The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System)

(Xemena Commercial Transport Group- Vessel No.1446)

The first-class section of the spaceship contained numerous private suites where the wealthy business elites and noble aristocrats could travel in comfort and peace.

Inside one of these suites was a gorgeous dark-haired beauty with long curly hair that gently fell below her shoulder.

Her eyes were a brilliant piercing green colour and seemed to gleam with a mischievous glint.

The noble girl had a lean physique that was soft and willowy with curves in all the right places.

She wore an expensive black dress that was adorned with tiny star-like crystals that blinked and mimicked a beautiful night sky.

Perhaps the only flaw in the noble girl's appearance would be the heavy bags below her eyes and a general aura of exhaustion.

Cleo leaned back against the soft comfortable sofa-like chair and absentmindedly touched her wrist communicator.

Planet Gaia was only thirty minutes away.

In just less than an hour, she would be reunited with Sophie again.

The princess sighed lightly as she got up from her chair and walked up and down the length of her private suite.

She felt a mix of emotions especially after receiving a message from a girlfriend not too long ago that talked about her struggles with mental health.

Cleo knew that something was wrong when Sophie did not reply to any of her messages but she had no idea that the situation was so serious.

Squeak! Squeak!

Moon flapped his wings inside the cage and tried to get Cleo's attention. The princess smiled at the large frostwing bat's antics and opened the door.

Moon rushed outside the cage and began to fly around the room leaving small patches of ice wherever he passed.

This ice soon melted but the temperature inside the private suite rapidly plummeted until Cleo could see tiny white clouds whenever she exhaled.

The previously little frostwing bat had grown quite a bit since Sophie's disappearance.

Cleo wasn't sure if it was due to some kind of mutation but Moon was significantly bigger than the expected size of a juvenile of his species.

In fact, he was now roughly half the size of Cleo's body!

There were other noticeable differences in Moon's appearance especially when compared to a normal frostwing bat.

These included his enlarged fangs, tiny spikes that grew along his spine and a whip-like tail with a sharpened blade-like bone on the end.

The bluish stripes along the sides of his torso and upper back now glowed ominously and felt cold to touch.

Moon's ability to drop the temperature of his surroundings and summon ice crystals had also improved drastically.

He also ate… a lot.

It was fortunate that Duke Peterlor would regularly send credits for his expenses because Cleo suspected that the frostwing bat would eat through her bank account within a month

"We are going to see your mommy soon… are you excited?" Cleo whispered softly as she stroked the top of Moon's furry head.

Squeak! Squeak!

Moon's tiny tail wagged furiously from side to side as the frostwing bat hopped up and down in excitement.

Cleo reached into her storage ring and pulled out a bowl full of nutrient pellets. She then placed the bowl on the table and Moon jumped on the chair beside it.

Cleo left the frostwing bat to enjoy his mid-morning snack while she opened up her communicator and sent a message.

[Cleo: Hey Sophie! I am going to see you soon :) I also brought Moon along and I bet you won't even recognise him when you see him]

[Cleo: I love you babe <3]

The princess pressed the exit icon and closed the inbox. There was no use in worrying because no matter what happened….

Cleo was determined not to leave her girlfriend in her time of need. She had already secretly messaged Instructor Barrett and requested a few extra weeks of vacation.

She was confident that she would be able to catch up on the work that she missed and more importantly she wanted to spend as much time with Sophie as possible.

Plus, the first few weeks were usually theory classes anyways and she could always just get the notes from Eleanora.

Thump! Thump!

Cleo placed her right palm on the center of her dress and felt the dull beating of her heart.

It had been months now since the surgery and there was a small part of her that still could not believe that the symbiote was gone.

Truthfully the days after the surgery, Cleo felt hollow as though there was a part of her that was missing but that feeling eventually faded.

After years of being bonded without even knowing it….

How could her mother have done that to her?!

Dark turbulent emotions filled Cleo's chest as she felt nothing but bitterness and rage. The princess took a few deep breaths to calm herself and slowly rubbed her temples.

It was a technique that she had picked up after watching Sophie use it whenever her insectoid nature rose to the surface.

Speaking of Sophie…

The doctor claimed that the symbiote's failure to penetrate inside her inner organs was a scientific miracle but Cleo knew the truth.

It was all due to the pinkish brand that was burned into the middle of her chest. The mark that Sophie gave her after their night of passion together.

Cleo dared not think of the possibilities of what might have happened if she had not met the hybrid girl who had changed her life.

She would have been reduced to nothing more than an emotionless husk. There was no doubt that she would have also been stronger but power at that price was not worth it.

To become a weapon for her mother to wield in order to acquire the throne and the authority that came with that cursed seat.

But fortunately, that future would never come to pass…

It was this same connection that made Cleo feel relaxed as she looked outside the window and saw the enormous blue planet slowly come into view.

No matter what happened, there would always be an unbreakable bond between the two of them.

A happy smile flashed across Cleo's face as she heard a mechanical voice come from the speaker overhead that echoed through the private suite.

[Attention all passengers we are now beginning our descent!]

[Attention all passengers we are now beginning our descent!]

[Please ensure that you are fully prepared to disembark in ten minutes]