-----Leĩea Pov----

Your link with entity Lily and Ruby Nova has been severed. Most likely cause …. Death

 

I was staring at the screen in front of my eyes… unable to move. My cup of tea fell to the ground at the same time as my legs lost their strength and tears started to run down my cheeks.

 

I didn’t even register the voice around me and the strong arms embracing me. I just wanted to forget…. to ignore the screen, but I couldn’t.

 

------Rosa Pov-----

 

‘Miss Rosa, can you tell us what u know please, what happened?’

 

The medical chief looked at me and asked his question, while his subordinates and friends worked around us helping the beastkin, elves and others move outside while covering them in warmer clothes and blankets. Most of them were crying in the female soldier’s embrace, while the men were currently putting out their feelings into the trash they found.

 

‘Miss Rosa please stay focused with me, what can u tell us about that child….’

He looked with worry at the weakened body of Lily… and Aria’s corpse.

 

‘Madam…, when we all were brought in here…. Lily… Lily was already here… already suffered to the hand of …. Well, u know… them… she, she was just a Snereloa or so was the system telling us….  After a couple more experiments… and her injury growing… me and my sisters, Carmen and Luna, tried to communicate with her using the skill [Telepathy], often only possessed by the fairy, faefolk, Mental mage or gifted from the adventurer bracelet… or any other town stuff to help those without the ability to communicate thought it is weaker and only there to communicate.

She, contrary to what I expected answered us… what she told us…... wasn’t what a monster would say… she was a Snereloa… a cold-blooded being… cold meant death to her… yet she did not once try to come close toward us or the other children for warm or greed.

Her answer to us after we decided to ask if she was okay. She said that we should stay away from her even if it means her death, that if we got too close, we might be the next target. We decided to not listen…. So did one foxkin… Aria, with a heart of gold…. The one you see in front of your eyes.

She caught the monster’s attention, for weeks… or is it months? Lily was forced and suffered dozens of experiments… her body was opened and then forcefully fused with wings, then came fur … then feathers. She started growing bigger and bigger, her skin opening from the forced growth, while Lily poorly healed injury and scar opened and bled crimson tears…. When that scumbag judged her big enough, I think… he took her…. We didn’t see her for at least 1 week. then the goons came back and grabbed Aria whist… we tried to stop them but then they threatened that we were going to be the next… and… we lost our strength. Aria was carried away…. Then some days after the goon threw them… ahem I mean Lily here… and the broken and others bad status on her body or mind. I can only imagine what happened….  If it’s my guess, seeing the [identity] information… and the way their bodies both had been altered… and fused I have a feeling…. Lily… assisted to the death of Aria itself… and then the torture and the past 3 or more months completely broke her at last….  And I don’t even think she knows that she now possesses Aria’s upper body if she sees it, I don’t know what will happen, but she might forever be broken…. They grew incredibly close and supported one another… all this... no one would be fine going through this.’

 

I finally breathed after my massive monologue… my teary eyes unable to stop from the weight and guilt that was still over my shoulder. I felt the arm of my sister as they hold me close.

 

-------Alvires Pov------

I listened to the fairies retelling what had happened…. So, a child did die… in the end…

When she was done, she broke down while her sister surrounded her….

 

I decided to let them to themselves. I continued to look and note every injury of miss Lily, the work had been barbaric. and without any care… but it was in working condition… sadly I couldn’t say the same for her mind or mana, I couldn’t see people’s mind... but I did possess [Mana sight] and what I saw was chaotic energy contradicting one another… her mana was useless… using it could lead to backfire… and her bone and organ had injury after being butchered brutally, it wasn’t even healed far from it.

If we had been 2 days late, she would have already perished… it’s a miracle she is even alive after …. The thing that crazy human did…

 

When we first laid eyes in the bloody scientist room all we could see was a table covered with tissue, flesh, and gore. Were a snakehead and a human lower body were still laying in a pool of blood, while their flesh was butchered. We also found…. An enchanted adventurer bracelet.

 We expected the worse… but if miss Rosa’s word was to be trusted only Aria and Lily had been the victim and only Aria died in their care… sadly it means that the other people that had been kidnapped may have gone through a fate worse than death, much like Lily and Aria. I sighed heavily.

 

Hopefully, the captain will have found better on her side.

 

I gestured to my assistants to lift her up into the cage-shaped carriage when after straining for 10 minutes they succeeded, I covered her with 3 blankets to cover her whole body and let her rest.

 

‘Xael, Herma, you two will climb with her and look over her… oh and stay vigilant she might be unstable and frightened.’

 

‘’Yes Madam!!!’’ they both saluted before climbing and sitting in the carriage.

‘Everyone, listen! We will march toward the closest town and escort u, the wounded or traumatized will be treated better by then, and by then we will also inform you of where we are, the walk will last 3 days we will pause every night if people cannot walk. You will be able to rest or sleep in all carriages but the one that still looks like a cage is not accessible for your own safety.’

 

After seeing no complaints or arguments I ordered the start of the march.

 

----Lily Pov---

 

I woke up to a night sky through the metal bar of a cage…… wait, I’m in a cage!? I immediately rose using my arm…… wait for what…why do I have h…… I looked at my left hand and the burn scar on the wrist caught my eyes…. Wasn’t this …. Aria Scar...?... Aria…. Why …..., a tear started to form and slowly wet my face as a waterfall slowly started. Too overwhelmed by the memory of Aria’s lifeless eyes. I didn’t notice the person that touched my shoulder until she spoke a bit agitated which caused my new ears to flinch as the sound hurt, I winced and rose my… head to look at 2 armoured female soldiers looking at me with worry and caution.

 

‘……’ I couldn’t speak I…. don’t know how….

Or maybe I can’t right now…... Make me remember Aria never spoke…... does that mean I … she couldn’t?

 

Seeing my distress, the 2 soldiers… talked to one another before both nodded to one another.   

 

‘Are… you able to walk…  Herma, is it walking or something else?’

‘I believe the correct wording is ‘slither’. ’

‘……’ I gently nodded

I can slither at least I think I can main issue will be balancing my new…. Stolen anatomy…. I resist the desire to sob and offer my hands to them, luckily, they understand my silent request. I slowly tried to rise as I would as a human, but I’m not as steady or firm footed…. Understandably though I lack proper feet. It’s my first time… having enough energy to move my new ‘artificially’ enhanced tail eh…. It feels alien…. But after all, I have gone through… heck the painfull wing flinching at any noise in my back and on my hips are proofs… or a curse…. For me at least… for now they are a permanent remember of the nightmare and the pain.

While my humanoid body is……  …. Ye ….

I instinctively shiver from the slight memory and some tears roll down my cheeks. My two Babysitters look at me with worry in their eyes. Aria was 12 Years old… I guess…. My body is that age but my mind… well it’s a mess uh…. I miss you, Ruby….. More tears flow down my face at the remembrance of the second person that died around me.

When I couldn’t manage to stop the tears from flowing down. One of my escorts hugged me tight and I bawled all over her armoured chest….. after I think 1 or2 hour of crying…. I Nod to my 2 worried escorts, and they help me move forward,

My wing seems to have been folded and bandaged to my body so they can heal, it wasn’t really comfortable but there was no way they know where the wing would feel comfortable folded on my body so I couldn’t really complain…. Plus, all I owned was this blanket that I quickly warped over my humanoid half… I won’t say it was easy with only one free hand… but I know how to slither and slither while keeping my head like a Cobra on guard, is literally all I need to do….  But the real issue was the carriage drop I didn’t know how to safely get down, so I gently used my new… half, to crawl close to the ground using Ari…. I mean my hand and my lower body simply followed my movement downward.

I managed to get down the carriage under the watchful eyes of my 2 helpers.

They smiled and nodded at themselves and slowly made me sign to follow them.

They gently guided me beside where the …. Cage was situated… to the massive door and wall, Soldiers quickly readied their weapons at my sight. seemingly on guard but my watcher’s gesture seemingly seemed to make them stop with one move toward their insignia, the soldiers all slowly sheaths their weapon and go back to their post on the side of the wide-opened door.

 

My 2 watchers leave my hand alone

and walk in front of me then turn around.

The light from one of the gate entrances let me see their feature without straining my new… sight, one of them seems to be mixed kin between an elf and Lizard woman, visible by the bluish scale surrounding her delicate elven feature and frame, the other seems to be a pureblood elf.

 

 

The Lizardy one starts off, ‘Welcome to the elven and border city of Marlasta, we don’t know where you are from but seeing the damaged adventurer ‘pet’ bracelet we found covered in… ‘stuff’ in the ‘place’, u might need a new one…. Are u mute and need the Band telepathy skill to communicate? Just nod once for yes and 2 times for no.’

 

I nod once as requested

 

She smiles a sharp grin, ‘Alright then let’s go Lily!

She slowly marches forward but is immediately stopped by the elven one

‘Sorry for my best friend’s behaviour, I’m Herma… And she Xael, I wish we had met in better circumstances but what’s done is done follow us we need to go to the guard barrack, there u will be given an ID ring that will also let u talk by telepathy and be able to summon and general Id about you, like some title, if u did any crime, your name, your…. race, and your age. Nods if you understand?’

I nod gently

‘Alright, when u receive the ring, you will also receive a basic package some basic quality weapon of your choice, a backpack, some cloth, and because you are probably around 9 to 13 years old, beastkin bodies are hard to judge the age with. You will also be given free lodging at the adventurer guild because of your age and what you had gone through you can pay the guild if you prefer when you do earn money in some way,

The adventuring guild can act as an inn because each adventurer has some kind of spatial place for them to use but they will take 35% of any of your income as room rent payment for as long as you decide to use it’ other stuff too, you will see…...’

 

Xael slowed down so she could stand to my other side. ‘Also, our guard captain wants to speak with you, we know you went through a lot…. But before being given citizenship even if only temporary you need to be seen and approved by the commander…

 

Arg no not more remembering please no even if they for my own gooooooood

‘…. But don’t worry she is full of sweetness too like the saying goes: ‘’don’t judge a scale by its colour’’.’

 

I’m sorry miss Xael but I think u got it wrong…. I try to giggle softly… sadly it sounds weak and muted.

We slowly walk (in my case slither) toward the entrance to the street of Marlasta…. Which will hopefully be merciful this time and not full of false hope and painful pain.