Her heart was desperately trying to open and accept Alexanders' will, his thoughts wanting him to understand her so she could understand him, their connection whether by luck or misfortune, they became almost perfectly synchronised after he helped stabilise her transformation; she could feel his heartbeat, the genuine anger towards the humans, but also his self-hatred.
Since childhood, she had always been alone, shunned by others and dealing with her demons. This time, however, was different.
He wasn't like the rest of humanity; he was different. Those horrific memories and scenes from the apocalypse and those before it still haunted her, but there was one new detail when she was lost in those dark and terrifying thoughts.
Alexander would always come to find her now before she couldn't feel him, his presence their link, nothing... It was so vibrant, like a radiant sun or gentle Ardent moon standing beside her, supporting her fragile heart.
And he was helping her overcome those fears, the ones which she carried for years upon years.
In truth, Mildred was quite frightened of the future before, even when she took his hand, she planned to die the moment they were dead, but now she wanted to see his future, where he would go, the path he would take, as her arrows shot from her quiver, feeling no guilt over the deaths of these men and women, not even pity or sympathy for them.
'What is that!?' Mildred thought as she saw the woman who called them disgusting names; it caused Alex to become so furious as her blonde hair quickly turned a dull grey, matted and filled with horrible knots.
Her skin began to almost melt like cheese in the microwave, dripping down onto the floor as her jaw completely snapped off, now only her disgusting tongue and upper teeth showing, as her wailing began to sound ethereal like a ghost.
"She doesn't look tasty..." Maria muttered, wiping her hands on her dress of Mildred with a cheeky smile, her lips filled with blood and pieces of meat in her sharp teeth.
The new banshee took form almost immediately, her entire body rotting and disgusting. Still, none of the Vesta felt a link to her, it was like she was a robot or something, as there was no connection, but they felt no aggression towards her either as Mildred watched Alex point to the shopping mall give her some orders.
Sophia slowly moved towards the damaged shopping mall before she grabbed a piece of rubble and debris that blocked the entrance and carried it away.
A moment later, another freaking one of those monsters was created from one of the women dragged to Alex, her hair now completely bald like a middle-aged man, with a single strand once again moving to help Sophia clear the debris.
Alexander turned towards his confused Vesta, who had long finished crushing the human resistance; some revelled in the murder others enjoyed playing with them before killing them. They were a slightly gruesome group, but Alex merely smiled towards them all.
"Haha, good work, my cute girls. The bastards that insulted you all have been dealt with. Shall we have a nice bite to eat?"
Thud!
Suddenly several chunks of zombie dog flesh appeared in his hands as he threw them to Laura, who was skilled in keeping the meat cooked to just the right amount of rarity to remain delicious for the ghouls.
"Make a nice meal for the girls because we're all going to be busy until that place is our new home!" Alex pointed to the damaged mall, as more than 10 Banshees and 9 Vargeist were shifting the stones and damaged glass, piling the things that could be reused to one side and tossing the useless things and corpses towards another.
"Home?"
"Home...?"
'Home?' Mildred thought, something unthinkable a short while ago; they just wanted to survive, but Alexander wanted to make this place they're home. A place to return to? His feelings transferred to all the Vesta linked to him as they felt his pride and desire to succeed and began to get excited.
The entire area suddenly caused everyone to become more vibrant and chirpy.
Once he fired the girls up, Mildred watched as he walked towards the group of humans; she found the small brown-haired boy familiar but couldn't remember well.
Only noticed that, unlike the others, Alex hugged the man as the four men and women began to joke and talk before Alex seemed to cut his hand and let them drink his blood directly.
It wasn't just Mildred that spied on this; the intake of Alexander's flesh and blood was one of the highest rewards for the sired ghouls, as Maria and Althea smiled on a broken car, swinging their legs and eating a zombie dog's leg raw.
"Alex looks happy!" Maria chirped.
"Mmmmm finally has some male friends!" Althea added, stealing the last meat from Maria's dog leg.
-
Alexander stood before the group of people, some could be called acquaintances at best, but it was the first time he felt no sense of disgust and dislike for a human outside of the Forsaken Village, as Simon and his group seemed a little scared by the actions of Alex and his group.
"I cannot like you all; we are not humans anymore." He spoke with a clear and soft voice, looking them all in the eyes.
"What are you? Although you seem to eat raw meat and blood, you are not zombies or vampires, right?" Simon asked, his brown eyes trying to meet Alexander's without showing fear or aversion.
"We are Ghouls; if you've read popular animation or vampire fiction, you should understand it's similar to a race with both vampire and zombie traits."
"Will we become like that woman?" One of the shy women spoke, seeming to be the blonde boy's lover, pointing towards the women now hauling bricks.
"No, although you will not be human, you will be infinitely closer to them than we are; unlike my cute Vesta, you all can live off human food easily, but if things become harsh, you can eat flesh and blood as we do. I will not lie or trick you; please ask any questions that worry you."
He didn't wish to trick them nor be roundabout for this. The first time he made a Vesta was crude and did half accidentally when kissing Claire. This time he wanted to be open and meet Simon with the same clarity and fairness as back then.
"Will we become killing machines and slaves to your orders?" An Asian lady asked beside the male in the back.
"No, although you cannot hurt my Vesta and me. You, ladies, will be protected and under the command of the gentlemen beside you. Should you wish to leave the group and live elsewhere in the future, I promise I won't stop you.
"What kind of changes will happen... Will we become beautiful, like those girls behind you?"
Alex looked behind him; the cute Maria and Althea were fighting with blood all around their mouths, running on the top of a car with a fleshy dog's leg snatching it and fighting each other.
A smile suddenly filled his face as he watched the entire group act like a small community, with some helping season the meat, others like butchers and cutting and adjusting the meat to each girl's taste and likes.
Then Mildred and Laura controlled the women holding portable stoves; Alex wondered where they got them from but ignored it as he turned back to the group of eight, his smile still showing.
"You will become more beautiful; slowly, your wounds and scars will fade. Suppose you are willing to fight and push to the second stage. In that case, even your purity will be restored, not to mention being partially reborn yourself, no longer weak and powerless should you encounter the same situation."
If this was Alex before, he might not bestow this to them or might have been brief. But he wanted to change, to stop doubting everyone and open up his own heart, realising that he and Mildred were too similar and it wasn't just their eyes.
'I have to learn, to accept... Mother, forgive your son, but he cannot rush to your side. I have my own family to care for now.'
"Then us?" Simon asked.
"Don't worry; you will become more handsome and powerful. The same applies, but for me to save you both. I have to ask, are you willing to love each other until the very end? Never swaying and betraying each other?"
His question caused the group to think momentarily before the petite girl with ginger hair suddenly spoke for the first time.
"I will support Mike for the rest of my life! He accepted me even though I was infected, unable to bare his child and no longer pure!"
The boys and other girls quickly began to speak their feelings, then looked at Alex with a determined faces.
He took a step back before instructing them to approach him in pairs, his smile was gentle, and his aura was close to that of a serene priest.
Alex then began to speak, with a magnetic and deep voice, his eyes sincere and watching the couple before him as he slowly cut open his palm, letting blood pool inside, making his hand a small bowl.
"There is one thing I will let you know after it's finished, consider this a marriage ceremony than changing your humanity."
"Simon, despite the horrific world, no matter how many times you treated others with respect, your kindness and love seem to have saved this lovely lady Tina. Although I didn't know you well before the end, you were the first to offer me a branch of friendship and aid in these dark times."
"I want to accept you as my first Vrykul and first friend since the world's end."
"Will you accept my offer?"
Simon took a moment at the scene before he stepped forward.
"I cannot say anything about you after the end, but I know how much you loved Amy, the care you gave to your underclassmen in the martial arts hall. Thus I will accept your offer because you were both my ideal male and who I aspired to be. Please accept me as your friend and save the woman I fell in love with!"
Without taking a moment later, he leaned forward and sucked up the blood within Alexander's palm; the taste was sweet like honey as he almost drank the entire amount before pulling Tina into a hug and kissing her deeply.
'Haha, good boy! So smooth!" Alex thought before he added the extra effect.
Thus he gave them all his blood to drink, his sour mood slowly recovering.
"This transformation will make you all fertile again, but only with the man you married today. Take a rest; the transformation will take 24 hours. I will have my girls find you places to rest together in private."
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