Pov Eclipse

Suddenly light filled my vision as the darkness receded.

Darkness? Why was it dark?

My thoughts were interrupted once I heard a familiar voice, Alea was somewhere nearby.

Then I noticed that everything was sideways.

Wait no that’s wrong, I’m sideways?

I was very confused about what was happening, I don’t remember going onto my side, all I remember was the fact I tried to get the book to practice, and I hit something...

I hurriedly rightened myself and noticed a couple of odd things.

I was once again under the window; the moon wasn’t there.

I feel like I’m forgetting something but what?

“Eclipse?”

My pondering was interrupted by Alea talking behind me. I looked behind me and watched as Alea took a step back. I was about to flap my wings but got distracted by an odd sensation I felt on the lower part of my face. I looked down but couldn’t see anything. Then I noticed the feeling like there was an empty spot where the odd sensation was.

I tried to use my frontal legs to wipe the area, or at least try to. Usurpingly it was futile, so I placed my face on the floor and started rubbing it.

“Eclipse what's wrong?”

I looked back up at Alea and just stared at it, pondering on how I could point to my face considering my legs don’t bend like that.

“Are you wondering about your... mouth?”

Mouth? I am sure I have never had one before.

Wondering what Alea meant, I flapped my wings three times and Alea let out a long breath.

“Well, I’m not too sure... But you started evolving last night and you grew a mouth?”

Evolved? But I don’t remember anything like that?

“Yeah I don't have a single clue, rather let's go downstairs, let's see what you can eat.”

As confused as I was, I still followed after Alea as it led, into the lower part of the human nest, ‘downstairs’.

“Rod went to pay off the healer’s fine with labor.”

Alea mumbled a few more words after that, something about three entire mana pools. I was curious about what a healer’s fine was and labor. But I’ll find out later, I was curious about more important matters at the moment.

We had reached the house’s area where the humans ate, it was strange compared to the other rooms, it had a rectangular elevated area alongside the wall, a large white rectangle was at the end of the elevated area. I watched as Alea opened the lower part of the large white rectangle and took out a white and red object.

I was guessing that this was the food I was going to eat.

For an odd reason I was acting restless and impatient.

Ah I’m just excited to try something new.

I reasoned with myself, watching in abject wonder as a bright orange with yellow chaotic object appeared suddenly making me go into a mindless state. Once it disappeared, I came back to myself and felt a want for more of those chaotic objects, humans must like them considering how many times I’ve seen them. The white and red object was vibrant now.

“Here try this, its meat from a coson that I bought yesterday.”

Alea said whilst putting the meat on a white circular object. I watched the meat for a bit, relying on the knowledge that my mother gave me. I had to somehow open my mouth.

It was quite easy; it was like I always had a mouth. I felt the lower part of my face open, and I gently grabbed the piece of the meat and ripped off a piece of meat and it went down smoothly, I didn’t even notice the next bites I took.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I noticed that there was nothing left once I bit air, an audible clack sounded distracting me long enough to see nothing was left other than some red liquid that looked suspiciously like blood.

That is... I want more.

I excitedly looked at Alea wanting to continue. It made a strange noise before grabbing the white oval and placing it somewhere on the elevated service.

“This is an apple from the market, I personally like the taste of them.”

Alea said bringing another white oval with a sphere made from different tones of red on it. It looked pretty and glinted in the light it almost made me not want to eat it.

Almost.

I didn’t hesitate to take a piece of the ‘apple’. I didn’t eat it as fast as the meat as it didn’t... feel? The same way the meat did.

“Don’t like that one?”

Alea asked, taking the white oval back. I didn’t know how to answer that since I didn’t dislike the apple, just prefer meat more.

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In an Empire far away

A room with a large wooden table in the middle was currently being used by twelve people, one was sitting, some were pacing, most were nervous and worried.

One of the twelve was a man wearing a pure white robe adorned with lots of golden jewelry. His face was hidden from the world by a white mask with a black line going down the middle. Two glowing green orbs were in place where his eyes were.

“Silence fools! Pope, I ask one last time, you are sure that the Brood Mother has given birth?”

A man called out and the room turned deathly silent. This was the only person sitting, a man who oozed sheer power, he had long silver hair and purple eyes. He was larger than anyone in the room, but not from being fat, but from sheer muscle density.

“I am certain your majesty, I have asked for guidance from the Great Being Elicia, do not question her word.”

The Pope responded, his voice sounding robotic and inhuman with the help of the mask. The emperor simply grunted at the response, clearly unhappy.

“Everyone sit!”

He suddenly said loudly, quietly everyone sat down not daring to make a sound.

“Sir Lerin please inform everyone in the room who the Brood Mother is, even if they already know.”

The emperor said after surveying the room.

“Yes, my liege, we do not have much information about the Brood Mother as the last time it appeared was long ago, longer than any sentient being. The last recorded entry about the Brood Mother was thousands of years ago. Scholars theorize it appeared far earlier but there is no evidence. The only evidence we have that the Brood Mother is a real thing is the Great Ones word and this journal.”

Lerin plunged his hand into an empty space and pulled out a worn-out black book. No one was surprised at this display of power. Lerin opened it and its yellow pages were exposed to the air.

“I will now read an entry from this journal. ‘Oh, gracious being above the ordinary wherefore has't thee did create such a being of death whither the day wilt mourn, wherefore wilt the moon relish the opportunity, oh alloweth this journal survive, alloweth this serveth as a warning to aught in the far future. The Brood Mother shall squeeze the ordinary dry, and the end of times shall followeth on a bilboes.’ This passage has been written in an ancient language and was translated a couple hundred years ago, therefore it is not-”

“Lerin, just the Brood Mother.”

“I am sorry my liege, I will continue. As you all understand this is very serious as the fate of the world is in our hands. Do not fret however, the end times can be stopped as written in this next passage.”

Lerin flipped through the journal with care before stopping near the middle.

“’ The Brood Mother cometh not first, but its spawn, its wretch'd spawn shall maketh the moon bow its palmy headeth. I warn thee, killeth the spawn ere the moon sees its new ruler. Killeth t and the ordinary shall beest did save!’ The man who has been writing this journal has gone slightly insane here so it’s a bit harder to understand, but its roughly means that the Brood Mother will send its child here and we have until it can make the moon bow its head, whatever that means, we have to kill it before that happens.”

With that, the emperor stood up and paced around the room, the clicking of his shoes hitting the stone floor being the only sound remaining.

“What do you think this means Sirs and Madams?”

He let the question hang in the air, before a man with a brown hair and a mustache spoke up.

“My liege are we to perhaps find this monster and kill it?”

“That is correct Sir Leon, therefore worrying about this while this creature has just been born is futile and stupid behavior, we can worry after we fail to kill the monster. Besides, we have the Great Being Elicia leading us, isn’t that right, Pope?”

The Pope stayed quiet, the green orbs on his mask disappearing for a while before reappearing again. The man grasped his heart and breathed shallowly, no one bat an eye. Once the Pope calmed down, he spoke.

“The Great Being Elicia is willing to bless us with some of her power to allow the humans to win.”

Most of the people in the WarRoom calmed down once hearing this, expect one.

“My liege may I speak my concern?”

“I’ll allow that Madam Linus.”

“Do we know where this monster is?”

The Pope answered immediately, as if he was prepared.

“The Great Being Elicia has foreseen such complication and has given me insight of where the monster is. It is west from the Great Empire, across the Great Divide and in the Kingdom of Havok.”

“I see Pope, I have one other concern that I wish to speak up.”

“I’ll allow it.”

The emperor stated calmly, yet Linus could tell the emperor was giving her one more question.

“How many sacrifices will the Great Being Elicia will want in exchange for this?”

The emperor's had his back towards the eleven so no one saw the sheer rage that overtook his face. Once again, the Pope replied immediately.

“The Great Being Elicia commands for one thousand male lesser humans and one thousand female lesser humans. The Great Being Elicia is feeling generous and did not include the emperor’s children this time, but the Great Being Elicia warns the emperor not to get in the way again.”

Even with Popes voice sounding monotonous, there was a hint of smugness in it, enough for the emperor to notice.

“... That will be all, everyone except the pope is required to come tomorrow in the morning to discuss the plan for engagement with this monster.”

With that, the emperor left, a feeling of pressure that came absurdly fast was gone in an instant.