Becoming a Monster

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Fate is Cruel

Regret, the Queen was full of bitter emotions as she tried to flee with everything she had. She at least believed that with her wings, escape would at least be achievable, but the moment her leg made contact with the ground after her initial retreat, Noah was already upon her. His gaze was greedy, already processing the moment he was going to devour her, and the Queen clearly sensed it. It was the very realization that he was already processing consuming her that spurred on her fear even more.

In this moment, this would be the time where the instinctive nature of any life form would tap into their fight or flight instincts. Being a once prideful Queen, there should’ve been a struggle deciding on her course of actions. She could at least fight back, even in nature, prey would fight back when backed into a corner. Yet, there wasn’t a shred of fight left in her after she came upon a profound understanding.

This was far from just a simple predator and prey dynamic. Noah wasn’t hunting her for survival, nor was he driven by simple hunger. He was a monstrous creature that only intended to eat her just to end her existence. In that realization, she knew that no matter how fiercely she fought, no matter how desperately she tried to escape, all of it would be in vain.

And yet, despite the resignation in her soul, her body continued to fight for its survival. Her wings continued to sound off an intense, vibrating hum as she attempted to fly away, each beat of her wings sounded as a frantic plea for life.

Noah had every opportunity to pierce through the Queen’s body with his spider legs after coming upon her, to end the chase in an instant. But instead, he made a grabbing motion towards her back that had quickly presented itself during the Queen’s attempt to flee once more. His claws extended; claws that lacked the dread that Fenrir’s enormous claws would bring, but when they dug into the Queen’s hide, they were piercing dead into the center where all of her wings merged.

His action didn’t affect the Queen’s ability to fly; his intent wasn’t to cut apart her back, or tear off the base of her wings like a sane would do. His claws simply dug in deep, curving within her body and securing his hold. With the Queen’s momentum and the power her wings held, Noah found his body starting to rise off the ground.

It was impossible for the Queen to not know what Noah had done; the piercing agony inflicted on one of her most vulnerable areas only fueled her motivation to escape, to break free from the threat dragging her back to the ground. The strength in Noah’s one arm was undeniably strong, but it wasn’t enough. The Queen could feel her body continuing to rise.

There wasn’t any forethought to her decision as she beat her wings with a crazed intensity. Small audible cracks began to emerge at the center of her wings; the strain the Queen was placing on her delicate wings had already begun to show signs of wear and tear. But she couldn’t stop, she wouldn’t stop, or she would surely die.

”Not like this! Not like this!” The Queen screamed vehemently as the cracks in her wings continued to stretch further, and the damage began to finally affect her. Losing function in her winged only deepened her despair, and the rhythmic beatings it once had was now a clutter of irregular hums. Although she had mentally accepted her fate, the slow, cruel torment made the reality of death harder to accept.

”Let go, you freak!” Her antenna unnaturally whipped behind her, intending to tear through his arm. But a heavy clang was all she needed to hear to know that his spider legs were never truly idle.

The struggle seemed as if it would last until the Queen’s wings gave out, at least that’s how the interaction was previously going. However, when the Queen began to strike back, even though her attempts were useless, the continuous attacks incited Noah’s anger. His spider appendages began to twitch, mirroring his impatience before two of them were raised.

While at first, the Queen was frantically looking towards the sky, hoping that any second she would be able to escape from the monster’s clutches. The sounds of her wings stopped abruptly, while at the same time, gravity began to pull on her, seemingly much stronger than before.

Her body crashed into the ground, the force of the impact left her embedded into the concrete, a pit that made out a resembling image of her form was created. Dazed and confused, the Queen was struggling to understand what happened. She was only able to lift her head just enough to see parts of her wings scattered in different areas around her. Her initial confusion was finally cleared up, but then the realization caused her body to stiffen from sheer terror of what that meant for her.

But she had no time to think, and no time to grieve her own impending death before her body was punctured and held down in six different places, firmly securing her in place. The appendages didn’t just pierce through her exoskeleton in her flesh; they proceeded to pierce through the ground.

The shock elicited a painful jolt that ended with even more pain. Every bit of movement she attempted intensified the excruciating sensation. And when her thoughts were consumed with only the pain, an even worse sensation through her body, followed by the sounds of savage chewing. The crunch of hard bites, as if the person was biting into something harder than bone, was followed by an unsettling squelch mixed within.

She fully expected for Noah to feast on her body, she just didn’t foresee that it would be while she was still alive! And worse....she could tell that he wasn’t planning on giving her a swift death.

Amongst the agonizing sensation of her body being ripped apart and the sounds of her very flesh being eating atop of her. The Queen’s fear and desperation wasn’t to be seen, instead, her body seemed to have grown numb as she finally made a harsh, yet determined decision.

”In the end, I’m still Queen! My death will be on my own terms!” She defiantly murmured to herself, through her voice strained from the tenseness of her body bracing itself for the torment Noah was inflicting.

There was no hesitation or no delay between the time she made the decision and when she took action. Her antenna that remained free, looped from off the ground, swirling before it came full circle to impale her head. There was an eerie comfort in seeing the bladed point coming to relieve her from her torment. If she could, she would close her eyes so she could peacefully accept death.

But, the solace she had prepared herself was torn to shreds. Any hope she had remaining to escape a slow, painful death was gone as her body slightly lifted from the ground; before one of the spider legs that was holding her down had intercepted her attempt to end her life.

”No.....Nooooo!”

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At the station’s private parking lot, everyone watched in silent horror, wanting to turn away from Noah feasting on the Queen, her excruciating cries making even them feel sorry for her.

In the end, the occasion should be a joyful moment. Not only have they managed to survive against overwhelming odds, but many of the fighters there had reached the level to awaken. That fact alone would considerably increase their chances for survival in the near future.

However, no one was able to feel the satisfaction of such a victory. No one was spared from Noah’s beastial roar, the personification of a crazed beast; and his further actions weren’t able to soothe their fears either.

Murmurs spread through the crowd, speculating whether Noah could still be considered an ally or if they were only replacing one monster for another.

Then there were people who held a notable relationship with both Noah and Ailetta. Mark and the others were even more distraught, not just from what they were currently witnessing, but everything in its entirety.

The intense emotional roller coaster they were put through was probably more severe than what he others experienced. Being around Noah for so long, they developed the same subconscious thought that no matter how dangerous the situation was, no matter how strong the enemy was, if they were to fail, then Noah would be there to save them. The lack of confidence they held of themselves in comparison to Noah made them unable to even consider having a fighting chance if Noah wasn’t able to overcome the odds like they had always seen him do.

The group huddled together, their faces etched with concern and fear. They had all witnessed Noah’s terrifying transformation and felt an instinctual dread, even as they grappled with the hope that the Noah they knew was still in there somewhere.

”How about we wait until Noah finishes? Though I won’t comment on what he’s doing, he’s still the same Noah to me. Once again, we owe our savior our lives, we shouldn’t keep doubting him at every turn. Maybe he’s currently using a skill that makes him behave that way? I’d like to believe that the most we can do for him is give him the benefit of the doubt.” The contrast of Ishii’s optimism compared to everyone else disrupted their conversation.

Sigh* Alicia resignatedly breathed out, ”Ishii...Can you read the room for once?” she voiced, almost pleading for Ishii not to continue any further.

”This time is different from all the other times....” Mark cut in, his ashen expression revealing that he was having trouble forcing out the words he needed to say next. ”I don’t like this...but I think we should discuss this with Raven and the others....we shouldn’t stay here until he finishes. On the off chance that he really becomes something else...None of us here would be able to stop him.”

The grim reality of his words quickly settled into everyone’s hearts, even Ishii took the moment to think in silence.

”The only person that could ever keep him in check was Ailetta....” Bailey muttered to herself, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Another moment of silence took place, those of who actually cared for were still torn over her death, more so than to the fact that somehow she was able to make herself into a monster.

Thinking of Ailetta, all eyes drifted towards a figure who was isolated from the group. Jasmine was blankly staring into the distance, simply detached from their conversation and the horror of Noah’s gruesome feeding unfolding before them.

”Guys, let’s not mention her anymore...at least not now, when people still need to grieve.” Mark tried to change the subject. His worries for Jasmine’s state of mind were already high.

Everyone else was of the same agreement, and in the end they had come to a collective agreement to go off of Marks’ suggestion, no matter how bitter they felt in doing so.

”Jas? Jas!” But when they were about to make their way over to Raven and the two other leaders, Mark’s sudden shout caused everyone to stop in their tracks. Even the surrounding murmurs ceased to Mark’s yells.

Looking over, everyone was only able to catch sight of a bundle of hair swaying in the wind as Jasmine rushed frantically in a certain direction, a direction not far from where Noah was. Worry gripped the others, but Mark was consumed with fear, fear of what Noah would possibly do to his sister if she approached him unwarranted.

His reaction to chase after her was immediate, and the others exchanged worried glances before following suit.

Seeing the student’s reactions, Raven and the others could only speculate about their actions. However, noticing they were heading to their supposed savior, the three felt prudent to make sure they were there to show their respect.

With everyone following behind Jasmine, they quickly realized that although she was nearing Noah, her true destination was elsewhere. That’s when they noticed the slime creature from before, its eerie violet eyes opening to scrutinize their arrival.

Forgetting to reveal her once human appearance, the others struggled to connect the monstrous figure before them with Ailetta, who had seemingly ”perished” in front of their eyes.

But Jasmine never doubted who it was, she was sure of it, Aieltta was alive.