United beads.
This is a fantastical friction novel by love gold. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of my imagination. Any similarities to actual events, locales, or persons, living or otherworldly, are purely coincidental.
*
*
*
*
*
Despite the greed of humans, beasts still admire them for their ability to stand straight, work freely, and most importantly talk.
The ability to voice out sounds has been a great wish of animals.
The fact that they couldn't communicate freely among other species unless they reached a certain age and cultivation has been a heartache for animals.
Under the rain in the dark, eight kings and queens of eight different animal species gathered themselves together: Giant King Anaconda, King of Tigers, King of Eagles, Queen of Cats, Queen of Butterflies, Queen of Snow Phoenix, Queen of Peacocks, Queen of Foxes.
"You say you have a way for us to transform," asked the giant anaconda in a cold, chilling voice.
"Indeed, I have a way but it's very risky," replied the Queen of Foxes.
"Speak," said Queen of Cats.
"We will have to perform a ritual, and we are going to be turned into united beads. Not only will we gain human bodies, but we will also be sent to the human world to live like them," Queen of Foxes explained and paused for a while. "But we will have to go under birth and two things are required."
"What is it?" they all asked.
"The human that is going to swallow us after we are turned into united beads and give birth to us must be a virgin and must be poisoned," she said.
Everyone remained silent.
"How are we going to achieve that? Most importantly, if we're transformed into united beads and we find no one to swallow us, how are we going to escape?" King of Tigers asked.
"What if we were swallowed by a naive little child?" Queen of Snow Phoenix asked.
"Worse yet, what if someone did not plan to swallow us and turn us into accessories?" King of Eagles asked.
"I have no answer to your questions," Queen of Foxes replied. "And make sure you remember that this method is our only hope to become human," she smiled cunningly.
"We should give it a try, perhaps heaven will be behind us," the giant anaconda said.
Everyone nodded their heads and Queen of Foxes stepped into the already prepared circle.
"I'm starting the ritual," she said and closed her eyes. Her lips were moving, but no one heard what she was reciting. "Everyone should step into the circle," she said after an unknown amount of time had passed.
Everyone listened and they all stepped into the circle. Immediately, a light showered upon them.
In a blink of an eye, all the animals disappeared and only eight beads stitched together remained in the circle.
Instantly, the beads were thrown by an unknown force towards the heavens, and a loud thunderstrike followed.
The beads flew millions of meters until they landed on the wet muddy floor. The once majestic creatures were now in the form of united beads, each containing the essence of the kings and queens that had gathered in that dark and rainy night.
As the beads lay on the muddy ground, a sense of foreboding enveloped the area, a feeling of uncertainty and anticipation lingered in the air. What awaited these transformed beings in their new human forms? Would they find the fulfillment they sought, or would they be lost in a world unfamiliar to them?
The heavens watched in silence as the beads glowed faintly in the darkness, a sign of the magic that bound them together. And as the storm clouds cleared, a new journey began for the creatures who dared to seek the impossible - to walk among humans, to experience life in a way they had never imagined.
Only time would tell if their bold gamble would pay off, if their sacrifice would lead to the transformation they so desperately desired. But for now, the beads lay quietly on the muddy floor, a silent testament to the courage and determination of those who dared to dream of a different destiny.
....
In the darkness, beneath a peculiar-looking tree, a young woman in her mid-twenties could be seen clenching her stomach, her face contorted in pain as she struggled to catch her breath.
Above her, the sky was a deep shade of black and blurry, with rain cascading down and thunder reverberating loudly and violently, accompanied by harsh slaps of wind.
With the support of the tree, the woman leaned against it, one hand pressed against her aching stomach while the other gripped tightly for balance. She exhaled sharply, her movements weak and labored.
"It seems I won't escape this. What kind of poison is this?" she muttered softly, the words barely audible over the raging storm.
Struggling, she unbuckled her belt in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain, then lowered herself to the ground with a groan, her hand fumbling around in the wet soil until it brushed against something unfamiliar.
In the flashes of lightning, she examined the object she had picked up – a round bead-like structure, with something joining them together. Despite the mysterious nature of the item, she swallowed it without a second thought; resigned to her fate, she figured it couldn't hurt more than she was already feeling.
The sensation that followed was far from normal. The bead was scorching hot as it slid down her throat, causing her to recoil in discomfort and mutter under her breath, "Even in death, my luck remains terrible."
Yet, to her surprise, the agony in her stomach gradually faded away, only to be replaced by a new sensation – her abdomen swelling, expanding as if ready to burst. It was as though she was in labor, but the expected pain did not come. The woman could feel the weight of the unknown inside her, a strange and unsettling presence that defied understanding.
Caught between relief and trepidation, she braced herself for whatever transformation or fate awaited her, as the storm raged on relentlessly around her.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! "She scream loudly, trying to release whatever wants to escape her Tommy".
What fortune is this?. "She lamented" am I going to die like this?. "Tears roll down her cheek".