(Untitled)

[water_crown]

Each change came in unexpected spurts, spread out over time. Initially there had been the sense of someone watching, some benign yet persistent outside force with a constant glaring eye observing his every move. In time, Serph had lost the ability to dismiss it as paranoia or a ridiculous bit of nonsense. It became very real. Sleep would not come.

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[redshirts_r_us]

With her roommates buzzing around the kitchen of their apartment in an attempt to learn to cook before Thanksgiving came, there was no peace for Cissa in her own world. Usually she would have no problem with this, but with a stats test tomorrow she needed both silence and extra time. This secluded little spot in the Nexus seemed like just the solution.

She was wading through a particularly frustrating problem when an absolutely bone-chilling sound reverberated through the area, causing the little hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

'Don't worry,' she scolded herself. 'The AV field protects against this sort of thing... whatever 'this sort of thing' is.'

Still, she couldn't help but try to hunker down lower to make herself less visable, even as she looked around to find the source of the roar.

[water_crown]

Visibility was not an issue when it came to the Embryon. None of them had eyes. Varna sensed each life in much the same way a bloodhound would; inescapably. Bodies of tasty flesh and nutritious bone sparked in his brain like moving, feeling, purple clouds. There was no distinction between 'male' or 'female' or 'child' or so many other human notions.

Cissa was chosen out of all those present in the Nexus' wide field for one simple reason: she was closest. It was Darwin's random selection, and God's little joke. With nothing obstructing him, Varna's uneven, pained movements brought him closer to his prey second by second.

[redshirts_r_us]

Eventually, as she moved her head around to find the source of the noise, Cissa caught sight of Varna. Her heart all but stopped cold in her chest.

'Oh God, what is that? ...It's coming this way, oh God, it's coming this way!'

Every bit of trivia she knew about wild animals was running through her head. This... thing wasn't anything like what she is remotely familiar with but it sounded like a wild animal. They lock onto movement, don't they? So she decided to stay stock still.

...For about five seconds before the terror took over and she started to run like a scared little rabbit leaving everything she brought behind. Including her PINpoint.

[water_crown]

The demon was certainly no animal. Over seven feet tall, no animal stood on two legs as proudly, no matter the elongated shape of the feet, or the protruding scythes that split its forearms.

Varna's crown followed her movement, down to up and then forward. It was difficult to chase any faster; his joints screamed with every step. However, much more powerful than that was the ache of hunger that singed every nerve in his evolving body. Hunger pulled him towards her. Not hatred or rage or a conscious decision to kill. Serph was nothing more than a tightly bound mess of instinct and physical need.