Aldred's tentacles all stabbed through Hans monstrous' figure. He then lifted Hans in the air.
The man's eyes wore a sense of regret, fear, and awe towards Aldred.
"I have mistaken," Hans said.
"Are you the only elder that oppose me?" Aldred growled.
"I do not know. But I don't think I am the only one."
Aldred scoffed and then ripped Hans to pieces with his tentacles. Flesh and organs splattered on the floor, and then Aldred ate his remains, devouring it like hungry predator.
Suddenly, a bunch of hooded figures came to the scene.
"What happened here?"
Aldred wiped the blood on his lips and then transformed back into his normal form.
"Aldred? What did you do?"
Aldred, still had the look of annoyance on his face, replied: "One of your Elder, Hans, accused me that I was a fake. So I show him my true form and devour him."
The elders looked horrified after they heard that.
"Hans! That bastard! How dare he oppose the chosen one!"
"He got what he deserve! He should be grateful the chosen one devour him."
"I should have killed him when I heard he said that the chosen one was a fake."
Aldred listened and observed the elders. His senses tingled, telling him that the elders were lying to him. The elders probably knew that Hans will do something to prove Aldred's status as a chosen one.
Hans was just a tool to test him. If he was right, then they will admit their mistake, but if he was wrong, the elders wouldn't be blamed.
Aldred sneered at them, making them tremble in fear.
"I want no further delays or problem to this ritual," Aldred said. "If there is one, I will kill all of you."
Right after saying that, Aldred left the room, followed by his friends from behind.
They went back into their room, and Salamander immediately asked. "What the hell was that? How did you turn into an alien?"
"It's my ability, shape-shifting?"
"No shit. Prove it."
Aldred turned into a cat, and then he turned into a fluffy dog before turning into a squirrel and climbed on Salamander's shoulder.
"For the Emperor's butt cheeks! You really can transform!"
"I did not lie."
Shinari approached the squirrel and rubbed his little nose. "You're so cute, why don't you stay in form for a while?"
"All of you look like giants from my point of view."
"Hehe." Shinari grabbed Aldred and hugged him. "You're so cute! Come on, just stay in this form for one night."
Aldred squeezed out of her arms then transformed into his original form. "Absolutely not. I don't really like feeling so small."
"Just for one night." Shinari clasped her hands and begged.
Still, Aldred shook his head.
"What else can you turn into? Is it only limited to animals and aliens?" Cleome asked.
"I can turn into an object." Aldred transformed into a sword that stabbed the floor.
Cleome was amazed. "Does that mean you can turn into a sandwich. A talking sandwich?"
"Why would I turn into a talking sandwich? Wait, a minute, why would I turn into a sandwich in the first place?"
Salamander rubbed his chin. "Aldred, can you turn into something larger? Like a spacecraft maybe?"
Aldred morphed into his original form. "Uhh… a spacecraft has a lot of functionalities that I cannot imitate. They are a complex machine full of electricity, computer program, and hardwares that I wouldn't be able to process all at once."
"But the alien you transformed into earlier were also very complex."
"That's because I have eaten their meat. When I eat something, I can turn into them, and even gain some if not all of their abilities. I ate a part of the alien queen's meat, that's why I can transform into a xenomorph."
Salamander nodded, finally understanding how his power work. "So… what happen if you eat a spaceship?"
"That's not how it work."
Salamander became dejected. "Too bad."
As they were conversing, Elralya and Cellaeth were in deep thought after what they had witnessed.
Aldred just transformed into a powerful alien in a blink of an eye, and defeated one of the elder of the cult with absolute ease.
They had never seen any reports or news about a human that could shape-shift into something they eat. Most human psykers or supers could only manipulate matters or elements of the universe. And their power were extremely limited to only a couple of matter at a time. In most cases, a super could only manipulate one kind of matter.
But Aldred seem different. Cellaeth had seen Aldred's fighting abilities. This human could summon powerful sword out of nothing, summon powerful flame in a vacuum of space, possess incredible strength and speed, now, he could also shape-shift into anything he eat?
That wasn't human-like at all. That was like… a godly power. A power bestowed by the gods themselves. Aldred's power could only be considered as such.
Cellaeth's eyes flashed. There was a high chance that Aldred would become one of humanity's key figure. If she let him live, human kind would become even more brazen.
'Should I kill him now? Seeing his power increasing with each passing day, there is a high possibility that this man might become the Emperor's right hand man. And his power will turn to be used against the Elven race.'
Elralya noticed her expression and hold her hand. "No."
Cellaeth's body jolted when Elralya toucher her. She looked at her and then calmed down.
"Anyway, now that Aldred is officially seen as the chosen one. I guess we have nothing to worry about. Aldred, why don't you call the servants to serve us some food and drinks."
Aldred sighed but did it anyway. The situation was tense for the last few days, so he thought it would be better if everyone could relax.
Quickly, the servants bring in so much food it was like a wedding reception. They put a bunch of huge jugs filled with all kinds of juice of which Aldred and his friends could take as much as they want.
After all of the food arrived, the servants left the room.
"Please call us if you need anything else, master." The servant smiled this time, unlike their usual cold face.
When the door was closed, Salamander laughed. "I knew it. They fear you, Aldred. You can tell them to lick your toes, and they'll gladly do it. This shape-shifting ability of your is amazing."
As the group indulged in the feast before them, Aldred couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched, especially by Cellaeth. He sensed her unease, her eyes occasionally darting towards him with suspicion.
He thought nothing of it though.
Elralya, noticing the tension in the air, attempted to lighten the mood. "Aldred, tell us more about your abilities. How did you discover them? And why are you so confident in your powers?"
Aldred hesitated for a moment, considering how much he should reveal. He decided to share some of his past, hoping it would strengthen their trust. "I discovered my abilities when I was a teenager. It started small, like moving objects without touching them. But as I grew older, my powers became more complex. As for my confidence, it comes from years of practice and understanding my limitations. I've faced many challenges, and each time, I've learned to harness my abilities better."
He decided to lie. Aldred was an Earthling reincarnated by the gods with a powerful demon king as a father, and the literal ancestor of vampire as his mother. Not only that, more than one hundred gods blessed him with powers.
He couldn't possibly tell them all of that. The story would be too long, and it would be really hard for them to believe. Lying was the best option here.
Cleome, ever the curious one, asked, "But why do you think you have these powers? Is there a reason behind it?"
Aldred paused, his gaze falling on the intricate patterns of the tablecloth. "I don't know the exact reason. It might be genetic, a mutation perhaps. Or maybe there's a deeper cosmic connection. All I know is that I've always had these powers, and I've learned to use them for the greater good."
'Blah!' Aldred's tongue turned bitter at his last statement. He had always been using his power for his own interest. Although he wasn't an evil person, he wouldn't have any problem in killing people. In fact, he might had already killed over ten million people in total after all the battle and wars he won.
Salamander, always practical, chimed in, "Well, whatever the reason, your powers are impressive. We should focus on how to use them to our advantage, especially now that you've proven yourself to the elders."
Meanwhile, Cellaeth continued to observe Aldred, her mind racing with thoughts of power and consequences. She knew that the situation had changed drastically. Aldred was no longer just an outsider; he was a force to be reckoned with. She contemplated the future of her people, wondering if Aldred would become their enemies.
