Free Web NovelChapter 5: Chapter 5 Fear in Chamber Five
Elara’s POV
Another cart loaded with the same meals and drinks. I rolled up to Chamber Two, and the service bot immediately wheeled over to assist.
I didn’t notice the way he was studying me through the glass—how his gaze lingered on the shadows my lashes cast across my cheeks, or how he seemed fixated on my lips.
Before I could think too hard about the creature in front of me, I pulled out my phone and pointed it at him. "Never seen a merman before. Gotta get a picture. Hope you don’t mind."
What I really meant was—never seen a sea demon before.
I flipped the camera and snapped a quick selfie.
His room was something else. They called it a ward, but honestly? It was just a fancy swimming pool. Had to be around several hundred square feet. I craned my neck back. Two stories high. Nice digs.
Two cleaning bots and a medical unit sat against the far wall. There was probably a living space upstairs—I could see a strip of blue bedsheet hanging over the edge.
But the water surface looked empty. Something was missing.
I pocketed my phone and reached into my storage pocket—basically a small dimensional space, private and handy—and pulled out a little rubber ducky. I gave it a squeeze. It squeaked.
I tossed it in. The tiny yellow arc plopped right into the center of his pool.
I tucked a loose strand behind my ear. Honestly, I was still wrapping my head around this whole situation. The guy in this room and the one across the hall—these were supposedly my husbands. Ha. Not even human.
Look at those fangs. More fascinating than T-rex fossils.
I could feel his irritation building as I stared. He probably thought I was just some really advanced robot—after all, no female could possibly look like this.
Ever since I’d reconnected with my abilities, my face had shifted subtly. My features now carried traces of my old self, layered over this body’s original appearance.
He didn’t say anything. Just grabbed the food from the hatch and slipped back into the water.
Next stop: Chamber Three.
Dorian had been waiting for ages. He was sprawled in front of the delivery hatch, practically smashing his face against the glass, but he still couldn’t see anything. Only the front walls were transparent, and unless the doors faced each other directly, you couldn’t see into neighboring units.
He was going crazy with anticipation. Finally, those cheerful footsteps returned.
My music was blasting so loud it seemed to power-wash my eardrums. Not dancing to it would’ve been criminal.
Kaelen and Julian both looked up simultaneously. The food cart rolled past their doors. I was bobbing my head and swaying my hips, completely lost in my own world. I seemed happy—like I’d survived some disaster and found the work easy.
When I reached his door, the service bot rolled forward to collect the meal. I’d studied all their files. The dragon-beast in Chamber One was huge, so I’d made him a massive burger. The merman got a proportional serving.
The snow leopard in front of me was normal-sized, so I’d prepared omurice. Golden egg wrapped around shrimp fried rice, drizzled with sauce. It smelled amazing. Looked incredible too.
There was also a bowl of mixed fruit and a glass of milk. I watched him stare at the food, completely stunned.
He seemed just as convinced as the merman that I was some kind of cooking robot.
One down. Next: Chamber Four.
I’d already seen several of them now. One that flew. One that swam. One that ran on land. None of them human.
Please, let Chamber Four be something normal.
Barrett had already caught the scent. It was mouthwatering. Even just the smell was better than any nutrient solution he’d ever choked down. He was already positioned at the hatch.
I stopped the cart at his door. Same as the snow leopard’s—omurice, milk, fruit slices.
I looked up. Our eyes met. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
I sighed internally. Called it. Not human either. Another land-runner.
Chamber Five. Alistair. freёweɓnovel.com
He wasn’t waiting at the hatch. When I reached his door, I didn’t see him initially. I leaned forward, peering inside.
He had coiled himself into a tight spiral in the darkest corner of the room. Only his massive snake head was visible, resting on the couch, his tail thumping against the floor every few seconds.
From the darkest corner of the room, I caught movement. "Yikes!" I stumbled backward.
Barrett heard it immediately and whipped his head toward Chamber Five. That voice... that wasn’t a robot.
Earlier, the delivery girl’s tone had been flat, emotionless—easy to mistake for synthetic speech. But that "yikes" had real inflection. Genuine emotion. That was a person.
In Wards One, Two, and several others, everyone stopped eating. Barrett, who had a partial view, moved closer to his door. The others, who couldn’t see, just perked up their ears and listened.
"Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you."
I watched as this massive snake head lifted high, red mouth opening and closing with each word. One look at that and every hair on my body stood up. I let out a yelp and bolted.
Oh god. Did he actually think that was reassuring?
One second I’d been totally relaxed. Now I was sprinting down the corridor like my life depended on it. I had never seen a snake that enormous. Its eyes were the size of dinner plates. Its scales were as large as saucers. And that tongue...
Forget the food. That thing could swallow me whole and I’d believe it.
God, that mouth.
I stood in the hallway, trembling. Great. So my supposed husband is a snake. I was hoping for something harmless. Colorful. Non-venomous. freeweɓnovel.cøm
The one in Chamber Five had a triangular head. That screamed highly venomous species.
Alistair was completely baffled.
He looked down at his own glossy black scales and felt pretty good about himself. They were beautiful scales. Every time females in the Valerion Empire saw him, they practically tripped over themselves to give him flowers.
So...?
He turned to look at the fox-beast in Chamber Six across the hall and asked, voice flat, "Did you scare her?"
Honestly, he should have been in a terrible mood—trapped in this ward, waiting to die. But for some reason, Finnian suddenly found the whole situation amusing. He flicked his fluffy tail and sneered. "Commander. If there’s no mirror in that room of yours, maybe try using your own reflection for once."
Before Alistair could respond, the service bot had already deposited the remaining food at Finnian’s hatch. He rose gracefully, examined the unfamiliar dish, picked up a spoon curiously, and took a bite. The sweet egg, the savory rice, the tangy sauce—it was so good he immediately wanted another bite.
He shoveled in another spoonful. Alistair opened his mouth to retort, but the sight of the fox eating with such obvious enjoyment made him swallow his words.
It’s that good?
A flicker of surprise crossed Alistair’ usually expressionless face. It was incredible. A hundred times—no, countless times—better than nutrient solution.
Chamber Seven’s food had also been delivered that morning. The lop-eared rabbit boy padded over, all white fur and long ears. He and the fox had the lowest spirit collapse levels of the group—the fox at a moderate level, him at a slightly higher level.
He walked to the hatch and took the food inside.
His room was at the very end. His long ears drooped cutely as he sat down. Slender fingers wrapped around the spoon, lifted a bite to his mouth. Unlike the previous residents, he was in human form.
