Without another word, Maya turned and walked away from the river, her figure growing smaller as she moved toward the forest. Scarlett stood frozen, watching her go, her mind racing with the enormity of what had just transpired.
As Scarlett stood there, lost in thought, Kato appeared silently beside her, his expression laced with concern. "Scarlett, what’s going on? I saw Maya storming off angrily. Did she tell you the real reason Louise was in that condition?"
Scarlett let out a heavy sigh, her gaze locked on Kato. She couldn’t bring herself to reveal the truth about passing powers, it was a secret too dangerous to share. Instead, she decided to lie, her voice steady despite the turmoil within.
"Well," she began, her tone deliberate, "we all know what Maya endured, she was violated by four n: Austin, Jones, and two others. It’s only natural that she harbors hatred for n now. Seeing Louise when she woke up must have triggered sothing in her, pushing her over the edge. That’s why she lashed out and injured him."
Kato tilted his head, a skeptical smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. His arms folded across his chest as he studied her. "That’s not just an injury, Scarlett," he said, his tone sharp. "Whoever did that wasn’t trying to hurt Louise, they wanted him dead. Those wounds aren’t from a knife or a simple weapon. They look like the work of sothing far more sinister. Those are fang marks, deep and deliberate."
Scarlett’s heart sank, but she masked it well. "Fangs?" she echoed, feigning surprise.
"Exactly," Kato said, his eyes narrowing. "And that’s not all. There are traces of three elents in his body, fire, water, and earth. It’s as if whoever attacked him had a sudden change of heart and decided to heal him instead of finishing the job. If that person hadn’t hesitated, Louise would be dead. Even if we’d arrived earlier, we’d have found a corpse and nothing more."
Scarlett clenched her fists, her mind racing for a response, but before she could speak, the sound of cries, wails, and monstrous growls erupted from a nearby clearing. Her head snapped in the direction of the chaos, and she exchanged a brief glance with Kato before they both broke into a run, heading toward the source.
When they arrived, the scene before them was horrific. Maya had pinned one of the male survivors to a tree, her elongated nails digging into his torso. With a guttural snarl, she ripped out his intestines, devouring the flesh with terrifying hunger. Scattered around her were the corpses of other male survivors, their bodies mutilated, intestines strewn across the ground.
"Fuck it!" Scarlett hissed under her breath, her voice trembling with rage and disgust. She stepped forward, flas igniting in her palms. The lifeless bodies on the ground began to stir, their transformation into monsters already underway. Without hesitation, Scarlett unleashed a torrent of fire, incinerating their heads. The flas roared, and she dug deep into the soil with her powers, burying the charred remains beneath the ground to prevent further contamination.
anwhile, Kato had managed to overpower Maya. He had her pinned against a tree, her arms twisted behind her back. Despite her monstrous strength and desperate struggles, Kato held firm. His status as a chosen mber, coupled with his years as a monster, made him far stronger than her.
"So, you’re the monster," Kato said, his voice low and laced with curiosity. "How did this happen, Maya? How did you turn into this?"
Maya snarled, her monstrous features contorting in fury. Her struggles intensified, but Kato’s grip was unrelenting. His expression remained puzzled, though a flicker of sadness crossed his face as he kept her restrained.
"Yes, I am. Surprised?" Maya replied, her voice dripping with malice as an outburst of dark, nacing laughter escaped her lips. Her mouth was sared with blood, and her fangs still held remnants of human flesh. "Being a monster is exhilarating. Who would’ve thought human flesh and intestines could taste this delicious? No wonder you are so obsessed with it," she sneered, licking the blood off her lips with a perverse delight.
"Shut the fuck up!" Kato barked, his voice sharp with fury. His eyes bore into hers, a mixture of rage and disbelief clouding his expression. "How did you beco a chosen mber? And a monster, no less? Have you been hiding this all along?" His jaw clenched as his frustration mounted. "Are you... transgender? Is that why you’re a chosen mber? Because the last ti I checked, Scarlett was the only female chosen mber, and the rest of us are all male!"
Maya only laughed louder, the sound echoing through the air like a twisted lody. Blood dripped from her chin, and she licked it off theatrically, her eyes glinting with mockery. "Oh, Kato, you’re so naive," she taunted, her voice sickly sweet. Her calm deanor only enraged him further, but he tightened his grip on her, refusing to let her provoke him. His focus remained on restraining her, ensuring she didn’t escape was more important than demanding answers for now.
"Just calm down, everyone. It’s over for now," Scarlett interjected, her voice steady but heavy with exhaustion as she addressed the remaining survivors.
"Calm down?!" one of the survivors, a distraught woman, scread, tears streaming down her face. "That monster just killed my husband! We thought this place was supposed to be safe, but now we’re being slaughtered like animals!"
Another survivor, a bleeding man who had barely escaped Maya’s attack, pointed an accusing finger at Scarlett. "Was this your plan all along? To kill us, just like you killed Austin and Jones? You’re working with her, aren’t you? You sent this monster to murder us!" His voice trembled with both rage and fear.
As he continued to shout, his hand began convulsing violently. His eyes widened in terror as dark veins spread up his arm, an unmistakable sign that he was about to turn into a monster.
"Stay still!" Scarlett commanded, rushing to his side. Without hesitation, she conjured her fire and water elents, weaving them together to extract the venom from his arm. The man writhed in pain, but Scarlett’s determination didn’t waver. She worked swiftly, ignoring the murmurs and stares from the other survivors.
Finally, the venom was purged. Scarlett helped the man to his feet, her voice firm but reassuring. "You’ll be okay now."
The survivors exchanged uneasy glances, their fear still palpable, but they nodded reluctantly.
"It’s fine now, okay?" Scarlett continued, her voice softer but still resolute. "Sothing like this won’t happen again."
Her words, however, didn’t seem to ease their fears. They stared at her, then at Maya, their eyes filled with distrust. Scarlett could sense their unspoken demand, they wanted her to kill Maya to prove she wasn’t a threat.
Sighing heavily, Scarlett addressed their concerns. "Don’t worry. Maya only managed to attack because she left the cave formation with . We’re taking her back there, where her punishnt will be decided. She’ll be removed from this forest and won’t be a danger to you anymore."
Turning to Kato, Scarlett nodded. "Let’s go."
Kato didn’t hesitate, following closely behind Scarlett as they headed back to the cave, leaving the shaken survivors to grapple with their emotions.
Once inside the cave, Scarlett wasted no ti. She retrieved a rope imbued with a powerful binding spell and securely tied Maya. The enchantnt ensured she wouldn’t be able to break free.
"What’s wrong with Maya?" Ethan asked, his voice filled with curiosity as he approached. "Why is she like this?"
Scarlett’s expression hardened. "I need all the chosen mbers here for a quick eting. If you want answers, co now," she said, her tone brooking no argunt.
Without hesitation, Kato, Ethan, Larry, Ryder, and Hunter gathered around her, forming a circle and leaving the other human survivors behind.
"So, what’s going on?" Kato asked, his eyes locked on Scarlett.
Scarlett took a deep breath before speaking. "Maya is now both a chosen mber and a monster," she began, her voice heavy with the weight of her revelation.
Larry frowned. "How is that even possible?" he asked, his tone incredulous.
"It’s possible," Scarlett replied grimly. "And it’s been confird. Austin and Jones, who violated Maya, were both chosen mbers. If a non-chosen mber and a chosen mber have... intimate relations, the non-chosen mber becos a chosen mber instantly."
Her words sent shockwaves through the group.
"I didn’t know that could happen," Ryder murmured, his gaze fixed on Scarlett. "In all my ti during the apocalypse, I’ve only ever encountered male chosen mbers. I didn’t even know female chosen mbers existed until I t you."
Kato interjected, his tone firm. "Scarlett is different. She beca a chosen mber through her own system as the queen of monsters, not through anyone else."
Larry raised an eyebrow. "So Maya beca a monster because she was violated by chosen mbers?"
Scarlett nodded solemnly. "Exactly. But now isn’t the ti to judge her. She has gone wild and the other survivors see her as a threat, hence they’ll want her dead. They don’t know the full truth, but they’ve seen her kill. We have to figure out what to do before this situation spirals out of control."
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