Hours later Sophie returned to the base camp and immediately went inside one of the tents.
Qiana glanced at her figure as she passed by but soon wrinkled her nose in disgust at the unpleasant smell.
Sophie reeked of blood.
The battle had ended quickly once Sophie whittled down the squad’s numbers one by one until Azore was the only survivor left.
Worthy of being a magical prodigy, the battle would have taken much longer to finish had Sophie not been accustomed to battling mages from all the spars she had with Astrid.
Sophie lay inside the sleeping bag, but an unpleasant feeling rolled around in her stomach and she desperately fought the urge to throw up.
Her hands were shaking as she recalled almost losing control once the fight ended.
(Flashback)
Azore’s golden barrier was activated but Sophie’s spider appendages pierced through the golden foam and shot straight for the Servie’s heart.
It was almost like…. the fight could only end in death.
No… no… I…. I can’t let prey escape…
“What the hell?” Azore cried out in fear as she saw the hybrid girl’s appendages break the barrier created from the device.
This should be impossible! The barrier was designed to resist all attacks from cultivators under the qi tide stage.
Sophie’s eyes were completely bloodshot and the only singular thought in her mind was to eliminate the target.
Stop.
STOP THIS.
Sophie managed to wrestle control at the last moment and shifted the trajectory of the appendages to hit non vital areas of the girl’s body.
She still remembered the look of fear and horror on Azore’s face as the girl nearly died due to her actions.
What was happening to her?
Were these urges a result of her cultivation method or from her mother’s race?
The rest of the trip back to the camp base was a blur as Sophie’s eyes constantly flickered between a reddish and golden hue.
All she wanted now was to sleep as a wave of exhaustion swept through her body causing her to walk unsteadily.
Restless thoughts plagued Sophie’s mind as she lay in bed for a few minutes before drifting off into an uneasy sleep.
Her dream that night showed the shadowy figure of a beautiful Arachne stroking her hair lovingly while singing a peaceful song.
The language was unknown, but the meaning could be felt without understanding the lyrics.
“Fey my daughter’s ene”
“a am a hero”
“a am belda ae esto”
“ae a arktanye ni gaia em the hecurta is plain va nesi– she was hapria va rescue a a nesi– char a want va be”
“fey my daughter’s ene”
Sophie was unable to see the details of the mysterious woman but felt a deep bond of connection even stronger than the one felt in the presence of her aunt.
By the morning time…. Sophie could no longer remember the contents of that dream, but a warm feeling of love had chased away her dark mood from the previous day.
(Insectoid Empire- Exile Zone – Prison Area 789)
Princess Thai’lle opened her eyes and instinctively raised her hand to touch the star amulet around her neck but grasped nothing but air.
Old habits died hard and it would be a lie to say that she did not miss the accessory that accompanied most of her cultivation journey.
She would need to break into the Ascension Stage before being able to project her consciousness into her direct blood relatives’ minds.
At the peak of god stage, it was already quite impressive to be able to send her emotions across to her daughter.
The only problem was that Thai’lle had no idea how her emotions would manifest in her daughter’s dreams.
Well it was no use worrying about things she could not control.
“Alright time to cultivate!” Thai’lle muttered and started to circulate qi around her body at a breathtaking pace.
She never stopped training in this harsh environment as the thought of reuniting with her lover and daughter was all the motivation that she needed.
Five years to break out of the prison zone was way too long……maybe it was time that the exiled princess of the Arachne tribe reminded her race why she used to be feared.