"You're finally wearing clothes." That was the first thing that burst forth from Xavier's lips upon seeing her, because it was an undeniable truth. She was indeed garbed now.
The woman from the corridor—no longer the image of sorrow, no longer fragile. She wore a sleek, obsidian robe that whispered against her skin, her hair drawn back into a tight braid that showcased the strength of her neck. At her side, a blade lay sheathed, a silent testament to her deadly prowess. Her posture was regal, poised like a queen ready to command an army, her expression inscrutable. Yet her eyes burned with a faint glow, like embers nestled in the ashes, waiting for a breath of air to ignite them.
Stopping before him, she folded her arms with an elegance that hinted at power, her head tilted slightly as if assessing her prey.
He pressed forward, his gaze unwavering. "I wonder how you feel. I suppose you must take pride in taking me down, huh?"
Her jaw tightened, and her glowing eyes narrowed into slits, a seething rage boiling under the surface.
"You insolent—"
But she didn't finish her thought.
In an instant, her fist slammed into his gut with the force of a battering ram.
Pain radiated like wildfire from the epicenter of the blow. Air exploded from Xavier's lungs, his body jolting violently against the chains that bound him, the metal screaming in protest under his sudden strain. Agony lanced through his core, sharp and relentless. His vision blurred, and he found his mouth agape, a silent gasp escaping as blood trickled from the corner of his lips.
She didn't initially retract her fist.
It remained buried deep in his abdomen, twisting with malevolent pleasure, savoring the pain she inflicted.
"You will learn respect," she growled, her voice vibrating with a low, dangerous snarl. "Even if I have to carve it into your very bones."
Xavier coughed, crimson droplets staining the floor as they slipped from his mouth.
But even through the agony, a grin tugged at the corners of his lips.
"You do realize I'm upside down, right?" he managed, teeth gritted against the waves of pain.
"Close your mouth." The woman spat her words, laced with contempt. "It irritates and disgusts me that you, lesser beings, choose to open that rat hole of yours."
He paused, contemplating her words. "Lesser beings? So, you think you're superior to me just because I'm chained? That's a hollow argument."
The woman laughed softly, a chilling sound that echoed off the steel walls.
"You've completely misunderstood. I'm not insulting you by calling you lesser. I state it as fact. You are one."
"What?"
"An inferior creature," she clarified, her smile sharp and menacing. "A worm writhing in the soil. An infested rat. It's in your very blood. It's what you are. You can't change it—nor can I. But that's why the chosen, like me, are created. To put you in your place. To show you that creatures like you have never been meant to think of yourselves as beings of nature, but rather as mindless animals—just pitiful beasts."
Xavier absorbed her words with a blank stare, a dawning realization washing over him. The woman was not simply prejudiced; she harbored a profound disdain for humanity itself. But why?
And then it hit him, a terrible clarity.
"You're not human, are you?"
His eyes locked onto hers, both captivated and horrified as a sinister smile curled her lips—a confirmation of his darkest suspicion.
"You catch on quickly," she purred, an unsettling satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.
Then the transformation began.
Her body stiffened, and the lights overhead flickered violently, casting erratic shadows that danced along the walls. The strange symbols etched around the chamber pulsed with increasing urgency, their glow brightening as if they sensed the surge of power building in the air.
Xavier watched, paralyzed with a mix of fear and fascination, as her skin began to ripple—like water disturbed by a stone cast into stillness.
Her complexion darkened, shifting from a pallid hue to a mottled gray, reminiscent of ash blended with obsidian. Veins of black surged across her arms, throbbing in sync with an unnatural rhythm. Her eyes became twin suns of incandescent yellow, pupils evaporating into their brilliance.
Her limbs elongated grotesquely.
The sound of her spine cracking echoed in the chamber as she grew taller, broader—a monstrous silhouette casting a dread shadow over him. Her fingers twisted into grotesque claws, each tipped with wicked, curved talons that scraped against the cold steel floor with a sound that set his teeth on edge.
With a gut-wrenching twist, her face morphed.
The once-delicate features warped into something primal and terrifying. Her jaw elongated, her cheekbones sharpened almost to a blade, and her mouth split open to reveal rows of jagged, glistening fangs that gleamed in the dim light. Her breath fogged the air with heat and something foul—a reek of ancient evil.
Power emanated from her like a furnace, raging and all-consuming.
The walls trembled. The lights flickered threateningly, dimming in the wake of her overwhelming presence. The chains that held Xavier vibrated, struggling against the pressure she exuded. The symbols writhed as if alive, afraid of the force they hosted.
She advanced, loomed over him now, her voice layered and resonant, a growl tinged with a disquieting otherness.
"How does it feel to stand in the presence of true beings deserving of dominion over the land? We are evolution incarnate, having transcended the shackles of mortality to become a formidable force that rules the cosmos."
Xavier glared up at the abomination, his disgust coiling tightly in his gut. "What the hell are you?"
"What am I?" she mused with a chilling laugh. "I am a Demaranian, a creature born to conquer, to ravage, to destroy, and ultimately to evolve. And you humans? You are nothing more than stepping stones in our relentless march toward greatness."
Xavier's eyes narrowed defiantly. "And so? What does that mean for us?"
"Don't you understand?" she sneered, her disdain palpable. "It was never meant to be about you humans. Once, we were pitiful and weak, hopeless and insignificant. Our kind was naught but a whisper in the vastness of the universe. Invisible, destined to remain unseen. But after the crowning of our great emperor, we changed..."
The grotesque abomination loomed closer, her head lowering as her bright, emotionless eyes locked onto Xavier's with a chilling contempt.
"We have become stronger," she declared, a twisted pride echoing in her voice. "We evolved. We unlocked our potential, harnessed our abilities, and wove combat styles into our training. It was ecstasy. At last, we were fulfilling our true purpose."
She straightened, her gaze unyielding. "Our empire has vanquished worlds across the cosmos, and Earth is next. The conquest of this planet is a foregone conclusion, as declared by the Demaranian Empire. You will witness it unfold, as nothing more than a mindless creature meant to serve us."
Xavier's glare hardened, his mind racing for a way out. "I hate to burst your bubble," he retorted, a steely resolve in his voice. "But I refuse to be your lab rat."
"You have no choice," she sneered. "You should be honored to join the ranks of the Demaranian empire when we're finished with you."
"That's not happening."
Suddenly, a wall creaked open, and six grotesque, mutated figures shuffled in, their deformed bodies grotesque yet strangely compelling. They flanked the Demaranian, a nightmarish assembly.
A sickening smile twisted her features, an unsettling mockery of joy. "It's time," she announced with malevolent glee.
Xavier's pulse quickened as he met her gaze. "For what?" Even though he already knew the answer.
"What do you think, human?" The Demaranian's laughter echoed, cold and mocking. "It's time for your evolution."The grotesque abomination loomed closer, her head lowering as her bright, emotionless eyes locked onto Xavier's with a chilling contempt.
"We have become stronger," she declared, a twisted pride echoing in her voice. "We evolved. We unlocked our potential, harnessed our abilities, and wove combat styles into our training. It was ecstasy. At last, we were fulfilling our true purpose."
She straightened, her gaze unyielding. "Our empire has vanquished worlds across the cosmos, and Earth is next. The conquest of this planet is a foregone conclusion, as declared by the Demaranian Empire. You will witness it unfold, as nothing more than a mindless creature meant to serve us."
Xavier's glare hardened, his mind racing for a way out. "I hate to burst your bubble," he retorted, a steely resolve in his voice. "But I refuse to be your lab rat."
"You have no choice," she sneered. "You should be honored to join the ranks of the Demaranian empire when we're finished with you."
"That's not happening."
Suddenly, a wall creaked open, and six grotesque, mutated figures shuffled in, their deformed bodies grotesque yet strangely compelling. They flanked the Demaranian, a nightmarish assembly.
A sickening smile twisted her features, an unsettling mockery of joy. "It's time," she announced with malevolent glee.
Xavier's pulse quickened as he met her gaze. "For what?" Even though he already knew the answer.
"What do you think, human?" The Demaranian's laughter echoed, cold and mocking. "It's time for your evolution