Becoming a Monster

Chapter 402: Chapter 402: Everyone’s being Tainted

Fenrir was all smiles. His wide, toothy grin was one that loudly spoke that he was far too proud of himself. His head twitched from side to side, restless. His eyes darted around their home in search of something, someone.

Then his gaze landed on Arachne.

The moment their eyes met, his grin grew impossibly wider. Arachne stared back with a flat and unimpressed look of someone watching a child eat glue. Normally, that kind of stare would have gotten a snarl out of him, maybe even a challenge, but not this time.

Because for once... she had nothing. She couldn’t call him "dummy." "Stupid" was already taken too. There were no insults left that could wound his pride.

And that realization filled him with something dangerously close to joy.

A rumble began to build within his chest; a low, intense vibration soon rose up until it reached his throat. A disturbing laughter followed, one that was a sequence of growling and barking all in one. He was reveling in his victory.

Who knew how long that laughter would’ve lasted if not for the fact he caught Noah’s watchful gaze.

Fenrir’s mouth quickly clamped shut. His expression turned completely serious as he stood at attention as best he could.

Noah didn’t even bother calling out Fenrir out of his behavior this time. He’d learned long ago that when Fenrir was in this kind of mood, logic had no effect.

Instead, he shook his head and said, "Alright, let’s just get this over with. Do you want to name the newcomer yourself? Or should I?"

Fenrir’s ears perked instantly, his grin snapping back into place. Name his own pack member? Of course he did! The thought of it alone made his tail sway with pride. Naming his pack was his duty, no...his right. It made him feel closer to Noah, like he was following in his footsteps. After all, who was more loyal than him? No one.

But when he actually tried to think of a name... nothing came.

His tail froze. His grin was already fading, his teeth grinding together in deep thought. The massive wolf’s eyes darted left and right, as if he could physically find inspiration hiding somewhere around him.

Food? No.

Snacks? Tempting, but no.

Kill? ... Maybe?

Noah? Definitely not, that would be an insult to his master.

The more he thought, the more his chest tightened. Everyone was watching him; his pack was watching. He had to come up with something good. Something powerful. Something-

Then it happened.

A faint, almost imperceptible sound reached his ears. His head whipped toward it, his instincts snapping to attention. He knew that sound better than he wanted to admit.

Arachne. She was watching him from the same spot as before. An infuriatingly calm smile tugging at her lips. Her shoulders quivered slightly, she was laughing. Trying not to, but she was failing miserably. Happiness was an emotion, but she’d disappear, contained.

Yet the moment their eyes met, her composure cracked. Whatever giddiness was left, instantly was shut down. She turned away quickly, clearly flustered at being caught. "Baka..." she muttered under her breath, so soft that no normal creature would have heard it.

But Fenrir was no ordinary creature.

His ears twitched. His head instinctively tilted. "Baka?" He’d never heard of the word before, but the tone, the smug little edge of it set off every instinct in his body.

It would be different if anyone else had said it, but it was Arachne. It could only be an insult when coming from her.

His breathing was louder but he didn’t notice. His body was tense while his tail flicked the air in annoyance as his brain processed the word.

"...B-baka," he repeated under his breath, failing to fully pronounce it.

Noah groaned quietly. He already knew where this was going. But what he wanted to know was...how did she learn about such a word. Even with her change, she shouldn’t magically learn vocabulary that she had never heard before.

That question only registered for a second. Noah’s eyes traveled to his side till it came upon the troublemaker who was always behind the scenes. Ailetta sat in the bed over Eve, smiling to herself, the kind of smile that told Noah she’d been enjoying the spectacle far more than she should have.

Another sigh escaped him. Although it was exasperating, he felt that maybe this was how a family should be.

His attention went to Fenrir again. The wolf’s expression had already shifted. Somewhere between outrage and delight. Because, insult or not, he finally had it, the perfect name.

Noah could feel it coming. He didn’t want Fenrir to keep coming up with these names. How was he supposed to respect Fenrir’s pack members in the future when they had names like this? He opened his mouth to intervene before the damage was done.

"Baka!" Fenrir’s voice boomed proudly. "His name will be Baka!"

His chest puffed up, tail swishing in triumph. The wolf turned toward Arachne, grinning ear to ear, basking in the radiant glow of victory.

But Arachne was already walking away.

She didn’t even glance back. The spider’s long limbs moved with an unhurried grace that wasn’t like her usual self. Her expression seemed calm, but there was something off about it, a slight twitch at the edge of her lips.

If Fenrir had seen her face, he might’ve been confused. The first two times he’d named his pack after her insults, she’d reacted with irritation, even challenge. But now... there was something different behind her calm.

After Arachne’s recent talk with Alietta; after truly watching how her words shaped Fenrir’s actions, she’d come to realize something unexpected: Manipulation could be far more entertaining than she’d ever imagined.

A quiet smile escaped her the moment she turned away. She couldn’t find it in herself to feel angry anymore. In fact, the prouder Fenrir acted, the harder it became to suppress her laughter.

Noah watched her go. He didn’t catch her expression, but he could feel the unstable emotions stirring within her. It was amusement that bordered the same feelings Ailetta was currently reveling in.

He blinked, his thoughts briefly awestruck. It wasn’t until Fenrir’s hideous laughter pulled him back that he was able to process his thoughts.

Everyone was changing.

Good or bad, they were all changing in their own way. And that was what he wanted for them. To grow into what they wanted to be. To no longer be bound by what they thought they were made to be. To have freedom to choose.

Without realizing it, even he felt lighter. The warmth that spread through him carried to all of them.

Fenrir, of course, took that feeling as proof of his success. In his mind, Noah’s happiness was solely because of him. And that happiness was because of one thing. He’d chosen the perfect name.

_______

Time passed, and the home gradually settled.

The space lacked the usual clutter. The normal sounds of constant movement, the growls and chatter between his creatures. Kratos, Fenrir, and his two pack members were gone, sent out to patrol the area.

Eve was awake again, this time wandering outside. Diablo and Ava were close behind her like dutiful bodyguards as she "played" with whatever caught her curiosity. With today’s changes, there was plenty to catch it.

That liveliness was exactly why Noah had sent Fenrir and the others out. The forest was different than yesterday.

They hadn’t come across any of the earlier inhabitants. There was no sighting of lurking stalkers. No trolls wanting to avenge their comrades, no goblins wanting to test their strength, and not even a stray lizardman who had the best scouting abilities he had witnessed thus far. All three species avoided them completely.

He couldn’t tell if they were simply steering clear of the drake’s territory or if it was because of him and Pandora’s constant vigilance. Either way, it was fine with him.

But that wasn’t what he found different. He had started to notice creatures... or rather, familiar ones.

Birds didn’t believe existed in this world. Mammals that resided from the forest from his old world. Mutated deer, evolved squirrels. Even the insects had crossed over.

He had noticed it during the time he spoke with the drake. Earlier, when Fenrir and Kratos brought back food, Noah had dismissed the faint familiarity of the prey as coincidence. But now, seeing the forest reborn around him, he knew it wasn’t a coincidence.

These creatures were remnants from his world.

And the question that lingered in his mind was: why now?

He wanted to know if these creatures’ behaviors changed, and if they’d arrived at the same time he appeared here and were active now, then what about the hybrids from before? That’s what Fenrir and Kratos were sent out for. They were acting as potential bait to understand the animals’ nature, to see if they were still as meek as before or if the prey had risen into predators.

And he also hoped to lure out the hybrids. They hadn’t posed a challenge before, but he didn’t underestimate their growth. Insects had the largest rate of growth he had ever seen, only second to zombies. And he had witnessed it personally.

However, now only he, Ailetta and Arachne were the only ones left inside. Arachne stood across from him, staring at his hand, which was holding something that was almost transparent. The figure was squirming, silently crying.

It was a soul, a human soul.