NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41
Damian reached out and willed the vein closer, feeling it respond to his call. As it neared, a flood of Sasha’s memories rushed into him—her battles, her thoughts, her hatred, and most of all, her relentless drive to survive and dominate. Her life had been a whirlwind of violence, betrayal, and desperation, but beneath it all was a twisted sense of self-preservation that Damian admired in a way. He would use it.
When the vein touched him, Damian began the weaving process, binding Sasha’s essence to the new mass of biomass. He felt her resist, even in death. The will to fight was still strong in her, but Damian's own will easily overwhelmed it. He began infusing his knowledge into the new form. Unlike his past minions, he would grant Sasha access to the knowledge of the game and the world they now inhabited. He wove in the truths that would awaken her to a new purpose—one that she would serve under him, fully aware of the nature of their existence.
The process was intricate, but Damian’s mind was sharp. He manipulated the threads of her being, carefully merging them with his knowledge, guiding them through the passage until Sasha's essence was no longer separate. She was now part of him, but at the same time, something new—a superior minion, one with her own thoughts, but bound to his will.
He turned his focus to reshaping her personality. Sasha had been obsessive, volatile, manipulative, desperate, chaotic, and insane. Damian meticulously altered these traits. Her obsession and volatility transformed into ruthlessness and strategic acumen. The chaotic insanity, weakened by the drugs he'd administered before her death, morphed into ambition and a thirst for dominance. The result was a being who was manipulative, desperate, ruthless, strategic, ambitious, and dominant—perfect for the role he envisioned.
Next came her appearance. The bald, gray-skinned, sharp-clawed woman was too conspicuous. Her lower half had been naked, and her tongue could split into tendrils—a feature that lacked subtlety. Damian decided to give her two forms: a human disguise and a more intimidating alternate form inspired by Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades.
For her human form, he refined her features to ensure she wouldn't be easily recognized. Her skin tone deepened to a rich, dark brown, making her appearance striking yet harder to associate with her previous identity. Her hair transformed into long, flowing dark brown locks cascading down her back. Damian softened her facial features—reshaping her cheekbones, lowering her brow slightly, and widening her eyes into a deep almond shape that added an air of mystery. Her nose became more delicate, her lips fuller but set in a stern, composed expression. He dressed her in form-fitted black jeans, a light cream turtleneck, and a prominent hooded red winter wool coat. This ensemble was both practical and stylish, allowing her to blend in while maintaining an aura of quiet authority.
Then he crafted her alternate form—a manifestation echoing the formidable Queen of Blades. Her skin transformed into a hardened, chitinous shell, with black and red hues swirling as if alive and pulsating with energy. Spiny, bladed ridges emerged along her spine, shoulders, and limbs, enhancing her already lethal physique. Her tongue tendrils gained the ability to extend, tipped with blades capable of injecting paralytic venom and deadly neurotoxins at will.
A sinuous tail sprouted from her tailbone, adorned with bioluminescent patterns glowing in dark reds and blacks, moving with the fluidity of her tendrils. Long, membranous wings extended from her back, veined and translucent, casting eerie shadows as they unfolded. Her hands and feet ended in razor-sharp claws designed to rend flesh effortlessly. Despite these monstrous features, her face remained partially recognizable, marked by an apex predator's cold gaze. Her eyes burned crimson, reflecting the hunger and ruthlessness Damian had carefully instilled.
As the final elements fused together, Damian felt a jolt pulling him back to his physical form. Beside him, the mass of biomass began to shift and grow, taking on a humanoid shape. Slowly, it solidified into a figure resembling Sasha—but evolved. This was not the broken, deranged woman he'd fought earlier; this was a reborn entity, honed and perfected.
She stood before him, initially dazed. Her hands flexed experimentally as she acclimated to her new existence. The chaotic madness previously haunting her eyes was now subdued, replaced by sharp intelligence and focus. She surveyed her surroundings before her gaze settled on Damian. The confusion faded, and recognition sparked.
"Damian...?" Sasha's voice was calm, controlled, yet carried an undercurrent of her former self. She looked down, examining her transformed body with a mix of awe and curiosity. "What... am I?"
"You're mine now," Damian replied, his tone firm but not unkind. "I've given you a new purpose and a new life. You're stronger than before. You retain your memories and powers, but now you also possess my knowledge—the truth about this world and the events that are coming."
She took a moment to process his words, flexing her fingers and feeling the power coursing through her. "I remember everything," she murmured. "The chaos, the anger... but it's different now. Clearer."
"Exactly," Damian said. "Your mind is your own again, free from the madness and drugs that consumed you before. We have much to accomplish, and I need you at your best."
She met his gaze, something new shining in her crimson eyes. "What would you have me do?"
“Watch,” said Damian as he walked over to the Reapers who were still unable to move. Reaching out his hand a mass of tendrils wrapped around one of the Reapers. Interestingly this Reaper seemed to be a woman. Damian enveloped the woman, initiating the transformation process.
As he entered his mindscape, Damian was met once again with the representation of the woman's consciousness, distorted and corrupted by Sasha’s infection. Damian began to shape the genetic structure within his mindscape, crafting a new template for his new savage minion an infiltrator.
This creature was a two-legged humaniod, with each limb endowed with the muscular power and agility of a cheetah, that would allow it to traverse terrain with unmatched speed and grace. Its body was sleek and streamlined, reminiscent of a dolphin's form. Its skin was also adorned with the adaptive camouflage of a chameleon, allowing it to blend seamlessly into its surroundings, rendering it virtually invisible to the naked eye.
Damian's infiltrator was a sleek, humanoid creature with adaptive camouflage that allowed it to blend seamlessly into any environment, making it nearly invisible. Its body is agile and flexible, designed for silent movement and quick shifts in size and shape to mimic any person it encounters. Equipped with retractable spikes coated in paralytic venom and venomous fangs, it can neutralize threats silently and efficiently. The creature's intelligence, drawn from dolphins and elephants, enables it to problem-solve and understand complex social dynamics, while its parrot-like vocal mimicry allows it to perfectly replicate any voice. Through a hive-mind connection, Damian expected Sasha's mental link tar to seamlessly control the infiltrator remotely, using it as a tool for espionage and stealth.