The Hollow Moth: Reincarnated as a Caterpillar

I walk through a garden.

Not the Fifth Zone's kind—this one is manicured, delicate. Roses climb lattices, lilies line stone paths. It smells too sweet, almost rotten beneath the perfume.

At the center, there's a table set with teacups that look too fine to be touched.

Three figures sit there. Their faces blur and shift every time I try to focus on them.

One is a man with a book in his hand. When I lean closer, the words on the page slip like water, dripping off the parchment until nothing's left.

The second is a woman of gold—hair, dress, all gilded. She laughs, soft at first… but it turns brittle, like glass about to break.

The third is a lady in red. She pours tea into her cup, filling it past the rim until it spills, staining the tablecloth black. She smiles at the others, but her smile never touches her eyes.

The golden woman reaches for something. She cradles it against her chest—round, fragile. Precious.

The man leans close and whispers into her ear. For a second, I almost hear it. A single word. Hope.

But the lady in red sets her teacup down.

I notice the crack running down its porcelain side. I hear it before I see it.

Crack.

The golden woman gasps. What she's holding slips from her hands, rolls across the floor, and shatters without sound.

The man drops his book, lunges to catch it. Too late. The pages scatter into the dirt, blank and useless.

The lady in red laughs. Quiet. Restrained. Polite.

It chills me more than a scream.

And then—

I jolt awake.

"You're awake. Finally. I thought I was supposed to be the one napping."

A familiar voice stirs beside me—Morven's.

But when I turn my senses toward him, what forms aren't… quite him.

The figure is vaguely human, but the proportions are off in ways that make my skin crawl. Too tall in the torso. Arms a little too long. Shoulders are a touch too narrow.

Its expressions don't sit right either. Smiles that stretch just a bit too wide. Eyes that are too still, like they've been painted on glass. Every shift in its face arrives a heartbeat too late, as though it's remembering how to imitate.

Skin smooth. Waxy. Sculpted flesh rather than living tissue.
Hair pale-silver, straight and unnaturally neat.
An aura unsettling, but not monstrous. Almost human. Too close. Too wrong.

"Morven?" My voice wavers. "Is that… you?"

Panic sparks sharp in my chest. "Wait—Tessa! Where is—"

"Relax," he cuts in. His voice is calm, almost too calm. "She's here. She's safe."

I force my senses outward, stretching the field until I find her.

There—Tessa's body, lying nearby. Her breathing is slow and steady. She looks more like she's asleep after exhausting herself, not strangled to death.

I let out a shaky breath. "…Alright."

But I can't stop staring at him—
at it.

The shape wearing Morven's voice.

"What the hell is that?" My voice comes out sharper than I mean. "Is that supposed to be an evolution?"

The too-smooth face tilts toward me, that waxy smile pulling slowly across features that are almost—but not quite—human.

"Why yes," Morven says, as if it's the most casual thing in the world. "I am a Homunculus now."

I hover a little higher, uneasy. "Homunculus…? What is that?"

His glassy eyes blink once, deliberate, then fix on me. "A body made to hold together what should fall apart. Flesh, memory, mana—all stitched into something stable."

The way he says it is calm. Matter-of-fact.
But looking at him?

Stable is the last word I'd use.

"Damn, good for you," I mutter, still hovering unsteadily. "Getting an upgrade while we were almost fighting to the death with a weirdly suggestive vine lady. Thank god we survived that somehow. Speaking of which—have you ever seen something like her before?"

Morven tilts his too-still head, the waxy expression not quite matching the words. "Ahhh… about that. We are in her garden now."

"What!?" My senses flare outward in a rush, and it hits me immediately—this isn't where we were. The ground, the air, even the flow of mana—completely different. Thick with floral life, layered with roots and blossoms I didn't notice before.

Then a voice curls around us, smooth and heavy like perfume.

"Ah, so you have woken up, cocoon darling."

The floral figure steps into sense again, her aura unmistakable—suffocating yet graceful.

"You thrashed quite a bit before fainting. I do hope the dreams were pleasant."

Her tone lilts, playful, layered with intent I don't like.

My bristles hum sharply, mana gathering instinctively.
"Great," I mutter. "Round two already."

Morven steps between me and her, his too-perfect frame moving with that strange, deliberate grace.

"Stop it, will you?" he says flatly. "I was out for a second, and look what you've managed to get into."

I hover lower, bristles sparking. "Excuse me? She tried to strangle Tessa! And she shot me full of sedative thorns!"

He doesn't flinch. "Hear me out first, will you?"

My glow flickers, but I hold.

Morven gestures slightly toward the vine lady, his waxy features smoothing into something almost diplomatic. "This is Lady Velith. She holds the western territory of the Fifth Zone."

The woman dips her head just enough to pass for polite, vines curling languidly around her arms.

"Pleased to meet you, dear little cocoon," she says, her voice dripping with playful silk. "I do hope you won't take it too personally. It was only self-defense~."

My senses snap, tension still sharp in me. "Self-defense? You nearly squeezed the life out of Tessa!"

Her lips curl, slow. "Mm. She lunged first, did she not?"

Tessa stirs faintly on the ground, still unconscious. My bristles prickle, every instinct screaming not to trust her.

A low groan rattles from her throat as she shifts against the moss. Her ears twitch first, then her eyes crack open.

She blinks once. Twice.

Then her gaze lands on the vine lady standing there, aura still thick and suffocating.

Tessa's whole body jerks upright.

"Aaaahhh! Scary vine lady!" she screams, fur puffing out, tail stiff like a brush. She scrambles back a few steps, half-tripping over herself, eyes wide as saucers.

Velith only tilts her head, smiling that polite, dangerous smile. "Scary? Darling, I've been called many things… but that's a new favorite."

"Stay away from me!" Tessa growls, fire sparking in her jaws, even as her legs wobble underneath.

I hover closer, trying to keep between them. "Relax, Tess. She's… apparently not trying to kill us now."

Tessa stares at me like I've lost my mind. "Apparently?!"

"Well then, Morven," I say, bristles still humming with unease, "care to explain? Because last I checked, she strangled Tessa and tried to knock me out. And now you're being all… chummy with her?"

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I pause, tilting just slightly in the air.

"…Don't tell me you're into this kind of thing."

Tessa, still half-hiding behind me, chimes in without hesitation: "Yeah, Morven, is this, like… your type?"

Morven doesn't even blink. His too-smooth face doesn't shift, doesn't twitch—if anything, his stillness makes it worse.

"No," he says flatly. "This is diplomacy."

Velith lets out a soft laugh, the sound like petals brushing glass. "Oh, you wound me. Is it so strange that your friend here recognizes when to be civil?"

I hover lower, unimpressed. "Civil? She tried to feed us to the shrubbery five minutes ago."

Tessa bares her fangs, fire flickering. "Exactly!"

Velith only smiles wider. "You struck first, little wolf. I merely… responded."

Morven exhales slowly, the sound almost like irritation but steadier than that.

"When I woke up," he says, "all I saw was you and Tessa unconscious. And Lady Velith here… healing you both."

My bristles twitch. "…Healing?"

"She admitted she was the one who put you down in the first place," Morven continues, his voice even. "But naturally—knowing she could reason, far more than the humans we've encountered lately—I chose the peaceful path."

He turns slightly, those uncanny, too-still eyes settling on me.

"Besides," he adds, blunt as stone, "I stand no chance against her. Especially alone."

Velith chuckles at that, soft and silken, vines coiling lazily around her arm. "Mmm. At least one of you is sensible."

Tessa growls, ears flat. "She strangled me. Sensible my ass."

I hover closer to Tessa, still glaring at Velith. "So, let me get this straight. She beats us half-dead, then patches us up, and now we're supposed to be polite about it?"

Velith's smile doesn't falter. "Darling cocoon, you're catching on quickly."

She tilts her head, vines rustling as if in a sigh. "I apologize for the harm caused. And as a token—here, take a part of my body. Free of charge."

"What?!" Tessa and I shout at the same time.

Tessa practically yelps, ears flat, tail stiff. "Lady, you really need to stop talking like that!"

Velith only blinks slowly, her smile never wavering. "What? You don't want it? Humans pay hefty prices for my body, you know."

I hover lower, bristles buzzing, and facepalm—mentally, of course.

"Gods above," I mutter. "This is going to be painful."

Tessa throws her paws up. "She's worse than you, Nur!"

"Hey!"

Velith laughs softly, almost like a purr. "Oh, don't be so shy. You'll come to appreciate the offer, I'm sure."

Morven rubs at his temple like he's already exhausted. "This… is diplomacy. Apparently."

"Wait," I cut in, my glow twitching sharply. "You sell parts of your body to humans? How? I thought the whole deal here was—human sees monster, human kills monster."

Velith chuckles, vines curling lazily around her shoulders. "That is true. Down here in the labyrinth, that is the usual law of survival."

She steps closer, moss shifting under her bare feet with each graceful move. "But I am not most monsters. On the surface world, arrangements can be made. Trades. Alliances. Even desires only I can satisfy."

Tessa gags audibly. "Lady! Like i sad... Stop talking like that!"

Velith ignores her, eyes glinting faintly as she continues. "Sometimes, even within the dungeon, transactions occur. But those only happen because humans on the surface already know who I am."

I hover back a little, bristles flicking uneasily. "And who are you, exactly, that humans just… do business with you?"

Her smile curves, slow and deliberate. "The one they cannot uproot."

"So you know your way to the surface?" I ask, narrowing my senses on her. "The people, the society?"

Velith's vines shift, blooming a small flower along her forearm as she nods. "Yes, I do. In fact, I have traded with them, dined with them, even fought alongside them before." Her tone is calm, almost nostalgic. "But these days, only trades remain."

Tessa frowns, claws flexing. "Why? What changed?"

Velith's smile doesn't waver, but there's a weight behind it now. "Humans aren't quite welcoming to monsters, you see. Even the intelligent ones like us."

Her voice softens, almost wistful. "To them, a root is still a weed. No matter how carefully it's grown."

I hover closer, uneasy. "…So they tolerate you. For what you can give."

"Exactly." Velith dips her head slightly, petals swaying with the motion. "Value keeps the blade away. For as long as it lasts."

Velith's tone dips lower, vines curling back along her frame as she studies me.

"If you are pursuing the surface world," she says, calm but edged, "it would be better for you to give up now. With the way you are, you would not survive it. Humans fear what they do not understand. Fear turns to blades quickly."

Her lips curve into that almost-human smile. "As for me—I am fortunate. Fortunate enough to obtain a form that resembles them. A voice that speaks their tongue. And, of course…" her vines flex, bark shifting over her arm with a creak, "…unmatched strength."

I hover there, silent a moment, letting her words sink in.

A form that resembles them?

Lady, that's more than just resembling. With a shape like hers, I'd gamble it's not fear she's been playing with—at least not only.

Some humans, especially men… I bet they're the ones risking everything just to get close.

Tessa's eyes narrow on me, ears twitching, tail flicking like a whip.

"You better not—" she starts, her voice low and warning.

"What?" I ask, hovering back half a step. "Better not what?"

She squints harder, nose scrunching like she's trying to sniff out my thoughts. "Whatever you're thinking about this plant lady. Don't."

I bristle, indignant. "Excuse me? I wasn't—"

"Uh-huh." She doesn't buy it for a second, teeth flashing just a little. "I know that tone you make in your head, Nur."

I hover higher, defensive. "I wasn't thinking anything! She's creepy, okay? Creepy!"

Velith chuckles, soft and amused. "My, my. Such adorable squabbling."

"Stay out of this!" Tessa snaps, fur puffing.

I groan. "Why does everyone assume the worst about me?"

"I mean, Tessa," I say, trying to sound smug, "don't you think the same too at a little? We've got Morven over there who folded to her real quick the moment he woke up."

Tessa whips her head toward him, ears flat. "Oh, you're right!"

Morven, of course, doesn't flinch. His waxy not-quite-human face stays perfectly calm as he adjusts his stance. "I did not 'fold.' I calculated the odds and chose the only viable option."

"Yeah," I mutter, "folding."

Tessa growls, grinning now. "Caught red-handed, plant simp."

Morven sighs through his nose. "This is diplomacy. Nothing more."

Velith laughs softly, vines curling like a coy gesture. "Oh, don't be shy. Call it what you will, but you did choose wisely, my dear."

I hover a little closer to Tessa, smirking. "See? He's worse than either of us."

Tessa grins widely. "Finally. We agree on something."

Velith's smile lingers as she sweeps her gaze over us, vines curling in lazy arcs.

"Darlings, you three are such a strange combination—why wouldn't I be curious?" she says, tone sweet as nectar. "Not only did you manage to take down the moss ape that's been terrorizing my territory lately…"

Her eyes—if you could call them that—glint faintly. "But moss apes usually travel in groups. And they certainly don't wear artifacts. Especially ones that look like they've been crafted by human hands."

Tessa's ears shoot up, fur bristling. "So you're saying… humans are involved!?"

"Yes, darling," Velith purrs. "I suspected as much." She takes a slow step closer, vines whispering over the moss. "Though what's stranger still…" Her tone sharpens. "…is that one of you absorbed that very artifact."

She looks at us. No—through us.

And in an instant, her aura changes.

The playful veneer slips.

What pours out instead is suffocating—dread thick enough to press the breath from my lungs. Cold. Predatory. Dangerous in a way that no human, no monster, no devil could fake.

My fight-or-flight instinct explodes in my chest. Bristles flare uncontrollably, every part of me screaming to run, to escape.

And it isn't just me.

I sense Tessa's legs trembling, her claws scraping the ground as she fights to hold her stance.
Even Morven—steady, calculating Morven—shakes under the weight of it, his not-quite-human form faltering at the edges.

I hover lower, every thread of mana taut and ready, my core whispering one thought.

We are so far out of our depth.

Velith's presence bears down harder, vines curling like waiting blades. Her voice drips with honeyed menace:

"So, tell me, darlings… are you going to be a problem for us flora monsters?"

I can sense Morven beside me, his composure cracking. His voice comes uneven, stuttering past lips that don't quite fit right.
"N—no, Lady Velith. I… I assure you, we won't."

The words scrape out of him like splinters.

And just like that—

The pressure vanishes.

Velith's smile returns, soft and gracious, as if nothing had happened at all. "My," she says, almost purring, "then there's no problem, is there?"

The air loosens. I can finally breathe again.

But my bristles stay sharp, my instincts still screaming.

Velith suddenly gasps, her vines retracting slightly, petals folding in as if she's just now realized what she's done.

"Oh my," she says, one hand brushing her chest in a gesture almost too delicate to be real. "I do so apologize for the hostility."

Her smile softens—though I can't tell if it's genuine or just another mask. "There have been… attacks in my territory lately. Strange ones. Unprovoked. It has left me… wary."

I hover a little higher, bristles still prickling. "Wary's one word for it."

Tessa grumbles, tail lashing. "Nearly strangling me isn't wary, lady."

Velith lowers her head just enough to pass for contrite, vines shifting in quiet rustle. "Forgive me. Old instincts die hard when the roots are threatened."

Velith clasps her hands together, vines sliding neatly back into place as her aura smooths into something almost… welcoming.

"Well, if you won't cause any problems," she says brightly, "then you are definitely our guests! Feel free to explore my territory as you wish."

She turns slightly, petals fluttering along her shoulders as she gestures southward. "If you wander that way, you may find old Vithoth, the ent. He's lived here longer than most of us. He will… enlighten you."

Then she straightens, vines swaying like trailing silks, and offers one last smile that is equal parts charming and dangerous.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to with my sisters."

Before any of us can reply, she steps back into the greenery. Vines coil around her frame, flowers blooming in her wake, and in a breath, she's gone—folded back into the forest itself.

The clearing feels lighter. But not safer.

"And… she's gone."

I let out a long breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Phew…" Tessa mutters, shaking her fur out, ears twitching. For a heartbeat she almost looks relieved—

Then she snaps upright, eyes wide, tail bristling.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" she yells, pacing in a circle like the ground itself betrayed her. "Scary vine lady just—just appeared, choked me out, flirted with you, and then invited us to tea like we're best friends! What the actual hell?!"

I hover back a little, deadpan. "Yeah, welcome to Zone Five, Tess."

Morven, of course, just sighs. "Diplomacy."

"Diplomacy my ass!" Tessa growls. "She tried to kill us!"

"Correction," I murmur. "She succeeded. Briefly."

Tessa spins on me, jaw dropped. "You're not helping!"

"Well… whatever that was," I say, hovering in a slow circle, "it seems we ended up on her good side. I guess?"

Tessa stares at me like I've grown a second cocoon. "Good side? Nur, she crushed my ribs and sticked you full of sleepy juice!"

I shrug—mentally, anyway. "Yeah, but she's not trying to do it again, and apparently we're 'guests' now. That's an upgrade from corpses."

Morven folds his too-long arms, expression unreadable. "Pragmatically speaking, yes. We are safer with her favor than her ire."

Tessa throws her paws up. "Oh sure, let's just trust the terrifying vine lady who sounds like she's auditioning for Creepy Aunt of the Year!"

I hum thoughtfully. "Better creepy aunt than dead enemy."

Tessa groans loud enough to make the moss shake. "I hate it here."

"Welp," I say, hovering in a slow spin, "so now we're officially in the territory of a dryad who could snap us into mulch whenever she feels like it. Esteemed to that. So… yeah. I guess we just continue with the usual plan: murder monsters and grow stronger."

Morven inclines his too-still head. "That is indeed a profound strategy. I, too, want to see the fruits of my evolution."

Tessa freezes mid-step, eyes narrowing. "...Did you just make a fruit pun?"

Morven ignores her completely, his tone unshaken as he continues. "But I think it would benefit us more to gain knowledge of this zone. Lady Velith mentioned an old one—Vithoth, the ent. South from here."

Tessa's ears flick. "An ent? Like… walking tree?"

"Precisely."

I hum, uncertain. "Well. Can't be worse than scary vine lady."

Tessa side-eyes me. "That's what you said before she knocked us out."

"…Fair point."

"Alright then," I say, bristles humming faintly as I hover forward, "to the walking tree it is."

Tessa groans under her breath, Morven gives no reaction, and together we start south.

End of Chapter 63