Becoming a Monster

Chapter 453: Chapter 453: Consecutive Misunderstandings

The pressure in the room lingered even after Paul finished speaking.

The others quickly understood what he was doing. They couldn’t trust someone they just met. What if Amara went to the guild and told them they were once friends with the demon? Or worse, the church?

Trust wasn’t something you offered just because someone had something in common with you.

In the end, they gave her nothing concrete, but Amara was content with what she learned.

They hadn’t denied it, and that alone was enough for her to make her own judgment.

Her thoughts moved faster than her expression showed. She couldn’t forget the respect her God had given the demon. That mattered more than the Church’s fury ever could.

If these people knew they were connected to it, it would give her a chance to meet it again.

She was already planning to leave the church. The priests and nuns were polite, but if she stayed, she knew that they would constantly seek to convert them, and she would never worship another. For it was Anubis who saved her when the god she once prayed to never showed.

When the conversation was over and everyone was preparing to disperse, Amara mustered the resolve to ask them to join her.

Shock was the better choice of words to describe their reactions. The request was sudden and without warning. And it wasn’t just them, the three people, including Amara’s father, were also shocked. She didn’t discuss this with them at all.

"Why do you want to join us? Better yet, why should we let you join us?"

It was Raven who asked. Although she preferred to work alongside women, that didn’t mean she blindly trusted them either.

Amara didn’t look offended by Raven’s tone. If anything, she seemed prepared for it.

She nodded once, as if she had already asked herself the same question.

"Because I see a better future with you."

She lifted a hand, pressing it lightly against her chest.

"And the reason I chose to follow will show my value."

"Within everyone’s hearts lay their karma, and..." She looked around, making sure her next words wouldn’t offend anyone. "I can see when that karma will end."

Not everyone understood the hidden meaning, but those who did showed it by the widening of their eyes.

"When someone steps onto a path that leads to their death, the strands of their karma, almost like ribbons, extend from their chest. From there, I can judge their fate by the color the ribbon represents."

She went on to list the colors. How grey was the neutral color; it was for those whose deaths were on their natural course. Black represents death by unnatural causes, often tied to sickness or corruption, like diseases.

Red indicates a violent death through bloodshed and conflict.

Then there was the combination of red and black, creating a dark maroon. That color is worse than either alone. It signifies a death rooted in suffering, hatred, or injustice.

Normally, the cause of the person’s death was caused by their own actions. Antagonizing someone they shouldn’t. Killing someone’s loved one and now were being hunted for revenge. Either way, it was the kind of end born from something already festering.

Or, in the worst cases, when it came to monsters who didn’t have a history with the person, that meant that the monster they were going to encounter was a malignant incarnation. A creature filled with malice to the point that torturing their victim was second nature.

The final two are the rarest and the most important.

Gold threads are uncommon. They mark those who are protected from death, at least for the foreseeable future. No matter the danger, something will intervene. The reason gold was rare is because there were few beings who could defy fate. They either have to have overwhelming power or their own karmic value that gives them the edge to defy fate.

And finally, there is nothing.

When a karmic thread is invisible or absent entirely, it means that the life has already been judged. No choice will alter it. No god will interfere. No outside force can redirect the outcome.

They are going to die. And nothing in this world could change it.

Silence settled in the room after she finished. Amara didn’t rush to finish, normally there would always be questions that followed. And there was.

"You said that the reason you want to join us has to do with your power... does that mean...?" Alicia wasn’t sure how to question. More like, she was afraid to.

She wanted to ask if somehow joining them would change her own fate, guaranteeing her safety. But what if the reason was the opposite? What if she saw their fate was to die, and she wanted to accompany them to prevent that? Or... she was banking on them to find the demon in the forest because she foresaw that they were going to die?

Her logic wasn’t necessarily flawed, but compared to the others’ thoughts, she was definitely over-reaching.

Amara sensed their worries, picking up on guarded glances, so she addressed them immediately.

"My reasoning is not just for my own benefit. It is for the people who continue to place their trust in me."

Her gaze shifted, settling on Paul.

"It’s because of you."

The declaration caught them all off guard.

For the first time since she began speaking, Paul felt a crack in his composure. If she could see karma... could she see the connection that linked him to Fenrir?

For a brief moment, unease took root. Everyone was lingering on the next words.

"When I see everyone here, their threads are all golden."

She paused. She could see the shoulders relaxing, their complexions regaining their color. It almost made her hesitate to continue since she knew what was coming next.

"But when I see yours... it’s the only one here that’s grey."

This time, everyone reacted. All eyes snapped toward Paul.

No one stopped to remember what grey meant. They quickly assumed the worst.

"Everyone, please, you don’t have to worry." The stares quickly switch from Paul to her. Out of all the stares, Bailey was the worst. It actually made Amara feel uneasy. It was as if Bailey were accusing her of changing Paul’s thread to a different color.

"From what I can see, it’s not that Paul is in danger. Grey only means that for now, he will die a natural death. What I’m trying to point out is that Paul is the reason for everyone’s threads being gold."

At this, Amara’s eyes were filled with respect. She understood what this signified more than anything. His situation was just the same as hers.

"This is also the reason I wish to join you. I can not continue to protect everyone on my own. I’ve proven many times how incapable I am-"

"Mara, that’s not true!"

"He’s right! We’re only here because of y-"

Amara raised her hand to cut them off. Although she appreciated the sentiment. The tens of people whose faces would continue to visit her at night said otherwise.

Her gaze returned to Paul.

"When I look at you, I don’t see protection around you. I see you as the protection. A leader who has the strength to guarantee his safety yet chooses to disregard his own life for those around him."

"And..."

Her voice didn’t shake, but something in it deepened.

"Even if you don’t want to say..." Her once-calm gaze gained a resolve to see her decision through.

"I owe that demon my life. And if I cannot repay that debt with my own strength... then I will repay it by protecting what stands closest to it."

Her eyes never left Paul.

"If you are the one who can defy fate for others... then I will make sure to be the one to defy fate for you."

Her words were like a vow, one that made the others look upon her with better clarity.

However, Paul didn’t look proud, nor did he look relieved either. If anything, he looked burdened.

He didn’t feel that he deserved her loyalty. Especially because the relationship she thought they had with Noah wasn’t like that at all. One person hated him, while another wanted him dead.

But could he say that? No, because in the end he was tied to him, whether he wanted to be or not.

Yet he couldn’t find it in himself to reject her.

Paul exhaled before finally nodding.

"We’ll... accept you."

The words caused a subtle shift in the room. Even Raven didn’t object immediately.

"But... you can’t right now..."

Amara’s brows drew together slightly.

This time, Ishii weighed in on the situation, understanding that Paul wasn’t long-winded enough to explain.

"If you want to stand with us, then you have to follow the rules. The missions we will be doing are C-Rank. First, you have to sign up with the guild, then you have to take missions to raise your rank."

Amara had already heard a bit about the guild from people in the church, so she didn’t have a problem with the terms.

She was already determined to raise her rank so she could fulfill her promise.

Paul noticed that she hadn’t given up her resolve, but that would have to wait. They had a mission to complete. At least now he was a bit relieved.

He understood Noah better than he would’ve liked. As long as they avoided him, he wouldn’t go out of his way to do anything to them.