Becoming a Monster

Chapter 395: Chapter 395: Why are they still here?

Noah was still in a deep slumber, the best sleep he had in days. No dreams, no thoughts. For once, his mind wasn’t burdened with worries.

His body rested perfectly motionless. The darkness that usually masked his features receded. Beneath showed his human-like face.

The creatures around him proceeded with their shenanigans, uncaring which version of Noah’s face was showing. Ailetta was the only one who took interest. She desired to know everything about him. The things he kept to himself, the vices even he wasn’t aware of, and the abnormalities of his soul.

What could have been as simple as Noah just resting could have been something far more revealing.

Ailetta stared longer than she intended. There were so many questions swirling within her mind from just this one sight. What was the true reason behind his change? Was it his ability to assimilate with monsters? The manipulation of his soul after becoming a Fallen? The entity that resided within him? Or was it the runic energy layered across his soul?

So, seeing his slumbering face in that state made her question everything. Because now she came to realize that the void that would normally shroud his face was perhaps another mask of many. She doubted even Noah himself was aware of it.

She was lost in thought, until she remembered why she had come to him in the first place.

Her gaze softened, and her expression changed. There was a reason she had approached him, something she wanted to say, something she couldn’t quite hold in anymore.

Ailetta drew in a small breath, hesitating for only a moment before calling out his name.

"Noah."

Her voice carried gently, soft enough that the others would have to strain themselves to hear.

Yet, even with her small voice, Noah’s eyes opened abruptly.

Outside of their home, the noise didn’t stop. The forest was more alive than usual. And the people outside whispered amongst themselves, though with emotionally unstable voices all trying to whisper over one another, they may as well not have been whispering at all.

Despite all the noise, Noah never stirred. His breathing never shifted, not even once. The world could turn, but none of it reached him.

For a fleeting moment, his face was still revealed. But by the time his gaze turned toward Ailetta, the void had already covered his face again.

"...What is it?" He asked without a change in his posture, or a hint that he was aware of his change.

Ailetta hesitated, she almost didn’t want to tell him, but she had put off long enough what she was supposed to tell him.

"Someone’s waiting for you."

Noah blinked, ’waiting for him’. There was no one that he knew besides his family that could fit the picture. As he was thinking, the visage of a haughty drake took shape. But he shook the idea away.

His head turned to the entrance. He thought he was mishearing it all this time. Human voices were still speaking outside. He blinked again, curiously he looked up. The layers of webs didn’t fully prevent him from seeing the sky. There he could see the clear sky, how bright the day was.

Then he looked back to Ailetta. He was just as curious, as he was annoyed.

"Why are they still here?"

Ailetta shifted at the question, it was rare for her to act embarrassed.

She had noticed the person waiting much earlier that day. She hadn’t bothered to learn their names, and out of all of the humans, there was not a face that she would be able to recall. But she did remember the woman, their leader.

The woman had been patient for someone so visibly anxious. She fidgeted in one spot, she wanted to speak to Noah. No, she believed she had to speak to him before they departed. But as she called out to the creatures outside of Noah’s home, the creatures barely acknowledged their existence.

And when she tried to step closer, it was the only time that Fenrir fully acknowledged her, though not in the way she would have liked.

Fenrir could understand human speech just as easily as he understood the growls and howls of his own kind. But that didn’t mean he had to entertain them. He couldn’t eat them, and he couldn’t fight them. Talking to them was useless. Still, he wouldn’t let them disregard Noah’s orders.

It was only when Ailetta stepped out herself that the situation became clear.

The woman had told Ailetta her name, before asking to see Noah.

At the time, Ailetta had told her that Noah was still asleep. It was the first time that Amara had heard that the creature they all feared had a name.

She didn’t argue with Ailetta. She simply said she would wait for him. Then she sat down in silence, forgetting to give any further reason why she wished to speak to him.

And Ailetta also never bothered to ask.

That was nearly three hours ago.

Ailetta hadn’t expected Noah to sleep for so long. And she definitely hadn’t expected to forget about the woman entirely.

Noah looked at Ailetta with an unreadable stare. He couldn’t prevent himself from judging her.

"Just how come her transformation was more drastic than mine?" He couldn’t help thinking to himself.

His change was gradual. Experiences shaped him to become what he is now, he felt as if he was still changing.

But Ailetta? Everything seemed to act on a trigger. The one time he let her out of his gaze, she suddenly showed up like this. Her thoughts, her personality, her moral codes? Everything seemed to be set in stone for her without any doubts. Her obsession was the only thing that changed, yet that didn’t really change either. Her obsession just went from him to whatever else he cared about.

"Don’t think I can’t tell when you’re judging me." Ailetta interrupted his thoughts. The glare in her eyes wasn’t physically threatening, but Noah understood that Ailetta was capable of far more petty things when she set her mind to it.

He rose out of bed, deciding not to fight this losing battle. The clothes he slept in shifted into his usual armor by the time he stood up.

Noah made his way toward the entrance, his mind already turning toward the person outside, only to be intercepted halfway by a pouting Eve.

Her eyes were filled with quiet accusations. She was still hungry, what she had before didn’t satisfy her at all.

Noah paused, thinking back to the human he had given her earlier. When he turned his head to where the body should’ve been, Ailetta’s voice came from behind him.

"Dummy ate it."

Noah exhaled, the faint sigh escaping his lips. His gaze lowered to the small vampire in front of him. She was growing, that much was clear... but at what cost?

He still wanted to deal with the person outside. The sooner he did, the sooner the humans could leave. But he didn’t ignore Eve.

"After this, okay?" he said, extending a hand toward her.

Eve blinked up at him, surprised by the gesture. Before she could question it, Noah added quietly, with subtle sarcasm, "Do you want to come with me until I’m done? Otherwise I’ll forget again."

He didn’t expect an answer so soon.

The last word barely escaped his lips before her small hands gripped him with surprising strength. Without another word, she began to drag him to the exit. Noah didn’t resist, making sure to keep pace with her while Ailetta amusingly followed behind them.

However, she stopped before going outside the entrance. She waited there watching their backs, but her other eyes were looking above her, towards someone else who was silently watching.

"Once again," she said softly, "if you keep waiting like this, you’ll never find the perfect time."

No movement stirred even after her words; it seemed like she was talking to no one. But Ailetta knew Arachne was there. Ever since returning to the forest, she’d been more of a recluse than before, but she was always around, never too far away from Noah.

Not hearing a reply, Ailetta didn’t mind. She knew how difficult this was for the creature who was still trying to understand her feelings.

Even so, Ailetta scoffed inwardly at the irony of her own words.

"I can barely find time alone with him myself..." she muttered under her breath, her gaze softening as she looked toward Noah’s back, remembering the offer she’d made him last night.

_____________

"So what is it that you want from me?"

"I’m sorry! I just couldn’t leave without showing my sincerity for what you’ve done for us. Thank you! Because of you, we were able to escape those monsters."

Amara stood still behind the line. Her head faced the ground as she bowed towards their abnormal savior. She was afraid of him, but her gratitude outweighed that fear.

She waited to hear Noah’s response before she lifted her head. Repaying her gratitude was one thing, but there was still something she needed to ask of him. But she wasn’t sure how to go about it.

Before she could decide how to go about it, she needed to hear his tone, to know if he would even allow her the chance.

He had made it clear last night. He was a monster, and he didn’t follow the same rules as them.