The Malfae woke up to its body protesting against itself. Its joints hurt and flesh ached while its back shed its white hair and skin sagged. Even its bones felt week and limbs lacked energy. Its eyelids fluttered and a sigh escaped its tired blue lips.

Despite the [Reincarnated]’s best efforts to forget, it was reminded of its age and the remaining minuscule lifespan. It summoned its Status and its eyes fell on the 2-digit Lifespan written on the blue screen. ‘20 days.’

It let out a sigh and painfully summoned the energy to push itself up as its knees and joints protested the decision. Its dull eyes scanned its Status and the [Hive Monarch]'s hairless brows furrowed as its gaze fell on [Projection]. The Skill had reached Level 10, for both the creature and the mortal boy. ‘Will she go back on her word?’

Its concern wasn't invalid as the majestic woman had yet to mention its promised evolution. The [Survivor] had wanted to bring it up quite a few times, but its limited communication ability had proved itself a hindrance. Or perhaps, the woman had pretended to not comprehend its limited communication.

The Malfae wouldn’t have known either way.

0.0

The old monster was brought before the [Monster Tamer] and her son once more. The moment it entered the room though, it noticed the scent of something that seemed to elude a hidden danger.

The Malfae waited not a moment more as it activated its Skill [Sense] and immediately its antennas twitched as they caught the scent of salt, sea and fish. It would have preferred to use [Sense Essence] but with the green-clad woman present, it didn’t dare to.

Its eyes fell on the earthen cage which was almost half the length of a fully grown mortal. The cage was placed in the centre of the room and the [Survivor]’s antennas twitched towards it. Sea, humidity and predator. Whatever existed in the cage was not as simple as its last few kills.

The [Hive Monarch] frowned as it finished observing the earthen cage. Unlike the previous versions of the cage, this cage was not just made of stone bars, instead, it was shaped like a solid box.

“Right on time.” The [Monster Tamer]'s feminine voice broke its observation and it turned its head to face the majestic woman. “Here’s your reward.”

It hesitated for a moment before it activated its newest Skill. ‘[Projection].’

Danger.

“Oh?” The green-clad woman blinked in surprise. “Ah yes, you do possess [Sense]. Little wonder you sensed it. This Third-Tier monster should Level you up to Level 100.”

The [Survivor]'s eyes widened and its head swirled to bore into the earthen cage. It visibly gulped.

“Don’t dawdle now.” The majestic woman ordered and it hesitantly took to the air before tentatively flying towards the earthen cage. As it hovered above the cage, it realized that the top of the cage was a mesh of bars, much like the previous cages had been. The Malfae squinted its eyes before it flew down to get a better look at the immortal that would become its prey.

The Malfae’s eyes narrowed at the seawater within the cage before it noticed the form of a worm swimming within the cage. The worm was small, almost a third of a mortal’s finger and was the colour of an eggshell. Despite its small size, the worm was fat and plump and almost seemed to exude juiciness. It was as if it had been designed to seem as delicious as possible.

The Malfae frowned and observed the inside of the cage once more but it found nothing except the worm. ‘Is this really a thrice evolved creature? A worm?’

It wanted to activate [Sense Essence] for it knew from her memories that little could hide from an Essence sensing Skill. Yet, it didn’t dare to. It didn't know if the majestic woman had any methods of detecting its Skill and it did not want to try its luck. It absolutely did not want to inform the woman that it had been able to successfully hide its Skills from her.

It feared not the majestic woman’s punishment if she were to find out its gamble. Rather, it feared that the green-clad woman would force the Malfae to tell her all its Skills and Titles. Under no circumstance did the [Reincarnated] wanted to inform anyone of its Title, [Reincarnated].

Thus, the Malfae hovered in the air right above the cage, unsure of how to proceed. The plumpness and the juiciness of the worm were giving the Malfae a pause. The way the creature seemed delicious to the Malfae, without the [Hive Monarch] having ever tasted it, didn't sit well with the winged immortal.

Ever since it had been reborn, the Malfae had never salivated for any creature. But right now, it had.

The [Hive Monarch] finally landed on the edge of the cage and decided to observe the worm for a few moments more. Though, as it continued to observe the creature in the water, its eyes narrowed.

The plump worm swam in the water, uncaring and nonchalant. The Malfae’s eyebrows furrowed as it remembered its own panic and terror when it had been captured. This unbothered behaviour of the worm did not sit well with the [Hive Monarch]. The more it watched, the more its eyes narrowed.

Although the seemingly delicious worm swam nonchalantly within the cage, its movement seemed almost calculated. In whichever direction it swam, it seemed to go to a certain point before it returned. This certain point never changed. It never wavered. It was as if the worm could not move beyond that point. At that moment, the Malfae’s eyes widened and it flew off the edge of the cage as it warily eyed the fat worm.

It hastily summoned a [Malfae shield] and as the shield shimmered into existence, the [Survivor] slammed it down hard onto the carelessly swimming plump worm.

The shield descended and it entered into the water with a loud splash. The shimmering shield cut through the water as it passed until it reached wiggling worm.

And then it passed through the seemingly juicy worm.

At that moment, two massive shells seemed to emerge from the bottom of the cage before they closed down on the worm and the [Malfae Shield] that had passed through it. The shells closed down with a loud clang and it felt the [Malfae Shield] shatter. Its tired heart almost skipped a beat and it turned to face the majestic woman with an expression on its face that a mortal would only describe as ‘what the fuck?!’.

The Malfae, however, decided against projecting its real thoughts.

Disbelief.

Danger.

How?

The green-clad woman raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. She couldn’t be bothered with such a minor issue.

The Malfae frowned as the monster within the water and seemingly crushed the contents of the shell. Following which the shells promptly dissipated and the Malfae blinked in surprise. ‘Just what-?’

At that moment, the creature within the water revealed itself as the floor of the cage shifted and the frame of clam the size of a mortal’s arm became visible. As the clam moved, its colour changed.

What had been the intermixed dark shades of greys and browns, that had allowed the creature to blend in with the floor until it had almost disappeared, changed into a new colour that was somewhere in between white, yellow and rose.

Rays of light hit the immortal to disperse, leaving behind seven coloured shine on the extraordinarily smooth surface of the clam. The overall result, thus, was a shine that was quite similar to that of pearls. It was almost as if the shells of the clam had been made from massive pearls themselves.

The Malfae calmed its weak heart and furrowed its hairless eyebrows as it began to think. It flew back down and activated [Malfae Shield]. The blue shield shimmered into existence and the [Reincarnated] once again sent it slamming onto the clam. Though, much as it had expected, the shield simply shattered as it hit the shell.

The [Reincarnated]'s eyes narrowed and it summoned its Status. It eyed its Skill list, only to let out a tired sigh. ‘This is going to be tiring.’ The [Hive Monarch] flew down and landed on the edge of the cage before it activated [Venom Creation]. The clam, unknowing of the Skill the Malfae had used, summoned a set of shells, akin to its own, and sent them slamming onto the Malfae.

The Malfae stumbled in shock before it stabilised itself as the shell hit the stone mesh with full force, but it did not damage the stone any. The [Hive Monarch] had expected this, of course. If the clam’s attacks had been able to damage the earthen cage, then the immortal would not be comfortable with being imprisoned in the cage.

The clam sent the shell again and again but the flying immortal ignored its prey's movements and focused on the task at hand, which was to create as much venom as possible. It took a few moments, or rather quite a few moments, before the venom being ejected from its pores collected enough to form a drop which slid down.

The process was excruciatingly sluggish. It was so slow that the [Monster Tamer] considered summoning Singh Raj then and there to do the job in the Malfae’s stead. However, the majestic woman didn’t follow through with her impulse. Rather she scoffed and turned to leave. “Let the monsters be.”

“Maybe the ugly monster is not going to kill the pretty one?” The high-pitched but hopeful voice of the beautiful mortal child echoed out and the green-clad woman paused.

“It will.” The woman quashed the child’s hope. “But I have not the patience for its incompetence.” The green-clad woman then left along with her son, leaving the two monsters alone. Not that the Malfae minded this development. It simply sat at the edge and continued to create its venom, drop by crop, to kill the clam one drop at a time.

It took the Malfae hours. It took the [Hive Monarch] hours of [Venom Creation] during which the clam became increasingly, but uselessly, violent. It had initially kept count of time but had given it up after 7 hours.

As the clam finally died, the [Survivor] found itself soaked in venom, in much the same way mortals are soaked in sweat after an intense workout. Venom dripped down its chin and soaked every single strand of hair on its body.

‘How,’ a thought popped in its mind, ‘anticlimactic.’

The [Hive Monarch] glanced at the cage holding the clam and it sighed. Although the difference between the Malfae and the Clam had been of a single Tier, the [Hive Monarch] would not have been able to kill its prey had it not been caged. Instead, if this had been a battle in the wild, the one to find itself dead would have been the Malfae.

Although the [Survivor] was aware of this fact, at the moment, the Malfae cared not for it.

Ting.

Ting.

Ting.

Ting.

Ting.

Ting.

.

.

.

.

Ting.

Ting.

0.0

“So, you were finally allowed to reach Level 100.” The feminine voice of the chambermaid called out to the Malfae after its escort had left the prison. “Feeding a starving dog, little by little, to keep it hungry and tame. Tch. How cruel.”

“But then, you are a monster.” The woman continued, unheeding her audience’s response. “Hence it matters not, I suppose.”

The Malfae's brows furrowed as the woman initiated a conversation once again. The woman had grown more and more chatty as the weeks had passed and the forced conversations had now become quite a bother to the creature.

It did not get time to consider more as the woman broached a subject that she knew the immortal would not ignore. “You would be tamed soon. Have you thought of a method to deal with your approaching death?”

The creature scowled and activated its Skill. ‘[Projection].’

Annoyance.

Frustration.

defeat.

“Hmm.” The woman’s voice was low as if she was lost in her own thoughts. Meanwhile, the [Survivor] frowned as it waited for the woman to continue the conversation.

But she didn’t.

0.0

“Little monster. Wake up. Wake up now.” The woman called out late into the night and awakened the Malfae just as it had begun to slip into slumber, irritating it greatly. After all, in its old age, deep slumbers were like long lost friends. They seldom met.

The tired [Reincarnated] sat up, not just a little groggy but also immensely irritated. As its weary eyes scanned its cell and then the corridor, it noticed the soft light of the azure moon filtering through the mesh windows in the corridor. It shivered.

It averted its gaze and its eyes fell on the wall that separated it from its neighbour. It scowled. ‘[Projection].’

Immense Frustration.

Importance.

Must.

“How the monsters are killed, after their Tamers die, have you found this out yet?” The woman asked but before the Malfae could even form a response, the woman continued. “I don’t suppose you would have. Such things are secrets hidden from even the most trusted monsters.”

It hissed in annoyance. ‘If she knew the answer to the question, why did she even ask in the first place?’

Essence.

What?

“After a monster is tamed, a permanent tracking magic is cast on it, resulting in the creation of a Tracking Scroll.” The woman seemingly ignored the creature’s question. “It is through this Scroll that most monsters meet their deaths.”

“Of course, this is not what the Monsters are told.” The woman did not wait for it to reply. “For what the monsters are told is not important. After all, most tamers with the [Pact] Skill can track their tamed monsters.”

It blinked.

“Same fate will await you if your tamer dies before you.” The woman paused as she finally gave the Malfae the time to process the information and ask questions.

But the Malfae remained quiet.

“I mention this today,” the woman’s voice was soft, almost a whisper but not quite, “I mention this today to offer you a way to escape your death.”

It didn't reply as it gave the wall separating them a contemplative look. It was as if its gaze saw through the wall and even saw the woman herself.

The Malfae wasn't surprised by the woman’s offer. It had been suspicious of her ever since she had begun chatting with it. It had been even more suspicious when she had started that friend nonsense.

As it continued to remain quiet, the woman spoke up again. “Whether you believe me or not, I am your only way forward. Only with my help can you survive.”

The Malfae scoffed. It had managed to survive by itself just fine. It had survived through the high mana zone while it had been so utterly dominated that it had had to crawl. And still, it had survived. What did this two-bit prisoner know of its survival?

Doubt.

Mockery.

Suspicion.

“You don’t believe me?” The woman’s voice, surprisingly, became high pitched in clear astonishment. She paused for a moment to clear her throat before she continued. “Even after everything that I have told you, you still don’t trust me?”

Trust? This mortal? The [Hive Monarch] didn’t have a death wish. She had an agenda that she had told the Malfae nothing about and she talked of trust? What nonsense.

The Malfae didn’t even know if what the woman had said were truths or just elaborate stories.

None.

Absolutely none.

The woman laughed and her high-pitched voice seemed to echo in their rather empty prison. The sound of her laugh was ugly like bleeding pus as it spoke of bitterness and hate rather than joy and mirth. It bored into the creature’s ears.

“Very well.” She finally acknowledged. “It is my fault for willing to trust a monster. Tell me oh great immortal, what would it take for you to help me?”

Assistance?

What.

“You possess [Sense Essence] and [Mana Manipulation], don’t you?” The woman spoke without even a hint of hesitation. “I need you to use those Skills to loosen the bindings on my mana.”

An amused expression appeared on the Malfae’s face. Why would it do something so stupid? And that too after the woman had implied that the creature would be unable to be flippant with her if she had access to her mana. It hadn't forgotten that its neighbour possessed a Tier 2 Skill of the [Monster Tamer] path. Thus, it took the creature not even a moment to come to its decision.

No.

The woman chuckled, not at all surprised by its decision. It was as if she had been expecting the creature’s answer. “Don’t be so quick to refuse, little monster. I have much to offer you, should you decide to work with me.”

The creature furrowed its brows as it hesitated for a moment before it projected.

What.

“While you do possess [Mana Manipulation], that particular Skill is almost useless without its Spell counterpart, [Mana Manifestation].” The woman voice seemed to contain hidden mirth. “Which you cannot learn, being a monster that you are.”

It scowled but it was of little consequence as the woman could not see its expression. Instead, the woman continued. “I can help you make use of your skill and teach you the work around the Spell that you are forbidden from learning.”

The creature’s furrowed brows slacked and it scoffed as it projected. No.

“Of course, that is not all that I offer.” The woman’s voice remained unbothered as ever. “In the process of helping me, both of your Skills shall Level up quite significantly. But that is just an unintended benefit. Once you help me, I shall destroy your Tracking Scroll and kill your Tamer. I will help you escape.”

The [Survivor] audibly scoffed.

Kill that beautiful child? As if this woman would ever get past the majestic green-clad woman that was the boy’s sire. What nonsense was she spouting? Did she even know what she was talking about? The creature very much doubted it.

No.

The Malfae’s refusal, this time, made the woman pause.

“Do you-” she frowned as she spoke, though her voice now contained the doubt that had been missing since she had dropped her act, "-not wish to be free?”

Nonsense.

What.

“Then why?!” The woman’s voice suddenly became high pitched as she seemed to lose her sanity for a moment. “Why would you not cooperate?!”

Suspicion.

Distrust.

Doubt.

“You don’t trust me?” The woman’s voice became strange for a moment before the wall in-between the cells resounded with multiple thud sounds as she woman slammed her fist down on it. She shrieked. “And you trust her!? Do you!!”

The Malfae ignored her and cancelled its Skill.

“You!” The woman shrieked as her sanity seemed to have disappeared. “Tell me! Why did you distrust me?! Tell me!”

The creature thought for a moment to ignore the woman’s question before it decided to answer and activated [Projection].

Control.

Submission.

Obedience.

Monster.

Taming.

-X-

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

-X-