Bella removed her earplugs, her eyes studying Acacia from head to toe. Acacia equally removed her earplugs as she noticed the wary stare.

"You shouldn't be able to do that."

"Well I did."

"Beast men are just humans with animal abilities and those abilities are what we call beast kin. I'm a bunny, I can jump really high and my legs are strong, they get stronger if I train them. You are a butterfly, you are supposed to only be able to fly and pollinate or something related not eat a monster's flesh like a predator. Butterflies aren't predators." Bella said with a mix of worry and confusion.

'I let myself get too into the moment, obviously I can't tell her I have a god inside my soul and my abilities are a result of that. A little lie won't hurt.' Acacia thought as she looked at her.

"....are you done? I didn't need the history lesson and I guess I just evolved. Magic is changing everything and maybe I was affected. Now will you help me chop this thing or do you want to talk about something pointless?" Acacia asked and turned her attention to cutting the hide of the bat boar. But Bella didn't move from her spot and frowned at her.

'If she continues to question you, just kill her off and blame it on the monster.' Daemonis suggested.

'No! I am not doing that, I don't want to hurt Zephyra like that.' Acacia shot down that suggestion.

'Tsk, it would have been a far better option than dealing with any useless conversation.' Daemonis said with annoyance.

'Can you disappear?'

'No but if you want to get out of this situation the boring way, you have to play with your words well. Give her a reason to trust you.' Daemonis scoffed.

Acacia stared at Bella for a moment and stopped cutting the bat boar. "Listen, I don't know what is wrong with me either and I think it's the change of mana, plus, the loss of memory doesn't help. I am really not out to get you and I just want to help everyone out."

'Such a poor attempt.'

'Shut up.'

Acacia wished she could hit his head if he had a physical body but decided to focus on Bella. She got off the monster, walked towards her injured leg and knelt down on the snow. She used the dagger to tear a piece of her cloth and looked at Bella for permission."You don't have to trust me but I'm not your enemy, I will never hurt you or anyone else in the Apex Conquerors."

"....do not use that name, it's cringe and bad. I don't know why Zephyra listened to Edwin but I will keep an eye on you and you better not try anything funny. Zephyra likes you and I don't want her to get hurt." Bella was quiet for a moment before she nodded. Acacia took her nod as permission and wrapped the torn cloth around her leg tightly.

"I guess we both have that in common." Acacia smiled and glanced up at Bella.

"Do not think we are friends now, I still find you suspicious." Bella averted her gaze but she could feel the wariness lessen from her expression.

"Don't worry I don't. There, not perfect but it should stop the bleeding." Acacia looked down at her handiwork, a bit impressed with herself. "Is it too tight?"

"It's fine." Bella shrugged and glanced at the dead monster. "I heard you need this to buy poison from Tosic?"

"Yeah, I love eating poison and I also wanted to test my strength." Acacia explained.

"You are weird. Do you eat all monsters?"

"No, this one tasted horrible. They are only delicious if they are poisoned or have poison, at least that's my theory." Acacia replied.

"Theory? You don't even know much about yourself."

'I am trying, okay? Do you know how hard it is to keep up with abilities that grow faster than you? I need to divert this conversation elsewhere.' Acacia thought as she forced a smile on her face.

"So, why are you dating Elric? He doesn't seem like the most emotionally available guy." Acacia asked.

"Well, it's not like I will get another chance. But you are right, it's hard to read him sometimes. He can be in the room and you will completely miss him, he just blends with the background." Bella sighed and fiddled with the hem of her sleeve.

"Do you want him to show more emotions?" Acacia could understand her. Elric barely does or says anything unless you directly talk to him.

"Yeah, I just thought he would put in more effort since we are dating but it doesn't feel any different except for the talks and hugs." Bella replied in a soft voice.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

'I guess this is bothering her.'

"Maybe he is shy or doesn't know how to express himself." Acacia suggested. "You should try making a move on him instead of waiting or studying what makes him react."

"Hmm, I guess I could try. The only thing that makes him react is information about the Ruins, whether it's about the market or the group rankings or the barrier crystal."

"Barrier crystal?" Acacia asked with interest.

"There's a reason why Flow hasn't disturbed us in 3 years. We have barriers everywhere and it's hidden so unless you know where they are hidden. You cannot break the barrier unless you are strong enough to use force." Bella explained with a sigh.

"Is it similar to the barrier at home and at the traders market?" Acacia stood up to her feet.

"Yeah, it prevents monsters from attacking as well." Bella nodded as she looked up at her.

"I guess your boyfriend loves knowledge? Or something similar down the line." Acacia rested her hands on her hips as she looked down at the monster. "Can you walk?"

"I can but I will definitely slow us down and you can't carry that on your own." Bella gestured to the dead monster.

"Then I will have to get Zephyra and the rest." Acacia adjusted the snow off her coat and was about to leave.

"Watch out for the other two bat boars." Bella called out.

"Don't worry we already took care of them." The girls gasped as Celeste emerged from her hiding place. Her golden eyes sparkled with playful intent, and in place of arms, she now possessed striking black-feathered wings, which she dipped in a playful wave.

"We?" A guttural growl ripped through the silence. From the shadows emerged a towering figure, his muscular frame rippling beneath the raw hide of a bat-boar, still slick with dark, glistening blood with a long scar across his chest. The scent of iron and fresh kill hung heavy in the air. He stood close to six feet tall, his long brown hair framing a face dominated by black eyes that burned with unsettling intensity. Tusks jutted from his mouth, and his hands, encased in heavy iron gauntlets, clenched and unclenched.

"Don't embarrass me in front of the girls, Ringeisen. I helped you locate this place." Celeste pouted and used her wings to cover her face in a bashful manner. Ringeisen stared at her with disdain before he turned his attention to Acacia.

"You are the new girl Zephyra took in. I am Ringeisen, leader of the Iron Fangs beast kin and fifth group on the rankings list." He introduced himself as he scanned the area with his eyes.

"Um okay." Acacia was confused by the appearance of both but what struck her the most was the raw hide on his skin. 'Why is he shirtless in winter?'

"I came by because this annoying bird would not stop chirping and I also saw your little stunt with the monster in the air." He walked towards her and stopped until he was directly in front of her.

'He is tall, almost the same height as Maximus.' Acacia glanced at the iron gauntlets, it had cuts, series of old cuts and dried blood. She raised her head to look at him. Their eyes locked with each other like a silent staring contest before she was pushed back by the force of his iron gauntlet connecting with her stomach.

She caught herself and dug her feet in the snow to stable herself. Her entire bones felt like they cracked, she held her stomach and glared at him as her bones regenerated.

"The eyes of a predator, you are stronger than you look." Ringeisen grinned.

"Hey! We are not even on your territory!" Bella quickly spoke up and got up on her feet.

"Since when have I cared about the rules? As much as I would have loved to see how long you can handle my punches. I wish to speak with Zephyra." Ringeisen said.

"Then you should have called for me instead of attacking my girls!" Zephyra spoke out with a hint of anger in her voice. Edwin and Kel were behind her, holding their weapons as if ready to attack when needed. Celeste was about to speak but the look in Zephyra's gaze made her quiet.

"I never understood your connection to your people. You are their leader not their mother." Ringeisen shook his head and turned around to face her.

"Well, I see them as my children and I don't want it any other way." Zephyra said as she looked at him while Kel has his sword pointed at Celeste's neck.

'Huh?' Acacia was a bit surprised by her words. 'She sees us as her children? Then does that mean that... she sees me as her daughter?' Acacia placed her hand over her chest and felt her heart hammering against her ribs.

"I will never understand you and I don't wish to. I only came by to tell you that the Flow Society is up to something. I don't know what it is but the hero that was caught implied about an attack." Ringeisen shook his head as he spoke.

"We may not be allies but we all have a common enemy. The Flow Society." Ringeisen glanced at Kel with a knowing gaze to which Kel frowned at the sight.

"My eyes are here. Kel is innocent and we established that a year ago. He has no ties with his past at Flow anymore." Zephyra's grew eyes seemed to glint like she was issuing a warning. "I appreciate you telling me. But my family is off-limits. Touch them again, and you'll answer to me. I won't hesitate to scar you again."

'You did that? Just how strong are you?' Acacia thought in awe.

"You need to work on your emotional attachment to your people. I have said what I came to say, I'll be on my way." Ringeisen let out a displeased grunt at the mention of the scar and walked away from the alleyway.

"You know, if you protected me as much as you do for them. Maybe we could have been different." Celeste spoke in a soft voice and looked at Zephyra but Zephyra didn't return her gaze.

"Celeste, I deeply regret breaking my promise. However, I can't apologize for choosing a different path." Zephyra shook her head and walked towards Acacia, ruffling her hair in the process as if to soothe herself rather than Acacia.

Celeste bit her bottom lip harshly and launched herself to the sky, flying away in a haste.

"Good job, girls." Zephyra smiled down at Acacia and gave Bella a thumbs up. She removed her hand from Acacia's hair and walked towards the bar boar. Lifted the monster to her shoulder and noticed Bella's injured leg. "Edwin, carry Bella."

Edwin groaned and reluctantly stride towards her side and bent down in front of her. His back turned to her. "Get on before I change my mind."

Bella sighed and gently laid on his back with her arms wrapped around his neck. Edwin stood up and held her thighs, making sure she was steady on his back. "You are heavy."

"I will pull your hair out." Bella threatened.

"Don't you even dare." Edwin glared at her over his shoulder and walked out of the alley.

Zephyra chuckled at their dynamic and turned her attention to Acacia. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Acacia nodded and fiddled with her fingers as she looked at Zephyra. "Um, do you really see me as your family?"

"Of course I do." Zephyra replied as if it was the most obvious thing. Acacia felt her cheeks grow warm as they left the alley.

'So...this is what it feels like to have a real mother? Is this what Christine always felt? It feels good.' Acacia stuck close to Zephyra as they made their way back home.