Acceptance
Alistair came back to his senses. Whenever feeling extreme excitement or interest, something would trigger inside him, losing all reason and going berserk whilst still conscious.
Alistair looked down, seeing his half devoured goblin corpse. His first thoughts should have been disgust or desire to vomit, his only feelings that their tastiest parts having been consumed. He felt thankful to only happening towards monsters and non-humans. Not wanting to become a cannibal.
"I feel the beast inside me grow more powerful. Will it swallow me whole too?"
His hands ruffled through his hair, looking downwards seeing the far away goblin being picked apart by a group of wolves. Before leaving, they looked upwards towards him. Reverence filling their eyes with hints of fear. As they scurried away.
"Beast, can you understand me?"
With closed eyes, Alistair hoping for contact, feeling a howling noise within his soul. Alistair's entire world turned black, once again filled with stars. A large white wolf lay sleeping in the centre, seeing its chest moving with each breath.
"Y-your female!?" Alistair said. His mind feeling complete confusion.
As if looking down on his reaction, the female wolf snorting towards him, her enormous figure rising on her feet, standing over four metres from the ground. She was gigantic. Golden eyes pierced his own gaze.
"Such a blathering idiot. Did you think you'd become a woman because I'm female? Nonsense..."
Alistair felt the winds moving with her every step. She approached him, taking in his scent, being from this world, not seeing males of a satisfactory calibre too often, especially ones who carried her bloodline.
"To think your sister gave the chance to live on within this world over to you."
The thick snow white fur rustling with the increased wind speed, her eyes contained boredom and pity. She didn't dislike this boy. Because of the pact with his sister, she was forced to watch over him for many years, seeing his solitude, yet never giving up the hope his family would appear.
"Sister? I'm an orphan. Maybe you've made a mistake!"
Alistair showing a violent reaction, looking towards the wolf. His breathing hastening as sweat began pouring from his entire body. Lupia felt his hostility, dismantling it with a single paw, slamming him down to the ground.
"Calm down! Hysterical pup!" Lupia said, her voice howling through the space.
He felt his entire body trembled from the howl whilst pinned down by her enormous paw. His mind calming down, feeling becoming hysterical about something beyond his comprehension was idiotic. The status filling his eyes was confusing, especially the only thing visible.
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[Lupia Rexas]
[Arctic Wolf (Goddess)]
[Level: ???]
[HP: ???]
[MP: ???]
[Potential: ???]
[Weakness: ???, ???, Alistair]
[Resistance: Complete Elemental Resistance]
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"You're thinking why you're my weakness, right?"
"It's because you somehow became my future mate. Originally, things wouldn't become so damned complicated. However, due to what I owed your family, I couldn't refuse."
Alistair felt his world come crashing down. He was supposed to mate with a wolf. He liked a bit of beast girl doujins, but he wasn't quite the level of furry, nothing wrong with that, mind you. Alistair returned to the situation, deciding to abandon his previous life for good after today. He would accept his new self and whatever this goddess had to tell him.
"Have no doubts. This process... Let's see, in your words. Is comparable to when you glue something. Currently, your soul is fixed with your demonic spirit. You lost control because the glue hasn't fully set, thus forming gaps. Your demonic spirit, sensing danger, took action, bolstering the glue."
Alistar felt this conversation was way above his understanding, repeating her words inside his mind.
"May I ask, what is this demonic spirit?" Alistair said, feeling rather nervous about the answer.
Lupia laying down, patted the ground beside her for him to accompany her. Alistair, not wanting to keep the wolf waiting, sat down with no questions. His neck feeling her soft fur tickling him.
"In all truth, it's not so complicated. All beings have their soul, divine will, and demonic spirit. However, when one ascends to a higher level, they have to choose the path to follow. Most humans only being able to follow their soul, Monsters will awaken their demonic spirit easier and holy beings their divine will."
She took a deep breath, her stomach expanded feeling like a large pillow, Alistair couldn't resist leaning back, feeling like his mothers embrace relaxing and at complete ease, Lupia wanted to push him away however feeling his thoughts were simply that of a child seeking comfort allowed him to remain.
"The blame lies with me. Originally, I hadn't chosen my path, only having awakened my demonic spirit and faintly feeling a divine sense whilst watching over you. However, the moment you were summoned. I received an epiphany, causing my ascension to divinity, discarding my demonic spirit caused it's fused with your soul devouring most of your humanity."
There was a hesitant pause, her eyes once again filled with pity and shame.
"Originally, you would have travelled to Celia as a normal human male, lived an eventful but quiet life. However, coincidence has changed everything that should have been."
"Then what will happen to me now!?"
Alistair felt soothed by her embrace, despite feeling irritation at his powerlessness and lack of agency in his own destiny. However, he did not cry, nor did he rage. Alistair waited for her answer, which would decide his fate.
"Once you fused with the demonic spirit, the 'you' now would have ceased to exist. However, I consumed a large amount of my divine will to erase the chaotic personality within the spirit. Which gives you the ability for complete fusion."
"So...?"
"You'll become the first ever male humanoid demonic spirit to exist in this world, causing conflict, war, and chaos wherever you exist... I'm sorry, this was all I could do. Maybe this was planned by the true gods... I could barely save your life despite owing your sister so much!" Lupia said with a deep, mourning howl, shattering the distant stars with its intense force.
Lupia's figure began fading, as did the stars. Alistair had gotten a large amount of information from her, stroking her stomach before she could react, her figure fizzling out of reality. Alistair could swear her face was pouting.
_____________
Alistair had been sitting on this branch for hours, contemplating everything that had happened today. Basically, his berserk form was more like an exp farming bot that lasted during his tutorial. Although he sounded stupid, thinking things in terms of games or novels helped his understanding become smoother.
"It seems many of my fears were unnecessary, however additional problems have arisen; war, conflict and chaos..."
His legs dangling from the branch, swinging back and forth. He'd always believed they abandoned him. However, maybe things weren't so simple, hoping that Lupia would give him more information in the future. Maybe he could finally forgive them and let go of the past.
"All this time, I had a sister..."
The evening sky was starting falling, Alistair actually had many more things to collect and buy today, however Mera seemed to have bought basic preparations for him, without having to ask her. His mind feeling more relaxed when thinking of his reliable partner.
Alistair was about to drop from the tree, however felt something change within him. Maybe the acceptance of his past or even more believable, because his thoughts of Mera strengthened his bond with this world. This time, instead of resisting the strange demonic presence inside his mind, he'd imaged himself sitting with welcoming arms.
"Come on, let's face everything together, Alicia," Alistair said, giving the shadow wolf a name similar to his own.
Unknown to Alistair, the irony of using his sister's name for his Guardian Beast…
A shadowy grey wolf appeared inside his mind, cautious at first. Before slowly approaching climbing onto his lap with a very relaxed howl, licking the tattoos upon his arms, before the shadowed wolf began fusing with the tattoo.
Alistair felt a burning pain starting from his arms. His runic tattoo began changing, also spreading throughout his entire body. Now at the centre of his chest a black wolf like tattoo, similar to Alicia's form, just like during his Wolf King Form transformation. Now his nails became sharpened stronger than steel, with fangs replacing his human teeth.
"Feels so damned good!" Alistair said. With an elated voice, his senses were now almost double what they were before. It was like his body was packed with double the muscle power, also being more durable than ever before.
[Congratulations, The Host successfully Evolved Into A Humanoid Demonic Beast!]
_______________
[Name: Alistair Crowley (Stage 2)]
[Lesser Demon Beast (Arctic Wolf)]
[Job: Soul Eater]
[Level 4]
[Health: 125/125] / [Mana: 150/150]
[Attributes]
Strength: 3 / Agility: 3 / Vigor: 4 / Intellect: 8 / Charm: 9
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[Unique Talents]
[Beast Queen's blessing (SS)] / [Beast king Evolution (SS)] / [Beast King Form (Rank 2)]
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[Spells]
[Howling Blast (Special)] / [Ice Claw (D-)] / [Ice lance(C+)] / [Contraceptive magic]
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[Skills]
[Continuous casting - Ice only (B+)] / [Basic Ice manipulation (B-)]
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[Guardian Beast]
[Alicia: Shadow Wolf(C-) - Growth type]
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[Witches]
[Mera]: S Rank bond / [Celia Estal]: D Rank bond / [Luna Melcior]: F Rank bond
__________________
"What!?"
Since his fusion, the systems interface completely changed, he'd also risen to stage two, now displaying his race and classified Alicia as a guardian beast. Didn't this mean he was now a male witch? Wasn't that a warlock? Alistair hoping he'd never become a necromancer.
"It seems my attributes all rose by one, whilst my mana and health increased over ten points. I'm glad it's written as MP now easier track... I can also view my values as health bars within my vision. Quite handy." Alistair thought.
Surprised at Mera's bond was even stronger than he'd imagined. Although he knew that several ranks ahead of 'S' existed, the fact he'd attained it so easily was pleasing. Looking towards Celia and Luna feeling a long journey ahead, there were deeper options with the witch tab. however, it was currently greyed out.
With a whistle of wind, followed by a crashing sound, Alistair landed on the ground with almost no sound, bending his knees to disperse the impact. He noticed his hair had grow considerable now down his back and glistening like something from twilight.
"Wow..."
Alistair was momentarily stunned by the reflection in the puddle below the tree's trunk. He was quite good looking before, enough to become a mid-ranking idol. However, now he was close to perfection, handsome enough to rank first in the world's top sexiest male magazines he'd often see women reading on the metro home.
"Almost charmed myself... What a loser..." Alistair said, with a self depreciating smile, his feet tapping the forest floor, turning to return home.
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Meanwhile, at the merchant's quarter, a beautiful woman was shopping like a young wife hunting for bargains on travel gear, dried rations , camping gear and monster repelling powder. Mera spending as little money as possible to collect almost everything needed for his departure tomorrow, picking up several stimulants secretly whilst bartering with the annoyed middle aged merchants, who desperately offered her a place within the guild.
"I can't. My husband is waiting. What good will spending all my time with middle-aged women do me?"
The poor merchants feeling the loss of the decade watching the red-haired witch parting with bitter heartache.