《The Dark Before The Light》


 Chapter 1 ~The Beginning~

    The flower blooms red but is stained with blood.


    Blood drips from its petals,


    The stain of death on the delicate blooms.


    A single red flower,


    Lodged in the throat of the earth.


    An ominous symbol,


    Of beauty corrupted by the harsh realities of life and death.


    The flower stands as a testament to the strength of life and its ability to flourish, despite the pain and darkness that surround it.


    ????????


    The sun slowly rose up to the sky, the light illuminated the room through the soft pink curtains, rustles from the bed could be heard as Acacia shifted in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes. She sat up on her bed and yawned, arching her back for a moment before her muscles relaxed. She glanced at her floral themed alarm clock and took a mental note of the time.


    ''7:03, I still have time.''


    She got off her bed and her feet padded on the soft carpet, her toes curling at the softness.She stretched her arms upwards towards the ceiling, her shoulders making a soft cracking sound as she entered her bathroom and reached the mirror, examining her facial features. Her shoulder length dark brown hair was messy and her grey eyes stared back at her sleepy expression. She lowered her face to the sink and washed her face with lukewarm water.


    She got out of the bathroom thirty minutes after wrapped in a fluffy towel and a small cotton towel wrapped in her hair, she proceeded into her dressing room and changed into her uniform; A white shirt with black jacket and pleated black skirt with a red necktie.


    Acacia went to her dressing table and brushed her hair thoroughly before picking up a white floral headband and adjusted it on her head as she brushed out her curtain bangs. She smiled at her reflection and collected her school bag hanging on the wall and hung it over one shoulder and left her room.


    She walked down the stairs towards the dining room where her mother was already seated and dressed in a fitted white suit, adorned in a simplistic yet elegant jewelry with her long blonde hair neatly straightened down. Her mother glanced at her with sharp grey eyes, taking in the appearance of her daughter for a moment then looked back down at her breakfast.


    Acacia noticed the gaze from her mother and her expression slowly became more neutral as she reached the table and dragged out a chair. She sat down and set her school bag down beside her. Her posture straightened before she picked up her utensils and looked down at her plate, it consisted of eggs benedict and toast with tea. A small frown tugged her lips at the sight of eggs while her left index finger twitched.


    ''I hate eggs.''


    Acacia sighed and focused her attention on the tea and toast instead. She took a bite from the toast and occasionally glanced at her mother, trying to assess what mood she was in currently while the sounds of metal utensils hitting the ceramic plates filled the dining room.


    She noticed her mother''s facial expression was still stern but not in a displeased manner and also noticed that her father hadn''t come for breakfast.


    ''He must''ve left for work early or on his way to work.''


    "By the way, have you heard from your brother lately?" Her mother asked, looking at Acacia directly.


    ''Just when my irritation started to get lost in the abyss,''


    "No, we haven''t talked recently," She replied, keeping her tone neutral. She could feel the direction of the conversation with that question.


    "That''s unfortunate but can you blame him? He is busy protecting our society and being a wonderful hero, he has already mastered his water arts to perfection and is already a role model in society at such a young age," She said, her voice full of pride as she took another sip of coffee.


    ''Spare me with the praises.''


    Acacia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and decided not to say anything that would cause an argument. She knew it would be easier to just agree with her mother, than to argue about her brother again.


    "The flow society is going to make him the face of his generation of heroes, that is an excellent feat don''t you think so Acacia?" Her mother asked with a smile on her face.


    ''It''s an excellent feat of course, the Flow society is no joke and getting their attention as a hero under their wing is difficult but do I really care about his accomplishments? Of course I don''t, I''m jealous but I don''t care.''


    "Heading to school already? What about your breakfast? You barely touched your egg," Her mother raised her brow while looking at her daughter.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ''Of course you don''t know, my dear sweet mother.''


    "I don''t like eggs and I don''t want to be late," She responded in a casual manner and noticed a twitch in her mother''s expression.


    "I see," her mother said in a dismissive tone and looked back down at her cup.


    Acacia didn''t bother to ponder about her mother''s expression as she left the house and saw the driver waiting for her. She sighed and got inside the car, relaxing against the backseat while looking out the window. The driver started the engine and drove off.


    She took in the scenery of people littered on the streets, the roads with cars of various models and the blue taxi picking up and dropping passengers. They soon passed a large and tall edifice, with a huge golden FS logo and feather-like circle surrounding the FS logo at the top of the edifice, the name under the logo saying ''Flow Society''. The pride of Encer since the Great Encer Awakening and a place she will never enter.


    ''The history of Encer was quite eventful, so many things happened all at once and everyone had to adapt, I wouldn''t survive for a day if I was born during that era.''


    Acacia thought to herself as the building leaves her view, she doesn''t wish to be a hero, the idea of training everyday and putting up a facade of kindness isn''t her cup of tea but that didn''t stop her jealousy.


    ''Why did that snake get magic arts and not me? Our parents both have magic arts so why is my DNA so stubborn? Or did the gods think it will be funny?''


    Acacia frown deepened as she watched the moving scenery while her left index finger twitched once more. Soon the driver reached the gates of her school and she stepped out of the car and saw other students walking towards the school building. A group of girls by the school entrance with vibrant colored hairs walking out of the bus, some boys laughing as they were being chased into the school building by a boy with white hair and blue eyes with a frustrated expression on his face.


    She watched him run inside the building and took notice of the usual bustle of activity. She saw her two friends talking to each other near the entrance of the school, most likely waiting for her. She walked towards the two, a boy with blonde hair and purple eyes stared at a girl with long black hair in a ponytail and green eyes. He has a fond gaze while leaning against the wall, occasionally looking down at her lips then her eyes as the girl spoke obliviously.


    The boy glanced away for a moment and noticed Acacia coming forward then raised his hand and shouted making the girl turn her head in the direction he stared at.


    "Morning grumpy princess!" The boy said with a bright grin on his face and stood up straight.


    "Morning, Mirkil." she said in an unamused tone.


    "Morning Acacia, why do you look so glum? Are you okay?" The girl asked with a worried expression and a small smile on her face.


    "It''s nothing, Christine," said Acacia with a slight dismissive tone. She walked towards the school building and her friends followed closely beside her.


    "Well it doesn''t sound like it''s nothing." Mirkil asked while he put his hands inside his pockets as they reached the school halls.


    "Firstly, I''m fine just slightly irritated." Acacia replied, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.


    "Slightly? You sure, I can practically see the aura of anger around you." Said Mirkil with a smirk only to be hit lightly on the arm by Christine making him pout in return.


    "Don''t mind him, if you are going through anything just know you can rely on us, okay?" Christine said with a smile on her face and warm gaze which made Acacia''s expression soften slightly.


    "Thanks but as I said I''m fine," she replied with a small smile on her face but her words were firm.


    Her friends got the hint and didn''t push the topic anymore further, they walked up the stairs until they reached their classroom and walked inside. Acacia walked towards her seat by the middle row and Christine sat down beside her while Mirkil sat behind Christine.


    "I can''t believe we are in our final year of high school, it was only yesterday when we were little things running around without a care of the future." Mirkil muttered to himself while looking at the ceiling.


    "That was quite random but I do agree, do you still want to become a Flow Hero?" Christine chuckled at his words while Acacia turned her head and looked at him with curiosity.


    "Yes, my goddess. I want to become part of the Flow Society heroes especially the action-focused heroes." Mirkil replied with a dreamy expression on his face.


    "Still hung up on action-focused heroes? You know how dangerous it is, right? Acacia asked with a raised brow at his choice and Christine nodded her head at her words.


    "I''m aware of the dangers but I want to eradicate those things once and for all! But I don''t want to worry my parents so I''m going for the justice -focused instead, plus I need to be alive and well if I''m going to marry my goddess one day," Mirkil sighed as he replied but then winked at Christine who in return blushed and averted her gaze from his. Acacia watched the two with amusement but decided not to say anything.


    ''They will figure it out themselves''


    "I agree with your decision, it''s dangerous out there," Acacia replied and removed her notes from her bag.


    A man opened the door and walked into the classroom who appeared to be in his late thirties. He has long black hair tied in a low ponytail with bright amber eyes, he held a textbook in one hand and a crystalix in the other. The students immediately focused their attention on the man.


    "Good morning students, I would like to congratulate you all on making it to your final year of high school. Now before we start I would like to advise you as a teacher to his students, although I''m sure your teachers must''ve advised you already." The teacher spoke in a calm voice, his expression undescribable as he adjusted his glasses. He waited and watched the class, seemingly waiting for the perfect silence before speaking.


    "This is your last year in highschool and the year you should know what you are aiming for in life. Out there, you will not be regarded as a child anymore. The responsibilities and expectations of the world are scary, they could bring you up or throw you down but you have to ask yourself, who am I? What do I want to do? Am I ready for the world out there? Am I ready to go after my goals? What are my goals? Ask yourself, no matter which occupation you take, no matter how hard it feels, no matter how heavy your shoulders feel, don''t forget to never cower and let it overthrow you, it''s your life, make it yours." The teacher resumes his speech as he set his book on the table beside him.


    ''I''m excited! I can''t wait to enter a good university and finally get recognition from my father.''


    Acacia grinned from ear to ear, remembering all her hard work to be the best and couldn''t wait to enter a new stage of her life, which she already planned out. She glanced at her friends and saw Mirkil grinning while Christine was fidgeting with her pen.


    Acacia''s gaze was on her teacher when suddenly the building vibrated greatly and cracks formed on the walls and floor. Her heart started to beat rapidly, her eyebrows furrowed as she desperately held the edge of her table. She glanced around and saw the teacher fallen to the ground while screams erupted in the classroom piercing her eardrums and the smell of dust from the ceiling cracks filled her nostrils.


    ''What is happening?''

 Chapter 2 ~Escape~

    Acacia gripped the edges of her desk, her knuckles white, as the classroom vibrated and the cracks in the walls widened ominously. Confusion warred with a primal fear as the tremors abruptly ceased, leaving an eerie silence broken only by the sight of the deepening fissures, stark reminders of the terrifying event that had just transpired.


    She slowly looked around and saw the mix of emotions among her peers, her gaze shifted to Mirkil who slowly raised his head once the tremors stopped and Christine was in a hunched position with her chest heaving at a fast pace.


    Mirkil gently tapped her shoulder and her breathing slowed down. She sat up straight and removed her hands from her ears.


    He then turned his gaze to Acacia who just nodded at him to show that she was fine.


    ''What is happening? Is it an earthquake?''


    Her thoughts were cut off by the voice of the teacher''s voice. Her gaze focuses on him.


    "Evacuate immediately, it seems to be an earthquake. Please everyone evacuate before the tremors begin again." The teacher spoke with urgency and the students were hesitant before they started to gather their bags and stood up from their seats, headed towards the exit of the class.


    "An earthquake was not what I was expecting on a Tuesday morning." Mirkil commented as he stood up and walked towards the exit. Acacia quickly stuffed her books in her bag and stood up with Christine as they walked closely beside him.


    "I don''t think anyone was expecting it," Acacia replied while glancing down at the cracks on the ground beneath her feet.


    "Isn''t there usually a warning for these kinds of things?" Christine asked while thinking about the sudden event and squeezing the strap of her bag. They left the class and saw other students equally leaving their classrooms with the teachers ushering them out to the halls.


    "There is but I don''t know why we didn''t get any earlier warning." Acacia pondered on Christine''s question while her heart was still racing.


    "Maybe it''s not an earthquake? What if it''s a huge monster that hit the school?" Mirkil questioned with a thoughtful expression.


    ''That can''t be right.''


    "No monsters that huge exist anymore since the war. Even if they still exist there is no way it would have gotten this close to the city without the heroes wiping it out." Acacia shook her head at his words.


    "Then it''s an earthquake, let''s just hope it doesn''t get serious." Christine let out a small sigh as they continued to walk.


    Acacia nodded and the tremors started in an abrupt manner. She immediately lost her balance and fell to the ground along with some other students. Screams erupted once more and the cracks on the floor and walls widened even more. Christine was holding onto the window by the wall while Mirkil was on the ground clinging to the wall.


    "What is happening?!" A male voice exclaimed in coalition with the screams.


    Acacia squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breaths as the tremors continued and it felt like the building was going to break in half as the scent of dust from the ceiling filled her nostrils.


    After what felt like forever the tremors stopped and she slowly opened her eyes, her heart beating loudly in her chest while seeing her friends not moving from their positions.


    "Is it...is it over?" The familiar male voice from earlier asked out loud but there was no reply. Acacia looked down at the floor and took a deep breath, placing her hand above her chest to feel her heartbeat.


    She then heard a sharp gasp, she raised her head and noticed Mirkil''s horrified expression, his gaze stuck in one place while Christine had her hand over her mouth. Acacia furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head in the direction they stared at, her gaze widened and she slowly stood up from the ground at the sight of an orange ant-like beast, eating the head of a female teacher.


    ''Am I dreaming or someone just died?''


    Her body was stiff, not a single muscle moved as the large insect kept eating, the crunching sounds filled the hall until everyone started to run in panic. Students and teachers fell over and shoved each other to escape but everything felt slow for her and a wave of nausea filled her stomach.


    "Snap out it! We have to get out of here!" Mirkil shouted in urgency towards Acacia, his words snapped her out of her frozen state and she was a bit disoriented as she removed her gaze from the insect. Christine rubbing her back and the soothing motion calmed her down.


    ''Calm down, calm down.''


    Acacia took a deep breath and nodded towards Mirkil and Christine."I''m fine, let''s go."


    The trio immediately started to run at a fast pace while the ant was busy. Acacia kept seeing the image flashing in her mind but kept shaking her head to forget it.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    They were about to reach the stairs when the windows suddenly shattered to pieces, similar large ants swarming in and immediately lunging at everyone. Blood splattered over the walls and floors.


    The trio stopped in their tracks when an insect broke in from the window and stood tall in front of them. Acacia''s mouth felt watery and her palm started to feel sweaty until the ant was lit on fire and screeched loudly.


    "Run!" A female teacher yelled out towards the students as she continued to throw balls of fire at the insects.


    ''Mrs Silvia!''


    Acacia''s eyes widened but she didn''t have the time to ogle as they ran down the stairs in haste. They reached the lower half of the school building and were swept up by the crowds of students rushing towards the exit, Acacia immediately gripped Christine''s wrist while Mirkil held Christine''s other hand as they tried to stick together.


    Acacia tried to concentrate and move through the panicked crowd. A loud clicking sound from behind, she turned her head and tried to see against the moving students and saw three ants at the far end of the hall. The middle ant tilted its head at the running students and the other two ants didn''t move.


    ''Why aren''t they doing anything?''


    She shook her head and decided to keep running, moving her legs faster and shoving her way through the crowd while her grip on Christine''s wrist tightened.


    The trio managed to get out of the school building and ran towards the streets when the ants suddenly started to run, swinging their limbs left and right against anyone close enough.


    As they reached the streets, they were struck with the sight of burning cars and various creatures in the air and on land. People running in different directions and others using their abilities to defend themselves.


    Christine spotted a restaurant and immediately directed them towards the building. "Over there!"


    They ran towards the restaurant and Mirkil let go of Christine''s wrist, locking up the door and dragging a table to the door to secure it. They took a moment to catch their breaths, Acacia sat down on a chair and ran her fingers through her hair.


    Christine looked around the restaurant, taking in the designs and the messy disorganized place. Chairs and tables turned over with food scattered on the floor and cracks on the walls.


    "How the hell is the whole street flooded with monsters?" Mirkil questioned, sneaking glances through the windows.


    "I don''t know, even if a monster ends up in the city. It should be at least one or two not a hundred." Acacia replied with a hint of uncertainty.


    ".... doesn''t this remind you of what we are taught in history class? What happened 80 years ago?" Christine said in a soft voice as she turned around to face them.


    "The Great War, the one that founded our city, Encer. The war between humans and monsters." Acacia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.


    ''Why though? We won the last one. Why would another start?''


    "As much as I would like to dig through history and find out what is going on, I can''t. Even if we do understand, it doesn''t mean we can win against those things out there." Mirkil backed away from the door and crossed his arms.


    "True, oh wait. Let me call my brother, he can send some officers to help us." Acacia immediately removed her bag from her shoulders and unzipped it, bringing out her phone and calling her brother.


    "Sorry, your service is currently unavailable.Try again later."


    A female mechanic voice replied and she raised a brow as she tried calling his number again but the same thing kept repeating itself.


    ''How is this possible?''


    Christine quickly brought out her phone and checked it but didn''t have any service either.


    "I don''t have any service, either."


    "This is ridiculous, why is the service suddenly gone?!" Acacia said and dropped her phone on the table, her feet repeatedly tapping against the floor.


    "Let''s not panic, we can find another solution. But first, let''s find something to drink, I''m thirsty." Mirkil uncrossed his arms and went further inside the restaurant. He entered the kitchen and looked around for a while, he found a fridge and took three bottles of water and some soft drinks.


    "Found some drinks!" Mirkil asked, he walked towards them and dropped the water bottles and drinks on the table.


    "Thanks." Christine took a bottle of water and immediately gulped down half of the bottle.


    "Thank you." Acacia stood up and collected a bottle of water, she opened the cap of the bottle and took long sips.


    "Welcome but we have to go back out there." Mirkil replied and took a sip from his soft drink.


    ''Excuse me?''


    "There is no way that I will go back out there." Acacia immediately shook her head and set the bottle of water aside.


    "I agree, it''s too scary." Christine nodded and sat down on a chair.


    "It''s scary for me too but we have no choice. We can''t stay here forever and sooner or later, those things are going to come here or another earthquake happens. We need to head to the Flow Society headquarters and stay there for shelter." Mirkil sighed heavily as he explained.


    "How will we get there without getting injured or worse? Their headquarters is a bit far and we would need to run like crazy and neither of us can drive a car to get us there quicker." Acacia pursed her lips, thinking deeply about his idea.


    "Then I guess we will have to run like crazy, I don''t want to wait around until they come to me. Soon the food here won''t be enough and neither would the water and eventually we would have to go out there." Mirkil responded as he gestured towards the door.


    ''I really don''t want to go back out there.''


    Acacia and Christine stayed quiet as they glanced at each other with uncertain gazes.


    "Look, we can equip ourselves and be very careful, sticking to the wall and defending each other''s backs. We also have my healing abilities so everything will be fine as long as we stick together." Mirkil gave them a reassuring smile with a determined gaze.


    "Fine, I just hope we get there in one piece and hopefully my parents are there as well." Christine sighed reluctantly.


    ''I guess we are doing this.''


    "Alright, let''s go but we need to have a weapon to defend ourselves." Acacia said in a serious tone.


    "That''s more like it." Mirkil smile brightened and he left to the kitchen, he came back after a few minutes with some kitchen knives and handed each to the girls.


    ''I will have to stab a monster with this...''


    Acacia looked at the knife in her hands and felt a shiver down her spine at the thought.


    The trio looked at each other and nodded, Mirkil walked towards the door and shifted the table aside.


    "We run on the count of three." Mirkil said as he held the handle of the door and looked at the girls with a serious expression on his face.


    Acacia put her phone back inside her bag and hung it on her shoulders, her hands gripping the knife tightly. Christine nodded and Mirkil slowly unlocked the door.


    "1...2...3!" Mirkil immediately opened the door and the three of them ran out of the restaurant.

 Chapter 3 ~Pain~

    The trio ran out of the restaurant and onto the street at a fast pace. The air which would normally be rich in the scents and sounds of laughter is now a barrage of sounds of explosions, the screams of the wounded, a sight of pure nightmares.


    ''My legs are starting to hurt, I should have exercised more.''


    Acacia thought to herself, the muscles of her thigh and calf were starting to ache her but she didn''t stop running on the road. Her eyes darting around, trying to take in everything happening all at once. Her body gets shoved occasionally from the people running.


    "Over there!" Mirkil gestured to a car and hid behind it. The girls quickly followed and hid behind the car.


    Acacia peeked and her breath hitched. Two-tailed lizards, their scales shimmering a vibrant yellow, darted through the streets, their movements a blur of motion. When one of the creatures locked eyes with her, a shudder ran down her spine, forcing her to quickly avert her gaze and crouch low.


    ''It didn''t see me, right?''


    "Those things are too fast." Acacia muttered while Mirkil sighed, his grip on his knife tightened.


    "We can''t outrun them." Christine murmured and rubbed her temple.


    "We need a plan," Mirkil commented.


    Acacia was about to speak when her head suddenly felt cool and wet, she raised her hand and touched her head, a wet sticky substance stained her fingers.


    ''The hell?''


    She slowly raised her head and was greeted with the sight of a large lizard''s head. Its mouth was wide open with rows of sharp teeth.


    Christine immediately shrieked and the trio bolted away from the car as they ran in separate directions. The lizard forked its tongue flicking like a venomous snake and lunged. With a snap of its jaws, it caught her right leg, sinking its teeth deep into her flesh.


    "Ahh!" Acacia screamed in pain and fell on the ground. She looked at the lizard dragging her body on the ground while keeping a firm grip on her ankle. She raised her second leg and kicked the lizard''s face in a repeated motion.


    "Get off! Get off!!"Acacia gritted her teeth and raised the knife in her hand, thrusted the metal on its skin but the knife broke in half. The pain in her leg suddenly increased and she gasped out in pain, the broken knife fell out of her grasp.


    She took deep breaths to calm down when a figure from the corner of her eyes charged towards the lizard at a fast pace. It was Mirkil, his knife immediately stabbed the eye of the lizard, the creature let out a weird growling sound and released it''s hold on her leg as it writhed on the floor.


    "Come on." Mirkil quickly helped her up to her feet and she limped as they ran towards an alley where she saw Christine.


    Mirkil laid her body down, she rested against the wall and looked down at the bite mark around her leg. She felt a weird tingling sensation from the wound.


    "Goodness, Mirkil heal her quickly." Christine said as she hugged Acacia and rubbed her shoulders, as if to offer comfort.


    Mirkil nodded and placed his hand on her leg, a small purple light eliminating from his hands and the wounds slowly closed up.


    "Thank you."


    "There''s no need for that, we have each other''s back."


    Acacia smiled weakly at his words and took a deep breath, leaning into Christine''s embrace.


    ''Strangely enough, I don''t feel that much better even though the pain stopped.''


    "Your leg isn''t healing properly," Mirkil mentioned as he noticed a weird scarring around the bite and dark spotting.


    "Huh? Why isn''t her leg healing?" Christine asked and she looked down at Acacia''s leg and held her tightly against her.


    "I don''t know, the spotting looks weird." Mirkil frowned and tried to heal her leg once more.


    "Stop, don''t waste your energy on my leg. I don''t think you are strong enough to heal this completely, maybe the creature has some toxins in its teeth or mouth." Acacia commented and Mirkil reluctantly withdrew his hand.


    ''I can''t let him waste his energy on me, we need his healing until we get to the headquarters.''


    "Then we need to head to the Flow Society headquarters fast, we can find one of those B-rank healers to heal you up. Can you move?" Christine asked in a worried voice.


    "Yeah, i can manage." Acacia nodded and Christine helped her up to her feet.


    "But we need to deal with those lizards, first....or maybe we don''t have to." Mirkil said and gestured towards a man smashing his fists on one of the lizards, breaking its skull with three punches.Stolen novel; please report.


    ''How brutish.''


    Acacia thought as she assessed the man with bright red hair and black ears like a dog with a fluffy tail behind him. He has a muscular build.


    ''So a single beast kin killed all those lizards? I can''t tell which animal he represents though she, is he a dog or a fox beast kin? Who cares, we are safe for now.''


    Acacia mentally sighed in relief and saw some people crawl out of their hiding spot and praised the man.


    "You saved us!!"


    "Did the Flow Society send you?"


    Acacia watched the small commotion when suddenly the man held his head in his hands and banged it against the wall as he growled, his claws scratched his skin.


    "Is he okay?" Christine asked with a hint of worry etched on her features.


    "I don''t think so?" Mirkil replied in an uncertain tone.


    The sounds of bones cracking filled the air and the people slowly backed away when one person decided to walk towards him.


    "Sir, are you alrigh-"


    The man couldn''t finish his sentence when his throat was grabbed, tightening his airway. The beast kin panted with a crazed look in his eyes, he continued to choke the man until his body went limp and threw the body on the ground.


    Everyone screamed and scattered in different directions. Mirkil quickly stayed by the girls side and collected Christine''s knife as they ran through the sidewalk, Christine tightened her grip on Acacia as they ran together without looking back.


    "It hurts but...I feel so powerful!!" The man roared to the sky and laughed out loud. He slowly looked at the running civilians and chased them one by one. Stabbing and slashing his way like a maniac.


    "Move!!" A woman yelled out with her right hand stretched and blasted a bright white light that blinded them. She shoved them down, making them fall to the ground and ran away.


    ''So bright!''


    Acacia thought as she groaned and rubbed her eyes while on the ground. Christine looked around, trying to find a wall or anything to lean on while Mirkil cursed as he rubbed his eyes.


    "Weaklings!" The beast kin reached the trio on the ground and panted while drool running down his mouth. He grabbed Christine by her neck, pulling her up from the ground.


    Acacia tried to stand and her vision slowly came back. Her body froze at the sight of Christine''s legs struggling while she was choking.


    "Let her go!" Mirkil yelled out and ran towards the man, using his body to slam against the man''s chest while sinking the knife on his lower abdomen.


    The man growled out in pain and released his hold on Christine. He raised his two hands, forming a fist and slamming it down on Mirkil''s body. Mirkil gasped out and hit the ground but the punches didn''t stop, raising his hands and slamming it down on Mirkil''s back once more.


    "Stop it!" Acacia forced herself to her feet and removed her bag from her shoulders and threw it at his face. Her heart ached at the sight while ignoring the ache on her leg. Christine coughed as she tried to catch her breath on the pavement.


    The man stopped and tilted his head as if he was confused before grinning in a sadistic manner.


    "I...kill all." He spoke in broken english and slowly stepped towards her.


    "... What?"Acacia furrowed her brows at his words.


    ''Why do his words sound so weird all of a sudden?''


    Acacia thought about it while backing away slowly, her heart pounding rapidly against her chest and every fibre of her being, begged her to flee.


    "I...I..." The man suddenly stopped in his tracks and held his head, whimpering in pain and his eyes flickered around as if he was confused. His expression suddenly changed in an instant and the crazed look on his face returned.


    "Fun! Fight me! I want fun!" The man rushed towards her and smacked her face hard with the back of his hand. She hit the ground and whimpered while her right cheek stung.


    "Fight me!" The man looked down at her trembling form and kicked her in the abdomen and sent the air out of her lungs as a cracked sound filled her ears.


    Acacia felt like crying as he held her stomach, the pain was indescribable and immense. He grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her body up, sending a flurry of punches at her face.


    She struggled and felt her entire face numb with pain, blood dripping from her nose, cheek and mouth. Her teeth had small cracks in them and some bruises began to swell. The taste of metal filled her mouth.


    He was about to punch her again when Christine wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and bit down on his skin. He flinched at the unexpected bite and tried to grab her but she kept her arms locked around him and continued to bite down on his flesh, drawing blood from his skin.


    Acacia trembled against the ground and saw him struggling to remove Christine.


    She clenched her fists as tears ran down her cheeks, wincing at the stinging pain of her tears touching her wounds. She forced her body up, rushing towards him and grabbed the knife that was stuck in his abdomen, removed it from his skin and thrust it against his chest.


    He roared out like a beast and Acacia immediately backed away but stumbled The taste of metal filled her mouth as she stumbled backwards and her ears kept ringing.


    The man turned his back towards a wall and slammed Christine''s body against the wall. She immediately let go of her hold on him and slumped against the wall, falling unconscious. The man removed the knife from his chest and threw it away.


    ''Why aren''t you dead?!''


    Acacia thought in irritation and felt a bit dizzy, her body felt so hot, like she was burning. She looked down at her leg and the black spotting had spread everywhere on her right leg.


    The man charged at her like a bull and Acacia quickly stepped aside, dodging him entirely. She tried to run but her right leg refused to cooperate. The man was about to charge again when he heard a groan and turned his head to the source. It was Mirkil on the ground and rolled over on his back, blood dripping from his forehead to his face.


    The man walked towards Mirkil and looked down at him with an unreadable expression on his face. " This is not fun." He stated simply and stretched out his hand, his claws growing sharp and he stabbed Mirkil in the stomach.


    Mirkil coughed out blood and his eyes opened wide. He removed his claws and walked towards Christine''s unconscious body and stabbed her in the stomach three times. She gasped in pain and her eyes slowly opened. He removed his claws and turned to face Acacia, "Your turn."


    Tears fell down on her cheeks, all the pain in her body felt numb as he calmly walked towards her. Her grey eyes stared at her friends bodies with a mix of emotions even when the man approached her.


    ''Do not panic, Mirkil can heal.''


    Acacia thought to herself and slowly backed away, she looked around with the tears blurring her vision for any weapon.


    Her gaze snapped upwards when two flying bats with beady red eyes soared in the sky, releasing a loud screech that pierced her eardrums.


    The man covered his ears and crouched down to the ground, Acacia gritted her teeth at the sharp noise and tried to look for a weapon while her ears felt like it would burst. She found a rusted iron pipe and quickly grabbed it from the ground. She covered her ears and moved closer to him, dragging her right leg.


    The screeching soon stopped and the man slowly removed his hand from his ears. He was about to raise his head when Acacia glared down at him, her left index finger twitched as she swung the pipe at his head.

 Chapter 4 ~ Metamorphosis~

    "This is for me!" Acacia gritted out as she slammed the pipe down on his face, his body hitting the ground."This is for Mirkil!" She hit his face with more force and speed, "And this is for Christine, you bastard!Damn you! Damn you!!" Acacia''s voice choked with tears falling down her cheeks and she hit his face once more. The pain on her face, the ache in her stomach and the numbness of her right leg seemed to all disappear as her anger took over her very soul. She didn''t know how long she was hitting his face until her arms grew tired and she stopped.


    His face was completely battered and disfigured. Blood stained every inch of his face and she slowly wiped the tears from her cheeks.


    ''What have I done?''


    Acacia slowly looked down at the pipe that was now stained with blood, her entire body shuddered at the sight and she backed away from him. Her sharp pain struck her leg and she immediately knelt down to the ground, the numbness of her right leg spreading to her hips and waist.


    ''Do not think about him. Do not think about him.


    She chanted in her head as she crawled on the pavement towards Christine and Mirkil''s bodies on the ground.


    "Hey..." Christine smiled weakly at that sight of her friend reaching out to her.


    "How are you feeling?" Acacia asked and looked at her hands covering her stomach and her uniform stained with blood.


    "For starters, I feel really weak and lightheaded." Christine closed her eyes and sighed.


    "You will be fine, someone will come and we will be..." Acacia folded her hands tightly until her nails dug into her palm.


    "....Acacia, I don''t think I will be fine."


    "You will! You have to..." Acacia gritted her teeth and took deep breaths to calm down.


    "I hate to break the sweet moment but I feel kind of left out." Mirkil spoke out with his hand on his stomach. A pool of blood surrounding his body.


    "You''re alive...?" Christine questioned in a weak voice.


    "Yup, my body is trying to heal itself but it can only fix the minor damage." Mirkil mentioned.


    "I see," Acacia glanced at his body for a moment before looking back at his face.


    "The bastard is dead?" Mirkil inquired with a hint of curiosity.


    "I think so." She glanced at the limp body of the man on the ground.


    "I wasn''t expecting you to break his face." Christine commented.


    Acacia let her body rest against the floor as the numbness started to spread to her second leg.


    "Well I wasn''t expecting you to bite him." Acacia replied.


    "Strangely enough, I''ve always wondered how being stabbed would feel like if I became a hero. So far the experience is more unpleasant than I imagined." Mirkil said in a soft voice.


    "You are weird." Christine said.


    "Definitely weird."


    "I thought you were both used to it ." Mirkil smirked as he watched the sky and the clouds.


    The three of them stayed in silence, not uttering any other word to each other as they enjoyed the quiet moment between them until Mirkil spoke up.


    "I was excited about graduation and moving to the next level in my life..."


    "We were all looking forward to graduation." Acacia murmured weakly and her vision blurred slightly.


    "How about we close our eyes and imagine we are graduating, dressed in our graduation outfits, writing our wishes in a paper and burning it up by the bonfire so that it comes true."


    Acacia closed her eyes and smiled at the fake imagery in her head, dancing around with her friends as they took numerous photos and collected their certificates.


    "That made me feel a bit better." Christine slowly closed her eyes and her figure slowly slumped to the ground.


    "You can also imagine me asking you to be my girlfriend.


    "What?"


    "Will you be my girlfriend?"


    "Are you really asking me that, right now?"


    "Well, I was planning to ask you during our graduation but my insides are... spilling out and the world is ending. So just pretend I have flowers and I look incredibly handsome in a tailored fitted suit."


    "...yeah I''ll be your girlfriend." Christine chuckled and opened her eyes to look at him only to catch him already staring at her with a small smile on his face.


    ''His timing is unbelievable.''


    Acacia slowly opened her eyes and stared off at the sky, she waited for her friends to talk but neither spoke up. Four minutes passed and she heard the sound of something like a machine.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Hey guys?" I think I hear something''


    Acacia turned her head to look at Christine but she didn''t move, her eyes were open with a smile on her face but she wasn''t blinking. Acacia was confused and crawled on the ground, dragging her legs against the concrete as she reached her side and pressed her hand on her chest and waited for the familiar beat of life.


    ''No..''


    Acacia took a deep breath and removed her hand, shaking her shoulders desperately.


    "Wake up! Dammit!"


    She turned her head to face Mirkil but noticed that his eyes were also open with a small smile on his face. Her breath hitched and she crawled over to him and tapped his arm but no response, she didn''t know what to feel in that moment and just sobbed, the lump in her throat felt heavy as she tried to wrap her head around it.


    "Are they just gone? Just like that? So easily? We were going to graduate or maybe I''m in a realistic dream, a horrible dream that will soon be over. Yes...a bad dream... Christine is probably waiting for me at school, my mother and father are  waiting for me downstairs for breakfast...my brother is on the news as always."


    She held her head in her hand and muttered to herself like a prayer, waiting for the prayer to be answered as she refused to look at her friends bodies. She saw a red butterfly landing in front of her, her mind momentarily distracted by the sight.


    "Acacia?"


    The familiar voice jolted her senses, the sounds of boots on the ground as the figure walked towards her and the butterfly flew away. She raised her head to see a tall man with short brown hair and blue eyes, donned in an elegant white attire.


    "Lucian?" She said weakly.


    "Oh sister, you look horrible."


    "Lucian please, help them." Acacia looked up at her brother and pleaded.


    Lucian turned his head to see the sight of her friend''s lifeless bodies on the ground.


    "I don''t think they can accept help anymore, Acacia." He replied and his gaze flickered everywhere, taking in the pipe, the man on the floor with his face bashed in and the dark spots on his sister''s legs.


    "Looks like you had quite the adventure, I''m guessing you were attacked by that man."


    "Yes...he acted weird and suddenly started to attack...." Acacia groaned and felt another pain strike her legs upwards to her waist.


    "You were poisoned and by the spots, I''m guessing it was by the mangold lizards. Strangely enough, you should be dead by now but no. You are still kicking."


    "Excuse me? Look, I need a healer and maybe they could still save my friends." Acacia sighed heavily.


    "Now why would I do that? Your friends are dead and I have been waiting for this opportunity to kill you." Lucian smiled sweetly and crouched down to her level, removing the headband from her head.


    "Why?" Acacia asked with a look of disbelief and her stomach started to feel numb.


    "Well it all started before you were born, I think you were a few months or weeks. I can''t recall properly. Lucian played with her headband as he spoke. "Our dear mother got pregnant with you but she didn''t want another child for father. They didn''t see eye to eye in most things, so when she got pregnant again she tried to get rid of it. I was hiding in her closet to surprise her when I saw her coming inside and swallowing the pill and waited for hours but nothing happened. She went to the bathroom and I sneaked out of the room like nothing happened."


    ''Mother tried to...kill me?''


    "She doesn''t know I saw her but I didn''t understand then, until far later when I was fifteen? I think so. I then realized that you were supposed to die but you refused. At first I didn''t care whether you had abilities or not, I just didn''t want you to stand in my way. I thought, since you had no abilities you would stare hidden in a corner but no, my dear sister just had to make herself known somehow." Lucian slowly stepped on Acacia''s hands, twisting the heel of his boots against her flesh as she cried out in pain.


    "It was so irritating watching you become the best in your classes, win awards from useless academic contests. What did I hate the most? Was how you saw me as your equal, it was laughable at how prideful you were because grandfather showed you a bit of respect." Lucian scoffed and broke the headband in half.


    "So the thought of me being equal to you is enough for you to want to kill me? Are you really that sick in the head? Isn''t your fame and attention enough?" Acacia glared up at him. He rolled his eyes and removed his boots from her hands.


    "I guess I am sick in the head, I don''t know why every time I see you. There is this urge to end your life, like an itch that I absolutely have to scratch. So don''t blame me sister, I am simply helping you. You can live a good life in your next life or have fun with your friends in the afterlife."Lucian smiled and slowly water materialized out of thin air and formed around his skin, taking the shape of a blade.


    "Even though I was jealous of you, I never wished you ill. Never..." Acacia replied in a murmur.


    "Spare me the theatrics, the Algernon family has no use for you, just think of it as a kind gesture. I''m ending your life instead of letting you suffer until the poison reaches your heart." Lucian''s smile dropped for a moment before he smiled again."Don''t bother screaming, I covered the entire space with a barrier so that we can have some privacy but might spare your life if you beg ."


    "May your life be damned." Acacia mumbled out in a weak voice.


    "Tsk and I was looking forward to seeing you beg but oh well." He clicked his tongue and positioned the water blade against her back, stabbing her without hesitation. "Goodbye Acacia Algernon."


    Her body went limp on the ground and she coughed out blood while watching his leaving form. The scent of her blood filled her lungs.


    ''This is the end, I can see it clearly. I''m beyond saving, beyond the point of no return. I''m dying and everything is hazy, I can''t make sense of it all. I feel light-headed, but my head''s too heavy to lift. The irony. If only I could wipe that smile off his face and kill him, if only I was strong enough, if only...''


    The red butterfly flew back and landed on her face.


    ? Do you really want to kill him? ?


    ''Yes.''


    ? Delightful ?


    ???? ???? ????


    "Hey! Look over there! It''s an egg or something?"


    "Don''t touch it!!!"


    "It looks weird."


    "What if it''s a beast? Maybe we can raise it!''


    "I said don''t touch it!! Are you trying to die? You know what?  Go ahead, my blood pressure will finally reduce when you are gone."


    ''So many voices...''


    ''Where am I?''


    "I''m gonna touch it."


    "Boss we found something weird and huge and Kel wants to touch it!"


    "He will be fine, hopefully."


    ''What''s huge? Why is everything so sticky, I can''t open my eyes.''


    "It''s so hard."


    "And he is touching it."


    Bang! Bang!


    ''What is that?''


    "It broke! And liquid is coming out."


    "Why would you break it?! Don''t lick the fluid, you imbecile!"


    "Aww...hey there''s a hand in here!."


    "....is there a person in it?"


    "Holy heavens, there''s a person in it!"


    "Is the person dead?"


    "Um, there''s a pulse on the wrist... Yay! A new member of our family!


    "Don''t be ridiculous, they could be dangerous."


    ''is it me?''


    Air exploded into Acacia''s lungs, jolting her awake. Her body shuddered violently in the unexpected embrace. Her body felt sticky and watery.


    "It''s a little lady."


    "What should we do with her boss?"


    "Well, she isn''t food and she is alive, maybe a beast kept her in its cocoon or whatever. Anyways we are taking her in."


    "Do you all have no sense of potential danger?''


    "I''m sure we will be fine, Felix."


    "Hey girlie! How did you get stuck in there?"


    Acacia felt a finger pressing her cheek but didn''t respond as she felt sluggish. She blinked and took in the unfamiliar faces.


    "Don''t overwhelm her."


    "I''m sure she is fine, also she got wings! We finally have someone that can fly."


    ''Wings?'' What wings?!''

 Chapter 5 ~New faces~

    Acacia felt a throbbing pain in her head, her gaze couldn''t focus and everything felt like it was spinning and suddenly everything went dark.


    "She fainted."


    "Maybe your face scared her."


    ".... you''re lucky you are useful in combat."


    "We should get going before the Iron Fangs show up."


    The group of people started to walk away, the leader carrying Acacia''s body on her shoulder as they left the scene. After about, thirty minutes, they reached an abandoned factory. They passed through a magical barrier that was a few feet away from the factory. The leader knocked on the double metal doors.


    "Open up!"


    The large double door creaked open and once they were all inside, the door closed back shut.


    "What on earth did you bring? She stinks and looks like a half dead rat." A man asked with disdain.


    "Found her inside an egg or something like that,"  Kel replied and shrugged.


    "And you all decided to bring her here? Are you that desperate for more members?"


    "Well I couldn''t leave the poor thing on the ground when she is clearly alive." The leader replied and laid her body down on the couch.


    Acacia''s face scrunched up and she panted heavily. "Get off! Get off!!" Her eyes snapped wide open and she immediately sat up on the couch.


    "Wow...bad dream?" Kel asked with an amused smile.


    "Yeah...wait, who are you?" Acacia nodded before she snapped her head towards him, her eyes flickering over the unfamiliar faces.


    "We are the Apex Conquerors!! The best kins in this cursed land! And my name is Edwin, never forget that." Edwin whipped out his hand fan and fanned himself as he spoke with pride. He has long lavender blue hair with green eyes and donned in a baggy loose shirt and black pants. Kel stifled a laughter from coming out and the others cringed visibly.


    ".... okay?" Acacia blinked a few times in confusion and took in his features.


    "Don''t mind him, my name is Kel!" He gestured to himself. He has short orange hair with gold eyes and a scar that covers half of his face.


    ''What happened to his face?''


    Acacia thought to herself as another person introduced herself. She has a muscular build with short light brown hair and grey eyes.


    "I''m Zephyra, the leader. The scowling lady over there is Bella," She gestured towards a girl with black hair in a pixie cut. She has purple eyes and her lips are painted a bright purple color.


    "The big guy is Maximus," She pointed to a really big and muscular guy with two horns on the opposite side of his head. He has black hair and a buzz cut with blue eyes. He seemed to be the only one that was taller and bigger in the room.


    "That is Elric, quiet guy." She grabbed the guy by his shoulders in which he grimaced at the contact but said nothing. Elric has short grey hair with brown eyes.


    "And finally our cute doctor, Jahir!" She introduced the last person who blushed and waved his hand awkwardly. He has white hair with red eyes and four walking legs clinged to his shirt on each side. "So what''s your name, kid?"


    "My name? What''s my name....?" Acacia looked down at her lap and her head started to throb. She felt a bit dizzy and held her head in her hands.


    "Come on!"


    "Goodness, Mirkil heal her quickly."


    "Weaklings!"


    "Tsk and I was looking forward to that but oh well."


    "Goodbye, Acacia Algernon"


    Acacia groaned as different memories flashed in her head and she slowly removed her hands from her head while her left index finger twitched.


    ''Why can''t I remember anything?! Who are these people in my head?''


    "Acacia, my name is Acacia." She panted and said her name while rubbing her temples.


    "Hey, don''t stress yourself too much maybe your memories are all fizzled up because you were in that egg." Zephyra patted her back to calm her down.


    ''Egg? Why was I in an egg?''


    She thought with a confused expression on her face and she sighed heavily.


    "How about a nice, warm bath? Might clear up your head and then some delicious dinner?" Zephyra asked with a smile and her sharp canines peeked out.


    ''I do need a bath, I stink and I''m hungry.''


    Acacia thought and nodded her head, Zephyra helped her up to her feet and turned her head to face the others. "Kel start dinner! Make sure it''s delicious to welcome our new member."


    "You can count on me," Kel shoved his hand in his pocket and walked away towards the kitchen.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "I don''t like her." Bella muttered under her breath.


    "Well, she doesn''t seem to have any bad intentions. Let''s wait and get a good idea of who she is before judging." Maximus shrugged and stretched out his arms.


    Zephyra helped Acacia up the stairs until they reached the upper floor, there were two doors opposite of each other and Zephyra led her into one of the doors. She saw two mats on the floor with blankets and a makeshift pillow. She could roughly guess that the room was for the girls.


    "This is the girl''s room and we have our own bathroom and the opposite door is for the lads. Now get in the bathroom and clean those musty dirt off your skin." Zephyra pointed towards the bathroom and she slowly walked to the bathroom. She entered and closed the door behind her, taking in the sight.


    The tiles were a bit old, the mirror was broken on one side and the shower was by one side of the bathroom with a bathrobe hung on the wall.


    ''How did I end up like this?''


    Acacia ran her fingers through her hair and noticed her fingers tangled a bit in her hair. She raised a brow at the length.


    ''It was definitely short.''


    She moved towards the mirror and her hands slowly touched her face, her eyes watching her reflection in disbelief. Her hair was longer and disheveled, her eyes were cerise in colour and seemed to change from red and pink as she moved her face in different directions to stare at her facial features.


    ''Why do I look so different, my memories might be foggy but I know what I looked like before. Well, I don''t look that different, just eye color change and long hair.''


    She thought as she continued to inspect her face and noticed a black flower mark underneath her right eye. She rubbed it but it didn''t clean off, she then pinched her skin and winced at the pain.


    "I guess it''s stuck there." She muttered and rubbed her skin, soothing it. She then turned around and faced her back to the mirror, a long pair of black butterfly wings with red patterns attached to her back.


    "Now, how did I get these?" Acacia muttered to herself and moved her back muscles causing the wings to flutter slightly.


    "Everything is so confusing." She stripped off from her clothes, turned on the tap and watched as the water filled the tub before entering inside.


    She washed her hair thoroughly and scrubbed her skin until it was clean. She came out of the bathroom wrapped in a clean towel with her worn out uniform in her hands.


    "Ah, there you are! You look prettier now that you are clean, here is a bag of clothes. You can pick up your choice since most of the clothes in here are clothes we don''t need so we just kept them for future use." Zephyra grinned and pulled the bag towards a new mate by another corner of the room.


    ''Huh? I clearly remember two mats''


    "Is that for me?" Acacia asked.


    "Yup, you need a place to sleep if you are going to stay here from now on. Meet us downstairs when you are ready." She replied in a casual tone and left the room.


    "That was nice." Acacia smiled at herself and walked towards her mat to get dressed. She dressed up in a baggy black and baggy sweatpants. Her wings felt uncomfortable underneath the top.


    ''This is going to take a while to get used to but now that I think about it. What happened to Encer? The earthquake? Why can''t I remember? I''ll have to ask them if they know anything and ask about these weird wings on my back.''


    ? You can ask them everything except for the changes on your bodies.?


    ''....Did I just hear a man in my head? Am I going crazy?''


    ? No, you are not going crazy. I am in your head, your soul to be more precise.?


    ''How on earth did you get inside my soul? Why are you in my soul? Are you the reason I lost my memories? Did you change my eye color? Who are you?''


    ? Slow down with the questions, you brat! You accepted me inside your soul and our souls bonded causing the changes on your body. You lost your memories because you were far too weak to handle our bond and my powers. So much that you took a really damn long nap before your body could change.?


    ''Why did I accept you?''


    ? Because you were died and I had to bring you back.?


    Acacia was silent and didn''t say anything for a moment and her heart started to race. She clenched her fists and felt a mix of anger and sadness.


    ''Can you tell me what happened?''


    ? No, you have to earn your memories.


    ''Earn them? They are my memories and I have the right to know what happened.''


    ? And I don''t care, either work for them or wait until your brain aches. ?


    ''.... how can I earn them?''


    ? By training.?


    ''Training for what?''


    ? Survival.?


    ''Well, I''m not a fighter. So, is there another way?''


    ? No, we will discuss more of your training later. For now, get acquainted with the humans downstairs but don''t under any circumstances tell them about me or that you looked different before. ?


    ''Why?''


    ? Because humans are dangerous and I don''t trust them. Now shoo, I have things to do.?


    ''Huh? Hello? Man in my head! What on earth do you have to do in my soul?!''


    Acacia called out in her head but got no response, she sighed and grumbled under her breath in frustration. She decided to leave the room and headed downstairs and saw them arranging a table with different foods and plates. She raised her head and looked around the place.


    ''I guess they made the abandoned building their home but why? Encer provides for everyone even those in the lower class.''


    She stared around and noticed the worn out couches, the painting on the walls and lots of tools and crystals. There was a karaoke machine by one corner and two different bean bags.


    "Finally came down, come over." Zephyra gestured for her to come as everyone took their seats.


    Acacia quickly walked towards the table and dragged out a chair and sat next to Maximus and Elric while Zephyra sat at the head of the table.


    "Now let''s feast! Congrats on joining us and we hope you stay with us for a long time." Zephyra cheered and took a sip of water from her glass.


    "Uh... thank you." Acacia replied in a soft voice and felt a bit awkward with the stares directed at her. She looked down at her plate and squinted her eyes, she picked up her fork and poked the meat that was green in colour.


    "It''s a forest raphat, extremely delicious but hard to hunt." Kel mentioned as he took notice of her expression.


    ''Hunt? Why would they need to hunt, something is wrong here.''


    "I see." Acacia asked with curiosity and confusion. She decided to cut a small piece and chew on it, surprisingly tastier than she imagined.


    "So, how did you get stuck in whatever that thing was." Elric asked with a hint of suspicion.


    "I don''t know, I was running away from something with someone? There were earthquakes and monsters everywhere but I don''t remember what happened after." Acacia replied as she ate with impatience and focused on her food.


    "Uh...that was three years ago." Jahir said as he adjusted his glasses.


    "What?" Acacia slowly stopped eating and her lips parted in surprise as she noticed everyone''s gaze on her.


    "Cool!" Kel mumbled out with his mouth full of food.


    "Stop talking with your mouth full." Jahir snapped at Kel.


    ''Three years?! I was asleep for three years?''


    "The earthquake and monsters happened three years ago. There is no way you were stuck there for three years and you didn''t die from hunger." Bella added and narrowed her gaze at Acacia.


    "Maybe a monster kept her inside and died before it could eat her. Like storing its food and maybe it affected her memory." Jahir put his hand underneath his chin as he thought about it.


    ''I need answers from that man.''


    Acacia made a mental note to try and persuade the man in her head or rather soul. In the meantime, she will have to keep that part about her a secret.


    "....I don''t know, maybe that''s what happened?" Acacia rubbed her face and sighed.


    "We can discuss this after dinner, please. It''s a feast not an investigation." Zephyra spoke out and everyone immediately focused on their food.


    Acacia felt her stomach grumbling and decided to just focus on her food for now. Tomorrow, she must find out about everything.

 Chapter 6 ~ Kill or be Killed~

    Acacia laid down for a while and didn''t bother to move. She thought about everything in her life until now. A god is stuck inside her and she can''t get rid of it.


    Her curiosity against her brother''s action felt an itch that she absolutely have to scratch but the anger she felt was indescribable. The pain she felt from that poison, the familiar burn yet it didn''t hurt. If anything she felt like lashing out on something.


    "Do I really have to will to kill?" She asked herself and raised her hands up. ''What would it be like to kill someone? Pierce their flesh and sleep soundly? I can not do something like that. He is wrong.''


    She put her hands down and heard the door open. Zephyra came inside a bowl and sat down beside her, placing the down in front of her.


    "It''s a raphat vegetable soup. Good for the bones." Zephyra smiled.


    "Thank you." Acacia picked up the spoon and scooped up the soup in the spoon. She blew air on the spoon before taking a sip.


    "You okay?" Zephyra asked and placed her hand on her forehead.


    "I am fine just tired.." Acacia nodded and managed a weak smile. Turning her focus on the soup.


    "I can see that, you look like you went through hell." Zephyra patted her head i


    ''That seems easier than what I''m dealing with.'' Acacia thought to herself as she took small bites from the raphat meat in the soup. She chewed and drank until the soup was finished.


    "That was quick, must be starving." Zephyra commented in an impressed tone.


    "It was delicious." Acacia wiped her lips with the back of her hand.


    "I''ll tell Kel that later, he would be over the moon." Zephyra replied with a pleased expression.


    "Um, what happened after earthquake or apocalypse." Acacia asked as she couldn''t keep her curiosity at bay.


    "Ah, you were stuck in that thing for that long?" Zephyra rubbed the back of her neck.


    "I think so." Acacia nodded.


    "Okay, so after the earthquake. The monsters spread everywhere; land, water and air. The heroes did everything to push them back as everyone ran to safety but suddenly, the beast men started to act weird and attacked everyone. Some attacked their wives, children and friends. It was a mess and people began to fear beast men." Zephyra started to explain with a somber look in her eyes.


    "Why were they acting different?" Acacia asked as the image of the beast man that killed her friends flashed in her head.


    "Well, no one knows why exactly. It was something suddenly added to the biology of beastmen from nowhere. Whenever we are in danger or in a tight spot where we might die, it activates and the beast man loses his humanity in the process." Zephyra shook her head.


    "So it''s like a defense mechanism, is it possible to prevent it?" Acacia took a mental note of the information.


    "Well, only those with weak mana can prevent it because they don''t enough mana to start it." Zephyra replied. "Those with enough mana can activate it but I''ve only seen very few people coming back from it twice without losing their senses. I''ve gone through it once myself but I managed to control it. I can''t say the second will be easy.


    "I see." Acacia was surprised by her words.


    "So, with the new aspect to beastmen. The Flow Society became extremely antagonistic towards us and gave us the option of death of a shock collar like we were dogs. No one supported us and even one of the captains was adamant on making sure we bend to the rules because apparently his one and only sister died in the hands of a beastmen and they belonged to an influential family. I felt sad about what happened to his sister but I just couldn''t stay in a place that was openly antagonistic against me." Zephyra shrugged.


    "One of the captains?" Acacia tilted her head slightly and felt like she knew who the captain was. "What was his name?"


    "Uh...I think Lucas- no Lucian. Yeah, that was his name." Zephyra pondered and snapped her fingers as she remembered his name.


    ''He is using me even after I died? I don''t understand him at all, why does he want to get rid of the beastmen and lied that I was killed by one. This is pissing me off.'' Acacia thought and took deep breaths as calm down.


    "So we all separated and beastmen stayed in the ruins while the Flow Society began rebuilding at another location." Zephyra concluded her explanation.


    "Thank you for telling me." Acacia smiled at Zephyra.


    "You are welcome, little lady." Zephyra and pulled her down to the mat beside.


    "Huh?" Acacia blinked for a few moments in confusion.


    "Shh, you need to rest." Zephyra said and the door opened, revealing Bella who had a scowl on her face.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Why are you squeezing your face? Do you want to cuddles?" Zephyra asked while inspecting her face.


    "No." Bella turned her head away with her arms crossed and a pout.


    "Get over here."


    Bella reluctantly uncrossed on her arms and laid down on the mat by Zephyra''s other side.


    "That''s more like it." Zephyra hugged the two girls and fell asleep almost immediately. Acacia was surprised by how fast she slept like a log.


    "You will get used to it." Bella murmured with her eyes closed. Acacia didn''t reply and snuggled against Zephyra.


    ''She feels so warm, I like this.'' She thought in her head as she slipped off to sleep.


    The next morning, her eyes fluttered open and she turned her head but didn''t see Zephyra or Bella. She was confused for a moment and sat up on the mat and yawned.


    ''They left this morning.'' Daemonis spoke in her head but Acacia didn''t reply.


    ''You can not ignore me forever, your brother is roaming around with his chest puffed out in pride while everyone sympathized with him. Are you really going to let that slide?" Daemonis asked.


    Acacia got up on her feet and decided to shower and change. After a few minutes she was clad in a big oversized green hoodie and pants. She left the room and looked down, she saw everyone roaming around and getting ready for something.


    "You''re awake! And you can walk?" Kel waved his hand. He stopped waving and pointed to her legs.


    "Your soup must have done wonders." Acacia looked down at her legs. She didn''t even think about it because everything in her head.


    "That must be it." Kel nodded with a smirk.


    "Oh calm down, her body might have healed itself." Jahir commented and rolled his eyes.


    "Since you can walk. Do you want to follow us to the trader market?" Zephyra asked while putting a sack over her shoulder.


    "The trader market?" She tilted her head as she walked down the stairs and her gaze flickered between them.


    "Yeah, we give him something valuable and he gives us some worth that value in return." Jahir explained.


    "I want to follow." Acacia spoke out.


    "Okay, just stay close to us." Zephyra nodded. "Alright, Bella, Kel, Acacia and Elric are following me. The rest should protect the household."


    Everyone started to separate themselves and Zephyra''s ground left the building, passed through the barrier and onto the street.


    ''Who created that barrier?'' She thought and put her hands in her pocket as she followed the group.


    "Say, why aren''t you flying?" Kel asked and held one of her wings in his hand as they walked.


    "Um, I can''t remember how to fly." Acacia quickly thought of an excuse. ''Lying is better than explaining anyways, they wouldn''t even believe me. They all probably think I''m a beast man.''


    "That sucks but I can fly, all I need is too concentrate really hard and boost my fire to my legs." Kel grinned and let go of her wing.


    "Fire? You''re not a beast man?" Acacia asked with curiosity. ''Is that how he got his scars?''


    "Nope, I didn''t stay with Flow, felt too restricting." Kel shrugged.


    "I see." Acacia glanced at him and didn''t ask further. She glanced around and noticed how deserted it was, broken buildings and abandoned cars with moss and plants growing over them.


    They soon reached a place and she noticed a similar barrier but there was nothing in the other side. Her eyes as watched everyone passed through it and disappeared. She slowly walked towards the barrier, she put her hands through it and it disappeared, she pulled her hand back and it reappeared. She took a deep breath and walked through it.


    She opened her eyes and was surprised by the loud noises of people, some advertising weapons, bird monsters locked up in a cage as a man bargained with a stranger.


    "Welcome to the trader market." Kel said as they walked further into the place. Her eyes didn''t stop taking in everything, looking through some items with interest. Some traders calling out to them if they wanted to trade. She looked up ahead and noticed a street leading to some houses.


    "Why don''t you guys live here?" Acacia questioned


    "Rent." Zephyra shrugged and entered inside a shop except for Bella, who stood outside the shop. Acacia didn''t bother to question her and looked around the shop. There was various weapons everywhere she turned to look around. She waited for the shop keeper when she noticed the wall moving.


    She squinted her eyes and tried to be sure if she saw that clearly. The brown wall moved and a pair of black eyes opened. The sight sent a jolt of fear in her heart.


    "Welcome, it seems you found yourself another member." A man pulled away from the wall, his voice quiet but rough. His body, clothes and hair were all brown, his clothes changed colours and revealed a tired looking man with messy black hair and green eyes.


    "Yeah! This is what we could gather." Zephyra set the sack down and poured out the contents in it. Teeth, bones, eyes and skin of monsters pilled the floor. Acacia cringed in disgust.


    "Well, this all worth three weapons at most." The man crouched down as he inspected the monsters part in the ground.


    "Don''t try to scam me, Tosic. These are worth at least five weapons." Zephyra crossed her arms as she stared down at him.


    "I am just doing business, most of these are outdated anyways. The market want new things that would bring in money. I''m the only one that would accept half of these in this whole market." He packed the stuff back into the sack and stood up.


    "Fine." Zephyra clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    "Excellent choice, this is a an obsidian crystal. Break it and it increases your magic power for five minutes without worrying about going berserk." Tosic picked up a black crystal and threw it in the air. Zephyra caught it immediately and looked down at it.


    "This is a sword that responds to magic power. You should be able to use it." He removed the sword and shoved it in Kel''s arms who looked down at the sword in awe.


    "And this is a magical defense crystal. Forgot the crystal name, it should help the lady outside." He opened a drawer and brought out another crystal, throwing it towards Elric direction who caught it with ease.


    ''Why is he so unorganized?'' Acacia thought as he kept pacing in the shop, her gaze was drawn to the daggers on a table and she wanted to touch when a stick smacked her hand. "Hey!"


    "No touching, new girl. You will get your own weapon when you''re ready." Tosic turned around and put his hands behind his back.


    "We will be on our way, then." Zephyra put the crystal in her pocket and left the shop with Kel and Elric. Acacia was still staring at the shop when she noticed that he disappeared. She frowned and quickly stepped out of the shop.


    "I guess these are still are good. Let''s go back." Zephyra said as she walked away.


    "That''s it?" Acacia was puzzled.


    "Yup!" Kel nodded but his attention was on the sword.


    ''I was expecting more but I guess that''s for another day.'' Acacia thought with a sigh, she noticed Bella staying close to Elric as they exchanged glances. ''Maybe it''s nothing.''


    They all left the market and passed through the barrier once more. They walked further away from the place and turned towards another street.


    "Huh?" Acacia stopped in her tracks as she saw a group of people dressed in blue with smiles on their faces.


    "Zephyra! We missed you." A woman spoke out in a cheerful manner but the look on Zephyra''s face was anything but cheerful.

 Chapter 7 ~Kill or be Killed~ I

    "What do you want, Celeste?" Zephyra gritted out and stepped forward. The woman clasped her hands together, she has long black hair with gold eyes. Her blue dress fluttered with her movements. The dress has two thigh slits with long sleeves and a black pants underneath. There were a total of three people behind her dressed in a similar fashion.


    "Oh, stop looking at me like that. I just found out you found a new member and I couldn''t hold in my curiosity." Celeste had a very soothing voice, if only her intentions were as soothing. Acacia stiffened at the mention of her and the woman suddenly walked towards her and held her hands.


    "Oh! She is so pretty!" Celeste gasped and leaned her face closer, making Acacia move her head away. "Would you like to join my kin group instead?"


    "No thanks, I''m good." Acacia tried to remove her hands from her grip but found it very difficult to do so. She tried pulling her hands harder from her grip but Celeste''s hands didn''t budge, if anything, it grew tighter and caused her to wince.


    Kel raised his right hand and clenched his fist and it blazed with fire, a crackling, orange bloom as the light danced in his eyes. "Remove your hands before I burn them."


    "What a bore, I was expecting the new girl to be similar to Belle but she is weaker than expected." Celeste huffed and removed her grip on Acacia''s hands, turning her attention to Zephyra. Acacia rubbed her hands to soothe it and the fire on Kel''s fist disappeared


    "My name is Bella." Bella spoke out in an annoyed tone.


    "Same thing." Celeste waved her hand dismissively and turned her attention to Zephyra. "The other kin groups have been at each other''s throats. Everyone wants to jump high in the rankings and they raise their kill count.


    "Why are you telling me all this?" Zephyra asked.


    "....To give you a heads up, so that you don''t think it''s unfair when I come for your head." Celeste was quiet for a few moments and stretched her arms up in the air as she walked away with her group."See you around."


    "Let us go home." Zephyra muttered out with an unreadable expression on her face. The rest of the walk home had an uncomfortable silence.


    They reached the building, the barrier no obstacle for them. Bella knocked on the metal door and it groaned open. They stepped through and the door creaked shut.


    "Finally, I was starving." Edwin groaned in relief and grabbed Kel by the arm and dragged him towards the kitchen. Zephyra laid down on the couch with her arm covering her face.


    Bella put her hand on Acacia''s shoulder and spoke. "Let''s talk."


    "Sure?" Acacia was puzzled and felt Bella remove her hand from her shoulder. She walked up the stairs towards the girls room with Acacia following her behind her. Once they were alone, Bella locked the door.


    "I know you have been here for a day but you cannot survive here." Bella said in a stern voice.


    "Why do you think that?" Acacia asked with furrowed brows.


    "Have you killed anyone before? Stain your hands with blood or strangle a person to death, slowly feel their heartbeat stop." Bella asked and ignored her question.


    "....no." Acacia hesitated as the image of the man''s face that was battered by her hands flashed in her mind.


    "Just as I thought, you can''t survive here. No one''s hands are clean here, everyone downstairs has taken a life more than once. We don''t need baggage, we need strength and if you cannot provide that then you should leave. The world isn''t the same, it''s either you kill or be killed." Bella said and glared down at Acacia. She brought out a piece of paper from her pant pocket and shoved it in Acacia''s hands. "It''s a map to Flow, your chances of survival are higher there."


    Bella left the room and Acacia looked down at the folded paper and unfolded it. Taking in the rough drawings and inspecting it. ''How did she even get this?''


    ''Are you going to go?'' Daemonis suddenly asked in her head.


    ''I don''t know.'' She replied in her head and leaned against the wall. Her mind and heart felt conflicted, on one hand she will stay but have to harm people and on the other hand, she can live a new life at Flow and forget about her past.


    ''I should just forget about everything and live a peaceful life. Forget about Christine, Mirkil, father, mother and Lucian.''


    ''That should be easy but I cannot forget that day. My heart starts to burn every time I think about it, like a reminder of the pain it went through. The sight of his retreating figure and the smile on his face makes my skin itch, I want to get rid of it, destroy his pride and everything he holds dear. Some moments, I regret that he wasn''t the one I hit with the pipe even though it''s wrong, it''s very wrong.'' Acacia placed her hand on her beating heart, her hands clenched the fabric of her hoodie.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ''Why is it so important for you to appear moral, even if it''s not genuine? You say you want to hurt him but you also say it''s wrong. Did your brother think it was wrong when he killed you?'' Daemonis asked.


    ''I didn''t ask for your opinion.'' Acacia replied in her head in an annoyed tone while a little part of her, struggles to disagree with him.


    ''Tsk, the longer you ignore it, the more the darkness in your soul will consume you and you will eventually stop this facade.'' Daemonis clicked his tongue in annoyance.


    Acacia wished there was a switch off button in her head to shut him up. She soon left the room and went for dinner downstairs. She noticed that Bella was ignoring her but she didn''t care. She went to sleep that night with a lot in her mind before drifting off to sleep.


    She woke up the next morning, her eyes blinking a few times as she took in the familiar sight of the old ceiling. She turned her head to see Zephyra and Bella fast asleep. Her gaze lingered on Bella for a moment before she gently sat up on the bed and walked towards the window. The first hint of dawn bleeds across the inky canvas of the pre-dawn sky, a subtle lightening along the eastern horizon. It''s not quite light yet, but the darkness feels thinner, less absolute. The stars, which blazed with fierce intensity just moments ago, began to dim, their light fading in the face of the approaching day.


    Acacia was distracted by the sight until she heard the sounds of footsteps and the crunch of dry leaves. Her gaze flickered down and saw the sight of a hooded figure. The figure walked in a cautious gait and disappeared from her sight.


    ''Who the hell is that?'' She thought to herself and raised a brow at the sight. She turned her head and looked at Zephyra''s sleeping form, pondering if she should say something when suddenly the image of Zephyra''s stressed expression from earlier made her hesitate. ''I will just take a small peek, if it gets dangerous. I''ll just come back.''


    ''Sneaking out? How naughty.'' Daemonis snickered.


    Acacia''s left index twitched but she ignored him for words and quietly wore her hoodie. She walked towards the window in a soft manner.


    ''Are you going to jump?'' Daemonis asked with amusement.


    ''Yes, the metal door downstairs makes too much noise.'' She responded and gently climbed the window, she rested her bare feet on the cemented brick attached to the wall. Her gaze was on the ground and she tried to move. ''How do I get-''


    Her thought cut off as the brick broke underneath her feet, she fell and hit the ground in a harsh thud. The smell of dust filled her nostrils and the dried leaves crunched underneath her movements as she sat up. She looked up at the window and was thankful it wasn''t that high. She got up on her feet and dusted her clothes from the dirt, her gaze turned towards the direction the hooded man passed through earlier.


    She followed the direction and soon left the barrier that protected the building. Her gaze on the abandoned buildings, it felt a bit surreal to her. That people used to litter the streets and the once lively city was a shell of its former self. She shook her head to forget about that and focus on where the hooded figure went. She didn''t know which direction he went and tilted her head trying to guess as she walked down the street.


    Acacia walked for five minutes and was about to give up when she heard a voice inside an abandoned coffee shop. She hunched her figure and walked slowly towards the coffee shop. She peeked from the window and saw the hooded figure speaking to a transparent blue man but she couldn''t see his face clearly since he was blocked by the hooded figure.


    ''Hologram?'' Acacia questioned and tried to listen to what was being said but it was difficult since they were speaking in a low tone.


    "- but I need more time, commander." The hooded figure spoke in a quiet but firm voice.


    "How much more? The data we have received is sufficient and the purification process needs to begin." The hologram replied in a direct and imperative tone.


    ".... There is new research to be discovered that would give us an advantage. Give me more time and the purification process will go as planned." The hooded figure responded with a hint of desperation.


    "Your stay will be prolonged, any further delay will not be welcomed. Dismissed." The hologram figure replied and disappeared.


    The hooded figure was silent for a whole minute before he finally spoke in a low tone. "I need to find the orb of wishes." The hooded figure disappeared into thin air.


    Acacia stood up from her hiding spot and crossed her arms. ''What was that all about?''


    ''I am not sure but I am aware of the orb of wishes. It can grant a single wish but at a costly price, it is usually not considered worth it because the consequences or conditions were too great.'' Daemonis explained.


    ''Can it bring people back from the dead?'' Acacia thought while thinking of Mirkil and Christine''s happy faces.


    ''Yes but you might need to sacrifice a life instead and there''s no telling if the people you bring back will be the same.'' Daemonis said in a warning tone as he could sense why she asked.


    ''I see,'' Acacia sighed and turned around. '' I wonder why he came from our side. There''s no road there just some bushes and trees.''


    "Hah! Found another one!" A male voice rang out and he pointed at Acacia. She looked at him with a puzzled expression when her body was suddenly tightened forcefully. A hissing sound filled her ears, and she struggled as the scales scratched her skin. The double headed, green scaled snake stared down at her.


    ''When did the snake even appear?'' Acacia groaned and felt the bones of her arm crack from the right grip of the snake.


    "Let''s go, pet." The green haired man gestured to the snake as he walked away. The snake quickly followed him while dragging Acacia.


    ''A domesticated monster? Is that even possible?'' Acacia thought while groaning, her movements stilled.


    ''Of course it is, you humans were just too afraid to try but it seems not everyone was afraid to try.'' Daemonis marvelled.


    Acacia closed her eyes as she was dragged away towards the middle of the road where she was thrown on the road. She struggled to stand up and looked at the three people infront of her. A young man and an elderly woman with a young girl around ten years old.

 Chapter 8 ~ Kill or be Killed~ III

    ''You know? You are being way too calm for what is happening.'' Acacia said in her head.


    ''Why would I be bothered by a couple of weaklings? You brought this on yourself by sneaking out without a single thought and I truly want to see how you get out of this mess.'' Daemonis snickered.


    Acacia felt a bit embarrassed since she actually left without thinking things thoroughly and now her insides were being squeezed by a dual headed green snake.


    The snake suddenly released its hold on her and she fell to the ground. The elderly woman reached her side while the little girl with short white hair with a long fluffy tail stayed behind the woman and clung to her skirt.


    "Are you alright, child?" The elderly woman asked. Her brown eyes were filled with worry, her eyebrows furrowed, making the wrinkles more defined. She also had white hair like the little girl.


    "I''m fine." Acacia groaned at the pain in her arms, her gaze flickered to the three men at front and the snake at the back. She sat up and noticed the pain in her arms were gone, she rubbed her arms in confusion when one of the men spoke.


    "Listen up! Today we want to play a game, our pet will throw acidic venom and you must dodge! Or else.." The first guy with short dark green hair smiled and dragged his thumb across his neck in a slow manner. There were two others behind him with similar hair color but different styles. One of them had a big gun strapped on his shoulder and the other with a sword strapped by his waist.


    "Why are you doing this?" The young boy with dark blue hair asked with a hint of anger.


    "Our kill count isn''t high enough, we need our kin group to respect us!" The third guy spoke with a hint of frustration.


    "Idiot! Why would you tell them that? Now we look desperate instead of menacing." The first guy barked at him while the second guy smacked the back of the third guy''s head.


    "Hah, no wonder you guys were not respected." The young boy scoffed, a flicker of defiance in his amber eyes, earning a glare from the first man. He snapped his fingers, and the snake, coiled at his side, unraveled, rising to an intimidating height.


    "Let''s see how you survive." The first man grinned and the other two snickered behind him.


    "Please! They''re innocent! These children have done nothing wrong. At least... at least let my granddaughter go..." The elderly woman quickly went down on her knees and bowed her head down. The young girl looked confused but didn''t release her hold on her grandmother''s skirt.


    "Why should I care? Now who should get hit first?" The first guy rolled his eyes and shrugged, he stared at them until he pointed at the elderly woman. "We have a lucky winner!"


    ''Oh no.'' Acacia looked at the elderly woman who slowly lifted her head and her eyes widened as she stared at the snake.


    The dual-headed snake¡¯s jaws unhinged, revealing fangs like glistening daggers. The elderly woman quickly shoved her granddaughter away with force. The girl crashed to the ground, her elbows taking the brunt of the fall. She winced, a grimace twisting her face, as she felt the skin tear against the rough, uneven road surface.The twin streams of venom shot forth and hit the woman''s face. She screamed out in agony and fell to the ground, the flesh on her face melting from the acid.


    Acacia''s stomach lurched at the sight, a familiar wave of nausea washing over her as the memory of those insects that swarmed her school and ate people''s heads filled her mind. ''These bastards.''


    "Granny!" The girl rushed towards her grandmother''s body and watched as she gasped for air on the ground. The young boy quickly took the girl''s wrists and prevented her from touching her grandmother.


    "Let me go! Granny!" The girl writhed and squirmed as tears streamed down her face.


    "Her body is poisoned! If you touch her you will die." The boy ignored her protests and tightened his grip on her wrist.


    "Po...Poppy, please take care of...m..my Poppy." The elderly woman wheezed out and her body went limp on the ground.


    "One down!" The third guy cheered.


    "Hah! I''m saving you for last, boy." The first guy stared at the boy with a smug smile. The boy glared at him and kept his hold on the crying girl. The first guy then turned his gaze at Acacia and pointed at her. "Another winner!"


    "Wait¡ª" Acacia tried to speak but was caught off by the venom hitting her face and chest. The pain was indescribable, her face felt like it was burning, like a fire on her skin. She slowly laid down on the ground, the neckline of her hoodie melting off from the acidic venom.


    ''Such a baby.'' Daemonis said in a disappointed tone but got no response from Acacia.


    "Another one down!" The third guy cheered again.


    "Now for you." The first guy grinned with excitement. The boy slowly backed away but the girl stood in front of him.


    "Stop hurting people! You are all bad! Bad!" Poppy cried out and spread her arms out to shield him. Her arms and legs trembled.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "How annoying." The first guy''s face twisted at the sight of the crying girl when one of the guys tapped his shoulder.


    "Uh brother," The second guy pointed to Acacia''s body that was already in a seated position. The melted skin of her face slowly healed up until she looked whole again.


    "Ah shit! I wasn''t expecting someone with regeneration but still the poison should have stopped that." The first guy frowned at the sight.


    Acacia blinked and touched her face, the feel of her skin and cheek made her sigh in relief. She looked down at her ruined hoodie with torn holes from the acid.


    ''I am hungry.'' She thought to herself and licked her lips, tasting the venom on her lips. ''It tastes good.''


    ''The poison tastes good?'' Daemonis questioned.


    ''Yeah.'' Acacia replied in her head


    "Kill her." The first guy pointed at her and the second guy brought out his gun. He shot her and a beam of white light blew a hole in her stomach.


    "That hurts!" Acacia hissed in pain and looked down at the hole in her stomach, her blood slowly connecting with itself like a web and her flesh reforming itself until the hole was closed up.


    She raised her head and saw the second guy pulling the trigger again, she dodged the second beam and scrambled up to her feet, running away from the scene.


    "Don''t let her get away!" The first guy pointed at the snake and it immediately went to chase her.


    Acacia ran as fast as her feet could carry her and saw a couple of abandoned cars on the road. She ran behind one of the abandoned cars and peeked, she saw the dual headed snake flicking their tongues out.


    She looked down at her torn hoodie that was definitely struggling to cover parts of her body but surprisingly, her concern was more on the grumbling sounds her stomach keeps making.


    ''Are you going to keep running and hiding? They will find you eventually.'' Daemonis asked with disinterest.


    ''Obviously,'' She replied and rubbed her stomach as she peeked from the car again and noticed that the dual headed snakes were getting closer. She looked away and tried to think of a plan when her eyes widened. ''The kids!''


    ''Do you want to save them?'' The tone of his voice changed immediately but the disinterest was still present.


    ''Yes, they will die.'' Acacia replied, a little annoyed by his lack of care.


    ''Then are you ready to kill? You are not getting out of this situation without getting your hands bloodied.'' Daemonis questioned.


    Acacia stiffened at his words, her heartbeat started to pick up its pace. ''Is there another¡ª''


    ''No, I don''t think they are interested in listening to compromise. They will only listen when a stronger force is present, when fear is etched to their bones.'' Daemonis spoke and his slowly turned menacing.


    Acacia was conflicted, the car was suddenly flung to the side and the snake wrapped its tail around her body again and tightened it''s hold. She gritted her teeth and felt her bones cracking again.


    ''Don''t tell me your morals are more important than saving those kids? The more time you waste, the higher the chance that those kids are already dead.'' Daemonis asked in a mocking voice.


    Acacia couldn''t move, her gaze fell in the scales of the snake. Her body twitched at the sight when the scent of the venom hit her nose and then the image of the crying little girl flashed in her mind with the screams of agony of the elderly woman before she died.


    ''Do something!'' Daemonis yelled in her head and it made her head spin. She opened her mouth and bit down on the scales, the dual headed snakes hissed in protest and tightened their grip. A loud crack from her lower back could be heard but she didn''t let go despite the pain. She dug her teeth on the scales until it cracked and tore the flesh of the snake with her mouth.


    The snakes hissed and slammed their body against the wall, breaking it in the process while holding onto her. Acacia felt blood dripping from her forehead from the collision, she would''ve cared if the snake venom didn''t taste so good.


    She opened her mouth again and bit down on the same place, tearing the flesh with her teeth while it bled. The dual headed snake released their hold on her and smacked her face with their tail. Acacia''s head snapped sideways and she panted, the venom and blood of the snake stained her mouth and jaw.


    The dual headed snake hissed and lunged at her. The right head of the snake grabbed her by the waist with its mouth, the fangs pierced through her stomach.


    She coughed out blood and groaned, she stretched her hand inside the snake''s mouth. She moved her hands  until she felt the tongue, grabbed and pulled at the tongue with all her strength. The snake squirmed and slammed itself against the cars and floor but she didn''t stop even when the grip loosened around her. She bit down on the tongue to cause more pain until the tongue snapped in half and she fell out of the snake''s mouth to the ground.


    She panted heavily and got up to her feet. The right headed snake has blood pouring from its mouth to the ground and the dual headed snake backed away. Acacia tilted her head at the sight and ran towards the snake, practically threw her body on the snake. She wrapped her body around the snake, tightened her grip and bit down on the flesh.


    ''Take a deep breath and suck out all the venom.'' Daemonis instructed.


    Acacia was a bit confused but didn''t question him. The minute the first drop of venom touched her mouth, she sucked immediately, ignoring the hiss of protest and took large gulps. Her nails started to crack and bleed from her tight grip but she didn''t stop until the hissing of the snake slowly stopped and the snake fell limp.


    She removed her mouth and body, her hunger satiated as she stared down at the snake''s weak body.


    ''Their heart is at the upper part of their body.''


    Acacia''s gaze flickered to the upper part of the limp snake. She walked towards the place and ran her hands against the scales until she felt a heartbeat. She looked around until she spotted a big brick and walked over to the pavement to grab it. She lifted it in her hands, the weight pulled her shoulders down as she carried it towards the snake.Rage burned in her eyes as she stared at the pulsing spot. The brick in her hands felt heavy, but she lifted it without hesitation. Each slam was fueled by fury, until finally, the skin tore, and the sickening spray of blood coated her face. Once the skin was ripped enough, she set the brick aside and dug her hand inside, forcing her way through until she felt the heartbeat. She closed her eyes and squeezed the heart until it burst in her hands.


    ''Good job.'' Daemonis said in a proud voice.


    ''That was hard, my teeth felt like they would fall off.'' Acacia thought and removed her hands from the snake while her chest rose and fell at a fast pace. She looked down at her hoodie and noticed a black cloth underneath.


    ''A little gift to help you fight better without worrying about tears.'' Daemonis said in a smug manner.


    She raised a brow and removed the torn hoodie, She looked at the black hug top with long sleeves, she turned her head to look at her back and noticed that it was backless to accommodate her wings.


    ''You can create clothes?''


    ''Special clothes for battle.'' Daemonis corrected.


    Acacia ignored his correction and threw her hoodie away, she ran back towards where the kids were, silently hoping they were still alright.

 Chapter 9 ~Kill or be Killed~

    As she ran, her mind kept thinking about how to handle them and save those kids when Daemonis suddenly suddenly commented.


    ''Your body is going through a change since you drank that venom. It seems you are immune to poison but in a rather odd manner.''


    ''Is that why I was hungry?'' Acacia thought back to how hungry she was.


    ''No, you were hungry because of regeneration. It takes a toll on your body to regenerate and thus, making you hungry in return.'' Daemonis answered.


    ''Would that not be bothersome in a fight?''


    ''Then you better make sure it doesn''t become bothersome.'' Daemonis replied with a scoff.


    ''Easy for you to say! I don''t even know how I would kill them? This isn''t the same as killing a monster with low intelligence.''


    ''You will be fine.'' Daemonis casually replied.


    ''How helpful.'' Acacia thought in a sarcastic manner.


    ''But if you want a better chance, you will need to control your own blood and use it as a weapon.'' Daemonis added.


    ''My blood? How?'' Acacia asked with a hint of intrigue.


    ''You need to make yourself bleed and control the magic essence in your blood before you regenerate. Then, you can control it like a weapon.'' Daemonis warned.


    ''Sounds easy enough.'' Acacia thought about it and soon reached the place.


    She saw the young boy bruised and groaning with Poppy cowered behind him. The sight made Acacia''s blood run cold, her frown turned to a snarl. She stopped abruptly, her hands curled into tight fists.


    The first guy turned his head at the sight of her with a look of confusion and anger. "Why are you here? Where is my pet?!"


    "Dead." Acacia glared at him as she replied.


    "Dead? How?" The first guy took in her form, noticing the blood on her. He flickered his tongue in the air and realized it wasn''t her blood.


    "You wench!." The first guy gritted his teeth and his appearance started to change. Scales formed on his skin and his fangs stretched out, the other two transformed in a similar manner. The third guy brought out his sword while the other held the gun.


    ''Their beast form is that of a snake, is that how they managed to control that snake monster?'' Acacia thought as she assessed them. ''I need to avoid that gun or maybe...I don''t need to? I need to bleed but I can''t over do it and risk being at a disadvantage. I also need them far away from the kids.''


    "We need to present her head to the boss as compensation." The second guy said.


    "If you want my head so bad, you will need to put up a better fight than that pathetic snake of yours." Acacia scoffed and slowly backed away.


    In an instant the three of them lunged at her, she turned around and started to run. A beam was shot and she barely dodged it as it scraped her arm. She turned her head to see how far they were but only saw two guys when a sudden sharp pain something pierced her stomach. She coughed out blood and turned her to see the third guy holding the sword. He grinned down at her and she spat her blood at his eye, he yelled and rubbed his eyes in agony as he stumbled back.


    She removed the sword from her stomach when a beam blasted her right arm off and the sword fell to the ground. She bit her bottom lip harshly to prevent herself from crying in pain, she gripped her right shoulder digging her nails into her flesh.


    She looked at the guy on the ground and noticed that he was searching for something, spreading the ground with his left hand and rubbing his eyes with his right. "What have you done to me?!"


    Acacia was confused but ignored him and continued to run while digging her nails into her right shoulder. ''How can I control this!? It''s painful and it isn''t working!''


    ''That is because you are not concentrating on feeling the magic in your body.'' Daemonis replied.


    "Brother!" The two guys shouted in unison as the third brother on the ground. The second brother lifted his gun and blasted beams multiple times in a row.


    Acacia''s breath hitched as she barely dodged, the attacks slicing past her, leaving angry red welts in their wake. She couldn''t maintain the hold on her shoulder and evade properly. Forced to choose, she released her grip, narrowly avoiding a more serious injury. She dove behind a building, seeking temporary respite. She glanced down and watched her right arm knit itself back together, the torn flesh closing, the skin knitting together with visible heat radiating from the healing tissue.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She closed her eyes and felt a bit of annoyance after trying so hard to keep it from regenerating. She clenched her right hand and dug her nails into her palm, her face twisting in pain as she forced her skin to bleed out. She kept a stable grip against her palm and focused on the blood leaking down her arm. She turned her focus to her body, feeling the fast beat of her heart, grumble of her stomach until she felt a weird stirring feeling. Different from the usual hungry feeling but felt like it could devour everything.


    ''Yes, control that feeling and direct it to your blood.'' Daemonis spoke with excitement.


    Acacia took a deep breath and tried focusing on the feeling, it was a weird feeling, an ominous feeling but she ignored that detail for now and directed the feeling of her palm. She opened her eyes and noticed her blood floating in small bubbles. She slowly released her nails from her palm and watched as the wound didn''t close up.


    ''Do not lose that feeling. If you do, your skin with regenerate again and the weapon you form will disappear.'' Daemonis commented with lingering excitement.


    Acacia nodded and heard their footsteps getting closer. She moved her hand up and down the blood leaking from her palm began to form into a bigger bubble. ''Now, what weapon would be suitable?''


    She thought as she touched the bubble and it flinched as if responding to her presence. Her lips tugged into a small grin and she gripped it, it felt like play dough in her hands and she started to mold it. Concentrating and twisting it until it formed a long whip.


    A beam was shot at the building she was hiding at and she hunched her back to dodge. ''I need to get rid of them.''


    She came out of her hiding and gripped the whip tightly.


    "Finally decided to show your face, coward." The first brother gritted out.


    "You will pay for what you did to our brother." The third brother pointed his gun at her again.


    ''Brother? All I did was spit at him, not that I care.'' Acacia thought to herself as she looked at them.


    "So you even have the guts to angry? When you have done far worse." Acacia said and flicked her wrist, the whip uncoiling with a sharp crack like a striking serpent. The third brother lunged towards her and hissed but Acacia didn''t retreat. Instead, she danced back, the whip a blur of motion. As the third brother was ready to shoot, she snapped the whip out, not at his body, but at his wrist. The whip wrapped around his wrist with surprising force, tightening with a sickening thwack. Before he could react, Acacia yanked sharply, throwing him off balance and causing the gun to fall out of his hand. He stumbled forward, giving her an opening. She lashed out again, this time the whip lashing across his face, leaving a big red line in its wake. He roared in pain and frustration, but Acacia maintained her distance, the whip snapped and lash down on his body, tearing his flesh and a constant threat.


    Her movements were stopped when the first brother hugged her from behind and but down on her neck. "You forgot about me, wench!"


    Acacia stiffened as a wave of poison went into her veins. The hunger she felt was relieved a little, she ran backwards until she slammed his body against a wall, his grip on her waist loosen and she twisted her body to face, grabbing his shoulder and knee him in the groin. He fell to the ground and whimpered, she stepped back away from him and noticed the lips were bleeding and rotting. She raised a brow at the sight but her expression turned back to neutral.


    ''I am tired.'' Acacia could feel her body growing weak, she looked at him and was tempted to drain the poison in his body to replenish her energy.


    "Please don''t kill me...I beg you." The first brother cried out, his sentences interrupted by small whimpers as he tried to speak.


    Acacia was stunned by his plea and looked down at him for a moment. She remembered the memory of the elderly woman begged before he melted her face off, the crying girl and the bruise on the young boy''s face.


    "Why should I show mercy?" Acacia said in a low tone and tightened her grip on the whip. ''I don''t even feel the appetite to drain his poison anymore. Should I kill him? Or not? I have the power to do it so why am I hesitating?''


    Acacia had a conflicted expression on her face and didn''t notice when the first brother suddenly tackled her against the ground. She was shocked when her back hit the floor, her whip disappearing in thin air and his hands on her neck as he tried to choke her.


    "I''m... going to kill you!" He yelled out with blood splattering out from his lips. She wheezed at the lack of air and raised her hand, clawing at his face. He winced but he didn''t let go, she looked around until she saw a small by her side. She grabbed it and stabbed the stick into his left ear. He let out a sharp cry and released his grip, holding the left side of his face in pain. Acacia took deep breaths, trying to get air into her lungs. She scowled and felt a flicker of anger burning inside her. She got up on her feet and summoned her whip, flicking her wrist and snapped the whip out at his neck. The whip tightened around his neck, she gave it a forceful tug and his head ripped off from his body.


    Acacia puffed out small breaths and her eyes stared at the headless body. The anger she felt slowly dissipated. ''I wasn''t.... expecting his head to come off.''


    She gulped and averted her gaze, her head started to spin and she leaned backed away from his body. ''I just...killed someone, intentionally.''


    ''And you did a wonderful job at it.'' Daemonis said in a proud voice.


    Acacia didn''t know what to think and that was what scared her the most. Not the fact that she killed a man but the fact that she didn''t feel guilty about it. ''Is this your doing?''


    ''Me? I only watched and assisted. That was all you, my dear.'' Daemonis purred, his voice dripping with amusement.


    Acacia frowned and the whip disappeared into thin air once more, she fell on her knees and felt her exhaustion catching up to her. She heard the sounds of footsteps and saw the second brother with the gun back in his hand, his face and body covered in blood and whip marks. ''Dammit.''


    ''Looks like you have reached your limit.'' Daemonis commented.


    The second brother raised his hand and was about to shoot when his body suddenly burned up in flames, her eyes widened at the sight.


    "Damn!" Kel''s voice rang out as he approached the burning man and snapped his fingers, the fire burnt out leaving only ashes to the ground. Maximus was by his side and walked towards her, carrying her with his and throwing her body over his board shoulder.


    "Zephyra was looking everywhere for you!" Kel grinned and quickly rushed over to Maximus side and poked her cheek.


    "How did you¡ª"


    "Heard lots of screaming." Kel shrugged and Maximus grunted in agreement as they started to walk away.


    "But the kids¡ª"


    "Elric took care of it, he was the first to find those kids and they directed us to where you were and we followed the noise." Kel shrugged and continued to poke her cheek.


    Acacia felt a bit irritated to be cut off twice but she was going to let it slide for now, since they saved her and helped the kids. She slowly closed her eyes and let her exhaustion take over.