Nine Alpha stood on the faceplate of his FRANXX overlooking the battlefield and the wreckage of Plantation 55. Klaxosaur blood collected in massive puddles creating sapphire blue lakes. The wreckage of Plantation 55 was scattered in a million different places. The only thing that was missing was the magma energy. The Klaxosaur's had gobbled that up before continuing on their campaign against humanity.

Looking around he spotted one of the arms from a FRANXX of Squad 55. They had put up a good fight for humans, but they had all been dead by the time the Nines got here. Unfortunately by the time they had arrived Plantation 55 was on the brink of collapse, and no matter how hard they tried there was no saving it.

He grimaced. Papa wouldn't be happy. Out of the twenty plantations that had been attacked, they had only managed to save eight. He didn't understand how the Klaxosaur's had suddenly reorganized and counterattacked so quickly? At first, it had only been six attacks, which all except two had been repelled. But then out of nowhere, forces bigger than anything he had ever heard of had attacked all across the globe. Reports stated that at least three Super Lehmann classes were on the move, each containing their own armada of deployable Klaxosaurs.

That wasn't to mention the smaller fleets that had struck out independently towards their own targets. The scariest report of all, however, was that supposedly a massive klaxo-dragon had struck out and destroyed serval plantations all on its own. The only good thing about it was that the Klaxosaurs seemed to be hesitant to expose it to attack so its tyranny might not be as fierce as it seemed. He smiled. He would do anything to get a crack at that thing. Might make for an interesting battle instead of just mowing down mindless Klaxosaurs.

Pain assaulted him and he doubled over. An insatiable hungry gripped him, torturing his insides and causing him to claw at himself. He needed his injections. It had been too long since his last dose of energy, and his body was making him pay the price for it. The backups the Nines had in their FRANXX's were all used, and until they made it back to the Garden their would be no resupply.

He pulled out his communicator. "P-Papa." He gasped.

"Yes, Nine Alpha. What is it?" Papa's modulated voice said back.

"W-We need more injections." He panted. "Permission to return the Garden?"

"Granted," Papa said back. "Get back to the garden. The Nines will be given a full flush out and full set of injections when you arrive."

"W-What about the Plantations?" He gasped trying to keep from crying out. "It'll take at least a week if we're getting a full cleanse. What will you do about the Klaxosaurs?"

"I'll have to manage. If everything goes according to plan, I shouldn't lose too many more Plantations."

Nine alpha could tell that at least at the moment, Papa didn't have a plan at all. But Papa was Papa; he would think of something! He always did!

"Of course." He said as clearly as he could manage. "And Thank you for the upkeep; its very much appreciated."

Papa didn't reply but moved on with his next statement. "Each of you will also be given new drones. By the time you're ready for action, they should be fully developed."

Nine Alpha smiled in pleasure. He hoped she was a pretty one. Pretty one's always had the sweetest energy for him to use. The thought of breaking a new one in was already getting him excited. The drones may have been nothing more than human batteries; but still, the sound of their faint whimpering as he used them was like music to his ears.

"May I see her?" He asked with a pleasurable moan.

"You may," Papa said.

The image on the communicator switched to a camera watching a cloning tube. A nearly fully developed female floated in a tube. Its arms and legs gently bumping against the glass because it barely fit in anymore.

The accelerated growing process skipped a lot of the last stages of brain development so it made her submissive to his every whim. What it didn't skip out on was physical growth. The bodies of his drones always stimulated him and if he could he would have explored why that was so. Papa, however, had forbidden him from touching her in those areas. Something about it being animal-like, and that he shouldn't taint himself with falling to such actions.

He was perfectly happy to follow this reasoning. Papa was Papa, and he knew everything.

"Thank you, Papa!" He said taking one last look at her. "W-Will the rest of the Nines be given such suitable replacements?"

"Yes, of course," Papa said disinterestedly. "Two male and two female drones will be ready for the squad a pawn your arrival. Now make your way back to the Garden so you can get back to work."

The communications ended.

The pains of his hunger assaulted him again. It was a good thing he was getting a new drone because he was going to need to harvest from a fresh source of energy. He looked behind him at his drone. She sat in the stamen seat looking worse than ever. Her hair was completely white and the skin under her face mask was shriveled and dry. He studied her gauging how many rides she could do before she needed to be replaced.

"If I feed, there will still be enough to get me to the Garden." He muttered, getting up.

Her blank black eyes shifted to him. He stared at her deciding how best he wanted his energy. It was probably best to just feed on her directly. He sighed. Synced feeding was the best. It was always incredibly stimulating to feel her life forces flow into him; especially if he was feeding. But alas he couldn't risk taking to much at once and leaving himself with a dead battery.

He walked over to her and tilted her head aside. He bared his fangs and began to lower himself towards her neck. The sound of her frantic whimpering got him even more excited. He plunged himself into her neck and sucked away her life juices. He sweetness that had been there when she was new was gone. Replaced by this old stale metallic taste.

When he was done he licked her neck, lapping up the little droplets that leaked out of her. Her whimpering now was nothing more than a faint pathetic sound.

"Oh shut up." He said to the drone. "It's not like I haven't done this before."

Really these batteries made such a fuss. The worst part about it was that they didn't provide anything outside of allowing him to pilot his FRANXX. He remembered his time with Nine Iota. Now she had been an interesting partner. She had only ever allowed him surface level connection, but even with that, it was more exhilarating than anything he had ever experienced. He remembered how he had tried to force his way through the barrier of her mind. But every damn time he had found his way blocked by some child standing sentry to the rest of her mind. If he ever got the chance to ride with her again, he was going to destroy that child and suck up every last drop of her life essence. After all this time of being untouched, it was probably going to be delicious.

He rubbed his jaw where she had once broken it. One time when he was really desperate he had tried to feed off her directly. She had just looked so tender and juicy that he couldn't resist not taking a bit. Long story short she had broken his jaw and refused to ever pilot with him again. Such a shame. She had been such an interesting and uncrackable food source.

He thought of Nine Iota. Now she was paired with some human from Squad 13. What was his code… Code 016. It was surprising that he was still alive. Most stamens didn't last more than three rides with her.

Well, it didn't matter. When he saw Iota again he was going to kill whatever Stamen was her partner and take her for himself. Then he would finally get the essence that was rightfully his.

She sat on the bench just outside Hachi's office. Her partner Hiro had just been escorted in looking dazed. He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. Why was he just now showing up?

She put her face in her hands and began to cry. Tears of sorrow cascading down her face. They were going back to the Garden, and she didn't know what would happen to her next. What had she done to deserve this? She had tried so hard to make it work with him and still they couldn't pilot.

What was she going to do now? Her friends and squad mates were about to disappear forever. She was about to lose Ikuno. Would she ever be able to see her again? To glimpse once more her beautiful purple hair and gently olive green eyes. What would she do without her? What would she do without Ikuno's loving smile?

Suddenly she heard part of the conversation going on in the other room.

"Code 016, you have been given special permission from HQ to remain here in Mistleteinn."

She gave an audible sob. Why was he being allowed to stay in Mistleteinn!? She had given up everything for him! He was the one who had failed them not her. His inability to connect with her was the problem. So why was he being given special treatment!?

She sat there sobbing until Nana came up a moment later. "Code 703, I have final orders for you."

She looked up hopefully. Did this mean she could stay in Mistleteinn? Would she really be able to see Ikuno again?

"You are to keep Code 016 from entering the transport with you at all costs. It is imperative that he remain at the loading dock."

Her heart shattered. The last vestiges of her hope smashed like glass on the floor. Not only could she not stay in Mistleteinn, but now she had to keep her failure of a partner here.

This was so unfair! He was the failure! He was the one that held them back! Why was he being allowed to stay?

Nana turned and left her to wallow in her mystery. That was it. Her life was over. What was the purpose of living anymore?

She was doomed to go back to the Garden. Everybody that was useless to Papa disappeared; never to be seen or heard from again. And now she was doomed to that fate. A fate of uncertainty and sorrow.

Her dream changed.

She was kneeling in the center of a group of small figures. Each of them had blue skin and black markings, but their faces were blurred. Different shades of light blue hair fell at unique lengths on each of them.

She smiled. These were her's. The children she valued above everybody. It made her so happy to see them here. She was so proud of all of them.

"Come here." She said happily holding out her arms.

All the little bodies rushed towards her. They collided and wrapped their little arms around her. She hugged them to her, feeling the warmth of their bodies on her skin. She gave each of them a kiss on the top of the head, feeling their little horns dig gently into her throat.

"I'm so proud of all of you." She sobbed overjoyed.

Naomi jerked awake. She was lying on a very comfortable bed with blankets pulled up to her shoulders. The room was dark, but there was a faint light coming from a massive window.

There was a gently nudging as something inside her began to gently collide with her belly. Whatever was inside her was trying to get her attention, and was adding just enough force to rouse her without it being painful.

She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She had just experienced the strangest dream. The first part of it had been a memory. She gave an exasperated sigh. That memory wasn't a happy one, and what it had led to was even worse. She didn't even want to think of the nasty things she had said, just to get Hiro to stay. If she ever saw him again she defiantly owed him an apology.

Changing the subject she thought of the second part of the dream. All those little figures that she was hugging. Who were they? For some reason, she had felt immense pride and joy as she hugged them to her. They seemed special. Each one of them was unique and different but at the same time, familiar. For some reason, she felt like they were bonded to her. Like, they were her special little bundles of joy.

As if on cue, serval of the orbs nudged against her with slightly more force then usual. Wincing she reach across with her right hand and stroked her belly. The skin beneath her fingers was soft and warm, but she could feel what felt like muscles as she stoked. She flexed it and felt a curious sensation. It appeared that when she did that, the fluid inside her had kind of swirled. Judge by how she now felt all the orbs bouncing around inside her, it seemed like they had been picked up in a current and tossed around.

She giggled softly. "Sorry, guys. You'll have to forgive me." She sighed again, but this time in a comforted and affectionate sort of way. "Anyway, Good morning I hope you slept well."

Belatedly she realized that she was talking to the lifeforms inside her belly again. She didn't exactly know what they were, and still, she was holding a conversation with them as if they were actually people. She shrugged mentally. For now, they were the only things she had, and if it kept for from losing her mind in this strange place, then she should utilize it.

One of the orbs collided with something inside her and all of a sudden she felt the overpowering urge to pee. It was then that she realized that she couldn't remember the last time she used the bathroom.

Quickly she rolled out of bed. She scanned the room for some sign of a bathroom. Momentarily she was distracted by the view outside the massive window, but the clenching of her pelvic muscles quickly brought her back to her goal.

"There." She said in relief. There was a door leading off the room and she hoped it was a bathroom.

Luckily for her, it was. She practically flew over to the toilet and her skirt teleported off her in a second.

She gave a massive sigh. Never in her life had she felt such bliss.

As she relieved herself she looked around the bathroom. It was the biggest bathroom she had ever seen in her life. One wall was taken up by a tub that she could have easily fit the whole squad into. The tub was beautifully carved and inlaid with imagery of what looked like different murals of some sort of civilization.

There was also a luxurious looking shower that had beautifully tiled steps that lead directly into the aforementioned tub. There were so many elegantly carved knobs and switches between these two things alone, that she was surprised that there wasn't an instruction board on the wall telling you what they all did. She also noticed the abundance of fluffy looking embroidered towels scattered at strategically places on the walls.

Suddenly she realized that she had long finished relieving herself, and now she was just sitting, staring in wonder. Shaking herself mentally, she looked around for something to wipe herself with. Luckily there was a dispenser right next to her that could solve her problem.

Getting up she looked around the rest of the room. The one thing she had missed was a gorgeously carved vanity with a more intricate sink then she had ever seen in her life. The lighting in the room was magnificent too. What looked to be flowing magma pulsated through panels in the wall and ceiling.

Stopping she spotted herself in a massive mirror. Her reflection as so different from the last time she had looked at it, that she had a hard time believing it was really her. Her right eye which had once been chestnut brown was now glowing icy blue. A black marking like she had seen on the queen ringed her eye before falling down the rest of her face. The whole right side of her body was starting to take on a dark cyan pigment, which made her look half dead. The veins in her chest, arm, and face were all glowing blue, making it look like she was covered in thousands of tiny rivers.

She reached up and stroked the massive glowing blue "X" on her chest. The whole thing pulsated like a heartbeat, but she knew that deep down this "X" was more than just her heart. Her whole body seemed to be oriented around this "X". Her breasts had even been reworked to accommodate the extra space. Speaking of her breasts, for some reason they felt heavier than usual; almost as if they were full of something. Although that was probably just her imagination since she wasn't used to wearing nothing but a short skirt. Shrugging she went back to examining her body. She traced her finger along thick veins that ran all over her torso. Most of them ended up circling back to the space where the orbs were living.

For the next few minutes, she stared at the mirror and watched as the orbs swam around inside her. It was then that she realized that whoever had rescued her from the transport had completely reworked her body to serve as a carrier for these orbs. She was now responsible for everything they needed, from food, all the way down to giving them her affection and attention.

She sighed mentally. It didn't really seem that she had a choice in the matter. They were apart of her now, so the least she could do was nurture them for as long as they needed. She knew that she should probably be scared or angry since she had involuntarily been forced to be their carrier. But she really couldn't bring herself to do it. After being a failure and of no use to anybody for her whole life; it felt kind of nice to know that at least something or someone now depended on her.

Suddenly she realized that while she had been lost in her thoughts, she had wrapped her tentacle protectively around her belly, instinctually protecting her little orbs from harm.

"Great, now I have to figure out how to get this thing off." She said exasperatedly.

By far the most difficult and annoying thing that had happened to her was this tentacle. It really did feel foreign on her body, and she was having a hard time getting this appendage to do what she wanted. She just couldn't understand how to work this thing. When it was all one unit she could feel it's incredible strength and power, which made her afraid to use it. When it split into smaller tentacles she felt like she couldn't keep track of them all.

Closing her eyes, she focused all her efforts on unraveling the tentacle from around her abdomen. She imaged it peeling back away from her and raising it up into the air.

Opening her eyes she found that she had done just that. Her tentacle was stretched up in the air and she had a very determined look on her face.

"Alright now I just need to get it back down." She said determinedly.

Closing her eyes she imagined the next phase of the procedure. She imaged clenching her fist, hopefully, that would keep the tentacle from splitting. Now the tentacle lowered, lowered, lowered. There! If she had done it right the tentacle should be by her leg. A second later she felt it do just that.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was back under control.

Satisfied she took one more look at the massive bathroom. Turning she made her way back to the bedroom. When she stepped into the dark room she began blinking and wincing furiously. Since only one of her eyes could see in the dark, and the other had just been in an environment of light the sudden shift was temporally blinding her.

"Damn. I really wish there was some light." She said to nobody in particular.

Suddenly panels on the walls and ceiling retracted and the whole room lit up and she was able to see as her eyes restored to equilibrium.

"Jeez, this place gets more impressive by the minute." She muttered quietly to herself.

She stood and stared around the room. It was only then that she appreciated the details of the room she had been sleeping in. Her bed was massive and sat against the back wall facing two of the walls that were complete glass. A desk sat against one of the glass walls. Walking over to it she saw all sorts of tech and display screens inlaid in the desk. The desk chair looked far more comfortable than anything in Mistilteinn's library.

Finally, she looked up and gazed through the massive glass wall.

"What the hell happened here?" She gasped.

She looked out over what was once a beautiful city. Black builds with glowing blue accents towered from the floor and ceiling reaching out to meet each other. Colosseums and massive sculptures dotted the cityscape displaying for anyone to see the magnificences of this civilization. Massive fountains of either water or magma shot their magnificence into the air.

All of it destroyed. Buildings were missing massive chunks, or else lay crumbled completely destroyed. Massive sheets of paneling or wall lay strewn across the ground, destroying many smaller buildings and roads. The once great colosseums and sculptures were piles of rubble or else shells of their former selves. Water that had once sprayed in artistically patterned jets, now just shot into the air, or else spewed from burst pipes. Magma spilled and leaked over everything, creating rivers and lakes of glowing destruction. The only life was a few small Klaxosaurs treading the destroyed streets far below.

"What happened to this place?" She muttered still shocked.

Something terrible had happened here. What could have possibly destroyed such a magnificent city? Who would have done this?

Her eyes followed one of the roads and saw vehicles parked all over the place. All of them were completely abandoned, and most of them were crushed by some sort of rumble.

She continued to gaze around. This whole city appeared like it was once built to house millions of people.

She grimaced in confusion as something she had been told her whole life clashed with the facts that she was seeing now. Papa had told her that Klaxosaurs were nothing but mindless beasts intent on destroying humanity. But now it appeared that he had either been wrong or had been lying to her; because she now had two confirmed instances of that not being the case.

As creepy as the Queen was, she defiantly seemed more human then any other Klaxosaur she had ever seen. The second she was staring at right now. She could see just by the layout of the builds that, this city was meant to house some sort of human-like species.

But if that was the case, then where had they all gone. She stared at the city trying to find at least one person. Not a single person was walking any of the streets. Which meant that the only confirmed instance of a living person was the Queen.

"Where is everyone?" She muttered.

Suddenly all the orbs collided against her belly. Gasping in pain she doubled up clutching her stomach. That really stung. She really wished that there was a less painful way for them to get her attention, because that hurt.

"Hey, what did you do that for!?" She said lifting her arms so she could see the orbs.

The orbs, of course, said nothing, but instead gently nuzzled against her insides.

"What do you guys want?" She asked puzzled.

A few moments later she saw a few of the orbs disappear up behind her skin. Then she felt them nuzzling against her up there too.

Naomi stared at them utterly confused. She simply couldn't figure out what these little orbs wanted.

While she stood there pondering, she realized that for some reason, she was really hungry. Sometime soon she needed to try and find some food. A few more orbs joined there siblings at the top of her abdomen. A second later she remembered that before she had gone to bed the orbs had fed off her from up there.

A few moments later she connected the two facts together.

"You guys are hungry, aren't you?" She said to the orbs.

Her response was just more nudging.

"Okay, okay I get it. I'll try to find something to eat." She said, rubbed her belly in an attempt to communicate to them that she understood.

Taking one final glance at the city, she turned and began scanning the room for anything that resembled food. Unfortunately, she couldn't spot anything except a few comfy looking sofas and chairs.

While she searched, it dawned on her how luxurious this room really was. Just this room alone had more comforts then all the rooms she had ever seen combined. Everything looked to be of high quality and was so amazingly well crafted, that she was surprised it wasn't in some sort of gallery.

Curiously she wondered why she had been given such a room. She had gotten the district impression that the Queen had not liked her very much. In their first meeting, the Queen had violated and tortured her. As well as not giving her any information that might soothe or explain what had happened to her since she had last been aware of herself.

Which all begged the questions as to why? Why had she been given a room so lavish that it would be worthy of royalty? After the treatment, she had received she wouldn't have been surprised if she had been forced to sleep on the floor.

The memory of the Queen and what had transpired reminded her of a possible food source. The Queen had forced her to drink that scolding hot liquid. She shivered in discomfort. That memory was quite painful and the prospect of seeing that liquid again was not enjoyable. Conversely, it had made her feel full and the feeling of feeding the little orbs had been oddly satisfying.

She searched the room for a few more minutes. It would be nice to find a way to accomplish both tasks without having to endure such pain again.

A sharp jab from one of the orbs, however, made her relent to the fact that at least for now, that liquid was her only form of nutrition. Sighing in defeat she walked over to the door and opened it. Glancing around she spotted the bowl full of glowing liquid. Walking over to it she glanced down at the liquid, watching as it slowly bubbled. Curiously she wondered how it had been refilled since she was pretty sure she had drunk the whole thing. It was then that she noticed golden drips coming from some sort of weird rock faucet.

A couple of the orbs jabbed her again, and she realized that she was going to have to drink this thing again. Gulping in trepidation she leaned forward resting both her hand and tentacle on the smooth rock surface alongside the bowl.

"Just drink it fast and it'll be over." She muttered.

Forcing herself not to run she bent down and placed her lips on the surface of the liquid. She took a few deep breaths through her nose, feeling the heat radiating onto her face. Closing her eyes she gulped in as much of the liquid as she could handle.

The liquid was still hot, but nowhere near as bad as it had been the first time. It still hurt like hell but at least this time it was bearable. She even thought that she might be able to taste something beneath its fiery temperature.

She went to take another massive gulp before she thought better of it. Instead of forcing it down her throat, it might be more advantageous to sip the liquid. Maybe if she went slower she might become more accustom to its fiery temperature.

Gently she bent down and sipped the liquid. The first few sips still hurt but after a few minutes of sipping she found that it felt more like drinking hot tea then liquid fire.

She spent the next few minutes sipping the liquid, doing her best to stay as committed as possible. The level in the bowl slowly decreased as she drank. When the bowl was about half empty she paused; looking at the liquid. Her mouth and throat ached from the heat, but at least they weren't raw like yesterday. She debated on whether she should finish the bowl now or later. At the moment she felt like she had eaten a reasonable meal but by no means did she feel full.

She shrugged and stood up. If she needed she could always return and eat more.

"There, you happy now?" She said to the orbs.

It was a pointless question. She knew full well that the orbs hadn't eaten anything yet. Even though she had only felt it once; the sensation of them feeding was quite distinct.

Stretching, she turned and examined the room around her. What she had mistaken for a room was actually a large dimly lit hallway. The door to her room was actually one of many that lined the hall. Each of them was labeled with a number, and hers was designated as room 016.

Curiously she walked down the hall reading each little number plaque as she went.

When she got to the end of the hall she spotted a screen displaying a map of the building. A marker marked her location and she read "Royal guest right wing."

"Royal guest wing?" She muttered. "Why have I been placed here?"

It appeared that her earlier assumption that she had been traveling deeper into the structure was false. She now realized that it was more likely that she had moved across the structure not down.

"How big is this thing?" She breathed in awe.

Reaching out she touched the screen. As the screen came alive beneath her fingers she zoomed out and twisted the image so that she could see the structure as a whole. The screen showed a glowing blue X-ray layout of a massive pyramid. Just judging by the sheer amount of floors, the pyramid was probably fifty times larger then Plantation 13.

"What is this place?" She muttered.

She scanned the screen and found a title. "Rakuen"

"Rakuen? What does that mean?" She said confused.

The title of the text changed and it read. "Paradise"

She scoffed. Paradise was not the word she would have used to describe this place. She continued her scanning until she found a list of floors. There were hundreds of them towering up from the base of the pyramid. The one that caught her eye was; "Throne room." She tapped on it and sub-screen popped asking if she would like to know how to get there.

She knew she probably shouldn't but the temptation was just too much to resist. Tapping it quickly she shivered in anticipation as the console processed her request.

"Come on. Come on." She said as she looking around nervously.

Suddenly blue strips of light appeared on the walls; undulating in the direction she needed to go.

Gulping in anticipation and fear she cautiously began to follow the lights down a dark corridor. She inched her way forward as her two eyes competed in their separate ways of seeing. Far in the distance, she heard the faint whine of some air system cycling. A blast of freezing cold air chilled her from head to toe and her skin erupted in goosebumps. The floor beneath her feet felt dead, and the oppressive cold was trying to suck her life into a pit of despair.

Maybe she should go back. If she got lost, she may never be able to find her way back. She turned and found that she couldn't see where she had come.

She stood frozen in fear. She was completely lost. Her two eyes were in a war for dominance over her ability to see; their bloody feud completely blinding her. She was completely overwhelmed by the sheer obsessiveness of the bone-chilling cold. The constant whine of the air system deafening her sense of sound. The undulating of the blue strip beckoned her into the abyss. An abyss where nothing could escape from the clutches of death.

She was going to cry. No. No Please! Please, not all alone! I don't want to die!

Through her fear, a faint feeling of sucking entered her consciousness. She clung to it, following the diving light that seemed to shine through the darkness. A gently tickling sensation became more and more distinct as it dragged her towards its welcoming light.

She burst back into herself and dragged in a breath of reviving air. The gentle tug, tug, tug, of a group of objects, became more distinct inside her. A warm feeling of satisfaction washed over her as she suckled new life. She stood for a few minutes, just feeling her body feed the little orbs inside her.

"Thanks, guys." She said to the orbs. "You really saved me there."

She felt an extra strong tug from the little orbs, but beyond that, they made no response.

She breathed in another deep breath. The feeling of the orbs feeding was helping her to clear her head. The answer to her inability to see clearly was simple. Just close her left eye. Instantly the world came alive around her. The hallway was simple and elegant and she could see down far at the end where it turned around a corner. Now that she could see, all the other fears vanished in a puff of smoke. The undulating blue strip of light no longer seemed threatening, but instead seemed to be urging her on to explore what lay beyond the next bend.

With one finally calming breath, she set off. The undulating blue light guiding her through the hall as it split into ever more increasing passages. Ornate paintings and foreign looking plants lined the walls, breaking the monotony of the black stone. She even passed serval balconies and windows, that displayed ever more magnificent views of the destroyed city.

After several long minutes of walking, she came to what looked to be a wall of elevators. Moments later the elevator in the center opened its doors, inviting her. Tentatively she stepped in and gazed at the floor screen. A floor number ten levels from the bottom flashed on the panel, urging her to touch it. "B001"

With batted breath she tapped it and the elevator began to move down. After serval minutes of standing, she sat down on the floor. The indicator on the screen showed that she was barely halfway down, which meant she was going to be here for a while.

As the elevator descended around her she looked down into her belly. The orbs had stopped feeding and were now gently swimming around inside her. A couple of them, however, hadn't joined their siblings and were just resting, nestled in the base of her pelvis. Smiling happily she gently stroked her belly, feeling her warm skin beneath her fingers.

A few minutes later the elevator came to a halt and its doors opened with a hiss. Quickly she got up and made her way out. Before her was a massive tunnel carved in the rocks. It looked ancient and like it was carved many thousands of years ago. Connected to it were more large tunnels that extended so far that they seemed to be swallowed up by an endless abyss. Gulping nervously she began to make her way down the main tunnel, as the light from something ahead seemed to shimmer and glow.

The end of the tunnel deposited her into a massive cavern, lit by thousands of glowing blue gems impeded in the rock. Four pillars stretched up to the ceiling, supporting the massive roof of the cave. Up ahead a staircase stretched up to a ridge where she could just make out a throne perched at its edge. Behind it was a massive mass of black coils with simmering blue accents.

Cautiously she worked her way across the cavern, her ears straining to pick up anything out of the ordinary. She was only a few feet from the base of the stairs when she heard it. Something in this cave was breathing. Something was alive in here, and she had no idea what it was. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and the urge to run was growing within her.

"Aaaa. I see you're awake." Said a voice.

"Who's there!" She said, faking a braveness she did not feel.

To her horror, a massive Klaxosaur lifted its head and stared at her with its golden serpentine eyes. As it continued to uncurl itself she saw that the whole thing was a colossal sized serpent. It's head towered above her, as it continued to stare at her.

She trembled in fear. Instinctively she shielded her belly with her right hand and brought her tentacle up in a vain attempt to protect herself. It's a Klaxosaur! It's a Klaxosaur! I'm going to die! It's going to eat me, and it'll all be over! Slowly she began to back away, hoping against hope that she could somehow make it out of this alive.

The massive serpent let out a deep rumbling chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you." It gave her a kind smile, as its golden eyes continued to pierce into her.

Her mouth fell open in shock. Was this Klaxosaur talking to her? No, this must be some sort of dream. Klaxosaurs weren't supposed to be able to talk. That would defy everything she had ever been told.

The Klaxosaur seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. "I'm guessing this is your first time seeing a Klaxosaur who can talk?"

"Y-Yes." She said timidly. Both her arm and tentacle were still raised in their protective positions, futilely shielding her from the attack she knew was coming.

"You have nothing to fear from me." It said in a soothing voice. "I promise I will not eat you, or your little ones."

Gradually she lowered her arms, still slightly suspicious of the massive serpent. For some reason, however, she couldn't sense any malice in its intentions. She found its deep voice, in a strange sort of way, calming.

"That's better." It said kindly. "Now tell me. Do you have a name I can call you by?"

"Naomi." She said cautiously.

"Naomi." The serpent said sweetly. "That's a pretty name."

Ignoring the praise she returned the question. "W-Whats your name?"

The serpent gazed at her for a long moment before answering. "Logos. My name is Logos."

She stared at him, trying to see if she could read the intentions behind that serpentine face.

"I'm guessing that might be easier if you had some light?" He said.

She was completely stunned. How had the Klaxosaur read her mind? "H-How did you know what I was thinking?" She squeaked.

"I can see the way your eye is moving." He said. Lifting his head he spoke to the ceiling. "Raise Rakuen light levels to five."

Instantly the whole throne room illuminated with light, revealing the face that had been hidden in shadow. Slowly she opened her left eye and found that she could see as clearly as if it were day.

The serpent returned his gaze to her. "So Naomi. I hope you are enjoying your stay."

"Y-Yes everything has been stellar." She lied. The truth was that apart from the little orbs, she hadn't been enjoying her experience so far. She shivered at the thought of the queen. In their first meeting, the Queen had violated and abused her, before forcing her to drink that liquid fire. She now knew that it had a purpose, but to force it down her throat was extremely cruel.

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "The Queen didn't treat you very well did she."

"N-No." She muttered, not looking him in the eye.

He gave a massive sigh. "I'll talk to her about it."

The mention of the word talk triggered the question that she had been dying to ask since the beginning. "How can you talk!?" She blurted out. "I mean, I've never heard of a Klaxosaur that can talk before."

"Well, you're correct. I'm the only one who can do it." He said calmly. "I'm afraid my brethren have lost the ability to speak."

"Lost?" She asked confused. "What do you mean lost? Weren't the Klaxosaurs always the way they are now?"

"No, we weren't." He said sadly. "Before, I continue you may want to sit down. We're going to be here awhile. That is If you're interested of course?"

"Sure." She said quickly. Carefully she took a seat on the stone floor, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible.

The massive serpent cleared its throat a few time before speaking. When he finally did it was in a sad reminiscent sort of way. "We Klaxosaurs were not ways the beasts you see now. There was a time long ago when we were known as the Klaxo-sapiens. " He explained. "Once we were a great civilization, that lived far below the surface of the Earth. For thousands of years, we lived in peace and prosperity. Everybody did their part for the betterment of our race; leaving us free of petty squabbles and unless vendettas. We spent our time pursuing the arts and sciences; creating masterpieces of dazzling beauty, and discovering the mysteries of the higher realms."

Naomi felt a great sense of foreboding at what was to come. She had seen the city from her room, and although it looked like it could have once been magnificent it was now nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Gulping she asked. "W-What happened?"

"Humans." The great serpent said.

"Humans? What do you mean?"

"In order to understand, you must know one thing about us. Our race was completely centered around the use of magma energy. We used it for everything, from powering our great cities, right down to eating it as food."

She gulped nervously. She could see where this was going and knew it wasn't going to end well.

The great serpent's voice brought her back to the story. "So, you could imagine our alarm when we discovered that the surface dwellers were drilling our precious resource. You see, not only were they taking what we as a species relied on; but the process of their drilling introduced a poison that was deadly to our race. Thousands of people were dying daily. Men, women, children, all dying in the most excruciating way possible."

Her heart felt like it was in her stomach. She tried her best not to think of her friends. She struggled to keep herself from imagining what they would look like, dying that way. Ikuno was lying on a bed. Thrashing, thrashing, thrashing, frothing at the mouth as her body struggled to keep itself alive. NO! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! DON'T THINK OF THESE THINGS!

The story got worse. "Desperate, we sent an envoy to the leader of humanity. The man calling himself Papa received them and they begged him to stop drilling. One heavily wounded man was all that returned. He barely managed to tell us that Papa had refused outright and then killed everyone except him."

Naomi couldn't understand. Papa had taken care of all humanity. He had set up plantations for them all to live on and took care of their every need. He was a wise and kind leader who only wanted to protect his people. But was that really the truth? Papa looked after the children because they fought the Klaxosaurs. Even then, Papa never actually took care of them; that job was done by the caretakers. On top of it all, ever since she had been here, she had been discovering things that Papa had never mentioned. Not only that but some of the things she'd seen and heard outright contradicted, everything Papa had said. Did that mean she had been lied to her whole life? Was Papa really just using the children to fight his battles for him?

"So what happened?" She asked looking Logos directly in his eyes.

"War." He said plainly. "When we learned what Papa had done, we realized we had no other choice but to fight for our lives. Luckily, one of our scientists discovered a way for us to become the Klaxosaurs you see now. So that's what we did. Slowly one by one, every adult turned themselves into a Klaxosaur, in order to fight the growing battle against humanity. Eventually, none of the adults remained, and we were forced to rely on the children for our continued survival."

"So the children are still around somewhere?" She asked, relieved. She was beginning to think that this story had no silver lining.

"No, their all dead." He said sadly.

"H-How did they die?" She said choking on her words.

"The children were living in a building inside the city when it happened. We found out later that something had been fired at the surface above the city. The tremors of this colossal explosion, shook the city so violently that it all came crashing down. All myself and the Queen could do was watch in horror as a building fell right on top of where the children were staying."

"S-So the Queen is the last of the Klaxo-sapiens?" She asked, realizing the implications of what he was saying.

"Not exactly." He said staring her with his big golden eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked confused. "Are the children still alive?"

"In a manner of speaking." He said smiling at her. "A more correct way of putting it would be that they're still growing."

"Still growing? T-Then where are they."

"Inside of you." He said smiling.

"Inside of me…." Her voice trailed off as she looked down at her belly. A couple of the orbs were still gently swimming around inside her. The others she could feel nestled comfortably in her pelvis.

"Yes, Naomi. You're pregnant with the last remaining Klaxo-sapiens."

"Pregnant? What's that mean?" She asked confused.

Logos gave a slight sigh before explaining. "Forgive me, I forgot that you wouldn't know. Pregnant is a term used to designate a female who is growing a baby, or in this case babies inside her." She was about to ask what a baby was when he cut for off by answered her question. "A baby is a very young version of an organism. And yes before you even ask, every species can have them. That's why males and females are different."

"So… What your saying is that I'm pregnant with Klaxo-sapien babies?"

"Yes."

"And you said that they're going to grow inside of me?"

"Yes."

"So… What will happen when their too big to fit inside me?"

Logos looked at her for a few seconds before answering. "You know that slit between your legs?"

"Y-Yeah."

"They'll come out of there when they're done growing inside of you." He explained.

"Why?" She asked. The thought of things emerging from between her legs was kind of weird. And for some reason, part of her knew it was going to be a lot of work, to get these, baby things from inside her to outside her.

"I don't know." He said a few moments later. "That's just how it works, I guess."

She sat there for a few minutes, just pondering their conversation. So she was pregnant with the last remaining Klaxo-sapiens. The whole survival of this race solely relied on her ability to nurture these babies, until they were ready to be brought into the world. Part of her was scared; she had babies growing inside her, which meant that she was responsible for their every need. Then she would have to get these babies to emerge from between her legs and out into the world. It defiantly was a big responsibility, and part of her felt that she wouldn't be up to the challenge. Although another part of her was eager to accept this challenge. It sounded like it was going to be quite a unique experience. She already felt attached to them, so maybe nurturing them and bringing them into the world wasn't such a bad thing after all. She wondered what it would be like to hold them in her arms, feeling there warm little bodies against. her skin. For some reason, she felt pretty confident, that she was going to have to do that for them. She didn't think it likely that they would just plop out and start running around on their own.

She smiled. It was defiantly going to be an interesting experience, to say the least.

Looking down she stroked her belly affectionately. These were her little babies so she would care for them to the best of her ability. She finally had something that she could do, and she was going to perform to the best of her ability.

As she watched her little babies, a question came into her head. It suddenly donned on her that she didn't know exactly how they had gotten there.

"Logos?" She asked looking up.

"Yes."

"Who gave me my babies?" Quickly she realized that she hadn't formed the question the way she had wanted to. "I mean, what happened to me to make me fit to carrying them?"

Logos smiled at her. He seemed pleased that she was willing to carry the babies. "In order to explain that, I should probably back up. Before the last of us turned into Klaxosaurs, the Queen had a group of twenty-four different couples set aside a fertilized eggs. This was gone so that if something happened to the children, we could one day repopulate." His face took on a very painful expression. "Unfortunately the Queen is infertile, and everything we tried to get an egg to grow on its own it failed."

He sat for a few moments before he shook his head as if trying to rid himself of a bad memory. "Forgive me I still haven't answered your question." He paused for a moment before answering. "All I know is what the Queen told me. Apparently, when you came to us, you were pretty much dead. You were missing your right eye and your left arm was completely severed; you also had a massive piece of shrapnel through your abdomen."

Naomi shivered in fear. Had all that really happened to her? It was a miracle she was still alive.

Bring her attention back to Logos, she listened to the rest of what he had to say. "The Queen, however, was ecstatic to have you in such a condition. It meant that she could rework your whole body to create the perfect environment for the eggs to grow in. I don't know all the details of what she did, but basically the long and short of it is, that you are now the ideal person to be pregnant with the remaining twelve eggs."

Naomi choked in surprise. "Twelve!" She exclaimed. "C-Can my body really handle twelve growing babies!?"

Logos started laughing, his deep rumbling voice echoing around the chamber. When he finally gathered himself he answered her question. "My apologies, I did not mean to be rude. I believe the answer to your question is yes. Klaxo-sapien babies when born are significantly smaller than human babies. It'll be a tight fit towards the end, but I believe you'll be able to deliver them all safely into the world." He smiled at her affectionately. "Needless to say, you'll have quite the big family when they're born."

Silently Naomi wondered what the words, born and family, meant but decided that she could ask them later. The question she really wanted answered was. "So, umm, how long will I be pregnant for?"

"I believe the normal pregnancy time for Klaxo-sapiens is two years. Since your pregnant with Klaxo-sapien babies, that would probably be the safest guess for their development time."

She sat and pondered all the information she had just been given. So she was now pregnant with the last remaining Klaxo-sapiens, so the survival of a race depended on her. Which meant that she had to carry and nurture twelve babies for the next two years before they were ready to be brought into the world.

As she was pondering, a detail from their conversation struck her attention. Logos had used the word "remaining" when telling her how many babies she was pregnant with. Suddenly a shivered ran up her spine. Shakily she asked her question. "Logos, what did you mean by the remaining twelve?"

She watched as pain crossed that serpentine face. Instantly she knew that she had stepped on a very painful memory.

He stared at her for a few moments; almost as if he was trying to decide whether to tell her or not.

"Come over here, child." He said using his tail to beckon her over to him.

Warily she got up and walked up the stair till she stood right next to the throne. Logos's giant snake-like body was right in front of her. Up close she realized that he was so massive that it would take the entire squad to wrap around his massive girth. His entire body was made of some sort of biomechanical muscle, and his glowing blue accents were dazzling from up close. After a few moments of staring, she realized that he was made of the exact same material that her tentacle was.

Suddenly he began shirking, and his massive body became smaller and smaller until he was just a little taller than her. Her mouth fell open in shock. Never in her life had she ever seen anything shriek from filling half a cavern, to being just a little taller than her.

"Come with me." He said.

Hurriedly she started off after him as he began to slither towards a door that he had been concealing. As she walked after him, she realized that whatever was behind that door was probably extremely important.

When they got to the door it slide open with a loud hiss. Step into the room she immediately spotted twelve person sized tubes arranged in two rows. Each tube was filled with some sort of liquid, and some weird sort of object was floating in each of them. She could also see that each tube had what looked to be serval holographic monitors glowing on the glass. One of the tubes was emitting a very faint beeping noise that came at slow intermittent intervals.

Logos without saying a word lead her over to the first tube in the line. Silently she looked up at the object within. It was nothing more than a blob of flesh, floating within that strange liquid. She felt her heartbeat accelerating. Something terrible had happened to this thing, and the site of it made her uneasy.

They turned and crossed the room to another tube. This blob of flesh looked a little more defined and, she thought she could see what looked like the beginnings of an arm extending from one side. The next blob was more elongated and she could see serval sections of flesh jaunting out from the top and bottom. The forth blob really scared her. What looked to be the beginnings of a head had formed at the top, and she could see serval disfigured arms and legs.

The fifth was more of a little figure than a blob. Its head was massively disproportionate to the rest of its body, and its arms looked all shriveled and weak. It wasn't until the sixth however that she realized what these were. Her heart broken. No! Please don't tell me these are what I think they are! No, Please! What had they ever done to deserve this!

Shaking she turned to Logos and asked in a barely audible voice. "Logos. W-What are t-these things? Please tell me their not what I think they are."

He looked at her sadly. "They are. These are indeed the failed attempts to regrow our species."

She reached up and touched the glass. It was cold and dead beneath her fingers, mimicking the state of the baby that had once grown within. She gazed up at it, determined to take in every detail of that disfigured face.

Slowly she turned and they made their way to the next tube. This baby was slightly more formed, but its body was still grotesquely bent out of shape. She looked over at the heart monitor, but the display the blank. This one was dead too.

Gulping hard she followed Logos as they observed the rest of the tubes. Each one harbored a dead baby, that was only marginally bigger than the last.

It wasn't until the final tube that anything really changed. Immediate she noticed that the figure in front of her was more of a small child than a baby. Silently she noted that the child was a girl, but unfortunately, that was the one thing that would ever distinguish it from the others. The little girl's boney little arms and legs were shriveled uselessly against its body; its head tilted pathetical towards its shoulder. She gazed up at the child's disfigured face, its cyan skin drooping lifelessly off its skull.

Naomi stared at the child and whispered softly to her. "I'm so sorry child. If only there was something I could do to help you."

Just then the girl opened its eyes. It stared at her through barely opened eyelids, its eyes emanating a faint blue glow. Naomi's heart leaped into her mouth. The girl was alive! The girl was alive! At the speed of light, her eyes dashed over to the heart monitor on the glass. Sure enough, the faint lines indicating a heartbeat were visible, accompanied by a faint rhythmic beeping.

"Logos!" She cried happily. "She's alive!"

Logos only gazed at the girl and whispered sadly. "S-She's dying."

Naomi's heart shattered into a million pieces. Tears began to slide down her face, and she struggled to find something to say. This was so unfair. Why did this poor helpless little girl have to die too? She was so precious and fragile; why did she have to be taken away? This, This child she deserved to live.

Naomi struggled to think of something. She was pregnant and currently nurturing babies of her own. Maybe she could give this little girl some of her energy; feed her like she did with her own babies. The weight of her full breasts gave her an idea. The rest of her had been altered to carry and nurture life, maybe she could get these useless bags of flesh modified to feed this little girl.

"Logos!" She cried. "I could do it! Modify me, and I'll nurture this little girl back to life." She gestured frantically to her breasts. "Have the Queen change these so that I can feed her!"

He looked at her sadly, and if he could have cried he would probably be doing so. "I'm touched that you would be willing to do that Naomi." His voice cracked with sadness as he finished his statement. "But I'm sorry; she's to far gone, for you to be able to do anything. The best you can do is wish her well, and let her die in peace."

Naomi fell to her knees and gazed helplessly up at the little girl. She felt like somebody had torn out her heart and replaced it with an endless void of despair. All the happiness was gone from the world, and without it, the world felt cold. There was nothing she could do to help this little girl, except watch her die.

"H-How long does she have left?" She asked, choking on her words.

"I don't know." He said softly. "Probably a few more weeks at the most."

Naomi looked back at the little girl and watched as those precious glowing little eyes searched her.

They stared at each other for serval long minutes before Logos broke the silence. Gently she felt his tail wrap around her arm, and give it a little squeeze. "Come child. It's time for us to leave."

Shakily she let him pull her to her feet and gently guide her towards the door. "Will I be able to see her again?" She asked faintly.

"You will. But for now its time you returned to your room. You have little ones of your own which require your attention."

Just then she became conscious of the fact, that her little orbs were nudging gently against her belly. And judging by how hungry she suddenly felt, she guessed that her babies were probably looking for food.

Quickly she took one last look at the little girl before the door to the room hissed shut behind them.

Silently they made their way back towards the throne. When they got there Logos swelled to his colossal size again and resumed the place where he had been sitting. Silently she watched as he used his colossal body to shield the door to the dead children.

Reaching out she placed a hand against his body, feeling it pulsate as he breathed. "Thank you Logos. I will take everything you told me to heart. A-And thank you for…"

"I'm afraid my husband, has a tendency to not keep his mouth shut." Said a cold harsh voice.

Jumping about ten feet in the air, she spun around to see the Queen standing at the entrance to the throne room. The Queen's cruel glowing eyes pierced into her, and she could almost feel the Queen's hatred.

Logos chuckled softly. "Whoops, it looks like I've been caught." Leaning down he whispered to her. "Run along Naomi; we'll talk later, I promise."

Gulping nervously she quickly made her way down the stairs. She tried her best not to tremble as she got closer and closer to the queen. As she passed by, the queen said in a loud cold voice. "You are going to fill the bowl to the top and feed the babies. If I come up there, and you haven't I will force it down your throat. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes!" She shouted hurriedly.

She walked as fast as she could away from the throne room. Once she was out of sight she broke into a run and dashed to the elevator. Its doors appeared to be left open so she jumped inside. Immediately the doors shut and she began ascending back towards her room.

As she traveled, she realized that the queen had probably preprogrammed this elevator to take her back. It was the only explanation as to why it was doing everything by itself.

"She really doesn't trust me, huh." She muttered.

Suddenly one of the orbs collided painfully with her belly. Groaning in pain she reached down and stroked her belly, in a vain attempt to get the pain to go away.

"I know guys." She said through gritted teeth. "Just give me another few minutes and I'll feed you."

Silently she thought. You know, as amazing of it feeling it was to be pregnant, it could really hurt sometimes.

The thought of pain reminded her of that poor little girl. Why did she have to suffer that fate? Why couldn't she have been another of the orbs for her to nurture? Why did any of them have to die in such a horrific way?

For some reason, Naomi's mood swung, and she felt the uncontrollable urge to just sit in a corner and cry. If only she had come here sooner. If she could carry twelve babies, then she could carry twenty-four. Why couldn't she have been impregnated with all of them? She could have saved them from that terrible fate, those tubes had doomed them too. It was so unfair! Why couldn't have the Queen just waited and given her all the babies, instead of half?

The door to the elevator open a few minutes later, and she made her way back to the hall with the bowl. Dully she noticed that the lights were all on illuminating her path.

When she finally made it back to the hall, she mechanically made her way over to the bowl. Turning a knob she watched as the golden magma energy cascaded into the bowl. She waited until it was full before shutting off the flow.

Numbly she bent forward and began to drink the energy. It was still hot but it was defiantly getting easier. Not that she cared. Why did she have it easy when that poor little girl suffered like that?

When she had completely drained the bowl, she walked over to her room. Opening the door she stepped inside and made her way to the center of the room.

She thought of that little girl, its naked little body curled up helplessly, floating in that stupid tube.

Unclasping her skirt she let it fall away from her body. She stood naked in the middle of the room, everything on display, just like that little girl. Silently she walked over to the bed and clambered under the covers. She began to cry, her racking sobs muffled by one of the many pillows.

She lay there crying into that pillow, completely absorbed by her hormone-fueled grief for the girl. Not even the feeling of her babies feeding was enough to cheer her up. All it did was relax her enough for her to drift into an uneasy sleep.

Logos stared at his wife. Currently, she was monitoring Naomi as the girl journeyed back to her room. They watched as the girl filled the basin and drink all the fresh magma energy from the bowl. When the girl finally entered the room, the hologram screen flickered off, and they both stood in silence.

"Maya." He said kindly, trying to get her attention.

"Don't talk to me!" She snapped in a fiery rage.

"Why? Because you're unwilling to face the truth?"

Maya glared at him, her menacing blue eyes boring into him. Ignoring his statement she fired back with. "Why did you tell her!?"

"Because she deserved to know the truth." He said calmly. "She needed to understand what she's going through."

"She's a human! She doesn't deserve anything!"

"Maybe. But she's a human, you impregnated with the last of us." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Maya, do you have any idea what you did to her?"

"Of course." She said dismissively. "I made her the perfect carrier for the babies. She should be down on her knees…."

Quickly he cut her off. "Exactly. You took an unconscious person and mutilated her. Then without asking you made her pregnant, and condemned her to two years of discomfort and the agonizing pain of birthing twelve babies."

"She was practically dead!" She raged. "I saved her life!"

"And you made her pregnant without her permission." He countered.

"She was a fertile female!" She fired back. "When I have a useful tool in front of me I use it!

"Naomi's not a tool."

"She's a human," Maya said icily. "She should be honored to carry the babies. Its a privileged far above anything she deserves."

"And yet you entrusted her with the very survival of our race." He said calmly. "You're lucky she's willing to be their mother. Because if she wasn't, you would have just placed our most valued treasures in danger."

He watched as the color drained from her face and she looked towards the entrance of the throne room.

"She wouldn't dare," Maya said in increasing fury.

Quickly he intervened before she could do anything stupid. "Your lucky that it was her and not anyone else." He said soothingly. "She's going to be the perfect mother to them."

"And how would you know? She's a human."

"I can tell by the way she smiles at them, and affectionately strokes her belly, that she's already formed a bond with them." With a small smile he began to pull on the final strings "And as I'm sure you've noticed by now she's changing. She already has the beginnings of queen's markings."

Maya made an angry grunt of annoyance. "It's ridiculous, that a human has such markings."

"We won't be here for much longer Maya. Each of us has a role to play, in restoring the world."

Slowly he bent down and wrapped himself around her, encasing her with his body. He could feel her pulsating warmth as she let herself be absorbed in his presences. It had been too long since they had last embraced. The feeling of her protectively nestled within him was something that he had gone too long without. Gently he nuzzled his nose against her, affectionate showing how much he loved her.

Calmly he whispered. "Let her play her role, Maya. It's her job to nurture and care for those babies, so trust her to do it."

He could hear the queen's voice crack as she struggled to not let her emotions burst out of her. "I can't. I've tried so many times to get them to grow, and every time it fails. I can't let that happen again."

"It won't." He said soothingly.

"H-How do you know?" She choked.

"Because this time, their in the womb that you created; and they have a mother who's willing to nurture them." Calmly he whispered. "Maya. The best you can do is guide Naomi through her pregnancy for as long as you can. She's going to need your guidance to get through this successfully, so show her what to do."

With another affectionate nuzzle he said. "Don't worry Maya, she'll bring our little dreams, into the world."

Authors note:

Thank you for reading Chapter 8 of The Jian Bird.

I would like to inform everybody that instead of uploading a chapter every week I'm going to have to make this a biweekly thing. This is due to summer break being over, and forcing me to devote less time to writing and towards other things.

Don't worry I am not walking away from this story. I know the pain of reading an ongoing story just to have the author not finish it. This is a story that I am determined to finish, so I am defiantly not going to just drop it part way through.

Thank you for understanding.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: The Cave