Becoming a Monster

While much of the forest spent the night searching for whatever shelter they could find, more and more creatures had gradually found their way toward Noah’s territory.

Some of the first to arrive were those that already lived there.

It wasn’t unusual for many of them to leave the territory throughout the day or night. Some needed to hunt for their own food, while others searched the surrounding forest for materials to improve their homes or simply wandered farther than usual.

They would’ve returned eventually, but their instincts warned them something was wrong, and seeing other creatures throughout the forest searching desperately for shelter made many of them abandon whatever they were doing and return early.

The last thing they wanted was to arrive later and discover another creature had taken the place they already considered their home.

By the middle of the night, most of those living within the territory had already returned.

Many went directly toward the homes they had built for themselves, while those without anything capable of offering enough protection settled within the additional shelters Pandora had created.

Pandora had spent much of the night improving both.

For the creatures that already possessed their own homes, she was surprisingly careful with how much she changed.

Pandora had spent enough time watching over them to become familiar with how they lived and the different ways they constructed their dens. Rather than replace what they had built with something she believed was better, she worked around what was already there.

Roots reinforced weaker areas, portions of the surrounding ground were made more stable, and additional protection was added wherever the wind or rain was most likely to become a problem. By the time Pandora finished, some of the dens were considerably safer than before without looking as though someone else had taken it over.

She had considerably more freedom with the shelters she created for those who didn’t possess suitable homes of their own. She could expand or change them as she wanted, allowing her to prepare enough additional space for everyone already living there but unable to make their own dens.

At least, that had been the original intention.

As more of the territory’s inhabitants returned throughout the night, other creatures began appearing with them.

Some had noticed animals hurrying in the same direction and followed to see where they were going. And the rest had always known it was there, but they used to be too afraid to venture in. Only when they saw all the other creatures rushing in did they gamble to go in themselves.

Eventually, what started with the usual inhabitants returning home had turned into entire packs and herds arriving from different parts of the forest.

Some arrived with their young surrounded by the adults, while smaller creatures carried eggs or whatever else they had been unwilling to abandon with their nests.

Pandora didn’t have much reason to turn them away at first. There was still enough space within the territory, and accommodating a few more creatures wasn’t difficult after everything she had already spent the night preparing.

As their numbers grew, she began extending those preparations toward them as well.

More shelters were created, existing areas were expanded where possible, and portions of the territory that hadn’t previously been needed for shelter gradually began being put to use.

For a while, that was enough.

By morning, Pandora had accomplished more than what even Noah expected of her, but the number of creatures seeking shelter was beginning to outpace how quickly she could accommodate them.

The openings within the massive wall of roots had become increasingly crowded. Packs and herds waited for their opportunity to enter, while the creatures behind them continued pressing closer whenever another group disappeared through the wall.

The growing numbers inevitably caused problems.

Most of the creatures had tolerated one another surprisingly well until now. The approaching storm gave predators and prey alike far more important things to worry about, but that temporary tolerance became harder to maintain as they competed for the same limited space.

It was even worse for those with young.

Growls and warning displays became increasingly common whenever something moved too close, and although most confrontations ended there, it was only a matter of time before one of them went further.

The first violent encounter happened near one of the entrances.

One creature attempted to force its way ahead, only for another to refuse to move from its path. Neither seemed willing to back down, and the confrontation barely had enough time to escalate before one of Pandora’s roots tore free from the ground.

Noah would have been surprised if he saw this, because little did he know that Pandora’s roots now could reach to the outer parts of their territory.

The aggressor was struck hard enough to be sent tumbling away from the entrance.

Several of the creatures nearby immediately recoiled in fear, while those accustomed to living within the territory only flinched.

They had lived here peacefully without the forest ever harming them. Even when they fought one another for territory, the forest never interfered.

But now, when Pandora was trying her best to finish what she started so she could show Noah all that she accomplished, she wouldn’t let anyone ruin it.

The creature that had been struck scrambled back onto its feet, more startled than injured, only to freeze when several more roots rose from the ground around it.

Whatever aggression it had shown disappeared almost immediately.

It slowly backed away, and only once it had created enough distance from the entrance did the roots sink back into the ground.

Everything around it had been watching.

The warning appeared to work, but it wasn’t the last time Pandora had to interfere.

Another confrontation started not long afterward when a larger creature attempted to drive a smaller family away from the shelter they had claimed. Before it managed to get close, several vines wrapped around its legs and pulled it backward.

Pandora didn’t care which creature was stronger or which one believed it deserved a better place to stay. She had already allowed them inside and even created shelters for those who needed them. The least they could do was avoid causing problems for everyone else.

After witnessing her interfere several times, most of the newcomers gradually began to understand.

Growls were still common, especially whenever something wandered too close to another creature’s young, but fewer of them went beyond warnings. Even some of the larger predators became reluctant to intimidate weaker creatures once they realized their strength meant very little when the forest could move against them at any moment.

That made maintaining order considerably easier.

Unfortunately, it did nothing to reduce the space they were taking up. She could continue expanding what she had created, but every new shelter left less room between the creatures already there.

The situation would only become worse once the storm actually started.

Right now, those waiting outside were frightened but still willing to remain where they were. Pandora doubted that patience would last once the wind and rain became strong enough to make standing outside dangerous.

And the storm wasn’t the only thing they had to worry about.

An army was still coming for them.

If the humans arrived while thousands of frightened creatures were crowded outside their territory, then they would leave less room for Noah and the others to maneuver through once the fighting started.

That was when Pandora finally stopped working. Improving the shelters was something she could solve on her own.

But this was something that she felt Noah needed to decide.

Pandora gave the territory one last look before she drew her attention to Noah, who was already up.

But she didn’t rush to inform him of what was going on. Because right now, both he and Arachne were busy.

Noah was eager to see Arachne’s new skills in action. And now she was about to display them.

Lying before them was Arachne’s egg, the one of the three that was the strongest among them, and one that was given even more nutrients than Atlas’s own.

This egg was different from the one just days ago. Its exterior was almost like the cocoon Arachne was in during her transformation. It was now impossible to see anything inside it; the embryo was denser than her normal eggs, while cracks, or seams within the egg, were now pulsating with green energy.

The ability she was about to perform didn’t have anything to do with the egg itself; however, just like Noah, whose instincts could lead him to make the right decisions, Arachne also had her own.

Using Noah’s blood, she consumed a great deal of it later that night, a scene that was entirely discomforting when a pair of jealous eyes watched.

She then used that blood to imprint on her strongest egg. If she wanted to be a better Queen, her royal guard needed to be stronger, and she didn’t consider anyone stronger than Noah.

The result of Noah’s essence was the egg in front of them.

And now that the preparations were done, Arachne stood over it, preparing to use her ability.

The eye in the center of her forehead created a bridge of light that connected to the egg. Slowly, that light turned into an invisible tether that linked the two together, beyond the connection of her other soldiers.

And it was at that time that the egg began to crack.