ã€ŠWear Your Soul Round Your Neckã€‹


 Chapter 1: Twisted Experiments and Feverish Minds

    Thyssa crept through the mist, deeper and deeper into the valley. The deeper she went, the more thorns and roots stood in her way ¨C were they trying to trap her, or warn her?

    At the very bottom of the valley was an abandoned hospital. The stories said a doctor had taken up residence there. Stories of twisted experiments and cruel devices and feverish minds. They contradicted each other: Some stories were second-hand accounts of malforms who managed to escape, but others said nobody made it out alive. All of them agreed that this was a bad place, that no malform should tread here.

    But one story of the experiments was tantalizing to Thyssa. Strange, forbidden, but exciting, full of hope. She couldn¡¯t get it out of her head. The doctor probably couldn¡¯t do that¡­but what if she could? The story kept in her head, slithered around her mind at night.

    Thyssa crept up to the hospital¡¯s glass doors and tapped them with a claw. She heard a sound from above her and looked up to see glass doors opening up on the hospital¡¯s upper level. Out stepped a tall, beautiful woman with cold eyes. Thyssa felt a chill as those eyes fixed on her.

    ¡°What creature enters my domain?¡±

    The voice was beautiful and gentle. There was no kindness and no malice, just a cold curiosity, as if she was looking at some interesting plant.

    Thyssa drained the poisonous spittle from her mouth and tried to form human words.

    ¡°Th-Thyssa offf¡­Grendel Pack.¡±

    Her voice was a terrible hiss, the words choppy and distorted.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°And what is Thyssa of Grendel Pack doing so far from home?¡±

    ¡°Isset¡­Is it true you make monsters into girls?¡±

    ¡°I have not conducted any such treatment.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡­it was liyuze¡­lies. All lies.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve not tested it, but I am currently researching the transformation of malform into human.¡±

    ¡°Poz¡­possible?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I hope to find out. Theoretically, it¡¯s viable. But, as you see, I am alone here. I haven¡¯t been able to find a proper test subject.¡±

    ¡°I could be¡­tessst sssubjeck¡­test subject.¡±

    The doctor looked Thyssa over, her beautiful face contorting with disgust. ¡°You? Your enthusiasm is admirable, but¡­I was looking for a subject a little more¡­humanoid.¡±

    Thyssa was filled with shame and frustration. She wanted this because she wasn¡¯t humanoid!

    ¡°Test me aneeah. Anyway.¡±

    ¡°I thank you for the offer, but¡­¡± The doctor sighed. ¡°Even a malform with very humanlike anatomy, this would be a long shot. For something like you, the chances of success¡­¡± She shook her head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care¡­hownlikely¡­how many times it takes.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. According to my hypotheses, a failed treatment would kill you. Slowly.¡±

    ¡°Neeud¡­need to try.¡±

    The doctor smiled. ¡°Well. I¡¯ve warned you of the risks. Wait there.¡±

    She went back inside the hospital. Before long, she reemerged from the ground entrance. She was carrying a strange bright stone, dangling by a silver cord. The stone was shaped like a serene woman, caressing her own exposed heart. An image of perfection through violence.

    ¡°This is the Benevolent Heart. It is the greatest invention of humanity. It made us humans into something better. But no one¡¯s ever used it on a malform.¡± Her voice was almost a whisper, amazed at the power she held in her hand. ¡°Until now.¡±

    Thyssa approached.

    ¡°You will be the first test subject,¡± said the doctor. ¡°You will show the world whether you have what it takes to become human. You will either be reborn or die a martyr to science. Let us see which.¡±

    And, with that, Lili wrapped the cord around Thyssa¡¯s neck. The brightness, the warmth, flowed into Thyssa¡¯s body, lighting up all her senses.

    Everything was bright, and then everything was dark.

 Chapter 2: New You

    Thyssa woke up in a warm bed, in a dark room. Her first groggy thought was that she must have dreamt the strange doctor. But her body felt strange, and there was a warmth around her neck.

    She clenched her hands ¨C for they <i>were</i> hands, not claws. She put her hands to her face, round and soft, no longer dominated by a maw of fangs. And now with a nose. That was weird. It wasn''t as rigid as she expected ¨C she''d never had cartilage in her body before. She just kind of assumed, the few times she''d glimpsed pure humans, that their noses were just bones. She felt foolish about that now. The softness was everywhere. She knew humans had skin, but hadn¡¯t really imagined it felt like this. Instead of armour, she was clad in some fabric like spider silk. Light as it was, she wasn''t used to clothes, and the sensation of it, on top of the collar, was a lot for her.

    So this was what it was like to be human. Her heart was beating furiously, but she couldn''t help an eerie, dizzy feeling ¨C she couldn''t process all this. It was too much at once, too much information, but she was greedy for even more surprises. She needed to know how she looked!

    Thyssa crawled out of bed to look for a light. She suddenly found no need, as the room lit itself as soon as she was standing. Able to see her surroundings, she scanned the room. A shelf of books. A desk, with paper and pens. She was struck by how <i>colourful</i> everything was. And then, what she was looking for. A mirror! She crept up to it, and stopped in shock when she saw her reflection.

    For some reason, on some level, Thyssa had assumed that, even if the Benevolent Heart worked as hoped, her body would only be a grisly approximation of a human. Even in her forbidden dreams, she couldn''t imagine herself as something lovely. So the gentle young woman staring back at her was wide-eyed with surprise. The eyes themselves were surprising. They weren¡¯t just glossy bumps anymore, they were human eyes, with irises and pupils and everything.

    The new eyes explained the vibrant colours ¨C beautiful eyes made to see beautiful things! She could see the beauty in the spring colours on the walls. The Benevolent Heart, tied around her neck by a cord, was a glistening iridescent pink. Her hair, a gentle white. She¡¯d never had hair before. It was very soft ¨C she kept running her fingers through it. So much nicer than nerve cables!

    She looked about the same size as before, but short and fat instead of <i>long. </i>She had broad shoulders and strong limbs. Without bone spikes and tumour limbs sticking out of her, she could stand upright, meaning that, short as she was, she was still farther from the ground. She was very proud of this for some reason. Everything about this body was a surprise, but an exciting surprise, not a nasty one. For the first time she could remember, she <i>liked</i> her body.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Thyssa lost track of time admiring her new self in the mirror, doing flattering stretches, making fun faces, playing with her long messy hair. She was in heaven, and the heaven was her.

    She was interrupted by the figure in the doorway.

    ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡±

    It was the doctor. With her new eyes, Thyssa could see her colours, drink in her beauty. She was an older woman with candy-pink hair, clad in white and silver. She was tall and stately ¨C and clearly much more used to walking on two legs than Thyssa was. She was beautiful like a temple, something divine and forbidden: one of the perfect humans. Thyssa felt a heat under her skin, embarrassed that such a dignified creature caught her flirting with herself. She¡¯d felt shame before ¨C all malforms did ¨C but, in this body, it was more intense.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t be ashamed. You were very brave.¡± Thyssa noticed the voice had a much sweeter quality than before. Had she become more sensitive? Or had she become the sort of thing people wanted to be kind to?

    ¡°That must have taken a lot out of you,¡± said the perfect woman. ¡°You must be very hungry.¡± She opened her hand, which held a bunch of red fruit. ¡°Would you like to try one?¡±

    Thyssa tried to respond, but her throat and mouth had changed too much to speak from.

    The perfect woman looked disappointed. ¡°I suppose you''re not used to speaking as a human, are you?¡± Her face shifted to an encouraging smile. ¡°Don''t worry. I can teach you in time.¡±

    She placed the fruits on the desk by the mirror. Thyssa grabbed one of them and looked at it. It wasn¡¯t poisoned like the fruits in the Land of Monsters ¨C the vaguely conical shape was too coherent, and it was all a solid, gentle red, no weird gradients.

    ¡°It''s a strawberry,¡± said the perfect woman, a warm smile on her face. ¡°I thought you might like to try some fruit from my garden, since you can eat it now. Try it. It''s very tasty.¡±

    Nervous, but too curious not to try it, Thyssa ate it normally ¨C that is, she lunged her head forward and seized the strawberry with her teeth, then bit down again to break it apart in her mouth. The taste overwhelmed her. Everything in the Land of Monsters had some degree of bitterness ¨C usually quite a lot ¨C and sweetness was completely absent. This fruit was quite sweet ¨C not bitter at all. Even the sourness was gentle, not a harsh acid. The leaves were a little unpleasant, but not so much as to ruin the whole thing.

    The perfect woman laughed to herself. Thyssa looked at her, suddenly ashamed, wondering what she had done wrong.

    The perfect woman stifled her laughter. ¡°I''m sorry. It''s just, you''re very cute.¡±

    That heat under her skin again. She''d never imagined anyone would see her as <i>cute, </i>especially when going for a bite. She was having trouble processing it all. Maybe she liked being around someone who wanted neither to run or to eat her. Maybe she liked being cute. Maybe she liked it a great deal. She took another strawberry, and found it was sweet as the first.

    She could get used to this.

 Chapter 3: Talk To Us

    Thyssa lived with the perfect woman, and got to know her. Her name was Lili, and she was as kind as she¡¯d seemed the first time. She never lost her temper or said the wrong thing. All her words were rational and beautiful. Thyssa couldn¡¯t have asked for a better mentor to teach her humanity.

    ¡°Enjoying your apple cake?¡± asked Lili.

    Thyssa nodded. Then, remembering her (freshly-taught) manners, she added ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±

    Her human voice was deep and husky, which Lili said ¡®was to be expected.¡¯ Thyssa liked it. But Lili said it was sometimes frightening and aggressive, especially when she was excited. So she taught her Thyssa speak more gently.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I really want you to feel comfortable here.¡±

    Thyssa chewed the spiced cake slowly. ¡°What do you get out of all this?¡±

    Lili nodded, like she was expecting this question. ¡°You must have noticed I live alone, far from other humans. They think my ideas are frightening, dangerous, mad.¡±

    Deliberately vague. Thyssa decided to bite. ¡°What ideas?¡±

    ¡°My colleagues think malforms are too dangerous to interact with. That¡¯s why you¡¯ve been left in the Land of Monsters.¡±

    ¡°Left to suffer and die.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Lili sighed. ¡°Yes. Poor thing. It¡¯s¡­not right, is it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why some of us wanted to find more humane solutions. One of us even wanted to euthanize your kind.¡±

    ¡°Euthanize?¡±

    ¡°A pretty word for murder.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not humane.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not. Even my other colleagues were horrified by that idea. They cast him out of the Walled Garden, too. Not before he stole one of our treasures.¡± She shook her head. ¡°He was once one of my teachers. He was a good man then. What is it that makes people betray everything they stand for?¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°Why do people always want to hurt us?¡±

    ¡°They think you can¡¯t be fixed. That there¡¯s no cure for your aggressive, antisocial tendencies. That empathy is something you either have or don¡¯t have, and if you don¡¯t have it you can never get it.¡± Lili looked intense. ¡°But I think we can give you empathy.¡± She stroked Thyssa¡¯s hair. ¡°All you need is a little tender loving care.¡±

    Thyssa looked up. ¡°You made me human so you could care for me.¡±

    Lili nodded. ¡°And so you could feel that care, and grow from it.¡±

    Thyssa swallowed. ¡°So all this was¡­just to prove yourself right?¡±

    ¡°To test whether I am right. I am, after all, a scientist. No duty but to truth.¡± Her face was stoic. Then a warm smile played across her lips ¡°That said. I do find myself getting attached to you. Normally, a scientist shouldn¡¯t let her feelings sway her. But I think here it helps the project.¡±

    ¡°So you let yourself love me.¡±

    Lili hugged Thyssa. ¡°And why shouldn¡¯t I? We both want to make you into something better. To prove to everyone you can be more than what they say you are.¡±

    ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°Talk to us. To win the people¡¯s hearts, I need someone to talk to them. It can¡¯t be me, they don¡¯t believe me. And it can¡¯t be a malform, or they¡¯ll just panic. I need a voice who can speak from experience, with a face they won¡¯t run from.¡± Lili crouched down to look at Thyssa at eye level. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s you?¡±

    ¡°I think I could try to be that.¡±

    Lili smiled. ¡°That¡¯s all I ask.¡±

 Chapter 4: The Weak and the Beasts

    ¡°Are you having trouble in there?¡± Lili asked.

    There was no trouble. Thyssa had gotten good at putting on clothes. But¡­

    ¡°I look weird,¡± she said.

    This outfit was nothing like Lili¡¯s shining and dignified garb. It was made of cheery pink and green fabric ¨C pink body and green skirt. The strangest part was the hood, shaped like an abstract beast¡¯s head. It evoked being swallowed up by a monstrous form.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that,¡± said Lili. ¡°Or do you know more about fashion than me?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°Then let me see.¡±

    Nervously, Thyssa opened her door. Lili walked in, and started laughing.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°I do look weird.¡±

    ¡°No! It makes you look adorable.¡±

    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s eating me.¡±

    ¡°Does it?¡± asked Lili. She pulled the hood up and down over Thyssa¡¯s head, as if it were vigorously chewing on her. ¡°Monch monch. I guess it does!¡±

    ¡°That is¡­good?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Do you not like my gift?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s just¡­doesn¡¯t it make me look strange and weak?¡±

    Lili thought to herself. ¡°In a way. We want you to look weak.¡±

    ¡°We do?¡±

    ¡°You may be younger than me, but you¡¯re still a grown woman. Strong enough to hurt someone. You don¡¯t want to look scary, do you? I mean, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re going for, you could always turn back ¨C¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then take my advice. Looking weak is good for you.¡±

    ¡°But then people will try to hurt me.¡±

    Lili put a hand on Thyssa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is that what it¡¯s like where you¡¯re from?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just what it¡¯s like everywhere.¡±

    ¡°Have you been everywhere? That¡¯s not very scientific of you.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No one will hurt you here. This is my sanctuary. I make the rules here. And my rules say the weak are protected and nurtured.¡±

    ¡°I like your rules,¡± said Thyssa.

    ¡°I know you do, little monster.¡±

 Chapter 5: Empathy Gap

    Thyssa walked through Lili¡¯s garden, so much more vibrant and colourful through human eyes. Fat red flowers basked in the sunlight, embraced by creeping blue vines. Little golden flowers shot up through the dark soil.

    ¡°I¡¯m in a beautiful place, mom,¡± Thyssa whispered to herself.

    She listened to the silence, until it was suddenly broken. A wet munching of leaves. Something was eating the garden ¨C eating Lili¡¯s sanctuary. What beast would have such audacity? Curiosity stirred in Thyssa¡¯s heart.

    Thyssa crept towards the sound. From behind the cover of a sparkling teal bush, she spied it. A rabbit, plump and white. She felt a hollowness in her stomach. She hadn¡¯t had meat since her transformation, and the crops Lili fed her didn¡¯t completely satisfy. Here was a chance to truly sate her hunger, all while protecting Lili¡¯s precious garden.

    She prepared to attack. Three¡­two¡­one¡­

    She sprang towards the beast. A rabbit was a creature of great agility, but so was Thyssa. Even as a girl, she retained her vicious instinct and serpentine reflexes. She chased the rabbit around the garden as it dashed away. It ran into a thick violet fern, but Thyssa had found her prey and it couldn¡¯t hide from her. Without hesitation, she thrust a hand into the fern and seized the rabbit.

    It writhed and scratched at her, but she was the stronger animal and she would not let go after such a chase. She grabbed it with her other hand, stretching out its plump body. Then, in one sudden, ruthless gesture, she snapped its neck, killing it instantly. The beast became meat, and she tore into it, fur and all. It was what her mind and body craved.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Lili¡¯s voice was cold with horror, face contorted with disgust.

    ¡°It was eating your garden,¡± explained Thyssa, wiping the blood staining her mouth.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can kill it!¡±

    ¡°Then how do I protect your garden?¡±

    ¡°Leave that to me. I understand the balance of nature.¡± Lili stared at her. ¡°Drop it!¡±

    ¡°It is already dead. I don¡¯t want to waste its meat.¡±

    ¡°Humans don¡¯t eat meat.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m ¨C¡±

    ¡°I said drop it!¡±

    Thyssa dropped the corpse to the earth, shrinking back. ¡°I have¡­done wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lili said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

    ¡°I am sorry.¡±

    Lili sniffed. ¡°At least you¡¯re ashamed of yourself.¡± She sighed. ¡°Really, this is on me. I¡¯ve failed to teach and discipline you properly. You¡¯re even less human than I thought.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°I am sorry.¡±

    ¡°Come with me. I¡¯m going to wash you off, and then you and I are going to have a conversation about empathy, young lady.¡±

    Over several months, Lili taught Thyssa about empathy, about other creatures having feelings. It mostly sounded like things Thyssa already knew combined with rules that would have never made sense for a malform ¨C don¡¯t eat other animals (you wouldn¡¯t eat at all), trust those around you (you would be eaten), always say hello to humans (they would panic and probably kill you).

    Thyssa wondered if these rules made much more sense for a human than they did for a malform. After all, Lili was a recluse ¨C it didn¡¯t seem like she¡¯d dealt with many humans herself.

    Her doubts aside, though, Thyssa was able to understand the concepts. So, between what she already understood and what she had assimilated from Lili, she was able to get all the Right Answers on Lili¡¯s tests.

    ¡°Is something troubling you, Thyssa?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­what you¡¯ve been saying. That malforms don¡¯t have empathy.¡±

    ¡°Not naturally. That¡¯s why I¡¯m teaching you.¡±

    ¡°I remember when I was a kid. I wandered in search of food, in search of love. Every human I met ran off.¡±

    Lili looked down. ¡°I said humans have empathy. We don¡¯t always use it. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°But someone did. A malform. The Ogre Queen. She took me in, fed me, raised me.¡±

    ¡°The Ogre Queen. I¡¯ve studied that one from afar. It is¡­different.¡±

    ¡°She has empathy.¡±

    ¡°It has something. Something drives it to collect malforms to care for.¡±

    Thyssa narrowed her eyes. ¡°Not empathy?¡±

    ¡°No¡­I think it¡¯s a way of processing self-loathing. It feels pathetic, so it looks for creatures more pathetic than itself. Raises them to look up to it.¡±

    Thyssa winced. ¡°You think I¡¯m pathetic.¡±

    ¡°No, honey. I¡¯m just trying to get into its head. That¡¯s my whole job.¡±

    ¡°I want to go back to her. Someday. When I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°Are you not happy here?¡±

    ¡°No, I am¡­but¡­she must be so worried.¡±

    Lili shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re replaceable to it. Less than that. You¡¯re a girl now. A very pretty one.¡± She brushed a stray lock of hair from Thyssa¡¯s brow. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t want a lovely thing like you around. It would just make her all the more bitter.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s not true! You¡¯re wrong about her.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps not everyone would agree with my assessment. But you would. I can tell.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very sweet of you to try and defend it. But be honest with me. If you thought it would still want you, why didn¡¯t you tell it where you were going?¡±

    ¡°She forbade me from going here.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Funny that. She kept you away from the one person who could make you human.¡±

    ¡°She wanted to keep me safe! She¡¯s afraid of you. Just like you¡¯re afraid of her.¡±

    Lili sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you this to hurt you. Quite the opposite. I don¡¯t want you to be attached to someone who doesn¡¯t love you back.¡± Lili looked down. ¡°As long as you continue this path with me, she¡¯ll never take you back. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, if you really beg, maybe she¡¯ll let you stay a night in her nest. But if you want to stay, there¡¯ll be a condition. One little condition.¡± Thyssa flinched as Lili hooked a finger under the necklace. ¡°Give up your humanity. Then you can be her pathetic little baby again. You can be gross and ugly and hate yourself, and she¡¯ll be right there to console you about it.¡±

    Thyssa imagined the Ogre Queen forgiving her for running away, taking her back in with open arms. It felt only half-real, like back when she was hungry and she used to daydream about eating her way through a mountain of rich meat. Thyssa wanted to have faith that Lili was wrong, that her horrible words weren¡¯t true, but it didn¡¯t come. Did she still lack the part of people that could love and trust without doubt? Or was it just that her life hadn¡¯t given her any memory to support that faith? She was broken, and she didn¡¯t even know how or why, and as soon as she went back to her body, she found it had broken down crying without her.

    Lili brought her into a tight hug. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Thyssa. You have me now.¡±

    ¡°Can I¡­really trust you?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can. I promise I¡¯ll take good care of you. I¡¯m your mom now.¡±

    Thyssa nodded, praying that Lili would keep her promise.

 Chapter 6: Everything Weve Dreamed Of

    One day, Lili had news for Thyssa.

    ¡°Some of my colleagues were impressed by my progress with you.¡±

    ¡°Your colleagues? I thought they all abandoned you.¡±

    Lili laughed. ¡°Oh, they did, and I won¡¯t let them forget it. But I¡¯ve been broadcasting my results back to the Walled Garden. I didn¡¯t think there was anyone listening, but it is a scientist¡¯s duty to get the truth out, whether or not anyone listens. And now my scruples are rewarded.¡± She looked at Thyssa, a gleam in her eye. ¡°They¡¯re very interested in you, Thyssa.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°But they still don¡¯t trust me. They¡¯ve sent Dr. Goodfellow to perform an independent assessment.¡±

    ¡°What is she like?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a man.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±

    ¡°But I can see why you¡¯d assume otherwise. It¡¯s really quite vanishingly rare to see men in this field. Goodfellow, though, he¡¯s always been¡­quite a character.¡± She laughed. ¡°Really, it¡¯s quite lucky they sent him. Nobody has as much expertise on Scission and malforms as him¡­well, nobody in the city.¡±

    ¡°Scission?¡± asked Thyssa.

    Lili looked uncomfortable, like she¡¯d said too much. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­explain when you¡¯re older.¡± She perked up again. ¡°Anyway, the point is that he¡¯s an excellent doctor. He was my mentor, and I can say he¡¯s a very nice man. You¡¯re in for a real treat.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Thyssa tilted her head. ¡°Being assessed by him?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, he¡¯ll make it fun!¡± Lili suddenly turned deadly serious. ¡°Nonetheless. You must be on your best behaviour. This will be the greatest trial of my work so far. If we succeed here, they¡¯ll let us both into the Walled Garden.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it like there?¡±

    Lili looked off into space. ¡°It¡¯s the most beautiful place in the world. Palatial homes with all the comforts of the modern world, the finest places of learning and art, archives that go back millennia. Fountains that shoot as high as you can look. But none of that¡¯s the true prize.¡±

    Thyssa didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°People.¡±

    ¡°Yes! People! Hundreds of the most wonderful, perfect people you¡¯ve ever met. Friends, lovers, anything you can want from another human and they¡¯ll be better than you even hoped for. People I haven¡¯t seen since I was a girl. You¡¯ll love them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You must miss them.¡±

    ¡°I want to show them the truth ¨C that your kind can be domesticated, can be enlightened. I want to prove them all wrong. And, with an audience of hundreds, I will. The truth will spread like wildfire, until it is common knowledge, and all the people who laughed at me will just be a footnote in the history books.¡± She held Thyssa¡¯s hand. ¡°And you¡¯ll help me do it.¡±

    Thyssa tightened her grip on Lili¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll show them all I¡¯m human.¡±

    ¡°Yes. They¡¯ll have no choice but to change how they see malforms. It¡¯ll be the start of a new era for both our kinds.¡±

    Thyssa took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s¡­a lot.¡±

    ¡°The stakes could not possibly be higher, of that you are right. But remember everything I have taught you ¨C all your conditioning, all your lessons. As long as you keep my teachings in your heart, you will succeed.¡±

    Thyssa nodded, at first weakly, then stronger. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Of course we will.¡±

    The two of them stood in silence as Thyssa contemplated the weight of everything riding on her shoulders.

    ¡°When does this Dr. Goodfellow depart?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he departed hours ago. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    Lili closed her eyes, attuning to her sensors. ¡°Ah! There he is now.¡±

 Chapter 7: Not One Secret Thing

    Dr. Goodfellow arrived. He was not alone. He had half a dozen soldiers with him. They were clad head-to-toe in gleaming white armour. Their faces were entirely covered by gleaming white masks. The armour would have looked ceremonial, if not for their gleaming white spears.

    Thyssa recognized the uniform just as well as she recognized their cruel, electrified weapons. They were the Stormwatch, the perfect bodies who killed imperfect bodies. It was their job to keep malforms out of the Walled Garden. If she and Lili succeeded at showing monsters could live with humans, their despicable ranks would be disbanded. If they failed¡­no. They couldn¡¯t fail. They wouldn¡¯t fail.

    Thyssa was surprised to see Lili almost as disturbed by them as she was. Was she afraid for Thyssa, herself, or both? It made her uneasy to see. Dr. Goodfellow must have noticed this discomfort, as he directed them to stay outside the room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re just here as a precaution. You know how jumpy the Walled Garden can be with malforms.¡±

    He sat down, put down his doctor¡¯s bag, and Lili served him a cup of tea.

    ¡°Thank you so much for joining us, Doctor,¡± said Lili.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± said Dr. Goodfellow. ¡°I¡¯m very excited to learn about your, ah, patient.¡± He tested his tea and looked to Thyssa. ¡°What did she name you?¡±

    ¡°I named myself Thyssa.¡±

    He nodded, taking a long sip of his tea. ¡°Fascinating. I look forward to exploring how you chose that name.¡±

    ¡°I can tell you right now if you like.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I really prefer to do my research in private.¡±

    Lili nodded. ¡°That will be fine. I¡¯ve made her quite tame.¡± She fluffed Thyssa¡¯s hair. ¡°Just my doting little girl. Completely harmless.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be the judge of that.¡±

    Lili laughed. It didn¡¯t sound like her real laugh. ¡°But of course. You¡¯re very brave to do this for science.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not so noble as that. There are perks.¡±

    ¡°Perks?¡± asked Thyssa.

    Dr. Goodfellow laughed. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ll see.¡±

    ¡°Is this room good?¡± asked Lili.

    ¡°Oh, yes. Just what I was looking for.¡±

    ¡°Anything else I can do to help prepare?¡± asked Lili.

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯ve wasted enough of your precious time. I know how busy you make yourself, you¡¯re probably itching to get this done.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve waited over a decade for this,¡± said Lili. ¡°Any delay will be a drop in an ocean of waiting.¡±

    Dr. Goodfellow raised his cup and drained the last of it. ¡°Very poetic, very poetic. Still. Right to business.¡±

    Lili nodded and took his tea.

    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± said Lili. ¡°Good luck. If you need anything, just call for me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but that really won¡¯t be necessary.¡±

    Lili bowed and left the room.

    Dr. Goodfellow watched her leave. His gaze lingered as the door closed. ¡°Marvellous woman.¡±

    ¡°I am very grateful to her,¡± said Thyssa.

    He looked back to Thyssa. ¡°I can see why! I can see hardly a trace of malform in you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Thyssa. She didn¡¯t really take it as a compliment, but it was clearly meant as one. And everything depended on her making a good impression. This was her chance to prove her humanity, and all she had to do was be polite.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s very kind, very sweet,¡± nodded Dr. Goodfellow. Nothing but goodness left in her.¡±

    Thyssa nodded.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°But¡­I bet you feel a little more than gratitude towards her, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I care about her.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you do. Such a lovely face, such smooth hair. Such generous curves.¡±

    Thyssa looked up at Dr. Goodfellow. ¡°You love her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my colleague. But your mind went there nonetheless. Curious.¡±

    This was bad. Lili taught Thyssa next to nothing about sex. Already she¡¯d made a serious error. She¡¯d make many more if the conversation stayed here. She needed to stem this tide.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± she said.

    ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re just an adorable little thing dressed up in a skirt and a monster hood.¡± He laughed. ¡°Playing at innocence may fool Lili, but I¡¯m a little more impartial. I observe the facts as they are. And the fact is, despite how Lili seems to treat you, you¡¯re very much an adult, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Thyssa. Concede what cannot be denied. ¡°You¡¯re very perceptive.¡± Flatter him.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk like adults. You want her, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my mother.¡± She mimicked Dr. Goodfellow¡¯s tone as closely as she could. She hoped it didn¡¯t sound like she was mocking him. She wouldn¡¯t dare.

    Dr. Goodfellow laughed. ¡°Because she took you in, right? Because she was so kind as to adopt you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but she was your mother even before that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± she said.

    ¡°You understand she¡¯s perfect?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Of course you do. Just look at her. Flawless, because she removed all her flaws.¡±

    ¡°You¡­removed¡­her flaws?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes. A medical technique I pioneered myself. Well. With some colleagues. We called it Scission - a separation, a cut. A treatment that gets rid of everything base and disgusting in a person. But there¡¯s a regrettable side effect.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°All the muck in a person¡­where do you think it goes?¡±

    Dr. Goodfellow grinned as he pointed to Thyssa.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because she didn¡¯t share with you what she shared with her old professor.¡± He kept pointing. His grin grew wider.

    A writhing crept through Thyssa¡¯s body. ¡°She¡­wouldn¡¯t keep things from me.¡±

    ¡°Well, she kept this from you. And I can see why.¡± He was still pointing, and his grin widened even more, like it wanted to split his face in half. ¡°It¡¯s her biggest shame. All her biggest shames, stirred together into one ugly body.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth.

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m. Her malform.¡±

    ¡°Very good! Full marks. Every human who becomes perfect leaves behind a malform. A filthy shadow to hide away. That¡¯s what you are. You¡¯re not her patient. You¡¯re her refuse, and your treatment is her cleaning up her own mess.¡±

    ¡°I am not refuse.¡±

    He stood up, still pointing, still grinning. ¡°Every perverted thought. Every rotten feeling.¡± Step by step, he walked towards Thyssa. ¡°All hidden away behind those innocent doe eyes.¡±

    ¡°Is this part of the assessment?¡± A desperate appeal to professionalism.

    ¡°Very much so,¡± said Dr. Goodfellow. ¡°Lili is passionate about science, and I am scientific about passion. It¡¯s my job to find out what makes you tick. And I love my job.¡± He stepped closer. ¡°What a curious thing a malform is! So hated. So removed. And yet so integral to our society. For some women to be perfect, some must be hideous beasts. There¡¯s nothing more fascinating than seeing what sort of beasts we make. Seeing what people decided to throw away. You don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve wanted to see Lili¡¯s filthy side.¡±

    ¡°Would you talk to her like this?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! She¡¯s so dull. They all are. Perfect, sparkling clean women. Beautiful, but like a painting is beautiful. I¡¯m not interested in them, I¡¯m interested in you.¡± He stepped closer.

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let you treat me like this.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯d let me do anything I wanted if she got to return to the Walled Garden with her pet. Why do you think she left us together in a room?¡±

    Thyssa ground her teeth. He was right. Lili would do anything to see this project succeed.

    And so would she.

    Thyssa swallowed her hate, gripped her skirt, her knuckles tense and white. ¡°What must I do to complete the assessment?¡±

    He drew closer until Thyssa could smell him, even with her weak human nose. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been explaining to you! You¡¯re going to tell me every one of those gross, perverted evil thoughts in your head. You can be honest. In fact, you¡¯d better be honest. And, if you have trouble telling me anything, we can work through that. I can coax it out of you.¡±

    ¡°When does it finish?¡±

    He put his hands on Thyssa¡¯s shoulders and the writhing spread. ¡°It finishes when I¡¯ve scoured every inch of your mind and body. When I¡¯m satisfied that you¡¯re not holding anything back, that you couldn¡¯t if you wanted to because I¡¯ve forced the floodgates open and there is simply no closing them. When there is nothing hidden within you, not one secret thing.¡±

    ¡°There are things in my mind even I¡¯m afraid of. They¡¯re hidden away for a reason. You don¡¯t want to let them out.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but I do. Especially when you tease me with little comments like that.¡±

    ¡°How long will the assessment take?¡±

    ¡°That depends on how much you¡¯re willing to play nice. I was thinking a couple years.¡±

    ¡°Two years? On top of the two I¡¯ve done under Lili?¡±

    His hands slipped down to her back. ¡°Oh yes. That would be a very conservative estimate, of course. I could certainly make it take longer. By the time I¡¯m done with you, you might want me to make it longer. Who knows. All creatures change. You¡¯re a testament to that.¡±

    The writhing flowed throughout Thyssa¡¯s whole body, but it concentrated in her gut and in her head. It was reaching a boil. She was feverish and freezing at once. Reality was like a dream.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°You want me to conclude the assessment right here? When you¡¯re being so uncooperative?¡±

    ¡°Please stop.¡±

    ¡°Saying please. That¡¯s better. At this rate I¡¯ll have you tamed in no time.¡± His hands stroked her back. It was something Lili did, something Thyssa even liked Lili to do, but this didn¡¯t feel like Lili. His hands were animated, not by compassion, but by something feverish and cruel.

    That let out the writhing.

    It burst forth, swallowing up Thyssa¡¯s mind. Everything was as it was before. She was a malform, and she was threatened. She leapt at her attacker. Lunged for its throat as it screamed. Tore it out. She kept on tearing and tearing and tearing and tearing and tearing and tearing and tearing

    Sound. Movement. The door opened, and there stood Lili, flanked by the Stormwatch.

    ¡°What¡­

    have¡­

    you¡­

    done?¡±

 Chapter 8: Bloodbath

    Bits of Dr. Goodfellow were scattered around the room. Entrails littered the floor around Thyssa. Something unrecognizable stuck to the flowers. Even the fabric of his clothes, his doctor¡¯s bag, were in tatters everywhere.

    Thyssa was just as horrified as Lili. ¡°I¡­no¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­I didn¡¯t mean to!¡±

    Lili¡¯s face was white-hot. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to? Your ferocity stains the very room!¡±

    ¡°I¡­I lost control¡­¡±

    ¡°You butchered him.¡±

    ¡°He¡­he hurt me. I warned him, but he hurt me.¡±

    There was a moment of cold silence. Lili seemed to consider her words.

    ¡°Like the rabbit hurt you?¡±

    ¡°This is different!¡±

    ¡°Where are the bruises? The cuts? The only blood I see on you is human blood.¡±

    ¡°No, it was¡­he was touching me.¡±

    ¡°And so you tore him to pieces?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. I didn¡¯t know that could happen.¡±

    ¡°A touching story, meant to play at my heart. You¡¯ve always hated humans, haven¡¯t you? Always envied our perfection. Always resented the way we¡¯ve looked at you.¡±

    ¡°I love humans. I just want them to love me back.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand what love means.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you? I come from you.¡±

    Lili nodded. ¡°So you heard.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you believe there¡¯s some of your goodness even in what you threw away?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to, Thyssa. I really did. I see now that I was na?ve.¡±

    ¡°You were right the first time!¡±

    ¡°Everything you have done disproves that. I told you I¡¯m a scientist. No duty but to truth. And the truth is clear now. The part of me I cast off¡­it is too vicious to tame.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to go home with you. I¡¯m sorry I failed.¡±

    ¡°Not as sorry as I am.¡±

    ¡°I will leave.¡±

    Lili sighed. ¡°Okay. You can leave.¡±

    Thyssa bowed. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Lili thrust out an open hand. ¡°Just give me back the Benevolent Heart. I would find some better creature to test it on.¡±

    ¡°But¡­but then I¡¯ll.¡±

    ¡°Change back into a malform, yes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be that anymore.¡±

    ¡°You always were that and you still are. You¡¯ll just look the part again.¡±

    Thyssa gripped the Benevolent Heart. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°I am not giving you a choice. I gave you the Benevolent Heart, and I can take it away.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°There has been enough violence this day. Don¡¯t make this harder than it has to be.¡±

    The Stormwatch dashed into the room, some blocking the doorway, some flanking Thyssa, two by Lili¡¯s side, all pointing their spears right at Thyssa. She was surrounded.

    If they were going to see her as a monster, she would use that. Thyssa bared her teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll make this as hard as I can. You want to take away my humanity, I¡¯ll make you fight tooth and nail for it.¡± She glared around the Stormwatch. ¡°That goes for all of you. Are you prepared to fight to the death? I am.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    If there was terror in their eyes, it didn¡¯t show behind those gleaming white masks. Step by step, they narrowed the circle around her.

    Her eyes darted around the room, searching for a weapon. She wouldn¡¯t have much time to grab one, and even less time to use it before they overwhelmed her. Smash them with the vase? Wrestle them for a spear? No, you needed the armour to touch them safely. They relied on that armour. She needed something right near her, something that could break their defences.

    ¡°Don¡¯t throw away your life,¡± said Lili. ¡°This won¡¯t be like the fights you remember. You¡¯re weak, unarmed, and you¡¯re outnumbered seven-to-one.¡±

    In the shreds of the doctor¡¯s bag, Thyssa caught the cruel glint of a pair of medical scissors ¨C no doubt used to vivisect her kind. If it could cut up a malform, it could cut up anything.

    She flashed her most dreadful grin, stopped hiding the pain and desperation burning in her eyes. ¡°Then let¡¯s see how many of you will die before I do.¡±

    Thyssa tore out the scissors and leapt onto the nearest soldier, stabbing them right where their eye would be. In fact, right where their eye really was, leaving a single, visceral mark on an otherwise-bloodless face. They screamed in agony, Thyssa screamed in fury.

    The one-eyed soldier thrust their spear at her, the air crackling around it. She jumped out of the way, dodging just in time. Another spear went right for her head, and she ducked, stabbing the attacker¡¯s hand.

    If she stayed here, she was dead. Thyssa ran to the door. Lili slammed it shut. A click as she locked it. But no lock in the world could contain Thyssa¡¯s fury. She gave the door a sharp kick, cracking the lock open. Then she charged at it, narrowly dodging another spear as she smashed open the door.

    Lili and the Stormwatch at her side ran down a flight of stairs. No doubt those soldiers would be back as soon as they¡¯d gotten out Lili.

    Thyssa sprinted for the exit, the other four soldiers in hot pursuit. She didn¡¯t dare look back, but she could hear that terrible crackling, the storm of humanity¡¯s hatred for her kind. Just as she reached the glass doors, a hand seized her arm and a spear thrust down at her. She rolled aside and tripped them in one swift motion, then stabbed them in the neck as they fell. A wet gurgling sound as they choked on their own perfect blood.

    Thyssa shoved open the doors, ran out of the hospital, into the valley. There, on the west side, was the Land of Monsters. But it was a steep way up, and the Stormwatch was already almost upon her. She shoved her precious weapon in her mouth and bit down on it, tasting blood. Her tongue licked at it instinctively. With her hands free, she climbed the steep west side of the valley.

    For the first time in this fight, Thyssa had a slight advantage ¨C she had plenty of experience creeping and climbing, whereas the humans had never had reason to degrade themselves by moving on all fours. She gained a lead on her pursuers. But it was a small one, very small. Maybe a few extra seconds.

    As soon as she finally reached the top, she sprinted off again. No time to catch her breath! She could already hear the soldiers reaching the top. It was a test of endurance at this point.

    To the west, the yellowish-green glow of the Lake of Acid. If she could get there, she was safe. She ran past jagged rocks and monstrous skeletons. Always close behind her, the shouts of her pursuers. Slowly, too slowly, she drew closer to the lake. Lungs, legs, core, aching. She couldn¡¯t take much more of this.

    If she couldn¡¯t outrun them, she would have to outmaneuver them. She ran a twisting, chaotic path through the jagged rocks to try and lose them in the acrid green fog billowing forth from the lake. This didn¡¯t work. She quickly found herself backed into a corner. In the fog, five figures around her. The other two must have rejoined them and helped chase her down.

    ¡°You took my eye, you freak.¡± said one of the figures. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for it.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth. Her strength was spent. At best, she could struggle against them before dying. She took a deep breath.

    Then, she screamed. In pain, grief, in fury. As loud and long as she can. A piercing, enduring scream, ringing out across the lake. The soldiers recoiled, unnerved by the terrible sound.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s hear you really scream,¡± said the bloody-eyed soldier, as they and their comrades stepped towards her.

    But, as the five figures approached, Thyssa thought she could see other figures. Yes! There they were, creeping through the fog. Six. Seven. Eight.

    Bloody-eye stepped into view, spear at the ready, two soldiers at each side.

    Without turning her head, Thyssa looked around. Come on, come on¡­

    ¡°Go on,¡± said Bloody-eye. ¡°Beg for a quick death.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth. ¡°Die quickly.¡±

    Bloody-eye stopped to laugh. ¡°How brutish! Your base instincts compel you to fight even when you cannot fight. To anger those with all the power over you. Even when there is nothing to be gained but more of your own wretched suffering. An idiot death for an idiot creature.¡±

    Some hideous thing grabbed the soldier next to Bloody-eye and pulled them into the fog, where ¨C from the sounds of it ¨C they were torn to pieces. The other soldiers lunged for this creature, but one of them, then another, were grabbed by more creatures. Bloody-eye turned and ran, leaving their last comrade to be eaten as he screamed for help.

    ¡°And don¡¯t come back!¡± a voice shouted after them. It was a familiar voice, but Thyssa couldn¡¯t see the face through this fog.

    ¡°What about this one?¡± asked another voice.

    ¡°Let it join us,¡± said the familiar voice.

    ¡°But it¡¯s human.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t go after humans,¡± said the familiar voice. ¡°Get a better look.¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­nope, it¡¯s definitely human.¡±

    ¡°Why would they hunt their own kind?¡±

    The familiar voice stepped forward, and Thyssa recognized Tsigon, fast and cold as the north wind. ¡°That, my friend, is a very good question. Bring it to the Ogre Queen.¡±

 Chapter 9: The Ogre Queen

    Tsigon escorted Thyssa into the throne room ¨C an immense cavern, encircled by the Lake of Acid. Far above, a pair of acid-yellow eyes glared down at Thyssa. The eyes were as large as Thyssa¡¯s head, and they sat on a bestial horned head as large as Thyssa¡¯s whole body, and the head sat on a body ten times larger than that, and the body sat on a throne of claw and fang and blade and bolt ¨C every weapon that had ever been raised against Grendel Pack.

    Tsigon knelt before the throne. ¡°An intruder. She wears the Benevolent Heart.¡± He pointed an icy finger at Thyssa¡¯s neck.

    The Ogre Queen slammed a fist down in rage. ¡°Humans! What have you people done with my daughter?¡±

    Tsigon was already gone ¨C he knew better than to be near her fury. Thyssa was left alone with the Ogre Queen. Hands trembling, she reached into her bag and produced a doll of malform fur and bones. She knelt and placed it before the Ogre Queen, who picked it up. She sniffed it. Her eyes widened, she bared her teeth. She grabbed Thyssa and lifted her into the air.

    ¡°Where is she.¡±

    Thyssa took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re¡­¡±

    Thyssa twirled the Benevolent Heart in her hand. ¡°Lili¡¯s latest guinea pig.¡±

    The Ogre Queen placed Thyssa on her other hand so she could stand comfortably. She brought Thyssa up to her terrible, tender face, full of fury, full of love. Now full of cold horror, as she stared upon the one malform that could disturb even her.

    ¡°What did she do to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing I didn¡¯t want.¡±

    ¡°That device smells of rain and blood. It sings a backwards song. There is something very wrong with it.¡±

    ¡°There was something wrong with me. This thing fixed it. Made me what I¡¯m supposed to be.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°You were born a malform! That¡¯s what you¡¯re supposed to be! They didn¡¯t heal you, they remade you in their image. And you wanted it. Why?¡±

    ¡°It hurt to be.¡± Thyssa found her voice flat and hollow, without the gentle lilt Lili had taught her.

    ¡°To be one of us?¡±

    ¡°To be¡­that! You saw what I was, how I suffered! Did you really want that for your daughter, if she could be anything but that thing?¡±

    The Ogre Queen was silent for a while. ¡°A thing. Is that what you name yourself. Did Lili teach you that?¡± She sighed. ¡°Am I a thing to you?¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­that isn¡¯t¡­mom¡­¡±

    ¡°Then keep their poison out of your mouth. Bite yourself with no fang that wouldn¡¯t pierce my flesh.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mom.¡±

    ¡°Two years. I have lived since the first malforms crawled from the Muck Pool, and the two years you were gone was the longest time in my life.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to go back.¡±

    ¡°They kept you prisoner.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth. ¡°I kept myself prisoner. That was the price of being a girl.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you run?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not important anymore.¡±

    ¡°Thyssa. What did they do.¡±

    ¡°Lili, she¡­she wanted me to be her daughter. Tried to teach me to be normal.¡±

    ¡°What she did is not your fault.¡±

    ¡°I let her. I played along. I let her feed me and hug me and tell me what to wear. I gave her everything she asked for.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡­wasn¡¯t enough.¡±

    ¡°She hurt you?¡±

    Thyssa nodded weakly. ¡°At first, just her colleague did. I warned him, but he didn¡¯t listen. I killed him.¡±

    ¡°As is your right. Those who hurt Grendel Pack seduce death.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even mean to! It was just an accident, but that was the last straw for Lili. She tried to take the Benevolent Heart back. I¡­I couldn¡¯t let her do that. I fought back. I killed people, mom.¡±

    The Ogre Queen took a deep breath, processing all of this. Thyssa felt a hot tremor in her mighty hand, a volcano of fury barely stoppered by centuries of discipline. She understood why, too. The Ogre Queen was ready to smash everything around her, but Lili wasn¡¯t around her and her daughter was. So there was no room in the cavern for her wrath. When she finally spoke, it was cold was ice.

    ¡°Such is the human¡¯s vaunted compassion. So generously given to everything but our kind.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth, feeling a surge of her own anger, remembering the humans¡¯ rejection of her.

    ¡°I should have known better.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    Thyssa knelt on her mother¡¯s hand. ¡°Please. Don¡¯t abandon me, too. I¡¯m sorry I left, I¡¯m sorry I played Lili¡¯s games, just¡­please. Take me back.¡±

    ¡°You will always be mine. No matter what shape you take, you will always be part of Grendel Pack, and you will always be my daughter.¡±

 Chapter 10: Tsigon

    Everyone¡¯s metabolisms were all over the place here, so you couldn¡¯t have gotten people to sit down to eat together at the same time ¨C some would be stuffed and others starved. You basically just grabbed what you were hungry for and ate.

    Right now, Thyssa watched a few malforms picking off bits off the scrap heap ¨C bits of the humans¡¯ ruined machines. Scrap metal was as tasty as you¡¯d expect, but if you could digest it, there was a lot to go around.

    Her body couldn¡¯t eat metal anymore. She hadn¡¯t missed it. A girl ate much better than a malform, when she did eat. But a girl could also feel hunger much more acutely. It¡¯s easy to shrug off pain when you always hurt, easy to starve a body you never liked. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

    Her meditation was interrupted by a sudden chill.

    ¡°Tsigon.¡± She didn¡¯t have to look. No other malform made the air cold around him.

    Tsigon sat down next to her. ¡°Hey, kid. Listen. I wanted to say sorry about all that.¡±

    Thyssa was composed. ¡°You thought I was the enemy. I¡¯d have done the same.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Tsigon produced a slab of meat and tore it in half. He gave one half to Thyssa, who tore into it. She¡¯d craved meat, and it was even more delicious than before.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve heard you out.¡±

    Thyssa swallowed a troublesome chunk of meat. ¡°Would you have believed me?¡±

    Tsigon opened up his chest cavity, letting out a rush of freezing air. He popped the meat inside, then closed himself up. ¡°I guess it¡¯s still a lot to take in. I mean¡­look at you. A girl and all.¡±

    Thyssa did a flattering stretch, proud of her new body. ¡°Quite an improvement, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Tsigon nodded. ¡°What¡¯s it like, being human?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­different than what I expected.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t live up to your dreams?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s better! I couldn¡¯t really imagine a body that isn¡¯t always hurting.¡±

    Tsigon nodded. ¡°Yeah. I see how that¡¯s the big thing for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not. I mean, it¡¯s a big thing. So is eating and really enjoying it. Wearing pretty clothes.¡±

    ¡°But the big thing?¡±

    She gave Tsigon a coy smile. ¡°Being something cute. Something people can look at and they don¡¯t want to run.¡±

    ¡°Something people can love,¡± Tsigon said, wistfully.

    ¡°Something I could love. You were always kind to me, it¡¯s just¡­I could never completely accept it. Until now.¡±

    ¡°You think you fit in with us malforms better as a human?¡±

    ¡°Well, no, but¡­it¡¯s hard to explain.¡±

    ¡°You always belonged here, you know. You were always loved. We all missed you. Hell, most of us figured you were dead. I didn¡¯t. You always land on your feet.¡±

    Thyssa grinned. ¡°You got that right.¡±

 Chapter 11: Grendel Pack

    Thyssa felt at peace to be back in Grendel Pack. She was safe, and she was loved, and best of all, she was human. Tsigon and mom were still getting used to the change, but as the novelty slowly wore off, things were calming down. They would accept it, because one of them would have to fold, and Thyssa¡¯s tenacity was infinite. Thyssa would win by being the less reasonable person. (That was how she usually won). Things were pretty good.

    And then came the messenger.

    Thyssa was perched on the Ogre Queen¡¯s shoulder as a soldier was carried into the room by the long, invisible cords of Vlila, the Shadow¡¯s Embrace.

    ¡°We found this one around our territory,¡± said Vlila. ¡°It surrendered immediately.¡±

    ¡°Then it is smarter than most.¡± She was using her gentler voice, not for the soldier¡¯s benefit but for Thyssa, who was perched on her shoulder.

    ¡°Check if it¡¯s armed,¡± said Tsigon.

    ¡°We did,¡± said Vlila. ¡°She carried no weapons at all.¡±

    ¡°Then release her, so she may stand before me.¡±

    Vlila obliged, letting the soldier crash to the ground. They stood up, and Thyssa recognized them from the bloodstained crack on her mask, right over their eye. Bloody-eye was back.

    Thyssa whispered into the Ogre Queen¡¯s ear. ¡°Stormwatch. That one tried to kill me.¡±

    The Ogre Queen considered this. ¡°I would know why you¡¯ve come.¡±

    ¡°I am Mignon of the Stormwatch, and I come here in peace, representing the Walled Garden.¡±

    ¡°Just kill it,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°It¡¯s a trick!¡±

    Mignon smiled. ¡°You could kill me before I¡¯ve delivered my message. But the other packs didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You were in contact with Widow Mantis and Cerberus packs?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°And what did you tell them?¡±

    ¡°How to leave the Land of Monsters.¡±

    ¡°I thought we were too dangerous to live anywhere else.¡±

    ¡°As you are, yes. But there is a way to become human. As one of you already knew.¡± She leered at Thyssa. ¡°Shall I tell them, or do you want to?¡±

    Thyssa scoffed. ¡°I already told them everything. Every horrible thing your people did to me. Everything I was complicit in.¡±

    ¡°Then you surely told them that anyone can use the Benevolent Heart. That any malform in this cave can be just as human as you are, and all they have to do is take it from you?¡±

    Thyssa felt cold. The cavern filled with whispers, and she looked away.

    ¡°Oh dear. It looks like you haven¡¯t told them everything.¡±

    The Ogre Queen snorted. ¡°Irrelevant. Your pretty stone is worthless to us.¡±

    Mignon laughed. ¡°Then you won¡¯t mind giving it back?¡±

    ¡°No. You have taken more than enough from us. You can have it if and when my daughter throws it away like the refuse you deserve.¡±

    ¡°Or when the other packs attack you for it. Your, uh, daughter isn¡¯t the only one interested. Aren¡¯t you worried for Thyssa¡¯s safety?¡±

    ¡°Your face tells me she¡¯s stronger than you are.¡±

    Vicious laughter from the pack. A flash of white-hot hate at the reminder of her maiming ¨C of her one imperfection. It suddenly cooled, but Thyssa could see it.

    ¡°Have it your way, then.¡±

    A vicious grin. ¡°I always do. Now run back to your vaunted city and weep to your masters.¡±

    ¡°Very well. I will have to tell them none of you want to be citizens.¡±

    ¡°Then do so before I get hungrier.¡±

    Mignon bowed and turned to leave, slowly walking to the exit.

    ¡°Citizens?¡± asked a creature of molten flesh.

    Mignon stopped. ¡°Well, naturally. Whoever brings back the Benevolent Heart will have done humanity a great service. It would only be fair, then, to allow them to use it.¡±

    ¡°With a catch.¡±

    ¡°Under our fiduciary care, of course. But you could use it for the rest of your life, with our blessing. You¡¯ll become human. You can live with us. You can be beautiful and healthy. You can eat delicious food. You can make friends ¨C maybe even lovers! And all you have to do is bring us the Benevolent Heart. And we don¡¯t even care how you do it. Get it with brute force or cunning or, if you want to be terribly civil about it, you can hold a little malform lottery. All we care about is that we get the Heart.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Thyssa felt the gaze of her Pack. She knew that look ¨C that was the look they had when they saw a juicy bit of meat, but not enough for everyone. She took a deep breath.

    ¡°She¡¯s lying!¡± yelled Thyssa. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t let me keep the Heart, and they won¡¯t let you keep it if you go to them!¡±

    ¡°That may be so,¡± said a malform advancing on fleshy wheels ¨C Thyssa didn¡¯t know their name yet, they were one of the new blood that joined in her absence. ¡°But why should you keep it?¡±

    ¡°Why should anyone keep it?¡± asked the melty malform. ¡°You heard the message! Anyone can use the Benevolent Heart. As long as any of us have it, there¡¯s a target on our backs!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t just give it up,¡± said Thyssa.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your choice to make,¡± said the wheeled malform, anxiously rolling back and forth. ¡°This concerns us all, so we should all get a vote.¡±

    ¡°Everyone would just vote for themselves,¡± scoffed Tsigon. If anybody disagreed, they didn¡¯t share it.

    ¡°I quite liked the little malform lottery idea,¡± said Vlila. ¡°It seems as fair as anything else.¡±

    ¡°If luck was on our side, none of us would be here,¡± said Tsigon.

    ¡°You are all weak!¡± came a deep growl. It came from a malform whose face was mostly teeth ¨C more new blood. ¡°For the first time in your lives, you get a chance to be human, and all you do is bicker about how to decide who ought to get it. You put your own humanity up to a damn committee! The people who deserve the Heart are those who fight for it. Thyssa fought for it, and I¡¯ll fight her for it."

    ¡°Then come fight me,¡± growled Thyssa.

    Malforms shouted in agreement, in dissent, in shut the fuck up. Malforms prepared to fight, and other malforms prepared to fight the malform who were preparing to fight. Thyssa¡¯s eyes scanned the crowd, and then she looked back to Mignon.

    With her one perfect eye, Mignon looked at what she had done ¨C turned kin against kin, shattered a hard-won peace, sown hatred where there was love. And she looked upon it with pride. She had gotten her revenge, and she savoured it, for the moment before the Ogre Queen picked her up and devoured her.

    The cavern grew silent, save for the sickening sound of armour and bone cracking in her terrible teeth. As she chewed, Ogre Queen picked up Thyssa and held her high above her head, far above the discordant crowd, a gesture that gave Thyssa distance from her thunderous voice while daring anyone who wanted her daughter to come take her.

    ¡°AT THIS POINT, THE HUMANS EXPECT WE WILL HAVE A VERY EXCITING AND GLORIOUS BATTLE. THEY EXPECT WE WILL KILL EACH OTHER."

    The malforms gazed up at their leader.

    "THAT IS NOT WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO. WE ARE GOING TO THINK. THE HUMANS FEAR US. THEY WANT US TO BE WEAK. ASSUME THEIR EVERY WORD IS A TRICK MEANT TO BRING ABOUT OUR RUIN. I HAVE LED YOU FOR MANY YEARS, AND I HAVE MADE YOU STRONG. THE BENEVOLENT HEART WILL MAKE YOU WEAK. FIGHTING EACH OTHER WILL MAKE YOU WEAKER STILL. NONE SHOULD ENVY MY WAYWARD DAUGHTER."

    Thyssa looked down, still feeling the gaze of her pack.

    "LET HER KEEP THE CURSED THING UNTIL SHE WEANS HERSELF OFF OF IT. SHE DOES NOT NEED IT. NEITHER DO YOU. IN TIME, WE WILL THINK OF HOW TO SURVIVE IN THIS NEW SITUATION. BUT NO MATTER WHAT, OUR BEST CHANCE IS NOT TO FIGHT EACH OTHER.¡±

    ¡°But what about the other packs?¡± asked the melty creature. ¡°Even if we swear not to fight each other, as long as we have the collar, they will surely go after us.¡±

    ¡°LET THEM. IF THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN OUR SUPERIOR STRENGTH, THIS WILL BE AN EXCELLENT CHANCE TO REMIND THEM. GRENDEL PACK IS STRONG!¡±

    The cavern echoed with shrieks and cheers of pride. ¡°Grendel Pack is strong!¡± Somehow, the Ogre Queen had kept her pack in line. And, knowing that the might of most of the Land of Monsters would soon be turned against her, Thyssa felt ready to face the fiercest malforms that had ever crawled out of the Muckpool, knowing her mother and her pack were right behind her.

    That night, the Ogre Queen laid out her palm, and lifted Thyssa up all the way to the top of her head, where Thyssa stepped down and curled up in her mother¡¯s thick hair.

    ¡°I missed this,¡± she said.

    ¡°I missed you, too. When you ran from me, so did my joy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m glad you stood up for me.¡±

    ¡°It was as much for their sake as for yours. See how quickly they fight over the Benevolent Heart. They don¡¯t fight so easily over the meat that keeps us alive. There is something very wrong with that thing.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s so bad, why haven¡¯t you gotten rid of it?¡±

    ¡°If I take it by force, you will become embittered. You will curse me and yourself and the world. That is the pain I hoped to heal when I made this pack.¡± She sighed. ¡°I spent years fostering a place malforms can accept what they are.¡± She clenched a fist. ¡°And then the humans bring us this.¡±

    ¡°But, with the Heart, I don¡¯t have to just accept being wrong.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. And the pack is thereby undone.¡±

    ¡°Grendel Pack is strong.¡±

    ¡°Yes. You are strong. Strong enough to live and thrive without Lili¡¯ magic.¡±

    ¡°Strong enough to thrive with her magic, no matter how many come to take it from me.¡±

    ¡°It does matter who tries to take it! Cerberus Pack is as strong as us, and Widow Mantis Pack more expendable. War with one would be a bloodbath. War with both would be extinction. Use your head while you still have it!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how they control us! Like every tyrant, they makes it sensible for you to give in to theirevery whim. If I give the humans what they want now, after they¡¯ve turned us against each other, they¡¯ll see our weakness. And so will the other packs. They¡¯ll keep on stepping on us again and again. That¡¯s how the pack is undone.¡±

    ¡°There is one way you can defeat them.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Give up the Benevolent Heart. In front of the whole pack. Cast it aside. Show them that you¡¯ve been human, and it¡¯s not worth fighting over. Give the word, and I¡¯ll wake them up and we can be rid of it right now!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°You can! You¡¯re strong enough. And once you¡¯ve done that, you¡¯ve won. Lili won¡¯t have any power over you anymore. You¡¯ll be free, and Grendel Pack will be safe once more. You can save yourself and everyone else, and all you have to do is want to.¡±

    Thyssa sighed. Her mother¡¯s words got under her skin. A weak part of her wanted to heed her mother¡¯s advice and go back to being her favourite little monster ¨C everything back to normal. Then a cold part of her remembered going to take water and seeing her own reflection, too disgusting to look away from.

    ¡°But¡­being a girl is worth fighting over. I¡¯d be sacrificing everything just to lie to my pack.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a lie for you right now, it¡¯s a lie that will make the world a better place.¡±

    ¡°Would it? If I pretend to be happy being a malform and I¡¯m not¡­what about the others who aren¡¯t happy? If they¡¯re fooled, they¡¯ll think they¡¯re wrong for not being happy with themselves. They¡¯ll feel like monsters among monsters. Is it their responsibility to lie, too?¡±

    ¡°Thyssa. Is it really the pack you¡¯re concerned about here? Or are you just scared to change back, and scared to admit that?¡±

    Thyssa blinked back tears. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know. Is it so wrong to be scared? It¡¯s not my fault Lili did this. The only reason people want to fight is because they want it too. Why can¡¯t we tell them to give it up? It¡¯s not like any of this was fair!¡±

    She sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s easy. Giving up something like that. Still. I have faith you¡¯ll make the right decision. When you¡¯re ready. For now, let¡¯s get some sleep.¡±

 Chapter 12: Kinslayer

    Thyssa woke up to the feeling of her mother¡¯s hair suddenly shifting. She opened her eyes and saw a waking nightmare ¨C a Widow Mantis, mandibles out. Thyssa twisted her body and slid down her mother¡¯s hair an instant before the mandibles clamped down.

    The lock of hair Thyssa clung to fell to the ground, taking Thyssa with it. She cried out as she smashed against the ground, then quickly rolled to the side as the malform dropped down hooks-first. Thyssa dashed away, calling for help as loud as she could.

    The Ogre Queen did not wake. The assassin must have poisoned her mother before moving to kill her. Thyssa would have been impressed with the cleanness of the plan, but she was too busy running for her life, narrowly dodging her attacker¡¯s terrible hooks.

    Thyssa kept screaming for help, but there was no one else in the chamber to save her. The Ogre Queen did not trust anyone but her daughter to sleep near her. (Have you ever been completely right about something in a way that was completely wrong?)

    The Widow Mantis lashed out with a hook and tripped her. Thyssa fell to the ground as the terrible hook swooped down¡­

    There was a wet drilling sound, a sickening crack and a terrible screech. Thyssa looked up to see the Widow Mantis impaled by Tsigon¡¯s sharp nose.

    ¡°I owe you one,¡± said Thyssa, lifting herself up.

    ¡°You sure do,¡± said Tsigon, scraping the assassin¡¯s corpse off his nose and tossing it aside. ¡°The Benevolent Heart. Give it here.¡±

    ¡°I¡­I wish I could share it, but I cannot part with that.¡±

    ¡°You very nearly parted with that along with your head. I think my offer is pretty reasonable.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it. I can¡¯t go back to being a malform.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d rather be a dead human?¡±

    Thyssa did not answer.

    Tsigon sighed. ¡°Come on, kid. You¡¯re it. Every malform who dreams of being human ¨C who doesn¡¯t? ¨C is going after you. You can¡¯t fight them. Certainly not as a girl. I¡¯m doing you a favour here.¡±

    ¡°What about yourself? They¡¯d be after you next, and you¡¯d be no stronger.¡±

    Tsigon nodded. ¡°Got me there, kid. I reckon I¡¯m willing to risk it the same reasons you are. We¡¯re probably not all that different.¡±

    Tsigon shivered his sharp nose again.

    ¡°Except. Right now. You¡¯re soft and harmless. And I¡¯m made of blades.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°STEP AWAY FROM THYSSA!¡±

    It was the guttural voice of Gardrek, the Creeping Death. Her pack had come to her aid!

    ¡°You can¡¯t protect her,¡± said Tsigon, ¡°No one can! Even if you kill me, there will be others after her.¡±

    ¡°YES, AND I AM ONE OF THEM!¡± said Gardrek, his long body gurgling as it prepared to charge. ¡°IF YOU WANT IT, YOU¡¯LL HAVE TO KILL ME!¡±

    ¡°Strange request,¡± said Tsigon. ¡°But you do you.¡±

    And, in a flash, Tsigon was upon Gardrek. Gardrek shrieked as Tsigon drilled a hole in his side, but Gardrek wrapped around him and tightened.

    ¡°YOU WILL DIE AS YOU LIVED,¡± said Gardrek. ¡°VERY QUICKLY.¡±

    ¡°Not quickly enough,¡± said Tsigon, as he shivered his head free and stabbed Gardrek again. It was hard to tell exactly what he pierced, but it must have been pretty important, as Gardrek vomited up black blood and stopped moving.

    Tsigon was filled with triumph and horror for the moment before a rock shattered his thorax, breaking him in half.

    ¡°We¡¯re not all that different,¡± said Thyssa, grimly, as she dropped the now-chilled rock.

    Tsigon coughed. ¡°Good shot, kid. Always knew you were a heartbreaker.¡±

    Thyssa didn¡¯t laugh.

    ¡°No hard feelings?¡±

    Thyssa shook her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± said Tsigon. ¡°That¡¯s real good.¡±

    And with that, he died.

    Thyssa ran to her mother. She put a hand to her enormous leg. Still a pulse. Thyssa sighed with relief. The poison had just knocked her out. The Ogre Queen was even harder to kill than Thyssa was. Already, the Ogre Queen started to twitch, and the room flooded with sickly yellow light as she opened her eyes. The light shone upon the gruesome scene. She quickly reached for the top of her head, then saw Thyssa and breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°No. You will not be fine. This is only the beginning. More and more blood will be shed as long as you cling to the Benevolent Heart.¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°I¡­I never thought¡­¡±

    ¡°YOU NEVER THOUGHT!¡±

    Her mother¡¯s voice was suddenly as loud and violent as a storm. It hurt her head and hurt her heart. Thyssa buried her head in her arms. The Ogre Queen winced to see she¡¯d accidentally yelled and hurt her daughter. She took a deep breath.

    ¡°You have brought a terrible evil into this land. I warned you of its danger, but you did not listen. The humans make you you everyone¡¯s prey, and still you persist. Again and again, you ignore my warnings. You never thought of what you were doing to the pack.¡±

    Thyssa felt ready to break apart.

    ¡°This is a place of second chances. Even now, it¡¯s not too late. You can end the bloodshed here. You can cast off the Benevolent Heart that traps you and makes you prey. If the humans want their evil device so much, let them fight over it.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth. She had a terrible choice to make.

    And she had already made it a thousand times in her head.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    The Ogre Queen pointed to what was left of Tsigon and Gardrek. ¡°They couldn¡¯t give it up either.¡±

    ¡°No. They couldn¡¯t. They hated their lives so much they risked them for a chance at my life. So did I.¡±

    The Ogre Queen¡¯s face contorted with pain.

    ¡°Do you really hate our kind so much?¡±

    ¡°I love you and I love the pack.¡± Thyssa sighed. ¡°I just¡­I can¡¯t go back. I couldn¡¯t stand it before, and it¡¯d be even worse now that I¡¯ve had a taste of being me.¡±

    ¡°Of all the machines the humans made to hurt us, this is the cruelest. If you cannot bear to part with it¡­then take it away. If you truly love us, take this poison as far away as you possibly can.¡±

    ¡°I...yes, mother.¡±

    Thyssa wanted to cry out for help. To plead to stay. But as much as she knew she wanted to stay, she knew that couldn¡¯t happen.

    There was no place for a human in the Land of Monsters.

 Chapter 13: Everyones Prey

    The Land of Monsters was harsh. It was a place you could only survive if you were strong ¨C or if your loved ones were strong. There were the rival packs to contend with, and roving malforms too strong to need a pack, or too vicious to get along with one.

    Or traitors to their kind.

    Even without the malforms, there were storms, heatwaves, and insects. Few natural animals could survive here, but the insects thrived ¨C biting, stinging, poisoning. They concentrated around the Lake of Plagues, but nowhere was free of them. At least they were something to eat. She imagined Lili chiding her about the etiquette of stuffing her face with locusts. A cheap laugh to cheer herself up.

    For all the dangers, for all the suffering, this place was home, and Thyssa loved it. She was brave, because she knew she had her pack to protect her.

    Until now.

    Without a pack, Thyssa was as defenseless as she was lonely. She ran and hid from place to place. She barely had time to catch her breath before someone else came hunting her. She slept on rocks covered in shaggy algae, trying to recreate the feeling of her mother¡¯s hair.

    One day, she was just finishing off the fruits of her hunt when she heard shrieks. A malform, chased by a pair of Stormwatch troops. What were they doing all the way out here¡­? Whatever it was, they weren¡¯t getting away with this. Thyssa drew her scissors and chased them.

    Soon, they managed to corner the malform. Its many eyes darted around, looking for a safe place and finding none.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Mercy!¡± cried the malform. ¡°Don¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°You should have thought about that before eating our potatoes!¡± shouted one of the Stormwatch, full of righteous fury.

    ¡°Die for your crimes!¡± shouted the other.

    They raised their spears.

    From above, Thyssa leapt down on one and slit his throat.

    The other lunged for her, but was suddenly impaled from behind. The malform shook him off its frontmost horn. Even the most fearful malform could be dangerous if frightened.

    And frightened it was. All its eyes watched Thyssa as its body trembled.

    ¡°I¡¯m not Stormwatch,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°You¡¯re safe now.¡±

    ¡°No. Not safe.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not with them.¡±

    ¡°I know what you are.¡±

    ¡°Then you know I¡¯m their enemy too. They¡¯re dangerous, but so are we. If we work together, we can push them back.¡±

    ¡°We have nothing to push them back from. Everything good. Everything strong. They kept it. All we have. All we are. Nothing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they tell us. But we can prove them wrong.¡±

    ¡°We cannot defeat the humans.¡± Its gaze focused on her. ¡°But I can defeat you.¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°Don¡¯t throw your life away.¡±

    ¡°My life is worth nothing. And it¡¯s not going to be anything, either. Not without the Benevolent Heart.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a trick! They¡¯re just trying to get us all killed!¡±

    ¡°Then why do you keep it?¡±

    Thyssa had no clever answer, and the malform didn¡¯t wait for one. It charged at Thyssa. She leapt away. It turned sharply, grinding the dirt with its hooves, and charged again. This time, Thyssa managed to get around it. She jumped on it. It tried to shake her off, but she held on tight. With one hand, she dashed its head open with a rock.

    Thyssa looked at the corpses littering the ground.

    Was this her life now? Just endless slaughter? Was that what it meant to be a human?

 Chapter 14: Watchful

    In the distance, Thyssa saw an old cobblestone house on top of a hill. She didn¡¯t like the idea of getting help from humans, not least because they were as likely to kill her as help. But her stomach ached with hunger, so she reasoned with herself that this was someone outside of the Walled Garden ¨C someone who wouldn¡¯t know what she was, and thus who might help her.

    She hiked toward and up the hill, until she stood before the humble dwelling. Inside, she could hear the ticking of many clocks. She worked up her courage and banged on the door.

    ¡°Enter,¡± said a hollow, raspy voice.

    Thyssa wondered if this was such a good idea. She shook her head. Now was the time for food, not fear. Was she really cowering before the elderly? (At least, they seemed as such). She tried the door and found it locked.

    ¡°Could you please unlock this door?¡± she asked, using a gentle voice as well as her manners. She was very careful to heed Lili¡¯s lessons, even if the teacher was a traitor.

    ¡°Ah. Forgive me,¡± said the voice. There was a terrible creaking noise and heavy footsteps. Then, a click. The door opened, and Thyssa gasped.

    She wasn¡¯t sure what, exactly, she expected the little house¡¯s inhabitant to look like. If she¡¯d had to guess, she half imagined a wizened little man with curly white hair. This was not a wizened little man with curly white hair. The figure was tall, wrapped up in a dark cloak that obscured their whole body ¨C save for the head, which was hidden in a mask like a carrion bird. The sound of ticking echoed from both cloak and mask.

    ¡°You look hungry,¡± said the masked figure, although the mask¡¯s eyes were black and, it seemed, opaque.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°I mean, yes please.¡± She felt her heartbeat quicken, afraid they would turn on her for her error.

    ¡°Certainly,¡± said the figure. If they took offence, they did not show it. (Though they didn¡¯t show much of anything, aside from a reluctance to expose their skin to the bare world). ¡°Enter.¡±

    Thyssa walked into the house. While the outside had looked unremarkable, the inside put Thyssa on edge. It was well-decorated, with paintings, pottery and, more than anything else, clocks. But every single decoration was cut in half. The cuts were clean ¨C this wasn¡¯t damage, they were either cut in half intentionally or crafted that way in the first place. They meant to fill their house with half-things.

    She took a deep breath. What was she doing, getting scared first of the elderly and then of half-finished clocks? The Ogre Queen would be ashamed at how far her daughter had fallen. A bitter thought, quickly dropped like a worm writhing in her hand.

    The sole fixture that was complete was a large pot bubbling above a crackling hearth. The masked figure produced a bowl from a half-cabinet, then reached for a metal ladle floating in the pot. Thyssa cried out, afraid they would burn themselves. But they paid her no heed, nor did they burn themselves, and Thyssa gasped as she saw why ¨C their hands were covered by metal gloves that looked like claws.

    The figure ladled out a generous helping of some kind of black, oily stew, then placed the bowl on half a round table, along with a big metal spoon.

    ¡°Careful,¡± said the figure. ¡°It is very hot.¡±

    Thyssa nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She sat down at the table, on half of a wide chair ¨C as it was, the chair was a pretty ordinary width, but only one half had an armrest. The asymmetry bothered her more than the half-things already did. Such a little thing, and yet it really got under her skin. She figured she was probably just hungry, and stirred the stew to try and cool it off as fast as possible.

    ¡°What is your name, child?¡±

    Thyssa thought before answering. Lili had spread word of her ¨C both the experiment and the bounty on her head. Even if this person wasn¡¯t from the Walled Garden, they might know she was wanted. That she was a malform.

    She thought of lying, but the only human names she knew were those of her pursuers, and she didn¡¯t know how common those names were. Perhaps she would make up a name, but what did human names sound like? It was a difficult

    ¡°You do not wish to tell me,¡± said the figure, suddenly interrupting her thoughts.

    Thyssa remained silent, now thinking of how to answer this question.

    ¡°It is alright. I am Watchful.¡±

    ¡°A pleasure to meet you Watchful,¡± said Thyssa, reciting the polite greeting Lili taught her.

    ¡°You were taught how to speak,¡± said Watchful. ¡°But not how to trust.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It is not you who should be sorry. Your behaviour tells me you were under a cruel guardian.¡±

    Thyssa stared into the black stew.

    ¡°It is cool enough now,¡± said Watchful.

    Thyssa nodded and eagerly took the invitation to eat instead of talking. The stew was thick and greasy. She could taste potatoes ¨C a hardy plant whose flavour was hard to kill ¨C but couldn¡¯t make out any of the other vegetables.

    ¡°That stone you wear,¡± said Watchful.

    ¡°It¡¯s mine,¡± said Thyssa, hastily.

    Watchful nodded. ¡°It is now. But where did you get it?¡±

    Thyssa went back to her stew.

    ¡°You do not wish to say.¡±

    Thyssa shook her head.

    ¡°It once belonged to someone I care very dearly about. A friend who went down a dark path.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Thyssa looked up at Watchful. Did he know Lili?

    ¡°How is she?¡± asked Watchful. ¡°Does she still live?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Lili.¡±

    Thyssa quickly shook her head.

    ¡°She is dead?¡± asked Watchful.

    ¡°No, I mean, I don¡¯t know her.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know her either,¡± said Watchful. ¡°I used to.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We disagreed about the Scission.¡±

    Thyssa¡¯s blood chilled, but she hid her fear and knowledge as best she could. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The reason the world is like this. Why some are perfect and some are malforms.¡±

    ¡°You¡­made the malforms?¡±

    ¡°Me. Dr. Goodfellow. A few others, all dead now. You must understand¡­I never meant to make malforms. I never knew the sins would come to life.¡±

    ¡°You just wanted to be perfect.¡±

    ¡°And, in our hubris, we thought we could do that without cost.¡± He exhaled sharply in what might have been a laugh. ¡°If only we were perfect then, we would have seen what we were doing. We would have never taken such a terrible risk.¡±

    ¡°So you both went down a dark path.¡±

    ¡°All of us made mistakes. Only I tried to fix them. But it was too late. They were accustomed to perfection, addicted to it. They couldn¡¯t turn back, even as their work poisoned the water and spawned monsters throughout the land. Why be responsible when you could be a god?¡±

    ¡°She couldn¡¯t be content just being a person?¡±

    Watchful shook his head. ¡°None of them could. Only me. They cast me out for my dissent. But I saw it coming. Before the Stormwatch could take me, I stole the Sapient Brain.¡± He pointed to Thyssa¡¯s necklace. ¡°The Benevolent Heart¡¯s sister stone.¡±

    ¡°There are two of them?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We made two. Body and mind. Two halves of the best of humanity. To perform Scission, you need both. I couldn¡¯t redeem them, but I could stop them from further blasphemy.¡±

    ¡°And Lili disagreed with that.¡±

    Watchful nodded. ¡°Lili had her own ideas. She wanted to help the malforms. Make them better like we had made ourselves better.¡±

    Thyssa focused on eating. Make no sign of fear.

    ¡°She never realized that a malform cannot be made better. They are sick because they are sickness. They are wicked because they are wickedness.¡±

    A fire kindled within Thyssa¡¯s heart. A need to defend the pack even if she wasn¡¯t part of it anymore. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°I know because of what you have done.¡±

    Heart racing. ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Even with the Benevolent Heart, you hurt and kill.¡±

    ¡°What gives you that idea?¡±

    ¡°The Benevolent Heart weeps, for it is stained with blood.¡±

    Thyssa looked at the Benevolent Heart but found no trace of blood on it.

    ¡°There is no blood.¡±

    ¡°It is the spirit that is stained. The Benevolent Heart has led to bloodshed and death, because the kindness within it has been perverted.¡±

    Watchful pointed at her.

    ¡°The Benevolent Heart made you something almost-human.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    A green flicker under the solid eyes of the mask. ¡°The Sapient Brain speaks to me. It tells me all your secrets.¡±

    ¡°If you see all my secrets,¡± said Thyssa, ¡°then what am I thinking now?¡±

    ¡°You are thinking about what terrible trouble you are in.¡±

    Thyssa sighed. ¡°Got me there.¡±

    ¡°But you are wrong. You are not in trouble. You have reached your salvation.¡±

    ¡°You can protect me from those who hunt me?¡±

    ¡°I can save everyone.¡±

    Thyssa took a big spoonful of stew. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°Just as the Benevolent Heart and Sapient Brain performed Scission, together they can undo it.¡±

    ¡°Is that good or bad?¡±

    ¡°It is what you have always wanted. The world will be just as it was, fully healed.¡± He reached across the table with an open claw, twitching with eagerness to grasp the Benevolent Heart.

    Thyssa clutched the Benevolent Heart to her chest. ¡°But¡­I¡¯ll be a malform again.¡±

    ¡°In this world, there will be no malforms, because there will be no perfection. Just humans.¡±

    ¡°It will turn all of us human? What about those who don¡¯t want that?¡±

    ¡°It will not turn anybody into anything. That is Lili¡¯s way. It will reunite people with their sins, making the two halves whole!¡±

    Thyssa swallowed. ¡°We¡­we won¡¯t exist?¡±

    ¡°Of course you will. You will be one with your source. Their dark side.¡±

    ¡°She cast me out.¡±

    ¡°And that was wrong of her! She mutilated herself, leaving you to wander as a twisted, half-formed thing.¡±

    Thyssa tightened her grip on the Benevolent Heart. ¡°I¡¯m not part of a whole person. I¡¯m a person.¡±

    ¡°And are you happy?¡±

    ¡°I am myself.¡±

    ¡°And what are you?¡± asked Watchful, his ticking turning quick and violent. ¡°Suffering, sickness. A broken creature in a broken world. Look around you and tell me this world is as it should be!¡±

    ¡°It is as it is!¡±

    ¡°Just let me fix my mistakes.¡±

    Thyssa stood up, though her legs felt weak. ¡°I am more than your mistakes. I am of Grendel Pack, and Grendel Pack is strong.¡±

    ¡°If you will not redeem yourself, then I will redeem you by force.¡± Watchful drew from his cloak a long, cruel sword.

    Thyssa dashed for the door, but tripped, crashing down hard on the stone floor. She tried to pick herself up, but her reflexes were sluggish, her vision blurring.

    ¡°Poison, of course,¡± said Watchful, stepping closer as he looked down at her writhing form.

    ¡°But you ate from the same pot¡­you poisoned yourself just to kill me?¡±

    ¡°I improved myself further,¡± said Watchful, ¡°made myself immune to all poisons, the better to slay the recalcitrant malform.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Did you think I did not know what you are? Did you think you could hide your monstrous nature with those silly clothes?¡±

    Thyssa tried to push herself up. ¡°I thought¡­just once¡­a human would be kind to me.¡±

    ¡°This is the only kindness I can grant you.¡±

    ¡°But I was right the first time,¡± said Thyssa, barely processing what Watchful was saying. ¡°How refreshing. Like salt in a wound.¡±

    ¡°The Benevolent Heart. Give it to me.¡±

    Thyssa gripped the Benevolent Heart. ¡°I¡¯d sooner die.¡±

    ¡°Then stop squirming and I¡¯ll put you out of your misery.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth and tightened her grip on the Benevolent Heart, her hand stinging as it pressed into the unyielding stone. She had chosen to be human, and it had cost her everything. And yet, being human had given her everything in the first place.

    ¡°Take the cursed thing,¡± she spat.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you could see reason.¡±

    She lifted the Benevolent Heart off her neck. ¡°Take it from my poisonous corpse.¡±

    Her voice was suddenly sharper, crueler, and her body was suddenly awake. Poison couldn¡¯t hurt her, because she was born in poison. Watchful recoiled at this display of half-humanity ¨C just an instant, but that was all she needed. She drew her scissors, sprang forth like a viper and stabbed him right in the heart.

    He staggered back, and in one fluid motion, she seized the scissors and kicked him, viciously dislodging her weapon with a tear of fabric and a scrape. Watchful fell to the ground, but she didn¡¯t wait to see if he was alive. With her hands ¨C twitching, sharpening ¨C she reached into the flames of the hearth, pulled out a burning log and threw it on him, setting his cloaked form on fire.

    Watchful stood up, his cloak still ablaze. He didn¡¯t bother to remove it. ¡°Such cruelty. Such ugliness. And it won¡¯t even save you.¡±

    Thyssa gasped.  ¡°You¡¯re not human either.¡±

    ¡°Of course I am. But I improve my body with machines. Much like you.¡± The burning cloak split apart, revealing an intricate clockwork body.

    Thyssa felt a pang of fear ¨C cold, animal fear. This was something more monstrous than her ¨C too monstrous to kill. Her instincts screamed at her to run, and she obeyed, because she was her instincts.

    She opened the door ¨C or tried to. Watchful must have locked it. Watchful¡¯s blade rushed down like wind. Thyssa leapt out of the way, then smashed the lock with a sharp kick. She kicked again to force it open, then dove to avoid another cruel slash.

    Thyssa ran out of Watchful¡¯s twisted home, the poison stinging a body that chose not to feel pain. Not the pain of poison, not the pain of burns, and certainly not the pain of running and running as fast as you can with no end in sight because you¡¯re not running to something, you¡¯re running from something, and that something is tireless, relentless.

    After what could have been minutes, hours, or a lifetime ¨C all sense of time was lost ¨C the sound of clockwork finally faded. She had escaped from Watchful¡¯s trap.

    But, while she couldn¡¯t be hurt, she could be killed. Even now, the poison flowed through her veins, seeking her heart. Such a potent, fast-acting poison was surely malform venom. Fatal to humans, because it was everything toxic to them. Fatal to malforms, because bodies that hurt know how to hurt other bodies.

    She needed to find a cure, but to do that, she¡¯d need to know what the poison was. There was only one creature who would know that.

 Chapter 15: The Glurk

    Thyssa stood at the edge of the pit. It was filled with red fluid that boiled into acrid fumes. She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of cloth ¨C a detour, a difficult hunt, but a vital one. She unwrapped the cloth just enough to reveal a heart.

    ¡°Food¡­I smell it,¡± said the Glurk, its voice echoing from the pit. The voice was weak with hunger. ¡°Give it here. Food for knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Some now. More when I¡¯m satisfied.¡±

    Thyssa dropped the heart into the pit, where some wet unseen thing snapped it up.

    ¡°What do you seek?¡± asked the Glurk.

    ¡°I am poisoned,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°I need a cure.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­poison¡­hm¡­could be easy to solve, quick trip to the Slough of Despond. Could be all but impossible.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me. I have nothing to lose.¡±

    ¡°Not playing games¡­just¡­need more knowledge¡­a sample.¡±

    Thyssa knew what the Glruk was after. ¡°I could cut my arm.¡±

    ¡°No! No¡­the impurities of the cavern¡­ruin the sample. Must be fresh¡­from the source¡­¡±

    ¡°No other way?¡±

    ¡°No other way.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Thyssa sighed. ¡°Fine. Just a taste.¡±

    ¡°A taste¡­taste taste taste¡­¡±

    ¡°Just enough to figure out what it is. No more.¡±

    ¡°Cruel greedy girl.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me. Now hurry up before your food expires.¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­stay still¡­¡±

    The Glurk reached up a tendril as long as creatures have hungered. The tendril unfolded to reveal a stabbing sucking thing. Thyssa looked away and reached down and gripped the cold metal in her pocket. She felt the tendril pierce her skin, a squeeze as it sucked out her blood¡­

    SLURP SLURP SLURP

    Too much!

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Thyssa pulled up the scissors and stabbed the tendril, which recoiled and released, spilling her blood on the ground. It slithered back into the pit. The Ogre Queen had taught her that trick, and she¡¯d learned from the Glurk itself ¨C an exchange the Glurk must have regretted all these years.

    ¡°Hurts hurts hurts!¡±

    ¡°I warned you.¡±

    ¡°Just my nature.¡±

    ¡°And this is mine.¡±

    ¡°No¡­not your nature. You are something else. Something strange. Sad, strange girl. Doomed, dying girl.¡±

    ¡°What do I have to do.¡±

    ¡°The venom of Spiteful Kreit¡­you¡¯d be dead already, if not for the Benevolent Heart.¡±

    ¡°You know what this is?¡±

    ¡°A thing of healing¡­make the sick healthy, the malform human, the poisoned blood pure.¡±

    ¡°So, as long as I keep this, I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Would be¡­were it anything but Spiteful Kreit. Not even the Heart can protect you for long. That much venom, girl your size¡­maybe¡­if you don¡¯t remove the Heart again¡­three days.¡±

    ¡°Three days!¡±

    ¡°Will feel like more¡­much more¡­I were you, I¡¯d jump in the pit¡­save myself the pain. I¡¯ll make it quick, make it easy¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not an option.¡±

    ¡°Poor¡­you¡­then. Only alternative¡­drink the Goddess Fountain.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°At the top of Mount Three Trials, straight north of here. At the top, there is a temple¡­such beautiful human workmanship¡­stained glass of many colours¡­and the waters, sparkling blue. That¡¯s the cure. It is a holy place. When you feel unworthy¡­you are close.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Thyssa, producing a liver and tossing it down into the pit. As Thyssa left, the sounds of snapping jaws echoed through the cavern.

 Chapter 16: Mount Three Trials

    Three paths of solid rock lay before Thyssa. Well, one was solid rock. The other two were unstable and would fall to pieces as she crossed. Tricks of the mountain to kill the unworthy.

    The inscription had said:

    ONLY YOUR MIND¡¯S EYE CAN SEE THE TRUE PATH

    This meant nothing to Thyssa. It must have been something humans normally had ¨C a way to keep out the filthy malforms from their precious Fountain. The mountain deigned to judge her, just like everyone else, and when it judged her unworthy, it would kill her.

    But Thyssa would not be outwitted by rock. Mind¡¯s eye or not, she would get to the top of Mount Three Trials and drink of its waters like any other human.

    She tested the middle path with her foot. It was quite solid. She smiled. She had her own way of finding her way. She gingerly crept along the narrow, winding path.

    When she was halfway across, she lost her balance. Her body ignited with fear, her muscles desperately trying to correct her balance before she fell down the mountainside and was dashed to pieces on the sharp rocks below. With great effort, she managed to get her balance again. She took deep breaths before moving forward, before doing anything else. When she felt composed again, she pressed on.

    Before long, there was the other side. All three paths converged on it, but only your mind¡¯s eye could tell the true one. Or a sufficiently sensitive foot. She laughed at how easily she had outwitted the mountain.

    And then she heard it.

    It started with a rumbling, then a sickening crack. Then a crumbling ¨C but Thyssa was already sprinting to the other side. Behind her, huge chunks of rock fell to the ground. She wasn¡¯t going to make it. She pushed herself for one long, desperate leap. She didn¡¯t make it. She screamed and lashed out an arm. She caught a piece of rock jutting out from the other side and gripped it for dear life as her body dangled helplessly below.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    She¡¯d survived, but not for long. The rest of the rock was too smooth to hold, much less climb up. A chill wind howled, like the mountain laughing at the arrogant malform girl who thought herself worthy. Furious, she clung to the rock. If the mountain wanted her dead, it would have to do the job itself, and she wouldn¡¯t make it easy.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± shouted an unfamiliar voice.

    Someone ran towards her. When they drew close, Thyssa saw them. A human. No doubt a perfect one. They had shining dark skin and long, thick hair, all radiant and full of life. Perfect eyes looked down at her from the edge and a perfect hand reached out to her.

    It all seemed too good to be true. Another trick of the mountain? Another betraying benefactor? But she could not save herself. She swallowed her fear and reached out her free hand. Her savior¡¯s hand was soft and warm, and it pulled her up with a desperate strength.

    When she was nearly over the edge, Thyssa had to let go of the jutting rock now beneath her ¨C placing her fate entirely in the stranger¡¯s. That was the hardest part. She grit her teeth and released, then quickly grabbed the edge. With her strength and the stranger¡¯s combined, she finally got up and touched solid ground.

    ¡°You saved me.¡±

    The stranger scratched the back of their head and they smiled. ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You were¡­gonna die?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know I wouldn¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    The stranger laughed. ¡°Are you going to hurt me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s all that matters.¡± They took a deep breath. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Thyssa.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty name.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I chose it myself.¡±

    The stranger smiled. ¡°I chose Merryway.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­a good name.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I think so too.¡±

    Thyssa felt a sharp pain in her chest.

    ¡°Are you okay? Did you get hurt on the cliff?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­I¡¯m poisoned.¡±

    ¡°What poison? I might know a cure.¡±

    Thyssa shook her head. ¡°The venom of Spiteful Kreit. My only hope now is the Goddess Fountain. That¡¯s why I¡¯m up here.¡±

    ¡°Then we have a common goal! I¡¯m looking for the Fountain too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re poisoned too?¡±

    ¡°My mother is.¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°It¡¯s an awful thing, to lose your mother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lose her.¡±

    ¡°You just said she was poisoned.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll find the Fountain. I have faith.¡±

    ¡°You sound so sure.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s strange. I almost can.¡±

    ¡°Then my hope is contagious! And it is all the more well-founded, for you look like quite a strong woman.¡±

    ¡°There will be many enemies. I cannot guarantee your life.¡±

    ¡°If you did, I¡¯d call you a cheat. We¡¯re each other¡¯s best odds, and that¡¯s as much as I want. How about you?¡±

    Thyssa gave a short nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡±

 Chapter 17: Unbroken Line

    The two hiked up the mountain trail. It was steep and rocky, and it took both grace and endurance to make progress. Thyssa¡¯s old body ¨C aching and uneven ¨C would have had no chance getting up this place. Probably few malforms could. Another stark reminder that the healing water wasn¡¯t for people like her.

    She was still curious about the Path of the Mind¡¯s Eye.

    ¡°Which path was the right one?¡± asked Thyssa.

    ¡°Left,¡± said Merryway.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you saw in your mind¡¯s eye?¡±

    Merryway laughed, distant and wistful. ¡°That¡¯s what I knew from mom¡¯s stories.¡±

    ¡°Your mother went up the mountain herself?¡±

    ¡°No. She heard the stories from her mother.¡± Merryway looked at Thyssa, suddenly concerned. ¡°Is the poison acting up?¡±

    ¡°No worse than usual,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You looked hurt. Sad.

    ¡°I am strong.¡±

    ¡°I can see that. But you can be strong and sad at the same time.¡± A gleam in their eye. ¡°But I think you already knew that.¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°I want to worry about other people. That¡¯s what makes me human.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Thyssa¡¯s face felt hot. ¡°I¡­it¡¯s just¡­it¡¯s such a long, unbroken line.¡±

    ¡°And your family isn¡¯t.¡±

    Thyssa shook her head.

    ¡°Malforms?¡±

    Thyssa tensed up. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Malforms got them?¡±

    Thyssa sighed. ¡°Some died to malforms. Some died of hunger.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re from out of the Walled Garden, too.¡±

    Thyssa nodded. Then she paused. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re not from the Walled Garden?¡±

    ¡°Only the perfect can enter. Perfect cunts, anyway.¡±

    Thyssa laughed, less because it was funny and more because it was cathartic to revel in hate for the Walled Garden. Then she stopped. ¡°You¡¯re not perfect?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re so strong and clever and pretty!¡±

    Merryway laughed and scratched the back of their head. ¡°Why, thank you.¡±

    Thyssa narrowed her eyes. ¡°You sound surprised?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­people don¡¯t talk to me like that.¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m bad at talking.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡­¡± They laughed. ¡°I like it! I just¡­don¡¯t get to hear it a lot.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re not perfect?¡±

    ¡°Well, none of us are.¡±

    ¡°A clan of outcasts.¡±

    Merryway laughed. ¡°The real outcasts are in the Walled Garden. They just¡­cast out themselves from us poors. Don¡¯t know what they did to themselves to be the specialest ever humans.¡±

    Thyssa sighed. ¡°You envy them.¡±

    ¡°No way. I mean, they¡¯re right fit, but they¡¯re a bunch of creeps. I don¡¯t know if they even know how to live outside of their city anymore.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nicer and prettier than any of them I¡¯ve met.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s the kind of thing I never hear from my clan.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re, uh, intimidated. I¡¯m the Matriarch¡¯s eldest and all.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re important.¡±

    Merryway¡¯s face looked grim. ¡°I¡¯d be a lousy replacement for mom.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be true!¡±

    Merryway shook their head. ¡°You don¡¯t know her.¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t. But¡­why send someone as important as you for such a dangerous task?¡±

    Merryway looked at Thyssa, then suddenly perked up. ¡°Well. Because I¡¯m so strong and clever.¡±

    Thyssa nodded. ¡°That makes sense.¡±

    ¡°Still,¡± said Merryway. ¡°I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to do this alone.¡±

    Thyssa grinned. ¡°You would have, if you hadn¡¯t been there at just the right time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m lucky like that.¡±

    ¡°I would have thought I was the lucky one.¡±

    Merryway smiled and shrugged. ¡°My good luck¡¯s contagious.¡±

 Chapter 18: Despair and Die

    ¡°Aha!¡± Merryway sounded like they¡¯d found treasure.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Thyssa, trying not to sound too curious.

    Merryway jogged off to a flat rock and sat upon it. Then they patted a spot on the rock beside her. ¡°A nice place to sit down.¡±

    Thyssa trudged along and dropped herself down on the rock.

    ¡°You looked like you could really use a break,¡± said Merryway. ¡°You, uh, alright? Poison-wise?¡±

    Thyssa nodded. ¡°I was just thinking about your stories.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­why do you have to go as far back as your grandmother for stories of Mount Three Trials? Didn¡¯t any of you get sick since then?¡±

    Merryway looked grim. ¡°There was¡­another expedition. My great-uncle. His son got sick, so up he went.¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°He took his wife, his brothers, his cousin, and local mercenaries.¡±

    Thyssa swallowed. ¡°They all died.¡±Stolen story; please report.

    Merryway nodded. ¡°Nobody came back. My grandmother went out to save them. She didn¡¯t return either.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°What happened to them?¡±

    Merryway shook their head. ¡°Nobody knew. Maybe they died at one of the Trials. I think the malforms got them.¡±

    ¡°There are malforms here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve definitely seen quite a few in the area. They must have a nest or something up here.¡±

    ¡°Unlikely,¡± said Thyssa, a little too quickly.

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    Thyssa swallowed. ¡°Well. The trials. How would they even get up here?¡±

    Merryway stared off into the distance. ¡°That¡­is a very good question.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re here to figure out.¡±

    ¡°No. I mean¡­I want to know. But my true mission is to retrieve the water of the Goddess Fountain. Nothing else is as important to the clan.¡±

    ¡°Not even the Matriarch¡¯s eldest child?¡±

    Merryway narrowed their eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°They give your grand-uncle a whole expedition, with mercenaries and everything, and they just send you on your own?¡±

    Merryway looked down. ¡°They didn¡¯t send me.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said ¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t want to correct you. I wish they had sent me, but they didn¡¯t. They didn¡¯t send anyone.¡±

    ¡°I thought nothing was as important as the Goddess Fountain.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true. But the others¡­don¡¯t all share my view.¡±

    ¡°So you went out on your own. To save your mother.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Save her, and bring back my people¡¯s hope. Make it so people don¡¯t just despair and die when they get sick.¡±

    ¡°Like the boy.¡±

    ¡°Well, that was the thing¡­after all that, the lad recovered on his own.¡± They laughed a broken laugh.

    Thyssa reached out a hand, then stopped herself. They didn¡¯t need the embrace of a beast, she told herself. But¡­what did she know of what humans wanted? She rallied her courage.

    ¡°I¡­you¡¯re hurt,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°Do you¡­do you want me to hold you?¡±

    Merryway nodded. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, that¡¯d be good.¡±

    Thyssa embraced Merryway, and they sat like that for a long time.

 Chapter 19: Wall of Smokeless Fire

    The pair followed the path spiralling up Mount Three Trials, their fatigue kept in check only by urgency. The sun set on the mountain, bathing everything in a warm glow. It was like the mountain was on fire. A bit further, the mountain was on fire.

    Thyssa blinked, tried to register what she was seeing. A thick curtain of fire blocking their path, burning from nothing in particular. It just¡­burned.

    Thyssa froze, terrified by the unnatural phenomenon. ¡°The mountain¡­it¡¯s¡­burning!¡±

    ¡°The second trial,¡± said Merryway. They pointed out an inscription on the rock.

    ONLY THE FAITHFUL PASS THROUGH THE WALL OF SMOKELESS FIRE

    Thyssa stared at the words. She didn¡¯t have a Mind¡¯s Eye, and she doubted she was one of the faithful, either.

    ¡°We can do this,¡± said Merryway.

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Walking right through the fire. It¡¯s possible. I know it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the trick?¡±

    Merryway laughed. ¡°No trick. Just faith.¡±

    ¡°I do not worship your Goddess,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°I do not even know her name.¡±

    ¡°Neither do we,¡± said Merryway. ¡°She is very old. My people inherited it from a past people. We simply call her ¡®the Goddess.¡¯¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have other goddesses?¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°We have only ever felt the blessing of this one.¡±

    ¡°Then your people are fortunate. My people have never known the blessing of any goddess. So we have never had faith in one.¡±

    ¡°If you cannot have faith in the Goddess,¡± said Merryway, ¡°then have faith in her children. Have faith in me.¡±

    Thyssa looked down. She¡¯d had faith in people, and it had let her down time and again. Was she brave enough to put that much faith in someone she¡¯d only just met? Her life depended on it, but she could guess what would happen to her if she faltered¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡±

    Merryway held Thyssa¡¯s hand. ¡°Trust me.¡±

    Faith hadn¡¯t worked out for her before¡­but neither had trying to go it alone. She needed to start doing things differently. Seeing things differently. Just like how she had seen with new eyes when she became human. She needed to transform again ¨C become something new, something stronger and lovelier.

    ¡°You saved me before,¡± whispered Thyssa.

    ¡°Hold on to that memory. Use it like a shield.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± said Thyssa, surprised at the confidence at her voice.

    Merryway smiled. ¡°Yeah.¡± Their smile faded, their face became stoic. ¡°Okay. On three, we run through.¡±

    Thyssa nodded.

    ¡°One¡­¡±

    Thyssa took a deep breath.

    ¡°Two¡­¡±

    She tightened her grip on Merryway¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Three!¡±

    Thyssa closed her eyes and the two of them charged into the flames.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Thyssa flinched at the sudden sound, but just as suddenly registered ¨C Merryway had exulted in triumph! They¡¯d gotten through.

    Thyssa felt short of breath. ¡°We¡­we did it¡­¡±

    ¡°It was hard, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Thyssa nodded.

    ¡°But we got through it.¡±

    ¡°You were a source of strength,¡± said Thyssa.

    ¡°And so were you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You had faith in me, so I could have faith in myself.¡±

    ¡°I thought you got through with faith in your Goddess.¡±

    Merryway laughed. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t need to.¡± Merryway gave her a sly smile.

    At the sight of that smile, Thyssa felt a wonderful warmth in her body. Then¡­something else. A quivering. An ache. First dull, then sharp, then unbearable.

    ¡°Thyssa!¡±

    ¡°The venom. It¡¯s getting worse.¡±

    ¡°Do we need to rush?¡±

    ¡°Depends,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°How long before we reach the Fountain?¡±

    ¡°At the rate we¡¯re going¡­I¡¯d say a day.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t press on that long like this. Let¡¯s¡­find a place to rest.¡±

    Merryway nodded. ¡°Okay. Okay.¡±

 Chapter 20: Human Hunter

    Thyssa found a cave with no scent of predators. They went inside and Merryway unpacked their things. They handed Thyssa a small pouch.

    Thyssa tested it with her hands. Loose particles. ¡°Food?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Nuts and dried fruit.¡±

    ¡°Your food?¡±

    ¡°Extra rations in case something went wrong. But with you helping me up, avoiding all the malforms, things have gone much smoother than I planned. So the extra rations are¡­extra.¡±

    Thyssa nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± She started stuffing her face with the nuts and fruit.

    Merryway laughed.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I just. Like the way you eat. Like a squirrel. It¡¯s very cute.¡±

    It was much like what Lili said. It felt different, though. Lili had seen her as an experimental animal, but Merryway saw her as a person. An equal. That was an assumption, and yet it was one she was happy to make. Twice now, Merryway had proven themselves trustworthy. She realized she hadn¡¯t even thought to check her food for poison, even though failing to do so was precisely why she was here. This was the first human Thyssa had really trusted. It was something too precious and layered for her to put into human speech, so she just said

    ¡°thanks.¡±

    Merryway nodded. ¡°I should be thanking you. I thought for sure we¡¯d be caught by that horned one. That¡­was not a fight I was looking forward to.¡± They sighed with relief. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone elude malforms like you.¡±

    Thyssa felt a writhing in her body. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Really, where did you learn all that?¡±

    Thyssa thought before answering. ¡°I¡¯m a hunter.¡± Not false.

    Merryway looked excited. ¡°It can¡¯t be just that. Our best hunters aren¡¯t that good. It¡¯s like¡­you know just what to watch out for. Like you know all their tricks.¡±

    The writhing intensified. Thyssa shrugged.

    Merryway put up a magnanimous hand. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t want to talk about the how. Still¡­ you could teach us your tricks.¡±

    ¡°Teach¡­you?¡±

    ¡°Me, our hunters, everyone.¡± They looked solemn. ¡°We lose a lot of good people to malforms. If we could just¡­avoid them, it would save a lot of lives.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Once again, Thyssa felt something she¡¯d felt with Lili, but brighter. Hope for a better future, and the joy of taking part in it. If Merryway¡¯s clan could avoid encountering malforms, it would save not just them, but more than a few of her own kind.

    ¡°I¡¯d¡­I¡¯d like that.¡±

    Merryway looked excited. ¡°Great! I mean, you could even tell me some tips right now.¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°You¡­you¡¯re worried I won¡¯t make it.¡±

    ¡°I hope you will. I think you will.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not sure.¡±

    ¡°We both knew this was dangerous. Either of us could die.¡±

    ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t die.¡±

    Merryway laughed. ¡°That was daytime Merryway. This is nighttime Merryway.¡± They looked at Thyssa. ¡°You ever get that? Just¡­kind of¡­sad, worried thoughts at night?¡±

    Thyssa nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s like that. I¡¯m just¡­I guess I just see you, see all your talents and¡­I¡¯m scared to lose all that.¡±

    ¡°Because I could help your clan.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­more than that. It¡¯s like, I want there to be still be some part of you, and¡­¡± They shook their head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is weird and morbid.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sweet.¡±

    Merryway smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Thyssa swallowed. ¡°The big thing to know is they¡¯re hungry.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Malforms. You asked how to avoid them. The most important thing to know is they¡¯re mostly just hungry. Really hungry. They¡¯re not really looking for a fight. If you leave some food behind, they¡¯ll probably go for that instead of you.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯ve attacked us even when we¡¯re not carrying food.¡±

    ¡°Were you carrying weapons?¡±

    ¡°The best we had.¡±

    ¡°They freak out when you have weapons. They don¡¯t often see humans who aren¡¯t trying to kill them. You carry a weapon, they think you¡¯re here to hunt them.¡±

    Merryway nodded. ¡°I see¡­but then, how could we hunt?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t hunt in malform territory. Then you¡¯re competing for food.¡±

    ¡°How do you know what¡¯s malform territory and what¡¯s not?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a little trickier. But they always try to mark their territory. Maybe it¡¯s feathers, maybe it¡¯s rocks, maybe it¡¯s smells¡­whatever they have, they use. Marking territory is very important to them. They don¡¯t want to fight each other, and they don¡¯t want to fight you.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re always looking out for those signs.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Thyssa was excited to have someone really listening to her. Someone she can teach and who¡¯s smart enough to use that knowledge to help instead of trying to exploit her kind more. (There again, an assumption! And yet so knowingly, joyfully made!)

    ¡°You think you could teach us to recognize signs?¡±

    Thyssa nodded. ¡°I think so! It¡¯s more of an art than an exact science,¡± she said, echoing Lili, ¡°but I can do it reliably. I could record the signs of the more prominent malforms, and those of the packs.¡±

    ¡°The packs?¡±

    ¡°The groups of malforms. Cerberus, Widow Mantis¡­Grendel¡­¡±

    ¡°There are groups?¡±

    Thyssa swallowed. ¡°You didn¡¯t know that?¡±

    ¡°Thyssa nobody knows about malforms! Not like that! Nobody¡¯s gotten close enough to study them without dying.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth. Lili had studied her, and she¡¯d hoarded all that knowledge to herself and her people.

    ¡°You know so much about these things,¡± said Merryway. ¡°Where did you learn it all?¡±

    The writhing again. Worse. Everything hurt, everything was dizzy. Fear and poison together.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡­I need to lie down.¡±

    Thyssa lowered herself to the ground, trying not to lose her balance.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a sleeping bag?¡± asked Merryway, concerned.

    ¡°I¡¯m used to it. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°None of that! You need to take care of yourself while you¡¯re sick. Here, you can share mine.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to tell my clan I found a vital source of knowledge but she just kind of died because she didn¡¯t sleep properly.¡±

    Thyssa couldn¡¯t argue with that. She crawled into the sleeping bag next to Merryway.

    Merryway stroked Thyssa¡¯s hair. ¡°Sleep well. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll reach the Fountain.¡±

 Chapter 21: Split Up

    They had a breakfast of nuts and fruit before setting they left the cave, setting off up the mountain trail. As they ascended, the sun started to rise. From as high as they were, they could look down on the lands below them, lit up by the golden morning sun.

    In the distance, there loomed the forbidding white walls of the Walled Garden. To the west, Lili¡¯s hospital. To the east, the Lake of Acid ¨C and, hidden within its fog, Grendel Pack. She¡¯d never seen home like this. It was more beautiful than ever. But she couldn¡¯t come back. She wasn¡¯t safe there anymore, and neither was anyone else around the Benevolent Heart. Even Merryway wasn¡¯t safe. After they reached the Fountain, she would have to leave them behind.

    ¡°This is it,¡± said Merryway, interrupting Thyssa¡¯s gloomy thoughts. ¡°The last trial. The Cavern of Yourself.¡±

    Before them, shining black doors guarded a cave.

    ¡°Another of the mountain¡¯s tricks?¡± asked Thyssa.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Merryway, ¡°and I¡¯m sorry to say it¡¯s much more¡­involved¡­than the first two.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be together,¡± said Thyssa.

    Merryway looked down. ¡°Yeah, about that¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we get split up.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t.¡±

    Thyssa winced. ¡°We get split up!¡±

    ¡°Afraid so. Only one can go in at a time.¡±

    ¡°Who first?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that matters. The thing is¡­whoever goes in, you have to face yourself.¡±

    ¡°Is this some kind of metaphor?¡±

    ¡°No, I mean your reflection comes to life and then it will try to fight you.¡±

    ¡°My¡­reflection? How¡­¡±

    ¡°No idea. The important thing is, whatever it does, whatever it says, whatever it looks like it¡¯s about to do, don¡¯t fight it. The more you fight it, the more it fights you.¡±

    ¡°So I just¡­stand still?¡±

    Merryway nodded. ¡°Should work, yeah. It¡¯s a test of inner peace.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Why all these tests, anyway? Does the Fountain run out?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then why not just let everyone in? What¡¯s the good in collapsing trails and walls of fire and evil reflections?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not evil. It¡¯s part of you. Something you have to make peace with.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but still¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t skip it over! That¡¯s an important detail. Do not think it¡¯s evil. As soon as you think it¡¯s evil, it¡¯s your enemy. Do not let it be your enemy.¡±

    Thyssa breathed deeply. ¡°Right. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Our ancestors had to keep the Goddess Fountain from being abused.¡±

    ¡°What, by making people healthy?¡±

    ¡°Health¡­can look like a lot of things. And what¡¯s healthy for some could be death for others. The poison that kills the flies saves the crop. The medicine that saves the army lets it march on the village.¡±

    ¡°But what about the people in your clan? They weren¡¯t trying to march on the village. They just wanted to live.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the mountain that killed them. It was the malforms.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth. ¡°You know that, do you? You looked at their bodies, saw teeth marks?¡±

    ¡°They never came back.¡±

    ¡°Why is it easier to believe malforms did it than the deathtrap mountain?¡±

    ¡°Because if the mountain killed us, then the Goddess abandoned us!¡± Merryway yelled.

    Thyssa swallowed. ¡°You¡­you want to prove yourself worthy.¡±

    Merryway nodded.

    ¡°And you¡¯re afraid you¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you¡¯ll see in the cave?¡±

    Merryway stared off into space. ¡°Yes¡­that¡¯s probably it!¡± They looked to Thyssa. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°For letting me get that off my chest.¡± They looked down. ¡°I can¡¯t talk about that around the clan.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°People would think I¡¯m really not worthy, or I wouldn¡¯t have doubts like this.¡±

    ¡°But what if they feel the same? Then they¡¯d know they could talk about it with you.¡±

    ¡°You really think they¡¯d feel the same way?¡±

    ¡°No idea. You¡¯ll never know unless you talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe someday.¡± They sighed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go in first, alright?¡±

    ¡°How will I know when you¡¯re through?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t open on your side until I¡¯m done my trial.¡±

    Thyssa swallowed. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Thyssa looked down.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Merryway. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot to say to my reflection.¡±

    And with that, they opened up the doors and walked inside as they slammed shut.

    Thyssa waited a little, but she was nervous to be out here in the open alone ¨C and kept from the Fountain. She tried the doors. They wouldn¡¯t budge.

    She reminded herself to have faith in Merryway, just as she had before. They were fine. But, apart from them, Thyssa couldn¡¯t help but to worry. She tried the doors. Still stuck. They were still in there. They were fine. They were facing some conjured unnatural thing, something like themselves but an enemy and every bit as strong as they were, but they were fine.

    She tried the doors. She tried the doors. She tried the doors. She tried the doors. She tried the doors.

    Thyssa tried to compose herself. She sat on a more-or-less flat rock, closed her eyes, breathed deeply. Thought of mom¡¯s face, her terrible kind face. That used to calm her down. Now it just stung. So she looked at the sky instead and thought of peace.

    That¡¯s what she needed for the trial. Don¡¯t fight your reflection. Whatever they do, whatever they say, don¡¯t fight your reflection. They¡¯re not evil. Make peace with them and you win.

    Thyssa heard a click. It came from the cave. Hopeful, Thyssa approached the doors and tried them one more time.

    They opened.

 Chapter 22: The Cavern Of Yourself

    Thyssa walked into the Cavern of Yourself, mentally reciting Merryway¡¯s warning: Don¡¯t fight your reflection. As long as she kept that wisdom in mind, she had faith that she would not fail.

    Just as with Merryway, the doors slammed shut behind her, drowning her in darkness. But she was prepared. She opened up her bag and brought out a glowing purple mass ¨C a bioluminescent tumour from one foolish enough to hunt her. She held out the grim prize and used it to navigate the darkness. The cavern was filled with the echoing sounds of her own footsteps.

    Thyssa ventured further and further into the darkness, the whole time waiting for an attack from some wraithlike creature wearing her face. She didn¡¯t know what her reflection was doing, but she knew what she¡¯d do, and that was lie in wait until just the right moment to strike.

    But the attack never came. Her unease grew more and more until, eventually, she came across another light in the distance. The exit? Could it really be that easy? Perhaps Merryway was wrong about this part ¨C they did, after all, get their knowledge second-hand. Or perhaps, just as she lacked a Mind¡¯s Eye, she lacked whatever it was that let this place conjure reflections - there simply wasn¡¯t enough human in her to reflect. She liked the first explanation better.

    She pressed on towards the light, until she saw it came from the surface of a huge, ornate mirror gripping onto the cave wall. Close up, she could see the light slowly, subtly shifted in colour and intensity ¨C now pink, now green, now bright, now a little dimmer. It reminded her of the Benevolent Heart.

    Thyssa wanted nothing to do with the strange device, but it was set up blocking the only way through ¨C the only way to get to the Goddess Fountain. She breathed deeply. She¡¯d survived the first two trials. But those were with Merryway¡¯s help. She steeled herself. She had Merryway¡¯s help. Their advice. Just don¡¯t fight the reflection, and she¡¯d get through.

    She closed her eyes, grit her teeth and walked past the mirror, each step echoing around her.

    Clack¡­clack¡­clack¡­clackclack

    Too many steps. She turned around and her blood went cold.

    Just as she¡¯d expected, she saw herself. But it was herself as a malform, hissing and shuffling towards her.

    ¡°You were expecting a pretty girl?¡± the malform taunted her.

    Thyssa scoffed, trying to hide her fear. ¡°I was at least expecting my actual reflection.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but this is your actual reflection. This is you.¡±

    ¡°This is an illusion. A trick of the mountain.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°No. I am the real you. You are the illusion.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t fight you.¡±

    A wet, sickly laugh. ¡°You¡¯ve been fighting me since you took the Benevolent Heart.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve healed myself, and I come here to be healed again.¡±

    ¡°You call this healing? Look at what you¡¯ve done to your family. Your real family, not the doctor you sold out to.¡±

    Thyssa searched for a clever answer, but she couldn¡¯t find one. But then she realized she didn¡¯t have to. She turned her back on her monstrous reflection and walked towards the exit.

    She heard her own footsteps, but then another sound - a wet gurgling sound she knew all too well. She dropped to the ground as a jet of acid shot out, hitting rock, dissolving it.

    ¡°Did you think you could avoid yourself?¡±

    She rolled to dodge another jet of acid, then sprang to her feet just in time to jump away from a third shot right at her feet.

    ¡°You won¡¯t win just by dodging.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to win. I want to make peace.¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s what this place is for, right? That¡¯s what Merryway told you?¡± The malform lunged for her and she leapt aside. ¡°You knew this mountain wasn¡¯t made for people like you. Did you really think you¡¯d solve this like all the humans did?¡±

    ¡°I have faith that I can.¡±

    ¡°You had faith Lili wouldn¡¯t betray you. You had faith your pack wouldn¡¯t betray you. What do you think Merryway will do when they learn what you really are?¡±

    ¡°What I really am is a human. I came from humans, I take a human form, and I will die with it.¡±

    ¡°You certainly will,¡± said the malform, leaping forth maw-first. Thyssa jumped back and the malform¡¯s teeth sank into the rock, tearing it apart like dry wood. She couldn¡¯t keep this up forever.

    ¡°I just want to make peace,¡± Thyssa repeated.

    ¡°There is no peace between us, because there is no peace inside us. We¡¯re nothing but the human¡¯s filth.¡±

    The malform leapt on top of Thyssa, and she fought with all her strength to keep its teeth off her. ¡°You are wrong,¡± she said. ¡°We have lives of our own. We¡¯re more than what they say we are.¡±

    ¡°Then why do we hurt each other trying to better ourselves?¡± The malform was stronger than her. In a moment, it would finish her.

    Thyssa called upon the Ogre Queen¡¯s strength and wisdom. ¡°If something makes us hurt each other, then I¡¯ll break it.¡± She grabbed a stone beside her and threw it at the mirror with all her might.

    The rock crashed against the mirror, its beautiful glowing glass smashed to pieces. Just as the malform closed its jaws on her neck, it smashed to pieces as well. Just like herself, her reflection could not exist without its device.

    ¡°Pretty words,¡± it said as it dissipated into shards, faded away. ¡°Will you live by them?¡±

    Thyssa took a single shard of the mirror to light her way out and remember herself by. She picked up the tumour and covered it with rocks. It wasn¡¯t needed anymore, and she suddenly couldn¡¯t stomach using parts of her kin like they were common beasts. That wasn¡¯t Grendel Pack, that was her.

    With the mirror shard to light her way, she trudged down the path out of the now-empty cavern. Her whole body felt heavy and weak, and she knew it wasn¡¯t just exhaustion, or even the poison. With great effort, she reached reached a green pair of doors and shoved them open, closing her eyes at the bright sunlight.

    ¡°You did it!¡± shouted Merryway. But her excitement was short-lived. ¡°Thyssa, are you¡­alright?¡±

    Thyssa shook her head.

    ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± She sighed. ¡°We¡¯re nearly at the top. Let¡¯s get to the Fountain.¡±

 Chapter 23: Temple of the Goddess

    The path from the Cavern of Yourself to the mountaintop was short, but it felt long. For the first time, Thyssa and Merryway had nothing to say to each other. The only sounds were the wind, and their footsteps on the rock.

    Thyssa desperately wanted to confide in Merryway. But seeing her own monstrous reflection filled her heart with fear and doubt. She knew Merryway was a good person. But was she? If Merryway knew what she really was, would they still want her around?

    She¡¯d only known them for two days, but she¡¯d lived more in those two days than in two years with Lili. She¡¯d gotten attached ¨C it was funny how easily she bonded, after losing everyone else, as if her heart was just a glutton for punishment. Risk what she had to get what she needed. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to do that. Not again.

    ¡°This is it,¡± said Merryway, bringing her back to reality.

    At the top of the mountain stood a stone temple, topped with a stained glass dome.

    ¡°The Goddess Fountain¡¯s in there?¡±

    Merryway nodded. ¡°It¡¯s every bit as beautiful as I dreamed.¡±

    As they approached the temple, Thyssa saw it was decorated with stoic stone women, carved into the walls. She thought they looked like the Benevolent Heart. Was that what the Goddess looked like?

    As they walked inside, they found the temple brightly lit. The stained glass carried light evenly throughout the interior, illuminating a pattern in the glass. The glass showed pilgrims, close together but showing different places and times ¨C some were climbing the mountain, some drinking from a fountain, some throwing off bloody bandages and dancing in exultation.

    ¡°The first to complete the pilgrimage in two generations,¡± said Merryway, as they ventured deeper into the temple. ¡°I have proven myself worthy.¡± They turned to Thyssa. ¡°And so have you. You passed the trials, not even believing in the Goddess.¡±

    Thyssa sniffed. ¡°Only with your help.¡±

    ¡°And I would not have succeeded without your help.¡± Merryway smiled. ¡°We make a good team.¡±

    Thyssa found herself smiling back. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Come. We¡¯ll heal your poison, fill a flask for mother, and we¡¯ll both return as heroes.¡±

    Soon they reached the centre of the temple ¨C a great ring around a pool. Merryway rushed forth with the flask, then froze.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Thyssa, but as she reached the edge of the ring, she knew exactly what was wrong.

    Inside the pool was not sparkling healing waters, but churning grey sludge.

    Thyssa understood why this place felt so familiar. This was the Muckpool, the womb from which malforms were conceived. From which they flowed, into their various poisonous lakes ¨C the Lake of Fire, the Lake of Plagues, and the Lake of Acid, where Thyssa had crawled out into the world. All these monstrous places came from a human temple? She wracked her brain for memories, but she was an infant at the time, so nothing came.

    Merryway just kept shaking their head. ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s not right¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you sure this is the right place?¡±

    ¡°The very centre of the temple. It was here! Look at the chalices around it! For drinking!¡±

    Thyssa had an idea. ¡°What if this is the healing water?¡±

    Merryway shook their head sharply. ¡°No. It was water. Look at the glass ¨C water! It was clear, it tasted good.¡±

    ¡°It may have changed form,¡± said Thyssa, ¡°but it still has its life-giving power.¡±

    ¡°Look at that filth! How could that bring life to anyone?¡±

    Thyssa winced. Merryway¡¯s expression softened.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Merryway. ¡°There was no need to be rude.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    Merryway¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Your¡­your necklace!¡±

    Thyssa grasped the Benevolent Heart hanging around her neck. ¡°What about it?¡±

    But no sooner did she speak than she saw it too ¨C the Benevolent Heart glowing. She felt it. The stone was warm, pulsing, alive. Like it had been when Lili gave it to her but more ¨C and it brightened even as she looked.

    Merryway narrowed their eyes. ¡°Where did you say you got that from?¡±

    Thyssa shook her head. ¡°Far from here.¡±

    ¡°Where.¡±

    ¡°A hospital far to the west. I stole it from Lili ¨C a scientist exiled from the Walled Garden.¡±

    ¡°The Walled Garden! I should have known. Thieves, all of them. They loot our most sacred places. But I didn¡¯t think even they would steal the Fountain!¡±

    ¡°They stole¡­the Fountain?¡±

    ¡°Its power! They must have found a way to steal it. Seal it inside that stone.¡±

    ¡°But the Fountain is supposed to heal poison completely. This only stems the tide.¡±

    ¡°Trapping it inside that stone must have weakened it,¡± said Merryway. ¡°Like if you had your arms tied.¡± They looked up at Thyssa. ¡°You have to put it back.¡±

    ¡°Put it back?¡±

    ¡°Throw that stone into the Fountain.¡±

    Thyssa tightened her grip on the Benevolent Heart. ¡°That thing is¡­it¡¯s keeping me alive!¡±

    ¡°And if you give it back, it can cure you outright.¡± Their gaze was intense. ¡°As it could my mother.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­there¡¯s no guarantee it would work.¡±

    ¡°Then why does it resonate with this place? It recognizes where it was torn from. And it wants to go back.¡±

    Merryway held Thyssa¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Have faith. Return it where it belongs.¡±

    ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Then let me help you.¡±

    Merryway¡¯s gentle hand moved to lift the Benevolent Heart. Thyssa jerked back.

    ¡°Thyssa, you have to trust me!¡±

    ¡°I trust you. I just don¡¯t believe this conjecture.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe, or don¡¯t want to?¡±

    Thyssa couldn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll die! My mother will die!¡±

    Thyssa reached in her mind for another way, but she was coming up blank.

    ¡°Put it back, Thyssa.¡± Their voice was gentle, but commanding. ¡°Drop it in the Fountain.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing.¡±

    The cold voice echoed throughout the temple, as did the relentless ticking of clockwork.

 Chapter 24: The First Vision - Wholeness

    ¡°Who are you to command me?¡± asked Merryway.

    ¡°I am Watchful. I am the last survivor of the team that created the Benevolent Heart and Sapient Brain. With them, we performed the first Scissions. We made perfect humans, and, with them, the malforms.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t trust him!¡± whispered Thyssa.

    Merryway sounded nauseous. ¡°You¡­you stole the waters¡¯ power for yourself. You let countless people die of disease, of malform attacks, of despair¡­all so you could be perfect.¡±

    ¡°We saw a fountain that gave health, and we thought to concentrate that power in the stones.¡±

    Merryway scoffed. ¡°Steal it, you mean.¡±

    ¡°Yes. We stole its holy power, and told ourselves it was for the greater good. Why settle for curing disease when we could cure madness, hatred, even death itself? In our blasphemy, we reached for perfection, and we lost what made us human. And what we lost came to life.¡±

    Merryway burned with indignant rage. ¡°Every death. Every mourning. Every ¡®they¡¯ll come back someday.¡¯ Generations of tears and blood, all on your hands.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have kept myself alive all these aching years, just to fix my mistake. And prevent anyone else from making the same mistakes.¡±

    ¡°Run,¡± whispered Thyssa. ¡°I can distract him, but you have to run.¡±

    Merryway paused, considering Thyssa¡¯s words. ¡°If you truly want to fix your mistake, help me restore the Goddess Fountain.¡±

    ¡°You mustn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°So that story about fixing your mistakes was rubbish.¡±

    ¡°Both water and stone are tainted incurably. As long as that power remains, so too will the malforms. The stones must be shattered! Return tainted stone to tainted fountain, and nothing can repair the Scissions and unmake the malforms. People will remain split, scattered, fighting their own shadows.¡±

    ¡°I need it to save my mother.¡±

    ¡°What poisoned her? It was a malform, was it not?¡±

    Merryway¡¯s grim silence agreed.

    ¡°The threat must be dealt with at its root. You can save her, or you can save everyone!¡±

    ¡°You are wrong,¡± said Thyssa, breathing heavily. ¡°Malforms aren¡¯t just mindless monsters. We¡¯re human too. And we can live in harmony.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Merryway¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re¡­a malform?¡±

    ¡°It speaks the truth,¡± said Watchful. ¡°It has been using the Benevolent Heart to look human.¡±

    ¡°But if she has the Fountain¡¯s power, how could she be poisoned?¡±

    ¡°I only have half of it ¨C the other half is his. And he used the most powerful venom there is.¡±

    ¡°He¡­¡± Merryway turned to Watchful. ¡°You tried to kill her.¡±

    ¡°To take the Benevolent Heart. Had it died then, as it rightfully should have, I could have ended the malform plague then and there.¡±

    ¡°You know what we¡¯re like,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°Even if we were made by evil means¡­we¡¯re our own people now. He¡¯d take that all away, reduce us to nothing more than unwanted flaws.¡±

    Watchful drew his sword. ¡°I would make people whole!¡±

    Merryway stepped in front of Thyssa and drew their sword. ¡°You would shatter not only my people¡¯s health, but their peace. You would make butchers of us, and I will have no part in it.¡±

    Thyssa drew her own blade, the mirror shard. ¡°You¡­stand by my side?¡±

    Merryway smiled back at her. ¡°I am confident we can work together to find a solution. For now¡­neither of us wants the stones destroyed.¡±

    Thyssa nodded. ¡°So we kill this guy.¡±

    Merryway pointed their sword at Watchful. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t stand down.¡±

    ¡°So be it,¡± said Watchful. His ticking sped up, and he charged forward.

    ¡°Take off his head!¡± yelled Thyssa. ¡°That body¡¯s just clockwork!¡±

    Merryway nodded. ¡°On it!¡±

    Watchful swung at Thyssa, and Merryway blocked it. He swung at Merryway, and Thyssa blocked it.

    ¡°You can¡¯t beat us together,¡± said Thyssa.

    ¡°Why do you help this monster?¡± asked Watchful, lunging at Thyssa.

    ¡°Because the way you talk about her people sounds familiar,¡± said Merryway. ¡°Like they once talked about my people.¡±

    Watchful spun around and hacked at Merryway with righteous fury. ¡°You claim to love your people, and you would scourge them with malforms!¡±

    Merryway parried his blows, one by one. ¡°You took the Goddess¡¯ blessing from us. I won¡¯t let you take my love as well!¡±

    ¡°A malform knows nothing of love,¡± spat Watchful. He tripped Merryway with a sharp kick. He swung down on Merryway, but Thyssa blocked it.

    ¡°If my kind doesn¡¯t know love,¡± said Thyssa, ¡°it¡¯s because people like you keep us from it!¡±

    Watchful drew back his sword, but Merryway had already rolled to the side and sprang back up.

    ¡°You cannot defeat me,¡± said Watchful. ¡°The Sapient Brain sees all of your clumsy moves and tells me just how to match them.¡±

    ¡°Does it tell you how you¡¯ll die?¡± asked Thyssa, her blood afire, her blade everywhere at once.

    ¡°A machine does not die. It only serves its relentless purpose.¡±

    Thyssa and Watchful both went for the kill at once, but in a flash, Merryway was behind him. With all their might, they swung their sword, and beheaded him. The birdlike mask fell to the temple floor.

    Watchful¡¯s clockwork body collapsed. But it was a trick. With unnatural grace and speed, the body spun around and slashed them across the chest. Merryway fell, bleeding out like a river.

    Separating the body from the head wasn¡¯t enough. She had to separate the head from its power source.

    Thyssa grabbed the head, and the body chased as she ran. She pulled and pulled, trying to tear out the Sapient Brain. It wouldn¡¯t budge! The body cornered her, sword raised. With all her might, she gave the stone one last pull, aided by a sharp kick.

    The mask clattered to the ground, and the Sapient Brain was there, in her hand. No longer connected to its power source, Watchful¡¯s machine body fell limp.

    Thyssa rushed to Merryway¡¯s side. She held the Benevolent Heart and Sapient Brain to Merryway¡¯s chest. They were breathing ¨C just barely ¨C but they didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Don¡¯t die,¡± said Thyssa.

    ¡°More blood on your hands,¡± came a cold voice. Thyssa¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°Lili.¡±

    ¡°And guests,¡± said Lili. Over a dozen Stormwatch rushed into the Fountain chamber, encircling the room with pointed spears.

 Chapter 25: The Stormwatch

    Bringing up the rear was the Lord Protector himself, in his huge pauldrons and cape. Not only had Lili followed her, but she¡¯d brought the entire army!

    ¡°I must congratulate you on defeating Watchful,¡± said Lili. ¡°He¡¯s threatened the Walled Garden since its first stones were laid. So have you malforms.¡±

    Thyssa¡¯s eyes darted from spear to spear. This was bad. She didn¡¯t stand much of a chance of fighting them all at once. Even if she did, she¡¯d be leaving Merryway to die. She had to stall Lili long enough to heal the wound.

    ¡°You knew I¡¯d kill Watchful?¡±

    ¡°I knew one of you would kill one of you. Leaving the other badly weakened.¡±

    ¡°And Merryway is just collateral damage.¡±

    Lili turned solemn. ¡°Your fault, not mine.¡±

    ¡°How did you get past the trials?¡± Thyssa asked.

    ¡°Oh, it was nothing,¡± said Lili. ¡°A bit of imagination, a bit of faith. It¡¯s all quite easy for a human. Especially perfect humans. Even the Cavern of Yourself would have had nothing evil to reflect. But, then, an animal lost its temper and smashed it.¡±

    Thyssa grit her teeth, but didn¡¯t show it ¨C didn¡¯t dare show Lili she was getting under her skin. ¡°An animal? That¡¯s all I am to you? After all the talks, all the tests?¡±

    ¡°After all the killing.¡±

    ¡°Dr. Goodfellow was hurting me.¡±

    ¡°That lie again?¡±

    ¡°And if you hate killing so much, why work with the Stormwatch? You always hated them.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re working with me,¡± said Lili. ¡°We don¡¯t usually see eye-to-eye. Really, this is a testament to the strength of diplomacy and compromise. It¡¯s simply amazing what you can do, with reason and calm.¡±

    Thyssa looked up at Lili, eyes pleading. ¡°You can reason with them, but not me?¡±

    ¡°We are perfect. You are irredeemable.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what you told me before.¡±

    Lili sighed. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. But that¡¯s what scientists do, Thyssa. They change their minds based on evidence. No duty but to truth.¡± She extended a hand. ¡°The Benevolent Heart and Sacred Brain. Give them to me.¡±

    Slowly, too slowly, Merryway¡¯s blood flowed back into them.

    ¡°Why do you want them, anyway?¡±

    ¡°We need both stones to perform Scission,¡± said Lili. ¡°Ever since Watchful stole the Sapient Brain, we couldn¡¯t make any more perfect humans. Our population has stagnated ¨C as have our ideas! More and more, we are isolated, fearful, looking down on the rest of the world. We are a perfect people, but we have an imperfect culture.¡±

    ¡°Is making everyone perfect really worth all this?¡± asked Thyssa. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with just ordinary people?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°War!¡± shouted Lili. ¡°Starvation! Pollution! Did you think this was always a wasteland? Did you think food was always so precious? This very temple ¨C where are those who built it?¡±

    ¡°The humans¡­killed each other?¡±

    ¡°In droves! Hate Dr. Goodfellow¡¯s legacy if you must, but he invented Scission because he knew what Watchful forgot: Either we remove our sins, or they remove us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be making more of us. You couldn¡¯t even get along with one.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t given up on your kind,¡± said Lili. ¡°Just you. You said it yourself ¨C you¡¯re not all alike. My monster is not someone else¡¯s. I just need to find more compliant subjects and, through them, I¡¯ll have the malforms all under control.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯ll dangle your toys over them. You¡¯ll let them be human, and all they have to do is serve your every whim.¡±

    ¡°Some creatures need to have treats dangled over them, Thyssa. And others don¡¯t comply even with them. Even when it is utterly irrational, utterly futile, they writhe and bite, unable to accept themselves or the world.¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t accept this world, it¡¯s because it¡¯s unjust. And if you can, it¡¯s because that injustice benefits you.¡±

    ¡°Poetic. I wonder if you got that from me, or the Sapient Brain. Will you hand over the stones now, or should I treat those beautiful words as your last?¡±

    Merryway¡¯s wound was closing, but still fatal. She couldn¡¯t leave them for a moment.

    ¡°One thing I still don¡¯t understand ¨C¡±

    ¡°Your ignorance is deeper than this revolting Muckpool that spawned you. It would take longer to rectify than your natural life. I will wait no longer. Stones or die.¡±

    The circle of Stormwatch closed around Thyssa.

    Thyssa turned to them, facing one blank mask after another. ¡°Merryway is only alive because I¡¯m keeping them alive, with all my strength. With all the stones¡¯ strength. If you take them now, you¡¯ll be killing a human. Not like me. A human-human. You know? Those two-legged things you swore to protect?¡±

    ¡°We swore to protect the Walled Garden from outsiders,¡± said the Lord Protector. They kept marching forward.

    ¡°All I need is more time!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t give a damn what you need,¡± said the Lord Protector. ¡°You killed good people, and we¡¯ll make you suffer for it.¡±

    They pointed their spears at her, which glowed bluish-white as they charged up.

    ¡°The righteous protect the weak,¡± recited the Lord Protector. ¡°They will guard the innocent, and strike down any who would harm them ¨C¡±

    Just then, a great and terrible hand burst through the surface of the Muckpool, grabbing the Lord Protector and hurling him across the room.

    ¡°LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE.¡±

    The Stormwatch turned to face the Muckpool, where dozens of malforms were charging out of it. Grendel Pack¡­and others. Cerberus. Widow Mantis. Every pack, all fighting aside one another, all charging at their ancient enemy.

    ¡°YOU TRIED TO TURN US AGAINST EACH OTHER,¡± said the Ogre Queen. ¡°BUT YOUR CRUELTY HAS UNITED US ALL AGAINST YOU. DESPAIR AT THE SIGHT OF A THOUSAND FANGS, AND SCREAM AS THEY TEAR YOU TO PIECES!¡±

    Lightning struck chitin, fangs pierced armour. Black and red blood soaked the temple grounds.

    And then, with the Stormwatch distracted, Thyssa managed to finally stabilize Merryway, putting the stones back onto her necklace. Not perfect, but they would live. Now it was her pack who were in danger.

    Thyssa drew the mirror shard, charged into the fray and stabbed one in the back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t turn your back on me, you worms!¡± she screamed. ¡°You fight my pack, you fight me!¡±

    Some of the Stormwatch turned to fight her, but she was boiling with hope and fury to see her pack. With Benevolent Heart and Sapient Brain, she was perfected. She was fast as the north wind, fearsome as her reflection, and determined as a human whose family was threatened. She was everywhere at once, and so was her blade.

    Spears aimed at her, but the Sapient Brain warned her of every strike and the Benevolent Heart gave her the grace to avoid it. Lightning kept hitting where she was a moment ago. The Stormwatch forged their minds and weapons to kill huge, lumbering malforms, not their own kind. They were making mistakes, and she punished each one with lethal precision.

    She was just pulling her blade out from one soldier when another tripped her to the ground. He raised his spear and was just about to impale Thyssa when the Ogre Queen stepped on him, crushing him like a bug.

    The Stormwatch was gone. The storm had won.

    And then, just when they tasted victory, Thyssa heard a crash as a malform keeled over. Then another, and another. Everywhere she looked, malforms fell to the ground, writhing in agony.

 Chapter 26: The Second Vision - Perfection

    Lili raised a rod, its gentle green and pink colours betrayed by its sharp, cruel design and crueler purpose. That¡¯s what was hurting the malforms. It looked like they had lost control of their bodies.

    ¡°Your toy doesn¡¯t work on me,¡± snarled Thyssa, charging towards Lili.

    ¡°One more step and they die.¡±

    Lili tightened her grip on the rod, and the fountain chamber filled with shrieks. They were dying.

    Thyssa stopped, not even halfway to Lili.

    ¡°You made the right choice,¡± said Lili, loosening her grip. The malforms were still helpless, writhing in pain, but alive. ¡°As long as I hold this, your people¡¯s lives are in my hand.¡±

    ¡°What if I break it?¡±

    Lili dashed the rod against the temple wall. The wall cracked, but the rod didn¡¯t have a scratch. ¡°Really, Thyssa. Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t anticipate you breaking something?¡±

    ¡°What if I broke you?¡±

    Lili smiled. ¡°Now that¡¯s the clever part! I designed this so only I could activate it¡­or restrain it. You could kill me. But then it would unleash its full power, and nobody could stop it.¡± She twirled the rod in her hands. ¡°A terrifying weapon. A weapon I¡¯d rather not have used. I abhor violence.¡±

    ¡°Do you.¡±

    Lili looked solemn. ¡°Yes. I never wanted it to be like this.¡± Then she glared at Thyssa. ¡°But you left me no choice.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always a choice.¡±

    ¡°You were given choices. You chose to work with me, just as you chose to betray me. In fact, it was that collaboration that served as the theoretical basis for this.¡± She brandished the rod. ¡°That¡¯s right, malforms. All your suffering, all your helplessness. You can thank Thyssa for it. I call it Authority.¡±

    ¡°Is that what authority is to you? Hurting everyone around you so you can get what you want?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s you. I do not seek power because I want it, but because the world needs me to have it.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Did the world need you to work with the Stormwatch?¡±

    ¡°Briefly. Frankly, it made me quite sick. I planned to disband them later, peacefully. That fight wasn¡¯t part of my plan at all. Pure serendipity. But I thank you for killing them. Along with anyone else who could have threatened my perfect world.¡±

    Thyssa¡¯s heart sank. Was it really true? Had it all been for nothing?

    ¡°You fought well,¡± continued Lili, ¡°but I¡¯ve outplayed everyone, including you. Hand over the stones. You¡¯ve lost.¡±

    Thyssa pulled out the stones.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl,¡± said Lili. It sounded just like when they were working together.

    Before Lili betrayed her.

    Thyssa stopped. ¡°I hand them over, and then you kill us all.¡±

    ¡°I am not Watchful, nor am I you. I only seek to end the war. To end all war. Just give me the stones, and you¡¯ll all walk out of here alive. Except the Ogre Queen.¡±

    Thyssa hissed. ¡°I will make no pact that slays my mother.¡±

    ¡°You know as well as I do that she''d never make peace with me. She''ll always fight, always resist. As long as she lives, my people will live in fear, and they will cry out for another Stormwatch. Neither of us wants that.¡±

    ¡°I am not Watchful, nor you,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°When I love someone, I mean it. I don''t stab them in the back just because they''re inconvenient."

    ¡°Stupid, snarling beast!¡± spat Lili. ¡°You stand in the way of the whole world. A world where peace reigns and all people are perfect!¡±

    ¡°Because anyone who isn¡¯t perfect won¡¯t be people.¡±

    Lili cried out in rage and tightened her grip on Authority. Just as before, the malforms shrieked.

    But this time, Thyssa was holding the stones, and she felt them thrum with energy, glowing hot. She realized Authority was powered by the stones, and she knew what she must do. She ran from Lili, right to the edge of the Muckpool.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± cried Lili, tightening her grip further.

    Thyssa held her hand above the Muckpool. All she had to do was open her palm, and the stones would drop in. ¡°Shut it down or I shut it down for you!¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. Drop them.¡±

    ¡°The Fountain will absorb their power, and you¡¯ll have nothing. No Authority. No new scissions. No carrots, no sticks, no power at all. Everything you¡¯ve worked for, drowned.¡±

    Lili smiled. ¡°You can¡¯t do it, can you? You can¡¯t throw away your own humanity. Your wonderful body, with all its joys and feelings. People looking at you, not in fear but in love. If you could do without that, you would never have come creeping to me.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to bet your perfect world on that?¡±

    Lili laughed. ¡°It is not a bet, but a certainty. You are innately selfish, because you are my selfishness. We both know you won¡¯t do it. So let¡¯s just skip to the part where you either kill me - and the malforms - or you take the stones and run away, like you¡¯ve always done.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done running,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°And this is your last warning. Leave my pack alone ¨C all of them ¨C or I destroy the stones, and then you. Nothing will save you from me.¡±

    Lili scoffed. ¡°Your pack? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know. They cast you out. They tried to kill you. You¡¯d have me believe you¡¯d sacrifice your humanity for them? What have they ever done for you?¡±

    Thyssa bared her teeth. ¡°They taught me to stand up to people like you.¡±

    And, with that, she dropped the stones.

 Chapter 27: In One Form Or Another

    Lili screamed and ran. As soon as the stones dissolved, Authority would lose its power source, and she knew better than to be there when it did.

    As the stones hit the surface of the Muckpool, several things happened all at once. The room filled with a pink and green light, as, after a century, the Goddess Fountain was purified. The malforms suddenly moved freely, saved from Authority. Some chased Lili, some tended to their respective packs. Thyssa felt her body writhe, as she became a malform once more. Her tainted veins burned with the venom of Spiteful Kreit, now left unchecked.

    With the last of her strength, she crawled to the Goddess Fountain and drunk from its sparkling waters. The burning finally stopped. The Fountain had its healing powers again. She picked up a chalice, filled it and poured it over Merryway¡¯s wound. It hissed, bubbled, closed completely. Merryway stirred. Their eyes opened. They gasped, bolted up, staggered back. Then they stopped.

    ¡°Thyssa?¡± said Merryway. ¡°Is that you?¡±

    Their face was full of an unbearable concern, just like when the Ogre Queen saw her as a human.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me!¡± Thyssa shrieked, and she ran off, away from those sad eyes, out of the fountain chamber, into a shadowed part of the temple, away from the glorious light of the stained glass window. There, she removed her human clothing and wept poisonous tears.

    Massive footfalls approached.

    ¡°I told the pack that human of yours is off limits,¡± said the Ogre Queen. ¡°They agreed. Reluctantly. The Stormwatch will be more than enough meat and scrap for a while.¡±

    She placed down her massive palm, and Thyssa stepped onto it, lifted up to her mother¡¯s face, which blazed with a pride Thyssa couldn¡¯t share.

    ¡°You did it,¡± said the Ogre Queen.

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t. Those things she said¡­about wanting to run, or kill¡­she was right about me.¡±

    ¡°And yet, you did neither,¡± said the Ogre Queen. ¡°She was right about a small part of you. But she thought that part ruled you. She did not see your strength, as I did. And that strength let you prevail.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I won,¡± said Thyssa.

    ¡°Victory is not always a triumphant thing. I know how much being human meant to you.¡±

    Thyssa looked at her arms, twisted, wrapped in nerve cables. ¡°It feels like I had a lovely dream, and now I¡¯ve woken up.¡±

    ¡°You are hurt. But the same strength that overcame Lili can overcome this. I¡¯ll be by your side. As I always wanted to be.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve gained back what I lost. But I lost what I gained.¡±

    The Ogre Queen nodded. ¡°You speak of that human.¡±

    ¡°Yes. They are called Merryway.¡±

    ¡°You lost them?¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°Well¡­look at me! You saw how they were scared of me.¡±

    ¡°And yet it was you who ran.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t deal with feelings like that in this body.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Feelings like what?¡±

    ¡°Rejection.¡±

    ¡°You never gave them a chance to reject you," said the Ogre Queen. "Your defences were too good. A strong armour to keep away their touch.¡±

    ¡°But I want their touch!¡±

    ¡°Then go back to them. Either they leave, or they stay. Either way, you won¡¯t be weakened by regret.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re telling me to open up to a human.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe you¡¯d want to be one. They¡¯re so¡­fragile.¡±

    Thyssa laughed weakly. ¡°I liked being fragile. It was fun.¡±

    ¡°And I couldn¡¯t believe Cerberus Pack and Widow Mantis Pack would fight by our side.¡± The Ogre Queen sighed. ¡°But the world is changing. Adapt or die.¡±

    Thyssa nodded slowly. ¡°Let me down, please. I need to go adapt.¡±

    The Ogre Queen grinned a fearsome grin. She lowered her palm and Thyssa jumped down. She ran back to the fountain chamber, only to find Merryway running to her.

    ¡°Merryway, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Thyssa, I¡­¡±

    They both spoke at once.

    ¡°I love you!¡±

    ¡°I think I might have figured out a way to make you human again!¡±

    Merryway blushed. Thyssa would have blushed, if her face wasn¡¯t covered in exoskeleton.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If¡­if that¡¯s what you want!¡±

    ¡°It is! Show me.¡±

    Merryway reached for Thyssa¡¯s hand, then stopped. ¡°Wait, is it¡­alright to touch?¡±

    Thyssa nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just my spit that¡¯s poison.¡±

    ¡°And it wouldn¡¯t hurt you?¡±

    ¡°My hands? Hardly any sensation at all there.¡±

    Merryway took Thyssa¡¯s hand, and they ran into the fountain chamber. The malforms had already left the chamber, taking the delicious, delicious corpses with them. (When not in their nests, malforms preferred to eat outside).

    ¡°Watchful said the stones were just concentrated power from the Goddess Fountain.¡±

    ¡°They were more powerful. Your Fountain can only heal disease.¡±

    ¡°The Fountain heals disease because that¡¯s what health means to us. And, when they defiled the Fountain, they got rid of all their imperfections, because that¡¯s what health meant to them.¡±

    ¡°And we are those imperfections.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re all different! And the perfect humans, they¡¯re all different too. Watchful is nothing like the ones I¡¯ve met.¡±

    ¡°They got rid of different things.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Scission gave them all their idea of perfect health!¡±

    Thyssa looked down. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t the Fountain fix me?¡±

    ¡°Faith. That¡¯s what the trials were testing for. Imagination, faith and self-reflection. That¡¯s what you need to control the Fountain¡¯s power. A twisted imagination would give a twisted idea of health, so they put up barriers to stop people doing the kind of thing Watchful did.¡±

    ¡°And kept out us malforms in the process.¡±

    ¡°Until now. You have proven yourself worthy.¡±

    ¡°I was always worthy. No matter what anyone else said. I shouldn¡¯t have had to prove anything just to be healed.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­you¡¯re right.¡± Merryway stared into the sparkling water. ¡°The same barriers that let in the defilers nearly killed you. That cannot be the will of the Goddess.¡± They sighed. ¡°I have¡­much to learn.¡±

    ¡°We all do. We¡¯ve made a new world, with new rules.¡±

    Merryway tightened their grasp on Thyssa¡¯s hand. ¡°Then take your faith in yourself, and in me, and bathe in the Goddess Fountain.¡±

    Thyssa let go of Merryway¡¯s hand and leapt into the Goddess Fountain, submerging herself completely in the water¡¯s warm embrace.

    The water was clear enough for her to look down. It went deep, deep, underground. She couldn¡¯t see a bottom. She could see deep holes scattered throughout the rock wall. Once, they carried muck and malforms to their respective lakes. Now, crystal clear water flowed throughout the land.

    She thought she¡¯d feel sad for the Muckpool¡­but it was still the same body of water. The Goddess Fountain was the Muckpool, and always was. And it still gave life, in another form. Thyssa fancied it liked this form better ¨C that it was grateful to her for changing it back. That gratitude flowed into her, changing her. Her figure softened, curves instead of spikes, hair instead of nerve cables.

    Lungs that could only breathe air.

    She swam up to the surface, climbed out and took a deep breath.

    ¡°It worked!¡± she shouted, in her wonderful human voice. ¡°You were right!¡±

    Merryway¡¯s eyes widened and then darted away. ¡°The Goddess be praised,¡± they said, voice cracking.

    Thyssa realized she was naked. Well. She knew that. But she forgot the significance. Malforms are always naked, or, if you like, they wore their own armour. A naked malform, that¡¯s completely normal. A big naked girl right in front of you, that¡¯s a very different sight. Thyssa jumped back in the water before poor Merryway fainted.

    ¡°Sorry!¡±

    ¡°You have¡­nothing to apologize for,¡± croaked Merryway, scratching the back of their head.

    ¡°Could you please get my clothes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Uh, yeah. Where¡¯d you leave them?¡±

 Chapter 28: The Third Vision - Harmony

    Thyssa and Merryway stood just outside the temple.

    ¡°Well,¡± said Merryway, closing up the flask, ¡°I¡¯ve got to get back home. Mom¡¯s not gonna cure herself.¡±

    ¡°I hope she is well,¡± said Thyssa.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s always been strong¡­and the Goddess is with us once more. Thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks to us.¡±

    Merryway laughed. ¡°Damn right. I was just being modest. We make a great team.¡±

    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d hear that from a human. But we do.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of¡­¡± Merryway gave Thyssa a sly smile. ¡°You want to come back with me? I¡¯ll introduce you to the whole clan.¡±

    Thyssa smiled. ¡°That sounds good.¡± She sighed. ¡°But¡­not yet. There is much catching up to do with my pack. With my mother.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me too. I guess this is goodbye, then.¡±

    ¡°For now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. For now.¡± Merryway sighed. ¡°Welp. Time to get going. It¡¯s a long hike.¡±

    ¡°WAIT.¡±

    It was the Ogre Queen. She was using her loud voice ¨C she only used the quiet one for Thyssa, and only when she was alone ¨C but keeping her distance.

    Merryway hid behind Thyssa. ¡°Yes?¡± they squeaked out.

    ¡°YOU SAVED MY DAUGHTER. SHED BLOOD FOR HER.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really mean to do the second one,¡± admitted Merryway.

    The Ogre Queen laughed. She was not much of a laugher, but she was in a good mood, and today was a day for new things. ¡°THIS IS THE FIRST HUMAN I¡¯VE LIKED.¡± She looked to Thyssa with a smile. ¡°OR, RATHER, THE SECOND.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°I¡¯m honoured,¡± said Merryway. ¡°But I really need to get home as fast as possible.¡±

    ¡°AND THAT IS HOW I WILL REPAY YOU. SKLEETH!¡±

    A huge winged malform slithered out of the temple. Thyssa didn¡¯t recognize the name, or the shape ¨C a long, wormlike creature.

    ¡°SKLEETH WILL CARRY YOU HOME. YOU NEED BUT SHOW HER THE WAY.¡±

    ¡°Skleeth?¡± asked Thyssa, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Is she new blood?¡±

    ¡°I am a proud malform of Cerberus Pack,¡± said Skleeth, in a very crisp, calm voice that really didn¡¯t sound like it would come out of a wormy creature.

    ¡°DO NOT FEAR. SKLEETH WILL NOT EAT YOUR BELOVED. SHE HAS BEEN A LOYAL FRIEND, INSTRUMENTAL TO PEACE TALKS.¡±

    Thyssa¡¯s eyes widened. A loyal friend? From Cerberus Pack? The Ogre Queen must have been busy.

    Merryway looked even more skeptical. They turned to Thyssa, and she nodded. ¡°The Ogre Queen doesn¡¯t give her trust lightly,¡± she said.

    Merryway was still nervous, but starting to perk up. ¡°I¡­I see. Thank you Skleeth. And thank you, Ogre Queen.¡±

    They approached Skleeth, then stopped. ¡°How do I¡­?¡±

    ¡°Straddle my middle segment ¨C the one with the blue blotches - and hold on tight,¡± said Skleeth. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to do much. It¡¯s really me that¡¯s doing most of the work keeping you on.¡±

    Merryway took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, here goes.¡± They gingerly mounted Skleeth, whose body tightened around their legs and hands to give them a better grip.

    ¡°That¡¯s a useful trick,¡± said Merryway.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± said Skleeth, very proud. ¡°But if you think that¡¯s impressive, wait until we take off. Hang on!¡±

    And, with that, Skleeth leapt off the mountain as Merryway screamed ¨C at first from fear, and then excitement, as they glided away. ¡°Come visit sometime!¡± shouted Merryway. They said something else, too, something joyful, but they were already too far away.

    ¡°You were busy,¡± said Thyssa.

    The Ogre Queen lifted her up into her hand. ¡°I am glad you stayed. A lot has happened. There is much you need to hear¡­and much you need to help with.¡±

    Thyssa beamed with pride, glad to be needed again. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°An ambassador.¡±

    ¡°Hm. I could go ask Merryway.¡±

    ¡°No. I need someone with experience talking to malforms and humans. Someone to represent Grendel Pack in talks when I am occupied elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can look,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°But it¡¯ll take me some time to find someone like that.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t need to,¡± said the Ogre Queen. ¡°I want you to be the ambassador.¡±

    ¡°Me? But I¡¯m terrible with people.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one of us, but human. You were taught all the miserable rules of human decorum. You look safe, but you are dangerous. You can avoid things going badly, and you can handle things if they do.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to teach me.¡±

    ¡°I will be proud to do so.¡±

    Just then, Vlila poked a mouth tendril out of the temple.

    ¡°I have captured the scientist.¡±

 Chapter 29: At Her Mercy

    Wrapped up in Vlila¡¯s coils was a weary Lili, before an audience of the same malforms she¡¯d hurt with Authority.

    ¡°What shall we do with her?¡± asked Vlila.

    ¡°Eat her!¡± yelled the toothy malform of Grendel Pack.

    ¡°Eat her!¡± yelled one of the Cerberus Pack malforms.

    The Widow Mantis paused just long enough to reach a consensus in their hivemind, then they all nodded.

    Lili scoffed as the temple echoed with shrieks and cheers.

    The Ogre Queen slammed her fist on the floor. ¡°ORDER.¡±

    Everyone quieted down, though some of Cerberus Pack were still licking their lips or drooling.

    ¡°ALL OF US HAVE BEEN HURT BY LILI¡¯S TYRANNY,¡± said the Ogre Queen. ¡°BUT THERE IS ONE OF US SHE HURT DEEPER THAN ANY OF US.¡± The Ogre Queen pointed to Thyssa. ¡°FOR TWO YEARS, LILI ABUSED HER POWER TO RULE MY DAUGHTER¡¯S FATE.¡± She turned her terrible gaze to Lili. ¡°NOW, LILI, MY DAUGHTER SHALL RULE YOUR FATE.¡±

    Shrieks and cheers again.

    ¡°Kill her, Thyssa!¡±

    ¡°Let me eat her?¡±

    ¡°Make it slow.¡±

    Thyssa approached Lili, who wasn¡¯t bothering to struggle. After years of respecting her, fearing her, it was surreal to see her so¡­powerless.

    She cleared her throat. ¡°Do you have anything to say to us?¡±

    Lili looked at her, eyes cold. ¡°Everything I did, I did for a better world. What you did took that world away. You are the wrongdoer here. And you can¡¯t even see it, can you?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Thyssa didn¡¯t dignify her with a response.

    ¡°Judge me all you like,¡± continued Lili. ¡°Crush everyone who stands in your way. Take a bite out of the whole world! But don¡¯t use brute force and call it justice.¡±

    Thyssa sniffed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you did?¡±

    Cheers. More suggestions on how to deal with Lili, mostly various modes of culinary preparation.

    ¡°I wanted peace!¡± yelled Lili. ¡°And you destroyed that, like you destroy everything that doesn''t give you what you want.¡±

    ¡°No. You wanted power. You wanted everything to go your way, and the moment it didn¡¯t, you threw away everything you believed in.¡±

    ¡°How eloquent,¡± said Lili. ¡°I may have failed to correct your nature, but I succeeded at making you sound sensitive and thoughtful. Now, how will you slaughter me? Will you burn me alive? Throw me off the mountain? Smash me into the wall! I¡¯m breathless with anticipation.¡±

    ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t want to keep you from your bloodlust. Why delay the inevitable? What¡¯s the point in reasoning with a stone? You want me dead. You want me to suffer. Will you deny it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then get it over with already. Just kill me and be done with it.¡±

    Thyssa looked at Lili¡¯s face, stoic even in her final moments, shining with superiority and contempt.

    ¡°You lost!¡± spat Thyssa. ¡°You don¡¯t get to tell me what to do anymore.¡± She looked at Vlila. ¡°Let her down.¡±

    ¡°Alive or dead?¡± asked Vlila.

    ¡°Alive.¡±

    Vlila gently let down Lili, who looked at Thyssa, waiting for judgment.

    ¡°Go,¡± said Thyssa.

    ¡°And, let me guess,¡± said Lili. ¡°I get to be hunted, just as you were hunted.¡±

    Thyssa¡¯s voice was still and cold. ¡°You get to be free, just as I am free.¡±

    Lili scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m to believe that? After you admitted you were going to kill me?¡±

    ¡°I said I wanted to. I choose not to.¡±

    ¡°You sure this is a good idea?¡± asked the toothy malform.

    ¡°What could she do?¡± asked Thyssa. ¡°I threw away the stones, and you ate what was left of the Stormwatch.¡± She grinned to her Pack. ¡°She¡¯s powerless.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still good meat,¡± said one of Cerberus Pack.

    ¡°MY DAUGHTER HAS MADE HER DECISION,¡± said the Ogre Queen. ¡°LILI WILL LEAVE.¡± She turned to Lili, showing all her teeth as sharp as swords. ¡°UNLESS YOU WANT A SECOND OPINION.¡±

    Lili walked to the door. Then she stopped. She looked back at Thyssa. Her face was softer, hate and contempt transformed back into her scientific curiosity. Her drive to understand the world, to ask a thousand questions. And yet, she had just one.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Thyssa gave Lili a predator¡¯s smile. ¡°Just to make you wrong.¡±

    Lili looked disappointed. ¡°How silly.¡±

    ¡°Humans can be pretty silly,¡± said Thyssa. ¡°That¡¯s half the fun. You¡¯ve given me a wonderful gift¡­and now the Fountain can give that gift to anyone. Human, malform¡­we can be whatever we choose to be. I chose to be human. It¡¯s pretty terrific. You should try it sometime.¡±

 Epilogue

    <b>Thyssa and Merryway</b>

    Did get back together, as they planned. When Thyssa wasn¡¯t in Grendel Pack territory, she lived with Merryway¡¯s clan, studying their laws and advising them on all things malform. Eventually, they were married, uniting Clan Blackhart and Grendel Pack.

    It was the first marriage between a human and an ex-malform. It was not the last.

    <b>Malforms</b>

    Now had a decision to make. For the first time since they were created, they could choose both their form and their company.

    Many followed Thyssa¡¯s path ¨C albeit the path was much easier now.

    Many didn¡¯t. Even some who had longed to be human found pride in being malforms, now that it wasn¡¯t just a form they were stuck with.

    Thyssa served as a mentor to the former; the Ogre Queen, the latter.

    <b>Grendel Pack</b>

    Stayed at peace with the Cerberus and Widow Mantis packs. Thyssa, Skleeth and the Ogre Queen all worked hard to keep what they had finally won.

    Without the Stormwatch to unite against, it was difficult to keep everyone working together, but things got easier once they found an abundant supply of food¡­You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    <b>The Walled Garden</b>

    Received a visit from Thyssa and her entourage, now that the Stormwatch was gone. Thyssa politely requested that they share their immense technological and agricultural wealth, for the benefit of all ¨C human and malform alike.

    They agreed to this request, so the Ogre Queen finished eating their pathetic wall and Thyssa thanked the perfect citizens for their generous donations.

    <b>Lili</b>

    Left these lands in disgrace. Without allies to do her dirty work, without the Fountain¡¯s stolen powers, she was really just a doctor with an unpleasant attitude. Thyssa had become a bridge between humans and malforms only after she gave up on her. Lili was proud of her, but there was no going back into her life. She had cast out her sins, and her sins cast her out.

    Thyssa never saw her again¡­but she heard distant tales of a travelling doctor, beautiful as a goddess, who appeared to those on the verge of death and saved them. There were rumours that she had an unsavoury past¡­but nobody¡¯s perfect.

    <b>Mount Three Trials</b>

    Was never the same after Thyssa and Merryway¡¯s fateful journey. The trials had let in the wicked and nearly killed the innocent, and so it was clear that their time had ended. Under Merryway¡¯s direction, the Wall of Smokeless Fire and Path of The Mind¡¯s Eye were dismantled, and the broken glass from the Cavern of Yourself was cleared up. The inert devices became holy relics.

    The mountain was fitted with ramps, elevators and even a funicular, letting thousands make the pilgrimage. If you couldn¡¯t use those, flasks were stockpiled at the mountain¡¯s base, making the life-saving waters readily accessible to all.

    <b>The Goddess Fountain</b>

    Saved many lives as more and more people could finally enjoy its promise of health. Some feared that its powers would be exhausted by overuse, but the opposite proved true: the more people shared its waters, the more powerful it grew, as if the Benevolence and Sapience flowed back into it. Health and humanity wanted to be shared.

    Nobody else became perfect¡­but everyone could be what they wanted, thanks to the blessing of the Fountain Goddess ¨C sorry! The Goddess Fountain.

 Acknowledgements

    To my family, who supported me through this endeavour, and many others. Most of all, thanks to my parents and older sibling, who were key advisors and editors for this project. It would likely never have been finished without them.

    To my friends, who lightened the hard times and listened to me talk their ear off about ¡°ideas for my story.¡± Those ideas came to life!

    To @Byzantiuum, who made the excellent cover art on my very meager budget.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    To the other artists in the trans community who shared their own artwork freely, giving us a voice and giving me inspiration to tell our own stories. In particular, Crystal Frasier, the first transgender writer I ever encountered and still an example to me.

    And, last and least, to Dr. Kenneth Zucker, my angry muse, whose coercive, dehumanizing treatment of me and any number of other transgender children animated both this story and my career. No one should have to prove themselves worthy of healthcare, especially not to people who hate them. But, if they do, they should write a book about it.