Becoming a Monster

Chapter 384: Chapter 384: Do You Understand I’m A Monster?

3rd Pov

Both Noah and the drake were already aware of someone entering their territory before they even arrived.

The two didn’t speak of who the intruders were, yet, without communicating, they already knew that they were humans.

The drake could tell just by their smell. It wasn’t just creatures who ventured into its den, seeking to kill it. Humans were rare, but their presence was unforgettable.

Noah didn’t need scent to know, he didn’t believe that he would ever be able to live down the sound of human screams.

His gaze penetrated far through the forest, through the darkness of the trees. The brightness of his eyes changed as his vision narrowed, and the humans’ expressions became as clear as ever.

It was impossible to see his expression, but his aura was colder than before. This intrigued the drake more than the herd of humans. Although it loathed other creatures being in its territory, learning what made Noah tick was more important.

Just for a second, a glint passed in its eyes. It was almost impossible to hold the temptation back.

Just one bite.

The thought churned, overwhelming any other desire. But as it felt its instincts urging it, its thoughts went back to the time when the demon revealed his blood.

At that time, the drake remembered that the demon’s blood, although still enticing, didn’t give off the same feeling as before. The blood made the drake’s blood and flesh become agitated, but it didn’t feel it in its soul. It didn’t feel as if it would be able to transcend its limits.

It was that, and only that reason alone that it was able to resist.

That brief moment wasn’t lost on Noah, but he said nothing. The hostility disappeared just as quickly as it was released. But he didn’t mind, he was sure that the drake also picked up on his own hostility as he constantly weighed the option of a truce in return for information, or if it would be better to finish off their earlier confrontation, using the drake’s soul to make his family stronger.

With the two having reached a silent mutual agreement. Noah was able to focus on the humans. But he wasn’t happy. Nothing ever came good when it came to humans.

Yet he didn’t attack either.

The drake studied Noah’s odd behavior. Its eyes narrowed. ’Strange,’ it thought. For its own hatred towards humans. The drake found itself curious how this demon carried so much bitterness towards them when it recalled the demon had said himself that he was once human.

The drake wasn’t the only one analyzing Noah, Amara was also doing the same. Her fear was broken down by her own thoughts. The monster was obviously strong, that, she had no doubt. But it was because she believed the creature was so strong that she began to have doubts.

Her eyes glanced towards the side where she saw a small group of other monsters coming from the shelter. They moved towards the shadowed creature while vigilantly looking in their direction as if they were assessing them. They were waiting, almost as if they were seeking permission before doing anything.

It was then Amara began to connect the thoughts, realizing they were linked to the shadowed creature, that perhaps the creature was their master.

Their presence should have been more daunting than before. Yet, it was during this silent judgment that Amara began to consider another alternative.

The people’s threads around her didn’t change; it was only Andrew’s thread that never resurfaced.

She began to consider that maybe the creature in front of her wasn’t their enemy at all. At least as long as they didn’t do anything to make it their enemy.

She swallowed hard. The faces of the people she led here were pale, their bodies trembling, and their eyes were on her, waiting. This moment would be different than before. Not only had she led them here, what she did now would dictate their fate.

Her mind quickly raced through how to confront the creature. Her mouth pursed while her brows furrowed as she considered what to say. It was only now that she thought about the underlying issue.

Would the monster even be able to understand her?

Maybe it was because she was taking too long, but Noah was growing impatient. It was only because the humans didn’t make a move to attack them that he didn’t make a move. But that didn’t mean he wanted to continue this staredown.

"Why are you still here?"

Not only Amara, but the people around her froze. They didn’t expect the monster to speak their language. But... Why did the voice make them feel so cold?

There were some who flinched at the feeling. Others gasped, shuffling back, but no one dared to speak. Their eyes pressed harder into Amara, demanding answers she didn’t have.

The question lingered in Amara’s mind. It wasn’t just the question itself that stumped her. It was how the question was stated. The creature wasn’t confused, and there was barely a hint of curiosity. It was demanding why it was still here when it was giving them a chance to leave.

Her mind raced. She sought out the best path to make. Not to answer the creature, it was to determine if perhaps she was wrong all along. Was this creature not their salvation?

The pupils in her eyes shifted from left to right. She began to consider the option of taking the creature’s mercy and leaving with the others across to the other side of the forest. At least then, the creatures behind them wouldn’t be able to reach them, and maybe, just maybe, the salvation that made the others threads turn gold was in their next destination.

But as she weighed the options, her eyes instinctively looked to the others.

Her chest rose and fell faster when she noticed the threads foreshadowing their deaths once again.

Her mind raced even faster. The creature in front of her was the answer. It was their only lifeline to survive. She just needed to figure out just how the creature was supposed to keep them alive.

She needed to answer it, but now she was back to square one, what should she say? If she lied, would it know? If she begged, would it see them as weak? If she told the truth... would it matter?

Her father’s hand warmly brushed her shoulder. She didn’t dare look at him, but she felt his faith settle into her bones. He wasn’t telling her what choice to make. It was a reminder that he would be behind, and supporting whatever decision she made.

Her lips slightly parted as she found her voice, although it was unsteady from the weight of her nervousness.

"We didn’t mean to come here. We were being hunted down by mon-" Her words caught abruptly in her throat at the word. Neither she nor anyone else there was an expert on monsters and she rather or not be deemed the term offensive.

She quickly steadied her breath, forcing herself to continue. "...by creatures in the forest. Many of us are wounded, and we don’t have anywhere to go. We don’t even know where "here" is."

Her eyes determinedly fixed on the shadowed creature. "If you want us gone, we’ll go. If this is your territory... we’ll respect it."

She swallowed hard, the nervousness making her throat dry. "But if there’s a reason you haven’t struck us down already... then tell me. Tell me what we must do for you to allow us to stay here for the night."

The air stilled, even the drake tilted its head, as if curious how the demon would answer.

Noah wasn’t prepared for such a long-winded answer. His head tilted to the side. This time he was actually confused. What "sane" human would seek shelter from a monster? He could obviously sense their fear of him and yet the woman still was adamant about staying. The moment he had the thought, his eyes suddenly narrowed and his body tensed. Something wasn’t right. It reminded him how humans were sneaky, backstabbing creatures.

He didn’t believe humans could do things out of mutual benefit. Not all of them were like... them.

His gaze swept over the people around the woman, then back to her. The eye in his chest began to glow. In that brief moment, Amara felt as if she was naked in front of the creature, as if Anubis himself was peering into her soul. At first she could feel an inexplicable fury, but then there was confusion, and finally she swore she felt the Anubis yielded itself to the gaze, not intending to retaliate at all.

Amara didn’t question it, now she was more confident that the monster in front of her was the salvation her God was leading her to.

Noah, on the other hand, couldn’t take his eyes off of the woman. Her physical features meant nothing to him, he was looking past that, his gaze centered on the being that resided with her. A soul of a Jackal was looking back at him. There wasn’t a soul on Earth who would be able to connect the figure of Anubis with the creature in front of him.

It made him realize why these humans were so desperate to trust him.

He intended to answer the woman’s question afterwards, but for now he had to confirm.

"You’re from Earth too?"