˗ˏˋChoosing The Villainess As My Mother ࿐ྂ
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Althea Melody (POV)
(What? Killed me? What is this horrifying monster talking about?)
"W-What are you talking about?" I stammered, trying to make sense of the monster's words.
"You don't remember? I have eaten your soul!" the monster declared, its voice filled with eerie certainty. I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Your body should have been lifeless three days ago!" the monster continued, its tone growing more agitated.
"Three days ago at night! I devoured your soul! I waited for the right time to consume you! B-But..." the monster trailed off, a hint of uncertainty creeping into its voice.
"Is this why we haven't seen the portal to our home? It's because you're still alive? Impossible!" the monster exclaimed, its confusion mirroring my own.
(Three days ago...)
(I don't remember encountering a horrifying monster... And three days ago, that was when I woke up in a cold place...)
(Oh... So I randomly woke up in a cold street...)
"Y-You... you were the reason why I came to this world? It's because you were the one who killed the owner of this body?" I exclaimed, my mind reeling with disbelief.
"That's right! I devoured the soul of the child who inhabited the body you're using now!" the monster confirmed, its voice dripping with malice.
"What!? Are you insane? You're saying I'm here because of a creature like you!?" I retorted, my frustration mounting.
"That's irrelevant! What matters is how you came to possess a body that I had already consumed!" the monster demanded, its eyes burning with intensity.
"The body should have long turned to ashes after I devoured her soul! But how is this possible!?" the monster exclaimed, its confusion echoing my own.
"You're also the reason we haven't seen the portal to our home! It's all because of you!" the monster accused.
"What do you mean, you ugly, horrifying monster? How is it my fault?" I demanded, my fear and anger mingling.
"I devoured the soul of the child, but as long as the body remains awake or someone else possesses it, we can't return home. We must claim the soul of whoever possesses the body!" the monster explained, its voice laced with menace.
"You! You can't take my soul, you ugly, horrifying monster!" I protested, my heart racing with terror as its tentacles crept closer. Thankfully, a woman suddenly arrived and saved me.
My rescuer took down the monster with sharp arrows, hitting it in the head and heart. As the creature crumbled into black dust, something emerged.
"Thank you," I said, feeling relieved.
The woman, with her white hair and pale skin, looked at me intently. "Why are you here alone?" she asked.
I picked up the marble left by the monster, thinking about her question. "I… I want to reach the top of the Silver Peak Mountain to talk to the dragon who guards the sky and land," I said.
She seemed surprised by my answer.
(What's so surprising about that?)
"I didn't expect such a little human to be so brave as to seek an audience with the mighty dragon Keilbuss," she remarked, causing me to smile.
"Do you know where the dragon lives?" I asked, curious.
"Why do you need to see our master?" she countered, furrowing her brows.
( Master? The dragon has a student? That's not in the story! What's happening here?)
"I… I can't tell you," I replied with a smile.
"Well, you won't gain anything by going to the Silver Peak Mountain," she said, her expression cold.
"May I know the reason why?" I asked.
"We don't know either, but our master is no longer here in the mountain; he has long disappeared without a trace," she explained, leaving me speechless.
(Disappeared!? What does she mean!?)
"Did a girl come to the Silver Peak Mountain?" I asked.
"Ah, there was a pink-haired girl who came here three days ago too. She said she was going to pick some ice fruit and ended up heading to the cave," she replied, providing surprising detail.
(So… so detailed…)
(Am I too late???)
"I see…" I murmured.
"But oh, I did hear from our elder that Master Keilbuss may be residing in the Black Lagoon Forest," she mentioned.
"Why are you telling me this? Is it alright for you to tell me about this?" I questioned, unsure of her intentions.
"The Black Lagoon Forest is a very dangerous place. No one has ever come out from that place in one piece at all. There are many vengeful creatures that lurk in the darkness," she warned.
(She didn't even answer my question.)
"If you really want to meet our Master Keilbuss, my question is, are you ready and brave to face the danger inside the Black Lagoon Forest? You may not be able to find your way out, though," she added with a smile.
"That place is heavily guarded by these creatures," she warned.
"Have you been there before?" I asked, curious about her experience.
"I haven't, but I will never step inside that place. I won't dare," she admitted, her tone serious.
"If you like, I can take you there tomorrow," she offered.
"What makes you think that I would trust you?" I replied, crossing my arms skeptically.
"I saved you from that beast. Now it is your turn to give back the favor," she explained.
"What favor?" I asked.
"Take this to Master Keilbuss," she said, handing me a snow fruit.
"This is what Master likes to eat, and I believe there is no snow fruit in the Black Lagoon Forest. Do me this favor," she urged, and I carefully placed the snow fruit inside my bag, considering her request.
"Uh... thank you for saving me from the ugly monster. It could have eaten my soul too," I expressed my gratitude, still shaken by the encounter.
"Soul eater? I have never seen one before, except tonight. I didn't even expect them to exist," she admitted, her voice tinged with disbelief.
(And the reason why I was here in the first place, it was because the monster had eaten the soul of the previous owner.)
(And the monster even said that as long as the body is awake or is possessed by someone, they, the monsters, will do anything to kill whoever possesses the body.)
(Which means... are they going to kill and eat me too? Are they going to eat my soul too?)
(No way! Before they can eat my soul, I'll fight back! I'm a strong soldier!)
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