The foreign cloud collapsed yet again and the Malfae frowned. ‘Just why can’t I maintain simultaneous connections?’

The mortal child, on the other hand, clucked his tongue and crossed his hands. The child looked sideways at the wall as if avoiding the Malfae’s eyes. “Tch. You, ugly. You can’t even do this?”

The Malfae frowned and eyed the beautiful mortal child.

Suspicion.

“What! What are you doubting me for?!” The exquisite mortal child squawked as he still refused to look at the [Hive Monarch]. At that moment, the Malfae understood. It flew up, pointed a finger at the beautiful mortal child and puffed its cheeks.

Accusation.

“Y-You! Ugly! Ugly! Ugly!” The child jumped up and screeched back. “You think you are failing because of me?! How dare you!”

The Malfae floated in the air and crossed its hands. It looked down at the beautiful mortal child from its position up in the air. It was as if the Malfae was waiting for him to confess. It eyed the beautiful boy from the corner of its eyes as it mimicked tapping its feet.

“Y-you filthy ugly monster!” The child tried to swat at the Malfae but the creature flew out of the way. “I am not the reason you are failing! You are just useless!!”

Contradiction.

“You! You dare!”

Agreement.

0.0

The strange eagle called the [Monster Tamer] before the situation could worsen further and the majestic woman arrived with the flourish of her green clothes. She eyed the beautiful mortal child and then she eyed the Malfae. “Fly down here.”

The creature did as it was told and landed, only for it to be backhanded with full force. The Malfae was thrown off and it slammed into the nearby wall. Its bones cracked and its wings broke as agony erupted all over its body.

“Know your place monster.” The voice of the woman was even, however, her majesty seemed to surge and for a moment she once again became larger than life as she stepped forward. “You do not correct your master.”

“You do not accuse your master.” The larger than life woman stepped on the tiny creature’s even tinier legs and crushed them to a bloody paste. The creature screamed as pain assaulted it. However, as its nerves died, numbness began to spread like poison.

“And under no circumstance, do you second guess your master.” The woman’s even voice was low as she spoke through gritted teeth. “His words are your truth. His orders are your heavens. He is your god.”

Acceptance! Acceptance!! Acceptance!!!

“See to it that you understand properly, yes?” The woman minced the creature’s legs one last time before she ordered someone to take the creature back to its cell.

“Ah yes. You possess [Moulting], don’t you?” The woman added absently.

Agr-agreement. The creature projected as its body reared in agony.

“I expect you in proper form tomorrow then.”

0.0

When the creature was brought to meet the beautiful but bratty mortal child once again, the majestic woman was nowhere to be seen. But that was meaningless as the strange eagle still sat silently at the windowsill. The Malfae’s eyes fell on the eagle and the sense of unreal-ness seeped into its senses once again.

The creature shivered and averted its gaze. It breathed deeply and clenched its fists before slowly releasing them. The Malfae’s eyes fell on the beautiful mortal child that had been observing the creature from its seat. Their eyes met and the mortal child’s lips stretched into a beautiful but smug smile. The child raised its eyebrows at the creature and taunted it to act.

The Malfae did not react and the mortal child’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed.

“What? No comment now? What happened? Did someone hurt you?” Raucous laughter erupted from the beautiful but bratty mortal child but the Malfae did not react. Instead, it stole a glance at the strange eagle from the corner of its eyes.

The eagle was, apparently, observing the Malfae for its reaction and their eyes met. The Malfae averted its gaze post-haste as its body shivered once again. Seemingly satisfied at the Malfae’s reaction, the strange eagle trilled as it chided the mortal child. The child pouted and complained but the eagled trilled once again and tapped the mortal child gently on his head.

The mortal boy patted his head and sulked as he sighed in resignation. “Fine. Fine! I will practice with that ugly thing.”

Soon after, the Malfae received a much-awaited notification.

Ting.

0.0

“Here’s your reward.” The majestic woman flicked her finger towards an earthen cage that had been brought in by one of her guards. The creature glanced at the cage before it clamped down on the trembling of its limbs and gingerly flew to the earthen box. It peeked through to the bars to look inside and was greeted with the sight of a wiggling starfish.

The creature glanced at the majestic woman and when she nodded, the creature activated its Skill, [Malfae Shield]. The Malfae’s act of seeking permission caused the [Monster Tamer]’s lips to twitch into a small smile.

Meanwhile, the [Malfae Shield] shimmered into existence and the [Hive Monarch] opened the shield’s wings and sent it flying past the bars and stabbed into the creature. The starfish reared back in pain and its wiggling limbs found the Malfae shield before wrapping around it. The aquatic creature then squeezed the shield and shattered it like glass.

The Malfae frowned and activated its Skills. ‘[Malfae Shield]. [Venom Creation].’

The [Hive Monarch] coated the shield in its venom and sent it through the bars once again. The starfish was vigilant though and it used its various limbs to block the path of the shield. The Malfae tried to manoeuvre the shield back to where the starfish had been hurt previously but it found the wound had already healed.

‘Regeneration factor of some sort. Just great.’ The Malfae scowled and stabbed the open wings of the shield into the wriggling limbs of the starfish. It then dismissed the shimmering shield and summoned another, which it coated similarly with its venom.

The Malfae repeated its strategy a couple of times until the effects of its venom became so pronounced that the multi-limbed creature began to thrash around due to its hallucination. With the starfish no longer vigilant and cognizant of its actions, the Malfae stabbed the aquatic creature with its shield and cut off all its limbs.

Yet, the stubborn starfish refused to die and its stumps even showed signs of regeneration.

The Malfae’s blood raced and its massive ears grew hot as its face twisted. It sent its venom laden shield back into the cage and began chopping the remaining, almost circular, stump into pieces.

It was only after the amount of venom overcame the starfish’s natural regeneration that the aquatic creature died and the Malfae was rewarded with a slew of notifications.

Ting.

Ting.

.

.

.

Ting.

Ting.

0.0

Killing the starfish monster had pushed the Malfae’s Level up to 57. Thus, when the Malfae was escorted back to its cell, it was happy enough that it would have skipped if it had been a mortal. But as it was not a mortal, it didn’t.

However, its arrival at its cell was greeted not by the blessed silence that it so desired but by the sound of slaps, thrusts, slams, poundings, cries, grunts and the low-pitched moans. The noises left the creature extremely annoyed. ‘[Projection].’

Irritation.

The sound of gurgling laughter resounded the moment its emotion was transmitted. An unnatural sound. It was hoarse and ugly as if the throat that had made the unnatural sound had been ripped apart at one time and hadn’t healed correctly. The sound fell on the Malfae’s massive ears and seemed to linger, haunting the immortal as the creature’s scalp tingled and goosebumps erupted on its skin.

Anger.

The laughter increased even more before the sound of thrusting paused and muted thumps echoed out as the woman seemed to let out gasps. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed then and something hit the wall with a thud.

A man’s roar resounded and the creature cancelled its Skill with a sigh. ‘I am not going to get any peace tonight.’

0.0

Time passed and the days turned into night. The nights turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months. All the while, the creature worked endlessly with the beautiful mortal child, under the careful supervision of the strange eagle.

The hard work of the Malfae bore it quite a few fruits as the Malfae and the beautiful mortal child continued to Level up their respective [Projection] Skills. The Malfae reached Level 7 in the Skill while the beautiful but bratty mortal child reached Level 8. The Skill Level ups also brought rewards from the [Monster Tamer], in the forms of high Levelled monsters, which resulted in the [Hive Monarch] Levelling past the 60s, the 70s and finally into the 80s.

Under the constant and violent punishment doled out by the [Monster Tamer], even the creature’s [Pain Resistance] had hit the Level Limit as it reached Level 15 while [Moulting] reached Level 10. But this had not been the only Skill to have Levelled up in this time as even the creature’s [Domination Resistance] had Levelled up to Level 13.

Initially, the creature had been confused about the reason for the unforeseen Level up. However, it had come to realise that resisting the domination of its instincts to hibernate had been what had pushed the Skill to Level up.

Meanwhile, the creature had gotten increasingly irritated by the noises that seem to always come from its neighbour’s cell. It had even complained about it to the [Monster Tamer] but the woman had backhanded it instead. From what the creature had been able to understand, while it had fought off dizziness, the woman had been displeased by the creature daring to ask her to solve its personal problems.

It sounded like a lot of nonsense to the [Hive Monarch] but it was not like the creature could argue with the majestic but lunatic woman. And just like that another 2 months passed by, leaving the Malfae with less than 2 months in its lifespan.

0.0

The [Hive Monarch] woke up to the sound of its neighbour’s voice. “It should be approaching.”

The groggy creature shook itself in annoyance but did not bother to reply to the woman. It supported itself with its weak and aching limbs and walked over to the nearby water dish to wash its face.

“You should be careful in the next couple of weeks, little monster.”

The cold water broke the creature out of its haze and its pupil-less eyes opened wide. The greyed eyes that had once been endlessly dark gazed at the wall that separated it from its neighbour. The creature thought over the words of the woman once again and sighed. ‘Just why is she spouting nonsense first thing in the morning? [Projection].’

Drowsiness.

Lethargy.

Annoyance.

Curiosity.

“Did I wake you up? My apologies.” The woman answered with a voice way too mirthful to be apologetic. “Did the little monster sleep well? Should I have sung a lullaby perhaps?”

The creature closed its eyes and rubbed them softly. ‘It is too early for her brand of crazy.’

Nostalgia.

Curiosity.

Drowsiness.

“Tch. At least pretend to take the bait for your only friend.” The woman chided. “Let me have some joy in life, will you?”

The Malfae did not bother to respond to that particular nonsense. Instead, it waited for the woman to get to the point. As she had woken it up early in the morning, the creature doubted it was for something as pointless as joy. And indeed, the woman continued after a few moments.

“Tch. Tch. You shouldn’t know me so well.” The woman seemed to sigh. “The [Monster Tamer]’s Skill should be losing effect in the next couple of weeks. Be prepared for her to renew the Skill.”

The creature’s blood began to race faster as its weakened heart paced. All its drowsiness disappeared at the chambermaid’s words.

Helplessness.

Fight back.

How?

Rather than simply projecting emotions, with which it was much more comfortable, the creature projected intentions with its Level 7 [Projection].

“Just continue to act as you have been.” The woman replied casually as if her revelations had not just stirred up the Malfae’s life. “The [Monster Tamer] should renew her Skill long before it actually ends. Therefore, your behaviour should not turn antagonistic as the Skill time limit approaches.”

Helplessness.

Actions.

What?

The creature bombarded the woman with its intentions.

“Hmm? Simply act as you normally would.” The woman answered nonchalantly before she paused for a moment and then scoffed. “And prepare yourself mentally to start worshipping them again.”

The creature scowled at the flippant tone of the woman.

Importance.

Safety.

Must!

The woman remained quiet for a few moments, likely puzzling the message of the Malfae from within its vague intentions. “You are worried about it, aren’t you?”

Agreement.

“Why would you do something that useless?” The woman’s flippant reply did not help the creature’s frustrations but the woman ignored the projected irritation. “It’s not as if the effect of her Skill is particularly strong on you. In fact, it is quite the opposite.”

The creature scowled but stopped projecting irritation at the woman.

“But this is not important at the moment.” The woman announced and the creature almost went apoplectic with rage. Its mind being manipulated wasn’t important? The very thought enraged it.

“What is important is your upcoming slavery.” Though as the woman continued to speak the creature restrained itself.

Restrained Fury.

Irritation.

Violence.

.

.

.

Confusion.

The woman scoffed at the various negative emotions projected by the immortal and simply ignored them. “Do you know the fate of tamed monsters?”

The creature’s brows furrowed but it remained silent as it pondered over the woman’s question.

Ignorance.

It finally projected.

“Death.” The woman announced. “Nothing but death awaits tamed monsters.”

…bafflement.

…befuddlement.

Bewilderment.

“A monster is enslaved for a purpose that is none but one.” The woman spoke but her voice almost seemed like a melody. “Fight the monster shall its kind. And fight it shall till its last breath. For the monster that is enslaved, its purpose is thus.”

“Yet if the monster survives its master somehow.” The woman almost sang with mirth dancing in her voice. “Let death be its reward for mercy there is none.”

The Malfae’s blood chilled.

0.0

The days came and the days went by as weeks passed. The woman’s words proved themselves to be true and the [Monster Tamer] renewed [Thought Alignment] on the Malfae. However, contrary to the [Hive Monarch]’s expectations the process didn’t turn out to be as much of a nightmare as it had been dreading. It could even be argued that the event was less than eventful.

With the renewal of the Skill, the Malfae had once again worshipped not only the two mortals but also the very ground they had walked on. The woman had once again become a mortal whose majesty made her seem larger than life. This majesty of hers declared her the ruler of the world. Her son on the other hand, once again become the most beautiful child to have ever existed. The mortal child had seemed perfect in every way and even his bratty nature had seemed adorable to the Malfae.

Though, much akin to the previous turn of events, the effects of the Skill had decreased day by day under the effect of the Malfae’s [Domination Resistance]. The effects of the [Monster Tamer]’s Skill had decreased until the Malfae had once again realised its thoughts for the delusions that they were. Yet, the Malfae’s [Domination Resistance] had been unable the cancel the [Monster Tamer]’s Skill itself. It had merely decreased its effects.

As a result, the Malfae still considered the green-clad woman’s spawn to be a beautiful child, when it had no reason to think so. And still considered the woman herself as a majestic mortal, when it should have nothing but disdain for mortals.

During this time, as the [Survivor] continued to Level up the mortal child’s Skill, the Malfae was provided with the monsters to kill and Level. Hence, the Malfae’s Level crossed over into the 90s and reached 93. However, the creature was soon forced to stop its speed Levelling as the [Monster Tamer] began giving it deadlines that were impossible for it to achieve.

There was no way that the creature could force the mortal child’s Skill to Level up from 9 to 10 in a mere 4 days. It had taken the creature an entire week to push it past just Level 5!

The [Hive Monarch] understood the intention of the woman though. It knew that the [Monster Tamer] wanted to stifle its growth and make it beg for more monsters. It knew that this act of the green-clad woman was nothing more than another powerplay.

The creature, obviously, did not know just how wrong it was. Thus, the creature was prepared to beg as it had no problem with begging. However, it knew that the majestic woman would not have stifled the Malfae’s growth if she had any intention of changing her mind.

The creature felt bitter about it but there was little it could do. It definitely did not want to voice its thoughts and have its limbs crushed once again. It received that particular punishment almost regularly already. It had no intention of giving the green-clad woman any more reason than the ones she imagined at a moment’s notice.

0.0

Divyaaditi sat beside her husband as he handed Surya a massive scroll of cloth.

“What is this?” The boy asked in his high-pitched voice and his nose scrunched adorably. He barely handled the scroll that was a length that was more than half his own height.

“This is an Inheritance Scroll for the Spell [Stimulate],” Sagar answered as his deep voice resounded across the massive room. “Go on. Use it.”

Surya eyed the massive scroll in his arms from the corner of his eyes and then glanced at her as if asking for permission. The woman nodded and the child began unfolding the scroll. “A Spell? Really?!”

The exchange between the mother and the son was not missed by Sagar, the father, but he made no mention of it. The fact that his authority over their son stood lower than his wife’s, was not news to him. Instead, the man smiled encouragingly at the boy.

The boy unfurled the cloth scroll to reveal a blank golden fabric. The scroll was entirely blank with not even a single dot on the golden fabric. Suryaakaruna placed his small hand on the fabric and a notification appeared before him.

Ting.

‘Yes.’ The moment the boy finished his thought, the golden scroll glowed azure for a moment before dissolving into dust. The golden dust formed a small cloud before it landed on the boy and covered him like a second layer of skin. Then, in another moment, the golden dust melted and was absorbed into the child’s skin.

Ting.

-X-

Within a desolate desert, inside a dilapidated shop, on a simple chair, a youth seemingly slept.

-X-