an extraordinarily large arm.
He envisioned making the giant arm stand upright.
Suddenly, something happened.
The giant iron arm moved. Not slowly or hesitantly, but with a strong jolt that startled Aziel.
It jerked itself from the ground with a loud thud, as if a mountain was shifting from its place.
Dust and dirt flew into the air. Aziel had to shield his face from the debris that was scattering around.
A strong tremor ran through the ground, felt deep in his bones. The trees around him shook, and leaves fluttered down like green rain.
The movement of such a large arm caused small tremors in the area.
"Okay, enough!" Blackie shouted anxiously. "Stop, Aziel! This is shaking the whole forest! We'll attract more trouble."
Hearing Blackie's command, Aziel immediately halted his intent to continue moving the giant arm.
The arm stopped moving, and the shaking ceased.
"Why did you move that arm like that?" Blackie remarked.
"Hey, weren't you the one who told me to move it?" Aziel retorted, dissatisfied with Blackie's reprimand. "How was I supposed to know it would shake the ground like this?"
Blackie huffed. "I told you to move it, yes, but not like a madman! I thought you would try to lift it a little at a time, test the power. Instead, you yanked it like you got an electric shock. What were you thinking?"
Aziel shrugged. "How was I supposed to know? You didn't give any detailed instructions on what I should do. I was just following my instincts."
Blackie sighed heavily. "Alright, fine. It's also my fault for not explaining properly. I forgot that this is your first time using your own power after you lost your memories." Blackie finally conceded. "Now, unsummon that arm. It's too big for us to test your power right now."
Aziel nodded in understanding. He pointed his right palm at the giant iron arm.
He envisioned in his mind that he didn't want that arm to exist anymore. He wanted it to disappear.
Instantly, the giant arm vanished. It faded from view like smoke blown by the wind.
All that remained was a large crater and the remnants of the destroyed Crazy Beast.
"Anyway, that's what makes your power unique, Aziel," Blackie said, its tone settling back to its usual calm. "You can summon multiple arms."
Aziel's eyebrows shot up. "Multiple arms? At the same time? So, I could... like, hold a sword in one, roast marshmallows with another, and still have a hand free to pat a friendly beast?" A grin spread across his face. "Now that's what I call multitasking!"
Blackie chuckled softly. "Theoretically, yes. Your potential is substantial, but it's not limitless. The number of arms you can summon depends entirely on... your miasma levels."
"Miasma?" Aziel's grin faded slightly, replaced by curiosity. "What is that?"
"It's essentially the fuel for your power, and it is related to the origins of your magic. We can discuss the specifics later," Blackie concluded, "but right now, you need to understand your magic power first."
Blackie continued, "Your power isn't some inherent magic. It comes from... the arms of other creatures."
"Other creatures' arms?" Aziel's confusion was evident. "What kind of creatures?"
"The creatures you've killed," Blackie stated plainly. "Each kill... you 'collect' an arm. That arm becomes your power source."
Silence hung heavy. Aziel's jaw tightened.
I killed some creatures... and collects arms?
"Wait," Aziel spoke quietly as he tried to piece his thoughts together. "You mean... the arm I summoned just now... the giant iron arm... that arm really isn't some kind of magic that I manifested myself?"
"Correct," Blackie confirmed. "That arm originally belonged to another Crazy Beast. A Crazy Beast you have killed before."
Aziel's eyes widened. He recalled the giant iron arm he had summoned earlier.
If the arm was that large, it meant the Crazy Beast itself must have been a giant. Perhaps the size of a small hill?
An odd feeling crept within Aziel.
Shock, wonder, and a bit of pride?
He, who had lost his memory, had once defeated a creature of such size?
His power was indeed more formidable than he had imagined.
Had he really been strong before losing his memory? Maybe he was not just an ordinary person.
Aziel's thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
The arm! The arm he had summoned for the first time! The arm that looked like a human arm.
Does that mean... he has killed humans too?
The pride he had felt moments ago instantly withered, replaced by a chill that seeped into his very bones, leaving him with an unsettling discomfort that gnawed at his insides.
His past... the past he had been so eager to uncover just earlier... now seemed tainted, not as pristine as he had once imagined it to be.
Yet, unexpectedly, he found that he held no overwhelming guilt in his heart.
Perhaps it was the absence of his memories that rendered him emotionally detached from the shadows of his history, or maybe it was simply that he was not the type to succumb easily to guilt.
He began to envision himself in a darker light, a killer who collected arms as if they were trophies, each one a grim testament to lives extinguished.
Could his past truly be this sinister?
Aziel's gaze fixated on the hands that had summoned these arms, hands that may have played a role in ending lives — maybe countless lives — before his own eyes. His skin appeared normal, unblemished, yet something profound had shifted within him.
Perhaps there is more to the story of his past than he had thought.
With a deep, steadying breath, Aziel attempted to banish the discomfort that threatened to overwhelm him.
The past is the past, he reminded himself firmly.
What truly matters now is the present and the future that lay ahead of him.
He must keep moving forward, relentlessly searching for answers about himself, his curse, his newfound power, and the dark remnants of a past that still lingered in the corners of his mind.