Return of the Rejected Luna

The Savage Encounter

"I can't... I'm not strong enough," Aerith whispered, stumbling back, heart pounding. 'What was the point of surviving the fall, only to die like this?'

As one of the centipedes lunged, its monstrous body rearing, terror gripping her heart.

Aerith's pulse hammered in her ears as the monstrous centipede hissed, launching a stream of acid her way. She barely threw herself aside, the ground sizzling where the liquid hit.

"Too close." 

Aerith's heart pounded loudly inside her chest. Before she could steady herself, another centipede dashed forward, its towering form casting a shadow over her, and this time, there was no escaping. Soon, she was surrounded by the more centipedes crawling towards her. 

The centipedes closed in, their bodies writhing madly as Aerith stumbled. Having nowhere to escape, the venom spat by the centipede hit Aerith's shoulder. She screamed in pain, staggering back, and her vision blurring. 

But just then, something snapped inside her. Her wolf roared loudly inside, but it didn't urge her to flee this time. Instead, a primal instinct demanding to be let loose. As all the centipedes lunged together, Aerith's finger moved instinctively, something shifting inside her. 

The venom on her body, which was supposed to burn her to ashes until then, stopped, hovering mid-air for a heartbeat. It spiraled, turning back at the centipede, splashing across its grotesque face. 

Aerith stared at her hand, her heart racing wildly. "Did I just control that?" 

The centipede shrieked, twisting violently, and flailed its legs in a final, desperate attempt to crawl away before its flesh dissolved into a cloud of steam. Aerith, breath ragged, kept her gaze locked on the remaining mutants.

Though unsure of what had just happened, Aerith steadied herself for another attack. The helplessness she felt moments ago was vanishing, replaced by something fierce.

"Come on, then," she muttered, raising her fists like a fighter.

To her surprise, they hesitated, their writhing forms retreating. Instead of striking, the centipedes slithered back into the shadows, disappearing into the woods.

Exhausted, Aerith collapsed to the ground, her mind racing. She glanced at the remnants of the centipede she had just killed. Somehow, she had turned its own power against it.

Her heart raced as the realization sank in. "I can use their abilities."

Though her previous injuries still throbbed, the burn from the acid had vanished. Aerith inspected her shoulder—no scar, no wound. 

"So, I can nullify abilities but not physical attacks," she murmured, lost in thought.

A glimmer in the mutant's ashes caught Aerith's eye. Scowling, she dragged herself up, drawn to whatever remained. 

"Ah—look at these carapace fragments!" Aerith exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she picked up a gleaming piece of the mutant's exoskeleton that had survived the dissolution.

Having never slain a mutant before, Aerith had almost forgotten that these remnants held significant value. They could be used to craft powerful armor or weapons. Many Talents who failed to join the Federation would work in small organizations and make a living either by scavenging off the Federation's leftovers or hunting low-grade mutants. 

The value of the materials depended on the monster's rank—the rarer the mutant, the greater the worth of its components. Aerith had even heard tales of higher-ranked ones yielding precious gemstones.

Aerith's stomach growled, a stark reminder of the hunger she had ignored all day. Yet, her emotions were a tempest, and she needed to calm down first. Her face twisted with bitterness as the painful memories of her k********g resurfaced.

"Life has handed me another chance," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Maybe this is what fate demands. If this is my chance, I won't waste it. If they think I am done, I will let them see their mistake," She clenched the fragment in her hand, the determination in her eyes hardening.

Aerith knew she had to escape this unfamiliar place. She scanned the area, and her breath caught as her gaze fell on the dark, looming woods. There was no choice but to venture through, hoping to find a city or pack on the other side.

But the mutants had fled there, and who knew what other dangers lurked within? The centipedes were low-ranked. What if she encountered something far worse?

Shaking off her fears, Aerithe pressed on. She still didn't fully understand her abilities; the only way to grasp them was to face more mutants. What if her success with the centipedes had been pure luck?

Resolute, Aerith limped into the woods, blood from her fall still fresh. As Aerith stumbled deeper into the woods, bracing for danger that never came. The air was still, almost serene, and the woods seemed unnervingly peaceful. As she ventured further, she noticed an open area, suspiciously cleared— broken branches, deep claw marks in the earth, and a small clearing that looked like the aftermath of a battle.

The clearing felt eerie, as though something violent had passed. Driven by curiosity, Aerith scrutinized the area, accidentally stepping on something—perhaps a discarded artifact. Aerith noticed a broken sensor on the device. She had only heard of the devices Talents used on missions. Never allowed on mutant-clearing runs herself, she had never seen one up close.

As Aerith inspected the broken sensor, it emitted a sharp beep, triggering a reaction in the woods. Startled, she dropped it, the piercing sound forcing her to cover her ears.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" a sharp voice cut through the air.

Startled, Aerith turned to see a group of Talents emerging from the bushes, visibly agitated. Moving with lightning speed, one of them lunged and effortlessly sliced the device in two with his sword. The noise ceased instantly, leaving the woods in deadly silence.

"Girl, have you never seen a warning device?" a woman from the group asked. "The Federation leaves them to signal areas with higher-grade mutants."

"And now," the sword-wielder added with mockery, "all the mutants know exactly where we are, thanks to you."

"I… I apologize," Aerith stammered, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Listen," the leader snapped, clearly frustrated. "We were simply using the cleared area to gather items before moving on."

"And now that's ruined too," the girl bitterly stated. "We had to rush back here because of your foolishness."

"You will have to pay for what you cost us," the other Talents demanded.

"I don't have anything on me," Aerith said, flustered.

"What?" The sword-wielder frowned. "Aren't you here to scavenge?"

His gaze fell on the carapace fragment wrapped around Aerith's waist. Greed glinted in his eyes as Aerith clutched the fragment tightly. She couldn't part with it because it was her first memento in this new life.

"Interesting," the sword-wielder said, his eyes narrowing. "You claim you have nothing, but that piece looks valuable."

Soon, all eyes were on Aerith, focusing on the fragment. The Talents advanced on Aerith as she took cautious steps back.

"Give me some time, and I will pay you back," she said, her voice steady but guarded. "Just don't touch my things."

"Pay us back?" One of the men sneered, his eyes narrowing. "How do we know you won't bolt and leave us in the dust?"

"Hold on," the girl from earlier interrupted, her scowl deepening as she eyed Aerith's wounds. "Those cuts—they are still fresh. Why haven't you healed? Are you an omega?"

A ripple of unease passed through the group. The men exchanged nervous glances.

"Has she lost her mind?" one of them muttered.

"You walked into this forest wounded?" The leader's frustration boiled over, his voice sharp. "This b***h is going to cost us everything."

"I didn't expect to run into anyone here," Aerith replied, her tone edged with defiance. "How is any of this my fault?"

The leader's face twisted with irritation. "Enough. Grab her and take whatever she has got. We can't waste any more time—we can barely handle D-grade, let alone something worse!"

Two men lunged for Aerith, yanking her arms behind her. Pain shot through her body, her breath catching as they forced her to the ground.

"Let me go!" she snarled, her voice fierce despite the pain. Desperation fueled her as she twisted, biting down on one man's hand. He howled in agony.

"You psycho!" he bellowed in anger before striking her across the face. The slap rang out, and Aerith's head snapped to the side, blood trailing down from the corner of her lips. 

Aerith's teeth clenched, fury surging through her veins as the man's rough hands slid over her waist, tugging at the carapace strapped to her body.

"Get your hands off me, you filthy coward!" She spat in the man's face, her voice quivering with defiance.

His eyes darkened as he slowly wiped the spit away. His lips curled in a twisted smirk before he backhanded her. Her ears rang with a high-pitched whine as another punch landed, followed by another, each blow sending waves of pain through her skull.

"Ease up, Carter," the leader drawled lazily, unconcerned. "We only need the goods, not a corpse."

Her vision blurred as nausea roiled in her gut, bile rising in her throat. As the man harassed Aerith, a dark shadow loomed, causing the others to gasp in fear and urge him to back off. But greed clouded his mind, and with a twisted smirk, he ignored their warnings, his hands roaming over her body. 

The leader shouted for the group to flee, and they scattered in panic, but their escape was cut short as massive tentacles erupted from the ground, impaling them where they stood. Their bodies collapsed in a gruesome heap. 

The man atop Aerith let out a strangled scream as a vine pierced through his neck, emerging grotesquely from his throat. 

Dazed, Aerith struggled to her feet. As she turned, horror filled her eyes—a monstrous plant loomed before her, its tentacle-like vines twisting through the air, pulsating roots spreading like a living web.

"A C-grade mutant…"