The nightmares rolling around my mind were worse than anything my 'parents’ had inflicted on me. That man’s fists felt weak and papery compared to the dozen foreign objects tasting my stomach acid. That woman’s attempted abandonment was like sweet words of summer when that goblin showed me what he wanted to stuff my mouth with.  

Even that girl’s humiliating punch and constant need to make me walk around naked at home, just for her amusement, was nothing like having my clothes ripped away from my body. Having my tits and cock viewable for those infuriating monsters eclipsed what little power Wrath 15 gave me.  

“SEKH?!?!” My closest ally’s name was the first thing to break free from my lips when I woke up. My eyes expected to see the soot-filled, dirty ceiling of a mucky mine, but they were blessed by a room I was familiar with. 

“Tilde?!” I rushed out of bed, wobbling like moist clay during an earthquake. Unable to prevent myself from falling, I steadied myself with a hand against the wall and called out Sekh’s and Tilde’s names. When the hinges of the door leading to the kitchen cried out, my heart was filled with hope, but Ichiha’s appearance stifled them before I had time to search my map for my companions. 

“How are you feeling?” she asked, dressed in a purple robe. She held a smile across those green lips. “It’s nearly 10 PM. You’ve been asleep for two days.” 

“Where’s Sekh?! And Tilde?!” I slowly shuffled to her and grabbed her shoulders, my mind wandering to my map.  

She hugged me to her chest and whispered softly. “They’re out on a small errand with Irisa. They’ll be back soon. Here, let’s go over to the bed, okay?” 

“They’re safe?! They got out?!” I was all smiles and full of relief I hadn’t felt since meeting Sekh. I trusted this woman but seeing proof with my map’s satellite mode warmed my heart.  

Ichiha guided me back to bed and sat down with me. She asked me to turn around, and I did, and that was when she showed me a hairband. She hummed a soft tune with quiet bravado as she played with my hair.  

“What…” I started to ask something, but the words couldn’t come up from my nervous throat. They were forcibly stopped by this…scenario. 

“You really do have such pretty hair. I’ll put it in a cute ponytail for you, okay?” 

“Umm… O—okay…?” I stammered.  

We sat there in silence, the only noise comforting humming. Ichiha started talking about the tune she was humming as she worked. 

“When Irisa was little, I’d hum the same song and style her hair like I’m doing to you. She’d bounce up and down with a big smile. Then once I was finished, she’d run to her father and show off to him. Oh! It was the cutest little thing…” 

I didn’t know why she was telling me this. 

“Mila?” 

“Yeah?” Why did I answer to that? 

“We know the truth, sweetie. When Sekh brought you back here, we tended to your wounds.” 

My heart dropped to the deepest bowels of my stomach as I leaped away. Scattering to my feet, I sprouted a spider leg from my arm. The only light in the night sky reflected off its sharp edge. 

It also shook uncontrollably. Even more so when I realized I was wearing a shirt and shorts. Even if I hadn’t literally shown the telltale sign of a chimera, my body bared the proof of my monstrous existence. 

“Stay—stay back!” I shouted. “I-- I’ll kill you! Don’t get any closer!” 

Ichiha stood up and walked closer. My panicked flailing was halted when she gently grabbed the back of the leg and held it to the side with her superior strength. 

“Mila, we aren’t afraid of you.” 

“I—I know those words! You’re just like her! You’re trying to get my guard down. It isn’t going to happen! HHHHMMM—” Ichiha’s hug eliminated my screaming. Any effort to escape her from her arms was squashed since she was just that strong. She walked me over to the bed and sat down with me in her lap.  

“Irisa isn’t mad. Nor is she afraid of you, sweetie. She's so relieved her friend is back and safe. While you were gone, she went to the dungeon every day to look for you, then she stayed up all night because she wanted to greet you when you returned. And at dinner? We always made a plate for you, Sekh, and Tilde. Because we knew you’d be back. And while I wish you hadn’t had to get so hurt… Welcome back, Mila…” 

Stop! Just fucking stop it! Why are you doing this?! Why now?! Why—how dare you do this?!?! It isn’t fair to treat me like this! You just can’t erase how she treated me with your words! You can’t remove those fifteen years of pure hell under her reign! You can’t act like… YOU CAN’T ACT LIKE A… 

My emotions were in complete chaos, but there was one that rose above all the others. It stood proudly as it forced me to realize Ichiha had given positive connotations to a word that had never had any before for me. 

“Mom…” 

This… This is the same feeling I felt when those nightmares were swatted away. It’s so warm and loving… I’m… I’m feeling sleepy… 

When the next morning rolled around, I woke to an empty bed. The room was the same as the one I had dozed off in when Ichiha hugged me, but Sekh and Tilde were nowhere to be found. The map told me they were in the kitchen, just a few short steps away. A moment of regret rolled around my monstrous mind, but I knew I had to face the music. With great hesitancy, I got out of bed and slowly marched towards the closed door. The creaking of the knob was loud, and I knew all four were watching the handle turn on the other side. Dressed in a shirt and shorts, my arms and legs were exposed... 

I’m going to have to apologize... I messed up and put Sekh’s life in danger because I wanted to act pathetic.  

“I’m—” 

“Master!!!!” When I opened the door, Sekh was standing right there with a smile on her face and a wagging tail full of happiness. The dirty black soot from the mines had been vanquished from her beautiful skin. She practically jumped in my arms and tightly hugged me. Behind her, Tilde was fluttering her wings and enjoying a cup of coffee with a grin. Ichiha had a hand on Irisa’s head and rubbed it gently as they watched my reunion with Sekh. “I’m so relieved to see you safe and sound, Master! It does my heart well!”  

I raised my arms and embraced Sekh, whispering a quiet apology in her ears. Silently, Sekh placed her lips onto mine, and I’d never tasted anything sweeter in all my life. 

Sekh walked me over to the table and sat down beside me while I apologized to them all. There was a cup of coffee in front of me, and I gingerly took small sips since it was steaming hot. 

“I mean, I did almost die. And I told you to leave. And I told you to leave again. I guess everyone makes mistakes. As your instructor, the fault lies with me that I didn’t train you well enough.” Tilde was serious in her tone, but the playfulness in her voice returned moments later. 

“Mila…” Irisa grinned and walked over. She grabbed my hand—my bare hand—and held it tightly between her own. “I mean, Lyudmila, we’re friends, right?” 

There’s that name again... Mila... I guess I don’t mind it... 

I softly smiled and nodded. “You can call me...Mila. I’ve...not been the friendliest towards you, and I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me—Whaa!” 

“Hehe!” Irisa jerked me to my feet, embraced me in a warm hug, and lifted me off the ground. She spun in a few circles, all the while giggling and laughing. “It’s official!” She soon let me go and went to her chair, picked it up, and sat it beside me.  

“Mila, sweetie, how do you feel? Are you hurting anywhere?” Ichiha asked. I shook my head and stared down at my arms. With my secret exposed, staying here would put the two in trouble. Before I could vocalize my worries and announce that Sekh and I would be leaving, Ichiha subtly shook her head and placed her hand atop mine. “I know that look anywhere. Mila, I just want you to know that this will always be a haven for you.” 

“But... I’m a murderer. I felt nothing at killing those four robbers—I was even happy when they started the fight because it gave me an excuse to assimilate their power and make it mine. And... And...” 

“Sekh told us about what happened in the mines, and it was self-defense,” Ichiha whispered. She gripped my hand just a little bit more. “When I look at you, I just see a frightened little girl who never knew how comforting the touch of a loving parent could be. You’ve been alone for such a long time, so you must’ve been scared and frightened." 

Ichiha stared at me, her black horns seeming so imposing, but I knew she wouldn’t hurt me with them. She kissed my forehead and stroked my hair. Ichiha shared the same offer to Sekh and Tilde. 

My heart howled, but my mind fought against revealing my entire life story to a family that went above and beyond what someone like me deserved. How could I tell them I was summoned from another world by a Holy Lord? Who then paid a whore to brutally take me against my will on her orders? And then saw fit to throw me into the void without giving me a chance to achieve Soul Evolution? 

That was one thing, but what about my life in my world? The life of Shuuta Fenton, a boy who was abused and harassed and beaten and abandoned at every turn just because he was a failure in a world that desired excellence? Did Irisa and Ichiha deserve to know that tidbit about me? The two Onis trusted me—they had to because they risked it all to nurse a Chimera back to health. If Bellerophon ever found out... 

No, I didn’t want to imagine that possibility... 

But could I trust them? I trusted Will... Look what happened. I trusted Quella... Look what happened. I trusted Greggie, Keeth, Elly, Ami, and Ms. Mary...  The only ones that hadn’t betrayed me were Sekh, Tilde, Irisa, and Ichiha—coincidentally, the only ones I’d come to know when I was living as Lyudmila Springfield. 

Should I tell them about Shuuta Fenton? Is it too soon? Is it fine if I wait before revealing my former life? I want to trust them... I do trust them... I know I can trust them, but... 

It’ll be fine, right? You can’t expect someone like me to open my heart all at once... 

RuggyRuggy

Aww... Mila's been accepted!!!!! She has a home!!! And a friend!!!! And a mother of that friend who cares about her!!!!

But Mila still holds a few reservations close to her heart. Her life as Shuuta Fenton will not come out just yet. And I think that's understandable. But I can also understand why a few would be upset at Mila for keeping it all in.  But I think we can cut her some slack.

Ah, this chapter is on the shorter side, as well as the following one. But Chapter 27 is chunky at 4.3k words.

One more thing! I'm sorry if I've been slow to respond to comments. Things have been busy, and I really just get on long enough to schedule an upload. Sorry about that. I swear I'm not ignoring anyone!