(Joan’s POV)

“How come … a small brat escaped in your grasp, Joan?” Madam Garnet said

We’re here kneeling and bowing down our heads to the main mansion. To where madam Garnet’s nest. 

She is nesting because she’s creating new monsters. This is not a new sight for us. Only a few of them will be successfully born. The ones who failed will be eaten by none other than madam Garnet herself. 

We failed to find Ben. Jack looked everywhere on the streets but he didn’t find him. That kid throws away everything he wears from the orphanage so it’s not that easy to find him. And because of the crowded people outside, Ben’s scent is mixed with others so that Jack failed to trace Ben. To find clues, Jack went to the post office and claimed the letter that brat sent. When Jack read it, he wrote “Go die monsters!”. So in the first place, Ben knew about us. I didn’t know how and when he found out about us. That’s why we didn’t have a choice but to report it to madam Garnet.

We didn’t have a choice but to report it to madam Garnet.

“I-I'm sorry, madam Garnet. I didn’t expect him to escape.” I said

“Sorry? What’s the use of your sorry? What if that kid goes to our enemy's place? Did you think that it would be ok? Citrine would have another ally!!” Madam Garnet's rage was the scariest thing that I saw.

She changed into the most horrible monster among us. I felt her power to my skin through to my limbs. 

“Because of your stupidity, I’m gonna starve you to death!!” She said

“You and your companions!!!” she shouted at us and the other monster dragged us away.

“From now on, try to eat yourselves to survive.” She said while glaring at us.

For us underlings, our punishment is starving. Because food is our main source of power. We can live for fifteen years without food but our minds will become useless. We will go wild and we can’t shift into humans. We can eat our companions or we will eat ourselves. The worst case is we will slowly get smaller and smaller like a newborn.

“M-Madam!!! Please spare me!! I didn’t know what Joan did!!” Annie plead

“M-Madam!!! I will do my best to give you what you want! J-Just don’t let me join them!! I'm not one of them!” Jack cried

“Traitors!!” I yell at them

Madam Garnet didn’t listen to what they said. She looked at us coldly and irritated. 

(Garnet’s POV)

“Those good for nothing monsters are meant to die.” I said to all of my underlings.

“Try to fail me again and you will lose your life.” I continued

I summon all of my underlings. This is the second time that this happened to that shelter. And the worst case is Citrine is the one who got those escapees. 

One thing I don’t want is to give what I have to others. I don’t want to share my things, especially with Citrine. I’d rather get what she has than she get what I have.

“Madam, the children are ready”Gin said

Gin is one of my trusted underlings, my right hand command.

“Is that so?” I smiled at him.

I'm creating my own soldiers by making those ‘children’ of mine. They are made by my flesh. I learned about how to do this to my late father. He is a great inventor in this empire but that foolish king didn’t accept father’s great creation. That's why, I will be the one to fulfill my father's dreams.

(Ben’s POV)

After we ate breakfast, we started going on our trip. Mister brought me a change of clothes. We travel far away from this place. I didn’t expect that we would go to the mountains.

“Is this the place?” I asked

“Yeah” he replied

“But… why here?” I asked again

“Because they hate to be here.” He said

I wonder why he said that. 

When we went up to the mountains, something was familiar here. I noticed that the trees here are similar to the secret hideout tree that Jenny and I played at. 

“These trees are familiar to me. I remember there was one of them in the orphanage.” I said

Mister stopped and looked at me.

“Remember this kid, that tree is called ‘Hayan’. Hayan is a weakness of those monsters in your orphanage. If you ever encounter the monster again, go climb to Hayan and they will be blind and sensitive to smell on that tree.” He explained

Oh I see. That's why even sister Joan never gets near that tree. I never thought that our secret hideout would be our safe place. If I knew it sooner, Jenny would have survived. But if we knew that sooner, maybe we both escaped before Jenny got eaten by monsters.

 

We reached the big cave in the mountains. It looks like a scary place but Mister told me to not worry and he laughed hard. I trust that it will be okay based on his laugh. 

When we reached the bottom of the cave, there’s a pool of water. The place is so dark and I’m scared of that water. I'm thinking that a monster will pop out any second in the water.

“Kid.. you look pale. Scared?” Mister tease me

“I-If a monster pops out here, I’ll push you in the water.” I replied

He laughed hard again. While he’s laughing, the water bubbles. As if there was something going to pop out.

I hold Mister’s coat and I ready myself to run. Mister noticed my position and he laughed really hard.

‘Is he insane?’ I thought

My fear and nervousness grew. My heart skipped a beat when I saw someone.

“Gaaahhhhh!!!!” I shout and am ready to run but Mister pulls my jacket into him.

“So noisy.” I heard another voice

Mister can’t stop laughing at that moment. 

I slowly looked at the back and I saw a man pop out on the water covered in the black mud.

“Kids are irritating.” He continued

“Man… that was funny!” Mister said

“Psh…. Funny your face.” He replied to Mister

Mister recovered from his laughter. And put his hand on my shoulder.

“Kid, do you know how to swim?” Mister asked me

“No” I replied

He smiled at me and he pushed me in the water together with him. I don’t know if it’s a good thing to trust him or not?