When did that start exactly? How were you able to read my mind?" Ave asked, her voice barely audible so as not to wake the other players up yet as she walked up to Axel. She placed a finger on her lips, as if trying to tell Axel to lower his voice. "Let's get out of here first," she added. Axel nodded and the two of them made an exit out of the house, walking miles away until they finally took a stop far from the house.
There was an awkward silence between them as they stood on the road facing each other. Ave had a questioning look on her face as she kept staring at Axel, while he just kept a cute smile on his face, with his hands placed behind him and his gaze fixed on the lady before him.
"I just started reading minds now, I guess. I was also shocked when you confirmed that I was right about reading your mind," said Axel, breaking the silence.
"What the heck? What else have you experienced from yesterday until now?" Ave asked, her eyebrows raised, demanding an answer.
"I could hear low-pitched sounds, read minds, and even control the weather," Axel replied.
"Control the weather?!" Ave exclaimed, cutting Axel short and giving him a questioning look.
"Yes, I did that yesterday. I was as surprised as you. But I'm afraid I'm finally becoming a monster. I thought everything the system said about obtaining the power of the fourth pawn were all lies or perhaps there was a bug, but it was right after all. I'm a monster now," Axel replied, his once smiling face now turned to sadness as he gazed deeply into Ave's eyes.
"How would you consider the system words lies? You know it's always right, but you're not a monster, Axel," replied Ave with a calm voice as she gazed into Axel's golden brown eyes.
"Do you know what I almost did to you guys yesterday?" asked Axel, his gaze locked with Ave as he gave a smirk. "Everything that happened yesterday confirmed that I'm a monster, and not just any monster, but a bloodthirsty one."
"What happened yesterday exactly?" asked Ave, her expression sad as she kept her gaze locked with Axel.
"I would have killed you all. If I hadn't controlled myself sooner, then I would have really killed you all. The voice kept echoing in my ears to kill you, and you being closer to me, I almost plunged the sharp fangs into your neck before controlling myself and bit my arm instead," explained Axel, while Ave swallowed hard, with a terrified look. He could hear the fast beat of her heart and see the terror in her eyes.
"My... neck," Ave stuttered with a shocked expression as she held onto her neck and then heaved a heavy sigh. "You bit yourself, which shows you aren't a monster yet. You didn't want to kill your friends, so you harmed yourself instead," said Ave as she walked closer to Axel and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I believe you can win against the monster in you."
"I'm afraid I can't, Ave. Do you even hear the kind of monster I am? I'm not only after the flesh of my preys, but I also drink blood," explained Axel with his body tensed and a serious expression evident on his face. "I don't even know when I change into that monster form, it just occurs in an instant without me having any control over it."
"The system said you can control it, Axel. You can be a half monster and half human, whereby you'll be able to change to a monster and human at will. You can control the powers by yourself, without any voice speaking into your head," said Ave, with a serious gaze. "Anthony wasn't just a bloodthirsty monster when we saw him, he was in his human form and was able to control his powers freely, so I believe you can also achieve that. Being a monster with lots of powers can either be a blessing or a curse, it only depends on how you want it to be yourself," she added with a caring tone.
"Tell me everything the system said yesterday," Axel said seriously with his eyebrows raised up at Ave, demanding an answer.
"It said that you're still in the early stages of being a monster, but you have to learn how to control your desires and thirst for blood during this stage, as that would make you the controller of both your body and soul. But once you reach the late monster stage, then there's no remedy. You would no longer be the Axel we all know, rather you'll be an ugly, bloodthirsty monster, who doesn't have any sympathy for others, except to kill. Your true monster form would come out and even you yourself wouldn't be able to recognize yourself."
Axel's mouth hung open as he listened to Ave's speech. "Darn it!" he cursed when Ave finished speaking. "But how am I supposed to control my desires? Are there certain skills I have to learn, or is there a pill I can take to help maintain my bloodthirsty desires? Or do I have to abstain from certain things?" Axel asked, his eyes wide with shock as he kept his gaze fixed on Ave.
"I don't know about that, as the system didn't mention anything," Ave replied. "But I'm sure it will be about your emotions, and how to control them even when you're in pain. You were able to avoid killing us last night and bit yourself instead of biting us. That shows that you're already learning how to control your desires and thirst for blood," she said, her eyes lighting up with excitement and a bright smile on her face.
"I still bit myself, Ave, which means I haven't learned anything at all. Do you think I'll keep on biting myself whenever the monster form takes control of my body? I'll eventually start killing people because I even hate the taste of my own flesh. Darn it! It tastes like rotten meat. I guess I was able to eat it because of being in my monster form, but on changing back to my human form, I can tell you I had a running stomach and diarrhea all through the night," Axel explained as he rolled his eyes.
Ave asked, "So you couldn't sleep because of the stomach upset and not because you were keeping watch over us?"
Axel replied with a smirk, "When did I say that I was watching over you guys? I'm not your security, after all. I couldn't sleep through the night because of my predicament, but I'm definitely going to have a good sleep today."
Ave then grabbed Axel's arm to inspect it for any marks of a bite, but couldn't find anything. "Where is it?" she asked, before rolling up his sleeve to check the other arm. Still finding nothing, she looked up at Axel with a questioning expression.
"It healed on its own," Axel explained with a smile.