Noctyss gritted her teeth until they threatened to crack. Her fingers twitched at her sides, aching to lash out—to crush the arrogant mosquito beneath her heel, to rip the spider's eight limbs off one by one.
But none of those were options.
She glanced down at the bucket in her hand, freshly filled after Ricky tossed her another with a casual flick of his limb. Somehow, this absurd little creature had not only subdued her but now had her performing menial labor like a low-born servant.
The humiliation was bone-deep.
Every time the urge to resist stirred within her, the binding tugged at her soul, cold and absolute. It sank its claws deep, freezing her defiance before it could even take shape.
She couldn't even curse him properly in her thoughts.
Even that was monitored.
What is this technique…? she wondered, unease curling like smoke at the edge of her mind. Was this how the countless prisoners she had toyed with felt? Was she now walking the same path she'd once forced others down?
Noctyss considered herself well learned, although Eldros kingdom was nothing more than backward village but even there were many formidable being.
But even those being were capable of such power.
She took a breath—shaky, but controlled—and moved to the next sapling. Her motions remained graceful, each step elegant despite the turmoil within. She lowered the bucket and carefully watered the roots.
Once, she was the Demon Queen of the Abyssal Nine Rings. Her voice could make cities kneel, empires quake.
Now she watered plants under the orders of a mosquito.
She was reduced to nothing more than a water bucket.
If word of this ever gets out…
No. I won't allow it.
"I'll kill you one day," she muttered beneath her breath, her violet eyes flashing with coldness.
She could wait and bid her time, until she finally got a chance to strike.
"Hm?" Ricky tilted his head mid-flight, feigning ignorance. "Did you say something?"
"No," she spat coldly, barely containing the loathing in her voice.
Above, Dark Shadow snorted, lazily spinning silk between her legs as she lounged on her perch.
"You should speak louder next time. The bucket doesn't talk much, but it sure likes whispering threats."
Noctyss's eye twitched, anger once again rising in her heart.
She didn't know why but the spiders words hit her where it hurt the most.
Ricky chuckled, but inwardly he was once again shocked by the skill. He still couldn't believe the level of control he had over her. The Mother and Son skill had gone far beyond his expectations.
He thought it would simply let him dictate her life and death—but instead, it had created a living puppet.
A puppet with the mind, memories, and hatred of a Demon Queen.
Dangerous.
Unpredictable.
And yet... unbelievably useful.
And beautiful.
Dangerously beautiful... he mused, watching her lean forward, robe tight against her curves as she tended the plants. Her movements were fluid, almost mesmerizing.
He shook his tiny head violently. No! Focus, damn it! She'll skin you alive if you let your guard down!
Still, he couldn't deny it. The dynamic between the three of them was... strange. Like some twisted little family with jagged edges and no safe corners.
Anyway, it was time to check the perimeter.
His wings shimmered as he rose, leaving the grove behind.
After assisting Dark Shadow with gardening, he always made a habit of inspecting the surrounding forest. The Harrier Village incident had definitely spread by now, and he couldn't shake the memory of Siantnes from the Radiant Knight Order.
His gut told him she'd return.
Just then, two bright life signatures flickered into his vision—rich, vibrant, and pulsing with vitality.
Ricky instinctively salivated.
He sped toward the source, and moments later, two familiar figures emerged from the underbrush.
The Forest Cat and the Boar.
They had changed.
Their auras had matured, brimming with latent power—just like his own when he was on the brink of evolution.
They glanced up at him, sensing his gaze. But upon recognizing him, they quickly turned away with dismissive huffs.
Just a mosquito. Nothing worth worrying about.
"Hmph. I'll be keeping an eye on you two," Ricky muttered mentally.
He moved on, wings fluttering softly.
He was now too big to ride air currents as before. Flying required effort, and the movement felt heavier than it used to.
Minutes passed.
And a sense of unease began to settle in.
Something was wrong.
His Lifespan Vision revealed dozens of new vitality signatures—far more than before. Monsters had multiplied throughout the forest.
Under normal circumstances, this would've been cause for celebration. But instead, a cold dread curled in his gut.
His instincts screamed that his peaceful days were coming to an end.
What is this...?
Just then, his vision locked onto a massive, glowing life signature.
An elephant.
Gigantic, radiant with life-force, the creature lumbered peacefully beneath the shade of ancient trees.
Ricky licked his lips.
"Shadow Perch."
His form darkened, smoke-like tendrils rising off his body as he melted into the shadows cast by the towering branches.
A moment later, he reappeared—already perched atop the elephant's back.
The creature let out a soft rumble of satisfaction as it munched on the leaves, completely unaware of the predator clinging to it.
Ricky locked his legs in, anchored himself, and thrust downward.
Its hide was thick—normally impenetrable to something of his size—but Ricky was no ordinary mosquito.
He was Stage 2.
His stinger punched through the leathery skin like a hot knife through butter, burying deep into flesh.
Immediately, an intoxicating wave of ecstasy washed over him. It was like drinking chilled vodka on a sweltering day.
Then the system alerts began to pop up one after another.
[20 Days of Lifespan absorbed.]
[10 Days of Lifespan absorbed.]
But even as he drank, something unexpected happened.
A flood of fragmented memories surged into his mind.
The elephant's memories.
Disjointed. Raw. Confusing.
But undeniably real.
Ricky blinked, his feeding momentarily paused.
What the hell...