The Dark Before The Light

"Then what are you feeling now? Hate? Disgust?" Acacia pressed, her voice dropping to a low, chilling tone. "You don't actually feel anything, do you? You pretend you do because you're confused. Being among humans for so long must have scrambled your brain function. Pretending to be people you're not has warped your instincts. But no matter how much you mimic, you can't change who you are deep inside."

Vincent's gaze dropped to the ground, his gaze dimmed a bit. After a moment, he slowly turned back and continued walking.

"What actually happened in the South?" Tosic demanded, breaking the tense silence.

"Monsters raided the place, and we were among them. We took new identities and travelled because we wanted to see more," Vincent replied, his voice barely a whisper. "Ciflith wouldn't be happy with your existence."

"I haven't made many people happy with my existence," Acacia countered, a sardonic edge to her tone. "One more person wouldn't matter."

Vincent expelled a heavy sigh at Acacia's cutting remark, the sound ragged in the quiet night. "Ciflith didn't tell us much, but he despises the gods. He'd rant endlessly about them needing to step down. And we trusted him because he helped us, the only god who offered a hand to monsters."

'Ungrateful piece of flesh,' Daemonis's voice rasped inside Acacia's mind. 'But I can't fault the fool for his lack of knowledge; his ancestors weren't exactly smart enough to pass down anything useful.'

"Did Ciflith evolve anyone else?" Acacia pressed, her voice sharper than the biting wind.

"I don't know. He can be weird sometimes, just doing whatever he feels like," Vincent murmured, a faint tremor in his tone. "But he wants to rule here... though seeing you..." His voice trailed off, lost in thought.

"Is he the reason you're here? All monsters, on Earth?" Acacia asked.

"I don't know. I was born here, so I don't know much about the past," Vincent confessed, and Acacia let out a short, frustrated sigh.

"How did you know about vessels?" Acacia inquired, her gaze piercing the darkness.

"He told us. He said he was once a vessel himself. And you both have the same mana aura, that particular gaze..." Vincent glanced back at her over his shoulder, his eyes glinting briefly before he looked away again. "I wasn't exactly sure until you confirmed it. I thought maybe you were just like us at first, but you have a different vibe. It didn't feel like I was looking at a human, but then seeing your mana fluctuate like crazy just now, reminded me of him. Monsters are incredibly sensitive to mana; we can differentiate between the strong and weak with it, as easily as breathing."

Acacia remained silent, her fingers instinctively rising to her neck, tracing the rough, cool scales of Behemoth where he coiled. Her gaze, once sharp, dimmed slightly, lost in a swirling vortex of thought. "Where is Ciflith currently?"

"I don't know, he left a long time ago," Vincent replied, his voice distant.

"How long?" Acacia pressed, the question hanging in the air.

"About six months ago? He said he wants to find something a god left behind," Vincent mused, clearly trying to recall the details.

"Left behind? Like what?" Acacia's curiosity was piqued.

"I don't know, he didn't say. But you should join him, though. He really means well for everyone," Vincent suggested earnestly.

"I'll judge that when I see him myself," Acacia replied, her tone firm.

"I'm sorry for intruding, but what on earth is going on?" Tosic interjected, his confusion palpable. "What is a vessel, and who exactly is Ciflith?"

'I am not in the mood to explain. All this is tiring,' Acacia thought, a wave of weariness washing over her as Maximus gently ruffled her hair, causing her shoulders to slump slightly.

'Humans are dangerous. Are you going to lay out everything?' Daemonis's voice echoed in her mind, a note of caution.

'Not exactly. But if that monster knows about vessels, there might be more who are aware...even humans. And I have a feeling he won't be the last one I meet,' Acacia replied, her resolve hardening. 'Plus, I trust the people by my side.'

'Humans who know about vessels do exist, but faintly so. It was deemed ridiculous for gods to pass down their powers to mere mortals centuries ago,' Daemonis countered, his ancient wisdom carrying a sting of warning. 'They might not believe you, and if they do, put the possibility of betrayal at the back of your mind. Humans aren't always trustworthy.'

"Acacia?" Tosic's voice cut through her internal debate, pulling her back to the present.

"I'm connected to gods, and I was saved," Acacia stated, earning a narrowed, scrutinizing gaze from Tosic before he shook his head, dismissing the thought for now.

"Will Jia hurt Poppy and Henry?" Tosic asked, his attention snapping to Vincent, his tone urgent.

"...I can't say. It depends. She's quite young, and her control over her instincts... isn't the best," Vincent hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

"If anything happens to my brats, I'll crush your skull with Jia's," Tosic growled, his voice a low, dangerous threat.

They resumed their trek, picking up their pace, the moonlight painting their path in silver. Acacia's gaze flickered to Maximus occasionally, a silent assessment. They walked for what felt like hours, the moon eventually giving way to the first blush of dawn. As the sun climbed higher, casting its golden light and drying the dew from the city, an urgent rhythm propelled their steps. The air, now warm, carried the wild scent of leaves and blossoming flowers on a gentle morning breeze.

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"A small break, please," Tosic huffed, tapping his aching legs. They all stopped, taking a much-needed breather.

Acacia glanced at the still figure on Vincent's back, taking a deep breath and stretching her own weary limbs. "Why is she still unconscious?"

"You... her face was smashed pretty hard. She's awake, but she can't exactly move right now," Vincent explained, clearing his throat awkwardly.

Acacia stared at him for a moment before stretching her arms above her head, her back arching slightly as a wave of relief washed over her. After a few minutes of rest, they continued their journey. The once bright sun began its slow descent, painting the clouds in fiery orange hues. As dusk deepened, the towering silhouette of the wall became visible, with several beast-men patrolling outside.

They were quickly spotted. The beast-men rushed to meet them, confusion etched on their faces at the unexpected number of returnees. They offered assistance, subtly keeping their distance from Vincent.

'What happened?' Acacia furrowed her brows, noting their wary reactions. The moment they stepped inside the wall's embrace, Tosic wasted no time, rushing off towards his own quarters.

"You're back—what happened to you? One boot, a leg from your pants is missing along with a sleeve from your top," Edwin's voice called out, his eyes wide with confusion. His gaze flickered to Vincent, hardening instantly. Vincent avoided his stare, carefully lowering the unconscious figure from his back to the ground.

"Many things happened..." Acacia began, her voice trailing off as her gaze snagged on a dark, spiderwebbed marking creeping up Edwin's neck.

'Why is Edwin... poisoned? He didn't even follow...' Her eyes widened instantly. 'The butterfly I implanted must've reached its limit.' Without a word, Acacia strode towards Edwin and clasped the back of his neck.

"What are you doing?" Edwin stiffened, surprise lacing his voice. Acacia ignored him, her absolute focus on his neck. The connection with the butterfly was agonizingly weak. Slowly, painfully, the delicate insect emerged from his skin, dropping to the floor and dissolving into a spreading crimson liquid.

'The butterfly on Maximus probably died, and my poison spread in his body.' Acacia pulled her hand away, a grim realization settling in.

"Where are the rest, right now?" she demanded, urgency sharpening her tone. Edwin rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the dissolving liquid with a stunned expression.

"They are sleeping—"

Acacia bolted, a blur of motion, rushing towards the building where the others rested. Edwin stood frozen for a moment, watching her distant form. Acacia reached the structure, easing the door open. She burst into the boys' room, finding Kel on the bed and Jahir sprawled on the floor. She moved swiftly between them, tapping their necks, extracting the fragile butterflies. Leaving their room, she hurried to the girls' room, pushing the door open gently. She froze, stunned. Bella was wide awake, meticulously strapping a bionic leg onto her thigh, a gleaming marvel of white and blue crystals at the joints of the leg.

"You're back," Bella stated, her voice a mix of surprise and quiet satisfaction as she secured the leg snugly.

Acacia didn't respond. Instead, she moved straight to Bella and tapped the back of her neck. The tiny butterfly emerged, fluttering down to the bed before dissolving into a shimmering crimson liquid.

"What was that?" Bella rubbed her neck, startled.

"A mistake," Acacia murmured, exhaling a shaky breath of relief that was quickly replaced by a cold dread. 'I left those butterflies for protection, but I almost killed them instead. How could I have forgotten something like that?' She sank onto the bed, burying her face in her hands.

"You okay?" Bella asked, her voice concerned. "You look rough."

Acacia remained silent for a moment, then lifted her hands from her face, nodding. "Yeah. How's your new leg?"

"Well, I'm trying to walk with it," Bella said, standing up. Her new leg moved forward fluidly, the crystals gleaming as she used the bionic limb to take a step. She crouched down, and the intricate design folded, then straightened again as she stood. She walked at a gentle pace, though with a slight limp. "It has a bit of weight to it, but I'll get used to it, hopefully. It reacts to my movements like a sensor and allows me to wiggle my feet, but it's hard to advance the design. Barcello really wanted it to switch to a bunny's leg if I transformed, but we didn't have enough parts for that. Kel also helped melt some metal together, but we were still lacking in some things. I just decided to use it like this for now. I'll find a way to work around it. Our main priority is the collars, after all."

Acacia listened intently, watching Bella move around the room, not missing the undertone of satisfaction in her voice. "It looks a little rough, but it's pretty nice."

"Thanks," Bella replied, her gaze settling on Acacia's weary form. "Did those monsters react by any chance? They reacted strongly here."

"What happened?" Acacia asked, a knot forming in her stomach.

"This morning, Henry reported about a girl named Jia. Both Kel and Edwin went to hold her down, but she reacted violently, causing problems and changing into something… odd, with multiple faces. Kel had to forcefully chain her down. Everyone was peeking from their hiding spots and they're all terrified now. She's currently in the building with the others of her kind, but they haven't reacted." Bella explained, her voice low.

'So that's why,' Acacia thought, running her fingers through her hair, the realization settling in.

"At least we got to show them off to everyone down there." Acacia sighed, the weariness evident in her voice. "They reacted as well, but to Celeste. She was injured, and we took her in. Before we knew it, they were feeding on her. I killed a few, so it only remains Vincent and another one of them."

"Celeste? As in, the one Zephyra knows?" Bella slowly sat down beside Acacia, her eyes wide.

"Yeah."

"That's... I don't even know what to say. She always talked about killing Zephyra one day, and yet..." Bella shook her head, a strange mix of disbelief and pity on her face.

"Also, the Mimckers did not evolve naturally, but due to an influence from someone. A strong being they like, similar to a god but not one," Acacia revealed, her voice strained.

"...Someone powerful like a god but not one? That is crazy," Bella whispered, tapping her foot softly and repeatedly against the floor, a nervous habit. "What do we do now?"

"Use them? Since we have a barrier now, monsters won't be able to come in as they please, but there will definitely be some hiding within the barrier." Acacia sighed, laying back on the bed. "I don't know what to do with them. Maybe use them as guards? They'll eventually turn on us since they crave flesh."

"You should rest. Let's discuss this in the morning, and you can bathe. We've got lots of rainwater in the bathroom," Bella suggested gently. Acacia nodded, pushing herself off the bed. She walked to the wardrobe, pulled out an oversized shirt and pants, then stepped into the bathroom.

She shed her clothes and stared at the five buckets filled with water. Drawing one closer, she used a small bowl to douse her head with the chillingly cold water. She scrubbed the dirt and blood from her hands and legs, rinsing her hair thoroughly with just water as Behemoth wriggled around her neck. After a few moments, she took a deep breath, then dressed and stepped out. Her wet wings dragged slightly on the floor as she walked towards the window. Outside, she saw Edwin and Maximus heading back to the building, while several beast-men moved about, their forms indistinct in the growing twilight.