The enormous Coral Reef made of flesh and bone breathes slowly in the darkness like a slumbering Giant Beast.
This was once the forward base established by the "Steel Brotherhood."
That was three thousand years ago, a Wizard Organization specializing in mechanical modification, attempting to establish a semi-permanent foothold in the Abyss.
The outcome, as expected.
Now, those once indestructible steel fortresses have completely fused with flesh, forming a bizarre existence between architecture and biology.
Thick alloy armor plates are covered with dense blood vessels, precise circuits replaced by nerve fibers, and the muzzles of giant turrets ooze viscous bodily fluids.
"Such nostalgia... the screams of those little bugs..."
Nari gently strokes the wall where the emblem of the Steel Brotherhood is still visible.
There now grows a large compound eye, its pupil still retaining the fearful expression of a human.
It clearly remembers the scene when this fortress was conquered.
Not because the battle was fierce, but because the sounds those explorers made before dying were so interesting.
Some cried, some laughed, and some sang.
Nari never understood why, when faced with Death, different humans had such diverse reactions.
The walls are covered with countless eyes, densely distributed like a beehive on every inch of the surface.
These are extensions of its body, used to monitor every corner of the nest.
Tentacle nerves dangle from the ceiling, gently swaying in the air, with tiny auditory organs at their ends capable of catching the sound of a pin drop.
Nari enjoys listening to various sounds—the friction of metal, the dripping of liquids, the heartbeat of living beings, even the strange whispers from the void.
These sounds weave into a complex symphony in its consciousness, one of the few entertainments over the long years.
However, for now, Nari is most concerned with its own treasure chamber.
This is a special space located at the deepest part of the nest, wrapped in a thick multi-colored membrane.
These membranes come from the "Brain Jellyfish King," the leader of the brain jellyfish species, capable of converting extracted information into translucent films.
In this kaleidoscope-like world, float the "treasures" it has collected over the years:
A heart still beating, perfectly sealed within a vesicle.
That heart belonged to an arrogant solitary Wizard.
When Nari found him, this pitiful creature had been eroded to the point where only his heart continued its stubborn beating.
Nari found such stubbornness "adorable," so it preserved the heart.
Dozens of glowing Soul Fragments flutter like fireflies within a container.
These are the "pure memories" it has carefully selected.
The sweetness of first love, the warmth of maternal love, the preciousness of friendship, as well as the pain of betrayal, the fear of Death, and the darkness of despair.
Nari enjoys observing these emotional fragments in times of boredom, learning from them the complex emotional world of humans.
Sometimes it sighs: "Why are the hearts of these little bugs so much more complex than I imagined?"
"Another new friend has come to visit..."
Nari carefully places the vesicle containing the Stand-In Puppet into the center of the treasury.
That kind of excitement was like a little girl receiving a long-awaited toy.
"You look different from all the other collectibles."
The giant monster swims slowly around the vesicle, its body unusually agile in the confined space:
"The scent of a Wizard, the aura of the Abyss, and some other things... things I have never felt before..."
At that moment, a tidal wave of pain sweeps through Nari’s consciousness.
Having just awakened, its Spirit structure remains in an extremely unstable state.
Chaos Energy surges wantonly in its mind, bringing not only pain but also a sense of existential tear.
It craves Order to stabilize its thoughts, but the Chaos in its nature vehemently resists this desire.
"Ugh... it’s starting again..."
Nari curls up painfully in the corner of the treasury.
The eyes on the walls sense their master’s pain and close one by one, as if they too are enduring the same torment.
This pain is different from physical trauma; it is a soul-level self-tearing.
Every Abyssal Apostle must face this fate—the greater the power, the heavier the Chaos burden.
"Mother... if only you were still here..."
Nari’s thought waves become as thin as silk, filled with child-like helplessness:
"You would tell me what to do, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t dismiss me for being clumsy like the others..."
The so-called "Mother" refers to the Primordial Abyss will that birthed it.
After nurturing its offspring, that ancient existence no longer responded to any call.
For Nari, it was the only warmth in its Memory—a kind of unconditional acceptance and protection.
But now, it has nothing but painful memories.
The law of survival in the Abyss is far more complex than it appears.
Although this place is filled with Chaos, it is not a world of unbridled madness without rules.
On the contrary, the Abyss has its unique order system, a cruel set of rules based on power and adaptability.
First is the necessity of maintaining rationality.
Apostle-level beings possess the power to destroy worlds, yet the chaotic nature constantly erodes their consciousness structures.
Nari can clearly feel the presence of this erosion.
Whenever it overuses its power, thoughts become obscure and chaotic.
Memories begin to jumble and rearrange, even producing intense impulses of self-destruction.