The fire crackled in the dim light, casting flickering shadows across the makeshift camp. KiAera crouched near the flame, feeling the warmth on her furred skin as her retractable ears twitched. Dariel, now seated across from her, eyed the object in her grasp with curiosity.

"That book… GamaGen, right?" Dariel leaned forward, his furred fingers resting on his knees. "I couldn’t help but notice how it clings to you. It's... weird."

KiAera's fingers tightened around the small, ancient tome. GamaGen, with its worn raven symbol on the cover, felt cold in her grasp. She still wasn't sure what to make of it, the way it whispered in her mind or how it seemed to possess a life of its own. It was as much a mystery to her as it was to him.

"Yeah, weird doesn't even begin to describe it," she muttered, avoiding his gaze. Her eyes focused on the fire, lost in thought. She had been through too much—Zelzon, this chaotic dimension, and now this.

Dariel's expression softened. "Where did you get it?"

A flash of memory surged through KiAera’s mind. She closed her eyes, and the scene played out vividly before her.

----------------------------------------

> Zeldritzon [Cycle 1]

Initially disoriented and afraid, KiAera fought against the haze and slowly crawled towards a moonlit pond with a purple hue. Upon seeing herself, her eyes widened, and she gasped at the pitiful reflection staring back at her. No longer human, she had transformed into a small, adorable creature.

Her once long hair had become droopy ears, and her legs had transformed into a rabbit-like shape with cat-like paws. She felt soft, silky fur covering her body from head to toe. Most strikingly, her eyes had become large and round with a tint of blue and purple that complemented the flame flickering atop her tail tip.

"Wha-what? This is me!" she exclaimed as she gazed at her altered appearance in the glistening pool. "This is...me?" She felt a shiver go down her spine as she came to terms with her new form. She wasn't a human anymore; she was a monster. A monster. Her eyes welled with tears at the thought.

Suddenly, looming over her, KiAera saw a massive incongruous shadow, reflected as a horrific image in the pond.

A voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Yes, you're a Merecritt now. Congratulations, mortal,” DeNultra announced with a clap. "You're now such an adorable little thing." She cooed.

But the moment she glanced back, she blinked a few times in awe as she saw the familiar angelic woman with wings, which shimmered from black to white—vice versa, to and fro—in an alluring manner.

KiAera glimpsed the pond again, seeing herself and an angel; she turned towards the angelic woman again, who stood several feet away from her.

She glared, her frustration intensifying. "What's going on? What did you guys do to me?" She took notice of her own limbs trembling absurdly.

"Ah? We merely made you more resistant to Zeldritzon's elements. You're welcome by the way." DeNultra shrugged, her smile growing wider. "How foul of you Abeion to do such a thing to this poor girl. You are truly a monster."

KiAera did not know why, but she felt an instinctive fear—a desire to flee. Her mind warned her to run, but she could not.

She regarded DeNultra with a wary gaze. 'Don't. You're overeating.'

"Over…eating…?" KiAera's new ears perked. The internal voice she heard; it sounded like it belonged to DeNultra's.

"Yes, you are," DeNultra chuckled. She knelt down, creeping closer until KiAera was ensnared within the confines of her wings. KiAera couldn't help but notice the woman's horns, the predatory glint in her eyes, and the sharp fangs in her mouth.

DeNultra smiled. "Do you want to know a secret?" she whispered, leaning in close. Her breath was cold against KiAera's ear. "I intend to devour you," she said slowly, each word emphasized to incite flight.

KiAera felt a shiver strike her spine, and she froze in place. Her instincts told her to flee, to escape, but she remained rooted to the spot.

"I'm going to consume you completely. Your soul, your flesh, everything." DeNultra licked her lips as she spoke. Her eyes glowed with an intense hunger. "You're so exquisite. I am eager to savor every bit of you."

KiAera's heart raced wildly in her chest. She felt trapped, helpless. She had never been more afraid in her life.

DeNultra grinned, and the woman's wings seemed to speak. "Look how tender she is," one wing purred. "I'm going to enjoy eating you," the other wing rumbled.

KiAera wanted to scream, to run, to do anything to escape the terrifying entity before her, but she couldn't.

Seconds, hours, weeks passed. But no matter the supposed passage of time she imagined herself to have endured, the angelic monster did not harm her.

"You're allowing the unknown to consume you," DeNultra mouthed. "I pose no threat. I give you my word."

'Then why am I getting goosebumps?' KiAera shivered, staring regretfully into DeNultra's eyes.

Suddenly, she was plunged into an ocean of darkness and came witness to nothingness. KiAera felt like she was drowning. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see, and she couldn't move. She was trapped in the abyss and couldn't escape. 'What's…going…on…' Her thoughts oozed forth sluggishly.

She struggled to swim upward, her mind and movements were sluggish, her limbs bound and ensnared by pitch-black tendrils pulling her further into the shadowy depths.

She attempted to scream, but no sound escaped her lips. However, she refused to succumb to helplessness and terror. She refused to believe that this was her end, that she would never see her family and friends again. KiAera couldn't give up hope just yet!

| Mental meltdown… resisted!

| [Mental Resilience: Exa] Level Up! -> [Mental Resilience: Ultra]!

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Abruptly, KiAera yanked herself free from the tendrils that held onto her, and she used every last ounce of strength in her body to swim towards the surface.

Before she could perceive the reality of her surroundings, her head collided with another’s, and a gleeful cry pierced the air.

To her utmost shock and terror, the person she had collided with was none other than DeNultra—a being revered as a Great Old One! Now she had done it. KiAera was certain she would invoke the wrath of the powerful being this time.

'But did I hit my head on her chin or nose?' KiAera shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her mind. "Are you okay, DeNultra?" She blurted out without thinking. "Huh. Wait!" She shook her head frantically, recalling the horrifying phenomenon, "I mean, I didn't mean to do that, I was just trying to wake up and—"

DeNultra stared at the girl with an intrigued but confused expression. She peered directly into KiAera's eyes and blinked. "What's this? You're not afraid anymore." She smirked and nodded. "Well, it looks like we're off to a good start."

"Good start? Good start! What the fuck are you talking about," KiAera cursed, her tail lashing furiously.

DeNultra laughed, a deep, throaty laugh that made KiAera's skin crawl. "Just a test of your willpower. You didn't succumb to the madness. Impressive!"

KiAera sighed and ran her paw pads through her fur. 'She was testing me? Testing my willpower for what?' She shook her head and looked back up at the angelic woman.

"So, what do you think of your new form?" DeNultra asked in an attempt to change the subject. The woman had that cutesy expression where she looked like a kind older sister, and her smile was gentle. It made KiAera feel uneasy.

"It's okay, I guess. I don't know." KiAera shrugged, feeling weird to talk about her own appearance. She was apprehensive about offending this higher being.

Despite her uncertainty about this woman, KiAera knew downright that she no longer wanted to play these games. If being honest and upfront would lead to her demise once more, then so be it. "I'm not in the mood. I want to go back home. Or at least return to being myself! A human being!" She thumped her paw against her chest. "Not whatever this is!"

"Aw, you poor thing." DeNultra chuckled and shook her head. "But it's too late for that now. You're stuck with your new form."

KiAera felt her blood boil with anger at DeNultra's words. She wanted to lash out, to scream and cry, but she knew that it wouldn't accomplish anything.

"Fair enough," DeNultra replied with a shrug. "But before I go, I have a gift for you." The woman held out her hand, and a book appeared in it. "See it as a consolation prize for impressing me. It's a book about this world—Zeldritzon. It should help you survive, and the pest known as GamaGen can become beneficial once more," she said in an almost snide tone.

"Uh, thanks?" KiAera grabbed the book and stared at it in disbelief. "I guess I'll read it later." She was still skeptical and really wanted to return home, but she was also curious about this world. Could a book really help her?

"Good, good. Just hold it in your paws. And if you want, it'll be much easier if you absorbed GamaGen. This polymath has been transmuted into this form." The book twitched, tentacles squeezing and squirming from its pages, failing to free itself from the woman's iron grip.

"Oh, no, no, pesky, pesky MuninNox, your insatiable thirst for knowledge has led you to this confinement. Now take it like a champ and embrace your fate under this girl's ownership."

"What the fuck is this?" KiAera jumped back, her face twisting in disgust as she witnessed the monstrosity before her. The feathery tentacles writhed and twisted in anguish, desperate to escape DeNultra's deadly grasp.

"Nothing you need to worry about," DeNultra replied dismissively with a grin.

"I assure you that it's perfectly safe. This book will help you. It has all the information you need to thrive here. It's a valuable resource, and I trust you'll make remarkable discoveries." Her expression darkened. "Cease your squirming, savant!" she hissed at the book with an incongruously guttural voice.

KiAera blinked in surprise as the book suddenly stopped squirming and fell limp in DeNultra's hand. It trembled and KiAera felt sorry for it.

"There we go." DeNultra giggled and placed her other hand to her mouth, her voice becoming feminine again. "This former servant of mine will serve you well. Treat them with kindness and they'll give you their wisdom and power."

The angelic woman gracefully spun around, her back to KiAera. "Well, my prey," she purred, "I must be on my way. There's much for you to learn about this world, and what you earn..."

Her head tilted back, a sinister smile curling her lips, a chilling glint in her eyes, "For a hunt to be worthwhile, you must be truly unleashed. Make yourself worthy, before I make my play. For a hunt without challenge, is a dull, dull day."

With that, DeNultra vanished into a cloud of smoke and darkness, leaving KiAera alone, shivering, and the knowledge that this 'gift' was anything but benevolent.

GamaGen. It hummed with an unsettling energy, and a voice—its voice—whispered directly into her mind, ⎾ We are bound now, Blue Winged Rabbit.⏌

> Her voice was a whisper, but it chilled to the bone,

>

> With a smile so wicked, colder than stone,

>

> 'For I hunger for souls, more than they seem...'

>

> And so, it began.

The Hunt.

----------------------------------------

KiAera shook off the memory, blinking back to the present. "It was [redacted]'s doing," she finally admitted, voice low. "Some kind of twisted 'gift.' It talks to me. Sometimes."

Dariel’s eyes widened slightly, though he tried to hide it behind a reassuring smile. "[Redacted], huh? That's not exactly comforting."

"No, it's not," KiAera said dryly, running a hand over the raven symbol. "But it hasn't killed me yet. So… there's that."

Dariel leaned back, crossing his arms, his eyes still on the book. "Well, I guess as long as it’s not exploding or something, we can focus on more immediate concerns—like food."

He stood, moving to one of the nearby sacks piled by the crude shelters. KiAera watched as he pulled out a cluster of small, light-blue crystals, each one radiating a faint glow. "Ever seen these?"

KiAera frowned, shaking her head. "No, what are they?"

"These are Zelzon’s crystals," Dariel explained, holding one up to the light. "This is what keeps us alive here. They grant one unit per consumption—enough to keep us from, well, withering away. The monsters here devour these to absorb particles and evolve."

He extended the crystal towards her. "Go ahead. You’ll need it, especially after that fight."

Just as KiAera reached out, a sharp voice cut through the air. "Wait." Rina’s delicate, yet commanding tone halted KiAera’s hand mid-air.

The Yitxune, still radiating her dignified energy, stood poised with her two-toned eyes fixed on the crystal in Dariel’s hand. She approached, each step measured and deliberate, her silver fur rippling with celestial energy. "You think I’ll let some stray Merekit consume one of our crystals?" she scoffed, her tone so condescending. "Not a chance."

KiAera narrowed her eyes, her muscles tensing. "What's your problem?"

Rina's eyes flicked to KiAera with an almost pitying look. "You really don't get it, do you? You don't just walk into Zelzon and start eating the food of this dimension like you're entitled to it. These crystals—" she gestured at them, "—are survival. They are evolution. You've done nothing to earn them."

"Rina," Dariel interrupted, trying to inject some reason into the conversation. "She just helped me take down an Ilosphat. She’s not trying to steal anything."

Rina turned, her fox-like face softening only slightly as she gazed at Dariel. "You’ve always been too kind, Dariel. Too trusting." She cast a side-glance at KiAera, her expression unreadable. "She is not one of us. She doesn’t understand how things work here. You, of all people, should know how dangerous it is to just... share."

KiAera's grip tightened, her retractable ears twitching in frustration. "I didn’t ask for your approval."

"Approval?" Rina let out a delicate laugh, her celestial energies swirling around her like a storm. "Approval would be too generous. I simply refuse to watch a foreigner devour something she doesn't deserve."

KiAera opened her mouth to retort, but Dariel stepped between them, raising a hand. "Both of you, relax." His eyes were on Rina, his tone gentle but firm. “Rina, I get it, okay? But she’s like me—lost, confused, trying to survive in a world she didn’t ask to be a part of."

Rina’s eyes softened for a split second, her gaze drifting between Dariel and KiAera. She sighed, her usual dignified composure slipping just slightly. "Fine," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, but still carrying its trademark sass. "But remember, Dariel—I am the one who taught you to survive here. Don’t forget that."

With that, she turned on her heel, her tails flicking gracefully behind her as she retreated to the fire. The tension in the air lingered, thick and palpable.

Dariel handed the crystal to KiAera once more, offering her a small smile. "Here. Don't mind her."

KiAera took it, feeling the cool surface of the crystal in her grasp. "Thanks. But something tells me that was just round one."