Chapter 255:

Chapter 255:

-

The space was filled with cocoons.

She was used to seeing the Big One go into a cocoon to grow stronger; it wasn't the first time.

Extending one of her tendrils, she touched the cocoon.

The warmth on the surface, the rough, wave-like pulses—all familiar sensations. The chaotic blend of senses and elements were ones she'd experienced before.

She perceived the world around her through a mystical ‘force’, sensing movements and objects with her entire being. Unlike other animals, she didn't divide her senses into smelling, seeing, or hearing.

Yet, this didn't mean her perception was any less keen. When she focused, she could sense an area far beyond the giant stone that emitted a foul, unpleasant smell.

But what she felt now was different.

For the first time, she was sensing the thoughts of an entirely different creature—the one within the cocoon connected to her tendril, the Big One's thoughts.

She hadn’t always had this ability.

It was only recently that she gained the power to read other creatures' thoughts and relay them, using the innate 'force' she'd been born with.

Her friend knew how to extract thoughts from the 'bad friends' and make them its own. When the Big One saw this, it rejoiced.

If she didn't know something, it was always best to learn from her friend. If her friend could do it, she believed she could too.

With this simple reasoning, she learned how her friend manipulated its powers. Though she wasn’t as skilled yet, she believed she would improve as she grew.

Indeed, her abilities had greatly improved after helping the Little One and the Little One's mother share their thoughts. Now, she could sense the Big One's thoughts much more clearly.

The Big One inside the cocoon was walking through a place.

It was vast, similar to her homeland, but with a very strange scent. The stinging, unpleasant odor reminded her of when she was imprisoned long ago.

Though it made her uneasy, she endured it. The Big One must have been frightened being alone in such a strange place. She wanted to stay by its side to comfort it.

Fortunately, the Big One seemed to sense her intentions, gradually calming down. When it reached a dead end, it raised its long appendage and pressed it against the wall.

As the wall shifted away, revealing a space she had never seen before...

「Little One?」

The familiar mental wave startled her awake.

She quickly pulled her tendril away from the cocoon, her consciousness returning to the unpleasant-smelling stone’s belly.

「What are you doing?」

「Nothing.」

「?」

The Little One tilted its protruding sensory organs in confusion at her strange answer. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but she felt reluctant to speak about it, so she mumbled evasively.

Luckily, the Little One wasn't interested in her odd behavior. Instead, it was curious about something else.

「Will the Big One change again?」

「Yes. It'll grow stronger.」

In response, the Little One shook its sensory organs rapidly.

「If it gets any bigger, it’ll be a problem.」

「Why? It’s good to be big and strong.」

「If it grows bigger, laying eggs will be difficult.」

Suddenly, she felt incredibly displeased.

「The Little One is not ready to lay eggs yet.」

「Why? You promised me that I could lay eggs once I became white and completed my growth.」

「You’re still not an adult!」

「The Big One already acknowledged me as an adult.」

The Little One’s logical argument left her speechless.

「Once the Big One’s growth is complete, I will ask it to lay eggs with me.」

「The Little One and the Big One are both still children! Children can’t make babies!」

「I’m not certain yet. I need to confirm it.」

The Little One seemed determined this time, showing no sign of backing down.

As it had pointed out, she had no justification to stop their mating. She had promised not to interfere once it reached maturity.

Moreover, the Little One had protected its family, fulfilling the duties of a leader. Though small in size, it was already a full-fledged adult.

Yet, she didn’t want to acknowledge this.

The thought of the Big One and the Little One mating filled her with intense displeasure—so much so that she felt she could destroy this foul-smelling stone entirely.

「The Big One is busy. It won’t have time to make babies.」

「Reproduction is important. The species must prosper. Eggs are necessary.」

「.......」

She believed that only the Big One could truly cherish someone like her.

After all, finding a male as robust and wild-horned as the Big One was nearly impossible. Even though his tail was rather thick for a male, she could easily overlook that flaw.

Because she was an adult, after all.

Her kin knew her feelings, and so no one dared to vie for the Big One’s attention.

Adhai never thought she would compete with anyone else for the Big One.

Least of all, against the Little One.

She glared at the figure standing in the distance on the white snow.

It appeared to be a small, fragile creature, unlike anything else found on this planet. But Adhai knew better.

The small creature she called the Little One possessed incredible strength. It was as powerful as her own mother.

Although facing such a formidable opponent alone was daunting, Adhai was confident.

Gifted with the power of the stars, she had grown immensely stronger than before. In her assessment, the only ones clearly stronger than her were the Big One and Odd Grad the Liar. All others were opponents she could handle.

As her thoughts reached that point, she began to feel her excitement rising. The blood of a fierce predator that lay dormant within her began to awaken.

She knew that strong males often mated with multiple females. It was only a matter of time before the Big One would do the same.

But she couldn’t give up her place as the Big One's first mate. She respected the Little One but not enough to relinquish the position of being the Big One’s first partner.

「This isn't a hunt. We'll hold back our strength.」

「Got it.」

「Understood」

Responding to the Middle One's words, Adhai began to draw on the power of the stars. In that moment, the Little One launched the first attack.

A long tentacle emerged from the Little One's body and struck her head. It was a familiar action, something the Little One did when disciplining her, but the force was on a whole other level.

If Adhai hadn’t enveloped her head with the power of the stars, she would have lost consciousness from that blow.

Having blocked the initial strike, Adhai retaliated. Compressed energy shot from her mouth, aimed at the Little One.

However, the Little One casually waved a tentacle, nullifying Adhai's attack.

But this was within Adhai’s expectations. The moment she fired her attack, she leaped forward, just as the Big One would.

In an instant, she closed the distance between them. She intended to ram into her opponent, but the Little One blocked her.

An invisible force bound her tightly, constricting her movements. But her wings, infused with the power of the stars, were still free.

Adhai did as the Big One would—she swung her wings as a weapon with all her might. The Little One, seemingly unprepared for this, hurriedly raised its tentacles to block the attack.

The sharp membrane of her wings sliced through the Little One's tentacle. It was the first time she had managed to wound the Little One, having never even dared to resist before.

A mix of exhilaration and guilt surged through her, but that was her mistake.

Without flinching, the Little One swung another tentacle. Adhai quickly enveloped her head with star power to block the attack.

The moment the tentacle struck, the air trembled, and her neck bones screamed in agony. The force was so intense that it overwhelmed the star power shielding her.

Still, she was fine. Her head remained unscathed.

As she thought this, the Little One’s wavelength touched her tentacle.

「You've grown a lot, Little One. I won't hold back anymore.」

「?」

Before Adhai could comprehend the meaning, she felt herself being lifted high into the sky against her will. The Little One had taken control of the force that bound her.

And then she saw it.

All the ice around the Little One cracked and began to rise into the air.

「Hey, hey! I told you to take it easy!」

「I said the Little One is grown up now, so this much is fine.」

「The ship will get caught up in this!」

By then, the Little One had grown several times larger than Adhai. Countless tentacles sprouted from its body, and a powerful force radiated from it, akin to the strength felt from the Big One.

What happened next was hazy.

An overwhelming number of ice chunks flew toward Adhai, and she was too occupied with fending them off. Her latent star power was far from insignificant, but she wasn’t capable of blocking an endless barrage of attacks without pause.

Eventually, drained of energy, Adhai was struck by one of the Little One’s tentacles and collapsed.

「I won, so that's the end of the baby talk! No more asking the Big One for eggs!」

That was the last thing she heard before losing consciousness. All she could do was nod in agreement.

But deep inside, Adhai made up her mind.

She was born with unfavorable odds, yet she had become the queen of her kin.

The word "give up" wasn’t in her vocabulary.

With a firm resolve to one day mate with the Big One, she passed out.