But the woman in front of her was no longer Sharon. Whatever remained of her consciousness had been swallowed whole by the transformation.
Even so, deia refused to see her as just another monster.
Sharon was a mother, a mother who had drowned in guilt, who had suffered so deeply that her pain had reshaped her into sothing unrecognizable. She had beco the very thing she once feared, all for the sake of protecting the child she could no longer hold.
[Host, the system advises you to shield your ears.]
A split second after the system’s warning, Sharon’s jaw unhinged grotesquely, stretching far beyond human limits. Then ca the scream, a sound so harrowing it sent violent tremors through the canyon, the sheer force of it cracking the stone walls.
But deia heard nothing.
She reached up, fingertips grazing her ears, sensing the invisible barrier that had shielded her from the wailing mother’s deadly cry.
She turned, her gaze eting Lucian’s. He stood firm, his arms wrapped protectively around the baby, an invisible shield shimring around them. He was keeping the child safe, just as Sharon had wanted.
deia let out a quiet sigh before shifting her gaze back to the wailing mother.
"Sharon, you did well." A flicker of sothing weird passed through her chest, but she didn’t let herself dwell on it. Instead, she activated her demonic strength.
Before she had even fully transford, her body shot forward with unnatural speed.
Sharon let out another ear-piercing wail, her jaw stretching impossibly wide. The sound ricocheted off the canyon walls, powerful enough to destroy her eardrums, had it not been for Lucian’s shield muffling the impact.
Sharon’s elongated hands clawed at the air, desperate to seize deia, but she dodged them effortlessly.
Those hands, which once gentle and warm, had beco grotesque reminders of her pain, her failure to shield her child from suffering.
And that scream? it wasn’t just an attack.
It was a cry of mourning.
"You didn’t fail, Sharon." deia leaped over one of her sweeping arms. "You fought to protect your daughter, and you succeeded."
She landed gracefully, then darted forward, grabbing Sharon’s outstretched hand and holding it tight, preventing her from lashing out any further.
"Because of you, your daughter is safe."
"We’ll take care of her. She’ll never go hungry again. Never be cold, never be alone." deia’s voice softened. "Because of you, she has a future."
Sharon’s body trembled.
The rage in her movents faltered.
Her monstrous face, once twisted in grief and fury, gradually lost its tension. The dark blood weeping from her empty sockets slowed, then stopped.
She wasn’t fighting anymore.
As if so part of her still understood—her daughter didn’t need her protection anymore.
deia’s throat tightened. "A mother like you deserves peace, Sharon." She clenched her sword. "I’ll set your soul free from this world that has failed you ti and ti again."
A hush settled over them. The wind howled through the canyon, but deia’s voice was barely a whisper.
"If there’s another life beyond this one, I hope it’s kind to you. I hope... you never have to suffer again."
In a single, fluid motion, her blade cut cleanly through Sharon’s neck.
There was no pain. No struggle.
Only quiet.
She wanted to set Sharon’s soul free in the gentlest way possible because this world had already been rciless to her.
She was a kind and pure soul, tainted by monsters who deserved nothing less than eternal damnation.
"Sleep well, Sharon," she whispered softly.
deia watched as Sharon’s head fell to the ground. Even though her body no longer resembled that of a human, there was sothing unmistakable on her pale, hollow face—a faint, peaceful smile.
She had finally found peace.
[Host, don’t you think you’re getting a little sentintal?]
"What?! I can’t hear you!"
[Host, the system speaks directly into your mind. And by the way, Lucian already removed the barriers from your ears.]
deia ignored the system’s remarks. Sentintal? That wasn’t it.
She simply understood Sharon’s pain. She had walked the sa path. She had once known the unbearable weight of losing a child. That was all.
"deia, are you alright?!"
Lucian’s voice broke through her thoughts as he rushed to her side, his gaze scanning her with concern. "How do you feel? Do you need anything?"
deia chuckled softly. He wasn’t just checking for injuries, but he was making sure she was truly okay, inside and out.
"I’m fine, Lucian." She offered him a reassuring smile. "Truly, I am."
Then, her gaze shifted to the small bundle in his arms—the baby girl. Sierra, if she rembered her na correctly.
"What about her? Is she alright?"
Lucian’s expression softened as he glanced down at the child. "She isn’t injured, but... she’s much lighter than a baby her age should be. She must be starving. And freezing."
"Take her to the doctors," deia said gently. "She needs warmth ... and food."
Lucian tilted his head, concerned flickering in his eyes. "What about you? Why don’t we go back together?"
deia shook her head. "I want to give her a proper burial." Her voice was calm, but there was sothing odd in it. "So ... just go ahead first. Make sure her daughter is safe." She looked at him. "Can you do that for ?"
Lucian didn’t hesitate. "Of course." He nodded and reached out, his fingers brushing gently against her cheek. "But promise you’ll co back as soon as you’re done, okay? As for the other corpses ... leave them. I’ll have Harry burn them in the morning."
deia sighed, nodding. "Alright."
With one last glance at her, Lucian turned and headed back toward the base, cradling the fragile baby in his arms. And just like that, deia was alone, standing amidst a graveyard of the fallen, the air filled with the scent of blood and death.
[Her body is massive now. You’re going to need a lot of ti to dig her grave, Host.]
deia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah? So what? You think I can’t dig a grave fast enough in this form?"
She flexed her fingers, already preparing for the task ahead. "You’re always nagging about being a better person, so why is it that every ti I actually try to do sothing decent, you make a fuss? What do you want from ?"
[The system is simply used to seeing Hosts who are ruthless and devoid of emotion.]
[That’s why, for a mont, the system thought there was sothing wrong with your mind.]
deia let out an exasperated groan. "Oh, for fuck’s sake! Can everyone stop acting like I’ve lost my damn mind?!" She threw her hands up. "I’m fine! My brain is fine!!"
[Foul language detected! Penalty -20 C-Points.]
[Please, be aware of your language, Host!]
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