Reborn As An Evolving Monster



On the other side of the border between Sloth and Lust.

The tears that had been hanging by a thread started flowing down the Dark Elven Princess' face as she tightened her grip around the bow in her hands.

The expression on her face, torn between anger, anguish, and hatred.

The Wind around her spun violently, blowing the descending tears away.

The ground cracked and groaned while the air screeched as an immense quantity of Mana turned into an arrow.

The Dark Elven Princess pressed her lips, closed her left eye, and took aim.

She clenched her teeth as the tip of the arrow was pointed at it.

At the white-scaled Monster's back that was getting further and further.

At the white-scaled Monster that was running away from her.

...

Less than seventy-two hours earlier,

"You little...!"

"Pfahahaha!" The Dark Elven Princess laughed out loud as she escaped from the Monster's hand that was reaching for her. "You'll need more than that to catch me! I'm not getting off, I told you already!"

For a couple of minutes, Mark had catered to Elisa's whimsical and intoxicated foolery.

But the constant poking on his head and cheeks did end up turning too irritating.

The white-scaled Monster reached towards the Princess that was, with feline grace and agility, standing and balancing herself on his back.

"Get off me."

"Don't wanna!"

"Oh, fuck this!" Mark groaned before quickly turning his body around and reaching.

His left eyebrow was left twitching a second later.

"Pfahahaha!" Elisa laughed even louder.

Her hands were wrapped around his wrist while her legs were wrapped around his arm.

The white-scaled Monster had expected to feel some weight pulling his arm down. After all, her whole body was being lifted by his arm.

'No, that's not it...'

"Pfahahah!"

'There's no way she would be this light.'

  "Giving up already?"

"Huh."

"Huh, what?"

'I can't get rid of her. She moves like a snake wrapping itself around my arm, or a spider on my back... Though comparing her to those feels wrong somehow.'

The white-scaled Monster raised its arm slightly and its suspicions were confirmed.

'She's keeping her heels on my shoulders at all times, distributing the weight properly so that I can barely feel it on my arm...'

Mark's gaze moved away from Elisa and towards the way ahead, a slight frown was on his face.

'I doubt I could incorporate something like that into my fighting but... I'd like the ability to do that.' The white-scaled Monster other hand reached for the chuckling Elisa. 'Might come in handy against larger Monsters.'

And so, the playful Princess continued fighting and escaping to claim her spot on him while Mark did his best to get her off him.

Running, jumping, arms, legs, tail, he used everything he had at his disposal.

Studying the Princess' movements was a rather difficult task for the white-scaled Monster.

Understanding what it meant to move 'naturally', 'effortlessly', and 'gracefully'.

What it meant to let one's movements flow from one to the other.

But this way, it was a bit easier to understand and study.

Looking at it isn't enough.

Feel it.

With every square inch of your body, feel it.

The way her arms move.

The way her legs move.

The way they wrap and unwrap themselves.

The way her hips rotate.

The way her core and back arch and curl themselves, smoothly, as if a wave was guiding them.

Your muscles aren't starving.

Your bones aren't weak and decrepit.

Your body isn't tense as a boulder anymore.

Look at it.

Feel it.

Let her movements guide you.

Light and uninhibited.

Her hands are wrapped around your wrist, yet you can barely feel them.

Her heels are resting on your shoulder, with just the right amount of weight and force.

Quick on your feet.

Let her movements guide you. Let her touch teach it to you.

What it means to move freely.

Purrr-

With wide eyes, the Moonlit Feline stared at the playful Monster and Princess.

Once again, Krista was reminded of the Forest Of Yarnha.

Of what she had seen.

Of the visions brought forth by Yarnha's Mist.

The cat should be in the same state as the Elf-

By now, it should be all sweet dreams, or a sweet part of their past-

The sweet dream that Krista had seen wasn't past.

But a possible future.

A possible future she wanted to see materialize more than anything.

The Moonlit Feline couldn't help but stare with wide eyes.

"SO ANNOYING!!"

"PFAHAHAHA!"

The sweet dream it wanted to see become reality was oh so close.

And so Krista watched, with her tail swaying from side to side, as the possible future became a probable one.

'It's getting dark.' 

"Ahahaha... Ah! Cold." The Princess whispered as she hopped off the Monster's back. "Unfair. Dirty play."

"Is it?" 

The thin layer of ice that had appeared over Mark's shoulders and upper back quickly evaporated.

He took a couple of steps forward, leaving Elisa behind him.

"Huh? Night already?"

"Mm." Mark nodded as he lowered his body towards the ground. "Time to sleep. We're making it to the border tomorrow."

"But I don't want to sleep." 

"You'd better get some. I'm not carrying you if you don't. And neither will Krista."

"Huh?" Elisa's gaze quickly moved towards the Moonlit Feline. "You won't?"

Yawn-

Acting as if it hadn't heard anything, the Moonlit Feline continued cleaning its fur.

"Get some sleep." Mark repeated as he lay his back against the ground. "The border between two... Demon... Realms? It'll probably be more dangerous than the border between Sloth and the Rift." He closed his eyes. "We need you at your best, okay?"

"But... But..." Elisa whispered repeatedly as she let her shoulders drop. 

The white-scaled Monster had only remained with its eyes closed for a couple of seconds before,

Drop-

"Agh...!"

It didn't hurt, but the sudden drop did make him groan.

"I'm not sleepy." Elisa whispered after she let her body fall flat on his, with her right cheek against his right shoulder.