The Spider Queen

Drip… drip… drip…

The only sounds that Sophie could hear in the shower room were the sounds of water hitting the floor and the steady beating of her heart.

The water that fell to the ground was murky and unclean. It was a reddish-brown colour and one could easily spot tiny chunks of flesh mixed in with the liquid.

Drip… drip… drip…

Sophie stood quietly as wave after wave of painful memories from the mirror copies flowed into her mind. Her sparring session had gotten violently out of hand.

Eleven clones had been summoned using her Rsychosis technique. Not a single one remained after the training exercise.

She had killed them all.

Truthfully Sophie could not even remember what had happened clearly. It was all just a blur of violence and madness.

All she could recall was the sticky sensation of wet blood that stained her battlesuit and the unpleasant scent of death that filled her nostrils.

With the memories now flowing into her mind, Sophie had a clearer understanding of what had just happened, but this brought her little comfort.

She was truly a monster.

It was odd to watch yourself from another perspective. Sophie could feel the terror and fear in the hearts of her clones as she ripped, tore and eviscerated their bodies.

Not even their corpses were spared. Sophie watched in morbid fascination as she turned the corpses into tiny chunks of flesh that sank to the bottom of the muddy swamp.

Sophie could not even recognise herself in those memories. Or maybe it was because she did not dare to recognise that monster as herself.

Blerghhh!

Sophie kneeled down and vomited loudly. She felt sick.

The scent of her vomit was putrid and vile, but it was nothing compared to how she felt at the moment.

This wasn't right… how could have things turned out this way? She just wanted to enjoy the flowers and relax.

She didn't deserve this. It was all his fault. That stupid piece of shit emperor who could do nothing except bed whores and drink.

If he wanted to die, then so be it. If he wanted to go to hell...

THEN WHY TAKE HER WITH HIM.

A seed of hatred buried itself in Sophie's heart. Sophie slammed her fist into the nearest wall which immediately crumbled under the force of her blow.

A poisonous crimson red colour began to spread from the corner of Sophie's golden eyes as she felt the familiar bloodlust rise in her chest.

No… not again… NOT AGAIN!

Sophie screamed in agony as she used her bladed appendages to stab into the soft flesh of her legs.

The fierce jolts of pain were enough to pierce through the mental fog that was beginning to cloud her mind.

Sophie dropped to the floor as her fresh blood mixed with the dirty water that was already on the ground.

"I… can't… I can't…" Sophie whispered hoarsely. She didn't know who she was talking to. She didn't know what she was referring to.

But those two words kept repeating themselves in her mind. She was tired. She was exhausted.

This didn't make any sense. She had finally made it back home and the dangerous journey was over.

Being in the Earth Federation meant that she was safe. She was going to see her friends and girlfriend again.

Everything was perfect and yet…

Sophie felt almost like a fake. This peace and sudden happiness… did she really deserve it? The things she had done to survive…

Why had the hunter goddess chosen her? Why her? WHY HER?!

Sophie got up from the ground and winced as she could still feel the wounds on her legs leaking blood.

The open wounds were already closing thanks to her regenerative ability, but this did nothing to stop the pain.

Those sharp barbs on the ends of her bladed appendages were designed for ripping into flesh and tearing the skin of prey.

Sophie stumbled slightly as she reached for the shower handle and her vision briefly blackened.

Everything turned to darkness before she was able to refocus and open her eyes.

That probably wasn't a good sign but at this point Sophie felt too exhausted to care. She just wanted to take a nap now.

Forget about calling Astrid and Qiana. Forget about talking to her father.

She just wanted to sleep.

Sophie wrapped a towel around her sensitive parts and stepped out of the shower room. She took out the dress from her storage ring and put it on.

The shower room for the swamp greenhouse was located near the entrance to the building so it only took Sophie around two minutes to make her way outside.

She took one final glance at the building. An indescribable emotion flashed across Sophie's eyes for a brief moment.

As she slowly walked away from the greenhouse complex, Sophie could not help but feel as though she was walking away from the past innocent version of herself.

A bitter taste filled Sophie's mouth. She felt the urge to cry but no tears would come out.

Sophie walked silently towards the mansion. For once there was nothing on her mind except the urge to sleep and forget.

She knew what she was feeling wasn't normal.

She needed help but… not today… she couldn't do it today.

Sophie walked in a daze through the mechanical city lost in her own thoughts until she heard a voice suddenly call out to her.

"Ahh… young miss… welcome back! I hope that your trip to the greenhouse was calm and relaxing," an elderly voice spoke kindly.

Sophie looked across the street and saw the head butler waving at her happily. He was carrying a few white bags steadily in his palm.

Sophie plastered a wide smile across her face and tried to respond in her usual bright demeaner,

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun! It was great seeing the flowers in bloom."

"I'm just feeling a little bit tired after walking through the greenhouse so I'm probably going to take a short nap."

"Young miss, that's very good to hear! I shall inform the master to prepare dinner tonight a few hours later than usual so that you may spend some time together," Butler Gerald spoke calmly.

The elderly man bowed politely and then returned to his errand. Sophie waited until his figure went out of view before dropping her fake expression.

A part of her wanted to tell him the truth but now it was too late…

Sophie let out a sigh and proceeded towards the mansion with a heavy heart.