Monster Girl Menagerie – Celestial Archive

The air around the End Forest had always carried a stale quality—moldy, if I had to describe it. I thought it was the result of the ashen trees and the corrupt vegetation, and while that was partially correct, the prime reason could be attributed to the monsters that lived within. Tonight had proven my conjecture correct.

Due to the tent being situated in the middle of the camp, I could make out the fireworks that lit up the otherwise dark sky. Men who wore armor made use of their disparate talents—raising earthen walls and firing scorching balls of plasma. The monsters retaliated with relentless intensity, claws mauling flesh and jaws snapping bones. I watched it all unfold with a calm indifference.

"I will await the good results," Captain Aldrin's voice carried as he walked forward, decked in armor heavier than his men's and carrying a great sword.

"You won't be disappointed," I offered. As expected, the man did not break his stride, nor did he turn to acknowledge my words.

I nodded to my companions and, without exchanging a word, we left in the same direction we had come from. The quartet followed us, lips pursed and faces blank. But if one had looked closer, they would have noticed a sheen of perspiration on their skin, along with their dilated pupils.

Some ways away from the camp, I halted and turned around, addressing the four. Seeing their stiff bodies and plain expressions, I frowned. "Amara, if you will," I said, gesturing to them.

Right as she gave her signature curt nod, the four collapsed to the ground—as if cloth puppets had their strings cut. They quivered under the moonlight, heaving deep, anxious breaths.

I clapped, drawing their attention, and smiled. They regarded me with the same intensity I remembered whenever they addressed a particularly strong monster. Somehow their looks of despair soothed my heart greatly.

"Alright people, let me make your situation clear to you," I said, seeing a wave of emotions pass among them. Blood Monarch alerted me to their elevated heartbeats and blood pressure. "As you might've already noticed, we can slaughter you whenever we please, and no one would bat an eye. Do you understand what that means?"

"You're going to kill us," Theodore answered, though his eyes carried a spark of defiance. Normally, I would be impressed. To show such daring in the face of death was worth half a praise. Unfortunately for him, I had no plans of killing them.

"No," I said. "I don't plan to kill any of you. In fact, I'll give you all a fair chance to survive. You just have to survive the same circumstances I did."

My words must've surprised them, as they exchanged bewildered glances among themselves. "You..." Edith hesitated, gulping before finally managing to ask, "You intend to throw us into a Rapture Event?"

The others regarded me with a bizarre intensity, and I grinned. "That's correct," I answered.

"How..." Finn shook his head. "How's that any different from killing us?"

"Well," I said, shrugging, "I survived. You're the biggest proof of that event."

"Why tell us?" Theodore asked. I shot him an inquiring look, and he elaborated, "Why bother telling us what you're going to do anyway?"

I blinked, considering his question. Why exactly did I go through the hassle when I could've taken them to an event and kicked them inside? The answer to that was surprisingly easy.

Around the time when my mother had passed away—I was still quite young at that time—I had seen many men suffer through their lives. Since my father drowned himself in his sorrows and wasted his life drinking away, I had to start taking care of myself.

Living in poverty is hard; being a child is even more so. I had struggled to get odd jobs, earning quick copper that barely afforded one meal. Desperate times had even forced me to steal.

At that time, I had wondered—was my mother happier than my father? Death used to scare me, and I even lived through quite a few nightmares after my mother's death. But sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder if death was really that dreadful.

I learned through my experience that death wasn't as damning as life was. Life was a struggle, and though it may be a beautiful paradise to many, those who lived to survive only knew its harshest faces. Death seemed far more of a salvation in comparison.

Suffering is only known to the living.

"You wonder why I even bothered to tell you?" I posed, earning a nod in return. I moved closer, leaning forward, and looked him in the eye. "Well," I drawled, stretching my lips into a malevolent grin, "that's because I want you to know. Know that you are being led to your eternal damnation, and you can't do shit about it. Because you're fucking weak."

It took conscious effort on my part to stop myself from ripping his throat out, though I couldn't hold back the snarl that escaped my lips.

"Mark..." Tania gripped my shoulder, pulling my back. I allowed the anger to simmer down, feeling the beat of my heart drop to a more calming pace. Tearing my gaze from the quartet, I addressed the dwarf.

Tania wore a frown on her face, eyeing me intently. I shot her a curious look and received a poke in turn. Looking down at where she was jabbing her finger, I mimed a guilty expression and said, "almost forgot. Can't get too emotional—totally get it."

"We don't have a solution to your problem yet," Amara chimed in from the side. "The best way to handle it is by not escalating the problem at all. So, keep your emotions under control."

Thankfully the Dragon Deart compatibility had not risen any further. I took another breath and felt the rush of emotions fade away. I turned to Amara and said, "Let's keep walking. Oh—and don't bother putting them under control anymore. I'm sure they won't do anything as foolhardy as running away."

I had seen the look they all sported when I broke it down for them—that defeated expression, with slumped shoulders and dull eyes. They had probably accepted their fate by now. Even if they did try to flee, Amara would catch them in a heartbeat.

Comparatively speaking, I was more surprised by the fact that they hadn't questioned Amara's and Tania's existence. Or my apparent strength and position for that matter. Seeing them accept everything with a touch of indifference made me wonder if they had already made peace with their fate. Had they anticipated this ending from the beginning?

Something told me that I might've underestimated my former teammates. After all, they were human beings rather than featureless characters in some story. They had their own thoughts and feelings, and though they might remain unwilling on a certain level, they would also understand their hopelessness against things beyond their control.

Or not?

I watched as Finn made a silent break for it, running away at a brisk pace. My senses told me he was a D-rank hunter now, albeit a bottom-tier one. Considering his origin, he was relatively fast.

We watched the man shoot past the bushes, uncaring of the torn pieces of fabric clinging to his bare chest. I sighed and, facing Amara, said, "Would you please...?"

She clicked her tongue and snapped her fingers. Suddenly a tendril of shadow shifted into visibility and grew taut. Amara yanked the thread back, and we heard the shuffling of branches and leaves as a figure shot back, collapsing a few feet away.

"Fuck!" Finn cursed as he rubbed his bottom, pushing himself to his feet. He shot the vampire a fearful look before shifting his attention toward me. "Let me go, Markus. It wasn't my plan, alright. It was all that bastard, Theodore. He'd always hated you, you' know."

I blinked and turned around. Finn cried unceasingly.

"Come on, dude. We were friends, right? Dammit, say something!"

"Shut him up," I motioned to the vampire.

We resumed our walk, and I remained keenly aware of the glares Finn was receiving from his teammates. Sometime later, I heard a shuffling of footsteps draw closer—someone seemingly scurrying closer. I turned and saw Edith.

She offered me a wide grin, displaying her white teeth. Her expression appeared poised, though it was hard to mask the fear in her eyes. "Hi," she said, her breath hitching slightly.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Hey," I offered, rather awkwardly.

"Your friends are really beautiful."

"Thanks?" I tried, unsure what she was getting at.

She gulped, stealing a nervous glance at Amara—the vampire remaining motionless. "Do..." She said, pausing before whispering the sentence in my ear. "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

I paused, turned my head in a slow manner, and gawked at her. "Edith," I said, "You're going to die. Nothing you say really matters."

She scrunched her nose, tears falling from her eyes. "Please, don't do this to me, Markus. Please..." She tried grasping at the cuff of my shirt, though before she could even make contact, a hand extended and grabbed her wrist. Amara glared down at her.

"Stand back, bitch," the vampire said, her voice frigid as hell.

As we watched the blonde woman take her position among her teammates, bawling her eyes out, I turned to face Amara and asked, "Why have you been so quiet all day long?"

She shrugged, not bothering to reply.

"Is it because my punishment isn't done yet?"

Again, she didn't reply. I sighed.

"Alright," I said, "you won't mind if I make my third summon then, would you?"

That seemed to perk her up.