The Spider Queen

(Earth Federation- Alpha Star System)

(Planet Gaia- Peterlor Estate)

Sophie walked up and down her bedroom several times while deep in thought. She couldn't help but replay the events that occurred in what she now assumed was a nightmare.

What was that strange black mist-like substance that was wrapped around her body?

Why was she being pulled towards a barrier? How could there be a barrier in the amulet space?

And the voice that kept chanting her name… it was familiar, but Sophie could not remember where she had heard it before.

The voice sounded muffled and there was an element of distortion as if it came from a far away place beyond the void.

Sophie groaned in frustration and angrily slammed her palm against the corner of her dresser table.

A small crack appeared on the wooden surface as Sophie accidentally released a bit more force than she intended.

No… there was no use in getting upset.

Perhaps the best thing to do now was to take a nice hot shower and then change her clothes. It would help if she took her mind off the situation and just relaxed.

Sophie tossed the unpleasant dream to the back of her mind and headed towards the bathroom that was located at the far end of her bedroom.

The hybrid girl stripped off her clothes as she approached the metalloid door until she was in nothing more than her undergarments.

She carefully placed her nightgown in the laundry bag and then opened the door to the luxurious bathroom.

The floor was covered in tiles made from a soft absorbent material that felt like stepping on grass.

A few gorgeous watercolor paintings hung along the walls, but the main attraction was clearly the massive hot tub in the center of the room.

There was also a showering area next to the hot tub and a row of sinks with her toothbrushes and shavers.

Sophie slowly took off the rest of her clothes and exposed her voluptuous body. She smirked at her reflection in the mirror and made a short pose before getting embarrassed.

Did she still look good?

Sophie hesitantly took another look at the mirror and stared at the figure shown in the reflection.

Her lean physique had gotten significantly more muscular, and her height had definitely increased by a few inches.

This meant that she was now definitely well above seven feet in height.

Sophie ran her fingers lightly against her abdomen and felt the well-defined six pack.

Fortunately, the scars on her body from the various injuries sustained during her fights in the Unovan Syndicate were long gone.

One of the benefits of having a strong regenerative ability was the fact that her skin would naturally return to a flawless state.

Sophie also couldn't resist cupping her two mountainous peaks and touching the tips.

Sophie's face flushed as she felt a familiar tingle in her lower parts. She quickly dropped her hands and took a few deep breaths to calm down.

The memory of what had happened to Cleo last time she had lost control to her lustful urges was still fresh in her mind.

The last thing she needed to do was arouse her poor girlfriend in the middle of a lecture or somewhere else that was inappropriate.

Sophie yawned lazily and stretched out her bladed appendages to take a closer look at the physical traits of her Arachnais heritage.

The barbs on the end of her bladed appendages glistened menacingly under the light and Sophie could swear that they seemed sharper.

Well, she would have to test out her observations in the combat practice room but that was for another time.

Sophie pressed a button on the side of the hot tub and soon the clear liquid started to bubble as steam wafted upwards from the surface.

She grabbed a bottle from the countertop and poured the contents generously inside the hot tub.

The clear water immediately turned a pinkish red colour, and a pleasant aroma of fresh flowers and grass filled the bathroom.

Sophie sighed contently and placed one foot slowly in the water to test the temperature.

It wasn't something that she needed to be worried about since her enhanced physique could handle extreme temperature shifts, but old habits die hard.

Perfect.

Sophie carefully slipped the rest of her body into the hot tub and made sure not to splash any of the liquid onto the tiles.

This was heaven. She couldn't remember the last time that she had been able to just close her eyes and relax in a warm bubbly bath.

The stress and anxiety from the mysterious dream seemed to fade away as Sophie hummed softly.

"Girl you are my sunlight… the perfect soul… the one and only…" Sophie sang loudly as she swayed from side to side.

"You know you are the one… the one for me… for you I would do anything…. BABY!!!!!"

It was an old song from her childhood.

She couldn't recall the name of the band, but it was probably from one of those older groups that her father would occasionally play during their fishing trips.

Singing in the bathroom. A smile flashed across Sophie's face as she happily danced in the hot tub to an audience of one.

It may seem like something incredibly mundane but after months of tension and fear… it was this simple act that made Sophie feel alive and safe.

Sophie's bladed appendages also moved from side to side and splashed water onto the tiles.

Fortunately, the soft material instantly absorbed the water droplets so there was no mess.

The hybrid girl soaked and played in the hot tub for around thirty minutes before heading towards the shower area.

She placed a hand on one of the taps and pulled the metalloid handle. Boiling hot water poured out of the faucet and landed on her body.

Sophie continued to hum as she lathered and rinsed the bodywash that was covering the surface of her skin.

She loved the soft scent of flowers. It was calm and tranquil. It was this peace that allowed Sophie to gather her thoughts and think about an issue that was bothering her.

The Hunter Goddess' powers were certainly useful. That was not something that Sophie could argue against.

Not using her gifts would be foolish.

What she needed to learn was how to mitigate the side effects of using her abilities and how to prevent herself from losing control.

Keeping herself in a pleasant mood was the main method that Sophie used to stabilize her emotional state, but it was not perfect since it was impossible to be happy all the time.

And this method would not work in high stress environments where it would be difficult to take a moment to breathe and relax.

She needed to learn anger management tips as well as advice on how to regain control of herself when using the gifts.

Maybe her dad could offer advice?

Sophie gave the matter some thought and decided to seek out her father after lunchtime.

Her father was a god stage cultivator, so he probably had knowledge about the beings that lay beyond the Ascension realm.

Besides other than him… Sophie couldn't think of anyone else who would be able to help her out with this problem.

Sophie ran her fingers through her hair a few times and then reached for a bottle of conditioner since she discovered that her hair felt a bit stiff.

She rubbed the green liquid in her palms until it turned into suds before putting it in her hair.

Sophie made sure lathe and rinse repeatedly before finally shutting off the shower.

This felt good. There were few mundane pleasures in life better than stepping out of a hot shower while smelling clean and fresh.

"Turn on drying winds please," Sophie commanded. The AI unit inside the bathroom vibrated softly and soon a gentle hot breeze was release from the vents.

Sophie walked towards the back of the room and pulled out two towels from the wardrobe. She placed one towel on her head and used the other to dry off the rest of her body.

"Thanks. You can turn off the systems now," Sophie yelled out.

The lights and the breeze shut off immediately, but it was no problem for the hybrid girl to navigate her way to the exit thanks to her enhanced vision.

Sophie opened the door and stepped into her bedroom. She blinked twice to get used to bright lighting and then headed towards her dresser to pick out an outfit to wear.

Now… what should she choose…

Sophie browsed the wide variety of casual dresses, track pants, sweatshirts and fancy noble attire while picking out a few outfits that caught her eye.

She eventually settled on a lovely pale white dress that was composed of a smart- memory foam material.

Sophie placed the dress on her chest and material automatically spread and wrapped around her body until she was fully covered.

Unfortunately, her growth spurt during the months spent in the Unovan Syndicate meant that even her long dresses looked quite a bit shorter on her body.

Sophie added shopping for clothes to the list of stuff she needed to do. Actually, she also needed to buy some gifts for her friends since she wanted to surprise them.

Sophie brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and then walked towards the door. Today was a new day.

She picked up her wrist communicator from the top of her dresser table and powered on the metalloid device.

Hopefully Astrid had seen her message….