I arrived at the desolate land, cradling the injured Golden Grim Reapers and blowing large amounts of wood fuel into their bodies.

As I watched the children peacefully sleep after being healed, I sent them a quiet message.

'It's okay, you'll be fine soon.'

After gently placing them on the ground, I tried to assess the chaotic situation around me.

While pondering what to do about the suddenly crazed Golden Grim Reaper, the one causing the chaos used "stacking" to attack the other Golden Grim Reapers, exhausting its own arms.

It then collapsed, like a machine with its power cut off, and another Golden Grim Reaper, now caught in madness, began to stir again.

'?'

'Could it be contagious, like rabies?' I wondered, but such a phenomenon seemed too odd to be called "betrayal."

The Golden Grim Reapers seemed to have experienced this situation before. They skillfully created distance and began to respond.

As I continued to observe, I faintly detected the odor of a harmful Object.

I widened my eyes, scanning the surroundings, but the presence of the harmful Object didn’t seem to be coming from anywhere else.

Though it was masked by the scent of the sun, the stench was emanating from the rampaging Golden Grim Reaper.

'Possession-type Object?'

The Golden Grim Reapers were known to be resilient to mental corruption, so for it to possess one of them, the Object would likely have to be a high-class one specialized in possession...

With this thought, I carefully moved closer to the mad Golden Grim Reaper.

In that moment, my eyes met the crazed Golden Grim Reaper's.

The Golden Grim Reaper's eyes widened, as if it had encountered an unimaginable fear, and it collapsed.

At the same time, the malicious presence also disappeared.

After a brief moment, the fallen Golden Grim Reaper rubbed its eyes and got up.

It looked confused, and it was the usual Golden Grim Reaper, wearing a bright, innocent smile.

As I looked at the children, many of them injured, I could feel my anger slowly building up.

I held my rage in check and smiled slightly, sending a message to the Golden Grim Reapers.

'Who sent the message about the traitor?'

A few Golden Grim Reapers, apparently hoping for praise, chuckled and approached.

As they got close enough, I sent out a strong will.

'It's not a traitor!'

Then, I turned the children who had sent out the wrong information into dust.

'No!'

The Golden Grim Reapers, now puffed up, scattered across the ground.

After punishing the wrongdoers, I ground my teeth with a fierce expression.

How dare they touch my children...

And even try to run away?

My gaze turned cold.

The space, now half my domain, reacted to my emotions and began to faintly vibrate.

'Mom’s angry!'

'This is bad!'

Ignoring the commotion from the Golden Grim Reapers, I spread my will across the entire world.

'Everyone gather! We’re starting the search now!'

I added, as if threatening them.

'Anyone who doesn’t show up without a special reason will get three times the punishment!'

In an instant, many Mini Grim Reapers began to gather around me.

The first to arrive was the Orange Crowned Grim Reaper.

It rarely showed up, but when it did, it was always the first...

Once enough Mini Grim Reapers had gathered, I sent the children out.

'Now, scatter and find the harmful Object!'

The Green Grim Reaper, flying across the Texas night sky, had a face full of sadness.

Its eyes were on the ground, but its heart was far away.

'I should be playing with the human...'

The Green Grim Reaper sighed.

It had been just about time for the beloved human to prepare a feast, to start a party filled with delicious food.

The fragrant scent of barbecue seemed to linger in the air, and the sounds of laughter echoed.

It felt a pang of heartache, realizing it was missing out on a happy memory with the beloved human.

"Bing..."

But there was nothing it could do.

Mom was unusually angry, and that fury could be felt even on the other side of the planet.

'I need to find it quickly, then I can go back to the human.'

Unlike usual, the Green Grim Reaper focused deeply and began searching diligently.

Its eyes became sharp like a cat’s, and its movements became more agile.

The ground below had turned into a hell of Objects.

Golden Grim Reapers, like locusts, covered the earth.

The waves of gold were constantly moving, crushing harmful Objects as they went.

And they were so focused, not even a greeting from the humans holding out candy for them could distract them.

Normally, many would have strayed from the group, but only one or two did so.

The Green Grim Reaper continued to fly.

Expanding its senses to the fullest, it pushed itself not to miss a single thing on the ground.

After some time, the Green Grim Reaper's antennae twitched.

'This...'

It was a building that had already been swept away by the Golden Grim Reapers.

The Golden Grim Reapers hadn’t noticed it, but inside the building, there was definitely an unusual presence.

There was no substance, no flesh—just a strange life form that seemed to exist for no apparent reason.

The Green Grim Reaper slowly approached the source of the presence.

There were brightly shining streetlights around, but one building seemed to be bathed in shadow.

Peering through the window, the Green Grim Reaper’s eyes widened.

Found it!

Without hesitation, the Green Grim Reaper called out to Mom.

'Mom! There’s a strange Object here!'

There was a man.

He lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

He could hardly move, and his life felt like it wasn’t even truly living.

In that life, he harbored a small wish.

A wish to walk freely in the world on two legs—something that might seem ordinary to some, but to him, it was a dream-like desire.

One cloudy day, an unidentified being appeared in his room.

Its face was obscured by smoke, but it was undoubtedly an Object in human form.

This being, bringing with it numerous lamps and thick smoke, whispered into the man's ear.

It promised to grant his small wish.

In that moment, the man's rational mind screamed a warning: Never accept this offer.

The suggestion was suspicious beyond measure.

It was like the poisoned apple offered by an Object capable of communication with humans.

But desperation overwhelmed his reason.

The man nodded with trembling hands.

"I accept."

The being, what could only be called the "Man of the Lamp," smiled as if satisfied.

And then, like smoke, it disappeared, leaving only an antique lamp behind.

The room was once again shrouded in silence.

An empty room, and a tightly closed door.

It felt like a dream in the middle of the day, but the lamp sitting beside the bed proved it was real.

The lamp whispered.

[I'll set you free.]

In that moment, the man became a transparent vapor, able to possess another’s body.

At first, he was tormented by guilt.

"I'm sorry. Truly sorry."

He begged and begged, walking for just an hour in the borrowed body.

But the brief happiness he felt during that time was beyond words.

The warm sunlight, the breeze, and freedom.

But when he returned to his own body, the helplessness and pain were even stronger.

The man realized.

It was no different than a drug.

A cleverly devised trap by the Object.

And the most frightening thing was, he knew he could never stop.

He had already become a prisoner of that freedom.

As time passed, the number of possessions increased.

The initial guilt faded, and he began to crave stronger stimuli.

And the more he possessed, the more his original body deteriorated.

Every time he remained in his own body, the pain felt as though it were being torn apart.

Though the Object had set up the trap, the man couldn’t even think about it.

'I need stronger stimuli.'

The man’s reason slowly crumbled.

To feel that sense of liberation again, he would do anything.

And eventually, when he killed a person for the sake of stimulation, his original body died.

'Ah, so this is how it ends.'

But strangely, he felt a sense of relief.

Freedom from the painful prison, freedom from death.

He thought he had gained complete freedom.

But now, the man was gripped by intense fear.

'Why has the Gray Grim Reaper appeared?'

He had worked tirelessly to avoid being suspected by the Objects Association.

Knowing how competent the American Objects Association was, he had made sure to leave no trace of suspicion.

He only wanted to make the Golden Grim Reapers fear him, making them run away...

'It'll be fine, it'll be fine. It'll really be fine.'

He kept repeating this, wandering around his now-mummified corpse.

At that moment, something stirred beyond the bright window.

The man’s heart no longer existed, but fear enveloped his entire body.

It seemed like the shadow outside the window was the grim reaper of the dead, coming to greet him.