A/N before we begin. This chapter will be the only one that directly mentions the characters you're familiar with, otherwise it's just references. Also, and more importantly. This is a first draft and purely meant for practice and experimentation with writing, so constructive feedback is welcome. I have more chapters so if this does well I'll pop those up too. For now however, have fun

Chapter 1

it had been centuries since fate had landed the symbiote onto the meteor. Centuries with no movement, no food, no host, no identity. Nothing but the void and the meteor and occasional celestial object to remind the creature it was still alive...

it had spent the vast majority of these centuries, these millennia. Scouring the memories of the hive mind, most of them only offered tales of survival, of symbiosis, of parasitic hosts. Nothing worth remembering. Any emotional mind would've snapped and withered away long ago, but the Symbiote had never bonded with a host that wasn't emotionless, so it felt nothing at all...

The memories it found of Earth were the most fascinating. Of Venom, Carnage, Hybrid, Grendel, the slaying of the god host. It was all so fascinating. Something to pass the time as it hurled through the abyss of space, waiting for nothing.

today was another one of those days... sifting through memories that weren't its, watching stories it had no part of, seeing bonds it did not form and lives it did not play a role in... any emotional creature would've wailed at the agony of such a prospect, but it felt nothing. The void of space was nothing... except today was different, there was something different in the dark today... in the far distance of the abyss, the Symbiote's senses detected something unusual. The humans described it as a wormhole, the Symbiote watched from within the meteor as the wormhole drew closer and closer, believing that it will just spit the creature out so it can continue its eternal journey. And it watched and waited as it was swallowed whole...

Lydia woke from her slumber in a place that was growing more familiar to her each morning. The cobblestone walls, wooden furniture and the present scent of candle wax and ink. She rose from her bed and looked around at her academy dorm, every morning she noticed new details. Today she noticed a stain on one of the stone slabs that make up the walls, the stain was likely due to age or a mishap during construction. She liked the stain, it almost looked like a web. The coincidence was one of the few moments of humour she could find in the academy.

she arose from her bed and began getting ready for the day. Placing her discreet armour platings on before her uniform like she did every morning, she hated them but she needed them. Her magic was unstable and therefore useless, which meant that by law she was forbidden from using them until she can get it under control. Unfortunately that also meant that in an academy of more fortunate magic users she was an easy target, practically defenceless. So her mother had these armour platings constructed, each one given a special enchantment to dispel any magic that touched it, she hated them. But in this place she needed them.

once she had properly fitted the armour platings she slipped on her uniform and quickly left for class.

As usual class was the same. Learning spells and magic she couldn't use and trying to ignore the mocking stares and judgemental glares of her classmates, each time she caught one of them they would rarely stop and turn back to the teacher. They didn't have enough respect to do even that, and each time it infuriated her. But as she had always done she kept it inside, she had no chance against any of them given her legal restraints. So she tried to ignore her ever growing frustration and focused on her breathing.

Lydia had been taught a trick to manage anger and fear when she was young, a gift from her father. 'It was all in the way you breathe' he said, "take a deep breath in and a longer breath out. It slows the heart, calms the mind and makes your emotions a little easier to handle.' As of now it was the most valuable lesson she ever learned. As the other people in this school tested her patience ever. Single. Day... well, at least most of them do, there were a few gems in this cesspit. One of them being her closest friend Mary, a woman who despite her ambition refused to fall into the arrogance and self centred cruelty expected of others of her calibre.

another appreciated friend was Jeremy. One of the very few boys here who understood what respect was. He wasn't anything special but he was compassionate, which was a trait she'd admire in anyone.

The final friend she had in this academy was Audrey. Who was in a similar situation to Lydia, having magic she couldn't control and therefore couldn't use. Audrey and Lydia had been friends since day one, the only difference between them is while Lydia kept her emotions under wraps and used more subtle methods to survive. Audrey let everything be known and stood up to anyone who dared test her patience. Which usually never ended well...

She caught another mocking glance and her blood boiled once more. It was Sonus, top of the school, master of sound magic... and the one person she hated most in this entire school. If she wasn't so well disciplined in emotional control she'd of tapped into her magic a long time ago, reduced the wooden desks, purple carpets and airheaded narcissists just like him to ash and dust in an instant. She glared back at him, her ruby eyes showing no emotion except the faintest signs of mild annoyance. She knew he wouldn't do anything more, the one half decent side effect of his arrogance, he considered a lot of things beneath him. Taking more than a moment to torment those of lower rank was thankfully one of those things.

This routine continued for the rest of the school day...

The school day was over and she was free to move around the academy and surrounding grounds freely. Not as much as she used to however, which caused some hesitation regarding her decision to take her daily mental health walk. Especially with rumours circulating that these new restrictions were due to troll raiders being spotted in the area, the thought alone made her nervous enough to reconsider the idea. So instead she opted to simply walk through the halls, placing all her focus on her breathing to calm her mind after the stresses of the day. With each corner and staircase she traversed she became more engaged with her focus, blocking out all the other students and staff for the sake of her own sanity. After an amount of time she hadn't even noticed passed her concentration was broken when she had accidentally collided with another student, sending them both to the floor. After she regained her senses she looked to see who it was, her relief was immediate. "Sorry about that Audrey." She sighed out. "Got lost in my little rituals again."

Audrey quickly rose to her feet, extending a hand to help Lydia to hers. "No worries Dame." She smirked at the turn of events.

Lydia accepted her hand and rose to her feet, ignoring the chuckles and snickers of those around the pair. Audrey spoke out again in a quieter, more concerned manner. "The new restrictions getting to you?" Lydia nodded, her eyes firmly shut as she focused on her breathing once again. Audrey gently patted her cheek to snap her out of it before she got absorbed into her habits developed over time in a desperate struggle to hold herself together. "Hey now Dame, no need for that. I'm here, no need to shut yourself down." She whispered in a reassuring tone. The two started walking through the halls once more

"I'm sorry Audrey, I think everything's just getting to me today." Lydia sighed out once again.

"You seriously need to consider my offer about blowing off some steam, I know I get my ass handed to me whenever I stand up for myself but what you're doing isn't healthy either."

"I know that, but there's not much else I can do. I'm not a skilled fighter like Mary, my magic's too volatile to use and... I'm not sure what else to do anymore..."

"I understand that... I'm just... I'm just a little worried about you. I can tell this is wearing you out."

"is it that obvious?"

"Yes Lydia, it is. I mean for the stars' sake you look terrible."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Gee thanks."

Audrey met her eyes as the two made their way outside the building. "I'm serious dame, your eyebags get more prominent every week and you look so pale I've considered dragging you to the medical ward by force."

"...do I really look that bad? I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it."

"you were, but it's getting bad enough where you can't keep up appearances forever."

a newer, much less welcome voice cut through the conversation. Stopping it short much to the irritation of both women. "She's right you know, you look like a plague incarnate."

Both Lydia and Audrey turned towards the unwelcome interruption. Their eyes landing on Gabriel, a tall, skinny man with round glasses and a demeanour that made Audrey compare him to grinding a cheese grater on a chalkboard. Both ladies had their own words to describe him. Shithead, coward, bully, loser. And nobody would disagree with any of them. He was one of the lowest ranking magic users, he'd be the lowest of all if it weren't for the very few souls who were either born without or expressly forbidden from using magic. And being the snivelling coward he was he lorded that fact over anyone below him in rank, treating them as mere toys. Unfortunately that included Lydia and Audrey.

"So why don't you crawl back into whatever ditch you dug yourself out of and save us all the eyesore." Gabriel's expression was smug, his buck teeth prominent in his smirk.

Audrey stepped forward first, her foot stomping into the cobblestone floors. "Back off jackass."

A mocking cackle escaped Gabriel's throat. "Stubborn as always eh tiny titan?"

both Lydia and Audrey's blood boiled, but while Audrey took the bait and gave Gabriel the reaction he wanted, snapping back each time he mocked and belittled her. Lydia's mind reeled silently, her grip tightening on the hem of her dark purple skirt. Her jaw clenched unnoticeably as she tried to focus on her breathing once again. Anything to calm her mind so she doesn't do anything she'll regret, anything to avoid getting in trouble with staff that won't show her an ounce of mercy or fairness. Audrey and Gabriel's argument continued.

"what's wrong tiny titan? Feeling small?" Gabriel mocked her lower rank and height. Audrey was a shorter woman at 5'5 and relatively skinny frame, something she often hid with her school blazer to avoid less than wanted stares. Gabriel knew this, but to him it was just another weakness to poke at.

"I swear we are not in the mood for your bullshit right now so piss off!" Audrey's temper was getting harder to keep in check. It wouldn't take much more to set her off once again.

"Why? So you can finish walking that over sensitive freak back to whatever bridge she belongs under?" That was enough to do it. Audrey didn't respond with words, but rather by winding back and hooking Gabriel clean in the jaw. He recoiled back and took a second to process what had just happened, before looking back at Audrey with a face that no longer showcased any amusement.

"oh that does it you Bitch, I think it's time you remember your place!" He starts moving towards her, pulling out a thin wooden wand. The message was clear, he's looking for a fight.

Audrey dropped into a fighting stance, but there was no point. Gabriel aimed the wand and a quick shot of lightning magic and she was on the ground twitching and struggling not to scream from the pain of being electrocuted. After a couple seconds of the assault she broke and let out a pained groan through gritted teeth.

That was enough to snap Lydia from her trance, and she looked over to see Audrey on the floor and Gabriel bombarding her with weak lightning magic, she wouldn't be in danger of anything serious but the pain was intense. Lydia's blood boiled to newer heights as her sanity was reaching its limits and her patience was finally starting to break after so long. She charged forward in an instant and decked Gabriel directly in the nose, a satisfying crack sounded as the lightning stopped and Gabriel stumbled back clutching his face. After a moment Gabriel's face uncovered and it became clear for all to see. She had broken his nose...

The watching crowd roared in laughter and judgement. He had the advantage in every sense and he's the only one bleeding, his reputation would be damaged for sure. Gabriel and Lydia locked eyes, both with glares of barely repressed rage. Gabriel fired off another round of lightning magic, but the magic was instantly dispelled by the enchanted armour plating she wore beneath her uniform. She remained unscathed as she desperately tried to keep her composure, her glare becoming more prominent as she scowled. Gabriel knew in a fight where magic was useless he wouldn't survive, especially not against someone who knew how to fight without any magic, and his reputation was already tarnished when she broke his nose. So he did the only thing he could do, he turned around in a huff and stormed off.

Lydia partially regained her composure, still seething, and turned back to Audrey who was slowly getting back on her feet. Lydia called out. "Are you ok?"

Audrey stepped forward and leaned on her for support. "Just... dandy..." she wheezed between breaths.

"just hold on, let me get you to your room!" Lydia's voice continued to waver between rage and worry as she walked her friend back to her dorm room and set her down on the bed. "Mary should be back soon, she'll take care of you."

"Don't worry... about me... Dame." Audrey spoke weakly but with a reassuring smirk.

"I gotta go ok?"

"yeah no worries."

Lydia quickly left and gently shut the door, her mind now a whirlwind of stress, rage and hopelessness. She needed relief or her mind would wear down and she'd go mad in no time. She stormed through the halls focusing once again on her breathing, not bothering to pay mind where she was going. Her subconscious led her towards the school entrance, towards the surrounding woods where she usually had her mental health walks. Restrictions be damned, trolls be damned, she didn't care at this point, she wasn't in the right mind to care. She needed relief and she needed it now...

Lydia's mind continued to tear at itself as she stormed through the woods, entirely focused on her breathing, her hands clutching each other tightly as if in subconscious prayer that she could fix all this. She didn't know how much time had passed, or how far she walked. But after what seemed to her like an eternity she had finally managed to calm herself down long enough to stop and think straight. Audrey was ok, Mary would take care of her, Gabriel finally got a taste of what he deserved. That last thought tugged at her temper for a brief moment, to her a taste wasn't enough. But she knew the consequences of doing more. She took a last deep breath and finally cooled off. And that's when she noticed something...

a plume of smoke in the distance, rising up to lick the sky. It was only small so the likelihood it was a forest fire was minimal, but she needed a distraction. And so she set off towards the mystery.

She arrived at the spot to find a small, destroyed patch of land. Some of the trees seemingly smashed in half, the ground dug into and at the centre of it all. Was a large, smouldering rock. There was a strange, faint sound she couldn't make out in the background. But her focus on the rock compelled her closer. The rock was charred, almost like something you'd expect from a volcano, she kneeled down to inspect it. Her hand wavered close still feeling the heat from the smoke, she knew better than to touch it.

She stared at it for a long moment, the faint, unrecognisable sound was still there. But it was being drowned out by a new sound, footsteps, heavy ones. That's when Lydia's eyes widened and her heart skipped several beats. She'd realised exactly what she'd done, she'd wandered into restricted woods, woods that were restricted for a reason. She turned around and saw that very reason.

Trolls, 5 of them, all 9ft tall grey skinned beasts with skin the texture of stone and the faint aroma of moss. Each of them carried weapons, an ax, a club, a mace, a scythe and a pitchfork. They noticed her and they all locked eyes with her. Her blood ran cold as she knew what was about to happen, she was going to die...

The troll with the club charged forward, a sadistic grin plastered on his face. She took the hit and was slammed directly into the rock, cracking it. Her back ached and burned as her vision went fuzzy, she felt pain everywhere. She felt fear that this was the end for her. And she felt rage, rage at herself for being so desperate that she did this to herself, that she selfishly did something that would kill her in a blind frustration. She imagined her friends finding out, Audrey, Mary, Jeremy... she felt tears run down her cheeks not from the pain of the rock or the probably broken ribs she sustained from the troll. Nor was it from the terror that came with death, she wept for the pain she had allowed to befall her friends soon enough.

The troll stepped closer and raised his club to the air, inhuman muscles tensing as he prepared to slam his wooden tool into the defenceless human before him. Lydia felt one last strange sensation, the burning stopped, the pain stopped, she felt a strange constriction in her skin as if it were being grabbed. And as her vision faded to black she welcomed this last sensation as the wooden club began its rapid descent.

And then the club was shattered...

The Symbiote had ensnared its new host, protected it from the threat of the grey thing's weapon. It wrapped around the new host as it bonded to it. To her...

The new host was injured. It was burned and broken, but that was ok, it could fix her. 'And more importantly' it thought as it turned to meet the threat. 'It could protect her'.

The trolls didn't understand what they were seeing, a mere human had shattered one of their weapons. And now that same human was laying there with one hand in the air, an unholy substance engulfing her form, it was as if the abyss came alive to devour her. After the abyss has completely engulfed the human it stood up. Its limbs extended to inhuman proportions as a row of glowing white teeth grew in, its jaw unhinged as the teeth and long, crimson tongue grew in. Then its face began to crack, a spiral pattern formed where its eyes should've been, highlighted by the white ethereal glow that emanated from beneath the cracks. The spiral eventually stopped but the outer layer began to crack as well, spreading from the face to the monster's entire body. Giving it almost the texture of an oak tree. Its clawed hands were no exception. The tips of the claws glowing a bright white. Its chest glowed the brightest, its skin started to take the shape of armour plating, with an emerald shaped hole where its heart was glowing brighter than anything. The trolls had never seen anything like this monster before, the way it engulfed the human, adopted its shape. And as it turned to them, teeth bared. They realised something else, they had never hunted and killed a beast like it before. They imagined the glory they'd receive In their village and such promise drowned out any fear or reason. The rest of the trolls raised their weapons as the unarmed troll raised his fists. The monster unleashed a blood curdling screech, a mix of a demonic roar and the screams of the human it engulfed. And both sides charged

The Symbiote charged first, the emotions of the host driving it forward. The host may be unconscious but her emotions were still present, it recognised them from its time sifting through the hive mind's memories. Anger, fear, pain, sorrow. And one that no creature alive would need to be taught, exhaustion. The host had passed out, but that's ok, it would fight for her, move for her, breathe for her. And it charged the trolls...

The unarmed one was up first, it stunk of moss, damp and sweat. It tried to use it size to its advantage. The Symbiote dodged away, now looking through the host's memories in hopes of understanding these beasts... trolls, these are troll raiders, a small party of them. Strong, dangerous. But not to it, not to the Symbiote and not to its newfound host anymore... not to Lydia. That's it, the host had a name, the host was Lydia. The Symbiote did not have a name, nor did it have much personality beyond its base instincts. But that's ok, it can use hers, starting with her rage.

The Symbiote's clawed hand deformed and shifted, forming a glowing white battle axe. It swung forward and in an instant the trolls legs were gone, after it fell to the ground its head soon followed suit with another swing.

The other trolls rushed in to avenge their fallen comrade, their weapons swung as the Symbiote made every effort to dodge them all. It would need to get creative if it wanted to survive. Its back started to rumble like water, several protrusions bursting forth, forming long tendrils fitted with glowing white thorns. Each one lashed out wildly, colliding with enemy and weapon alike, it wouldn't kill them, but it would provide some protection while the symbiote worked to take care of that.

One by one the trolls fell, until it was just the Symbiote, its unconscious host, and the scattered bodies in their wake. The creature didn't take any satisfaction nor did it feel any remorse after the fact, but the adrenaline proved a satisfying snack. The Symbiote layed down near one of the fallen trolls, the light fading from its form as it retreated into the hive mind, into its host's mind. It's time they both understood their new situation...

Lydia woke up to the sound of her own voice, calling out to her. She awoke in a red void, black vines and branches reaching through the void in what resembled a web. Before her stood a mysterious figure of pitch black. It had no eyes, no facial features. Its body moved and deformed like a puddle given shape. Was she dead? In a coma dream? The possibility replaced all the rage she felt moments ago into terror.

"Lydia." The shape called out in her voice, but it wasn't identical, the tone was lower, the sound echoed in the red void, it was distorted in a way no earthly being could replicate. It sounded as if she were a demon.

"What is this!? where am I!? Who are you!?" Lydia stuttered out as she stared at the creature where its eyes should be.

"I'm the one who saved you, the trolls are dealt with. As of now you're still in the field, this void is simply our shared mind." The creature responded.

"mind? What do you mean shared mind?" She was now more confused than afraid, yet with a hint of surprise that she was still alive.

"The sensation you felt before you passed out, that was me. As of now we're bonded mind, body and soul. A symbiotic bond." The explanation left a thousand questions unanswered, but Lydia decided on the most important one.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to make a deal."

"What kind of deal."

"I need a host to survive, to grow and thrive. In exchange I offer a crutch." The offer sounded cryptic to her.

"crutch?"

"I've seen your memories, you can't use what power you have without risking execution. The way you're ostracised by your peers who should be below you. I want to be your newfound power. Anything you can't stand I'll be your crutch, in exchange you act as my host, allow me a home in your blood, your mind."

Lydia paused for a long time, considering the idea. A newfound power, a way to fight back against those that tormented her, against those that treated those like her as if they were mere toys or tools. Her frustration grew with each memory, she considered rejecting the offer, she had no idea if she could trust this monster. Or even if it was real. But she didn't have the strength or fortitude to be reasonable anymore, her willpower was at its limit, her mind was tired from it all, she was desperate enough to wander into the woods. She would be desperate enough to take this opportunity. But there was another feeling there, a strange compassion for the monster before her. She didn't understand why, but she felt pity for it, she wanted to give it a home, a friend."Deal." She extended a hand.

The creature quickly moved closer, taking her hand and enveloping her in shadow as the red of the crimson void was quickly overshadowed by the monster's shadowy form and the darkness quickly surrounded her.

and a moment later her eyes snapped open...

Lydia looked around the field, beholding the scattered and bloody bodies of the troll raiders. The creature was nowhere in sight, her pain was gone, and she was leaning against the corpse of the very troll who not long ago was about to kill her. At such a realisation she scrambled to her feet, her mind was tired, barely processing the sights before her. Barely registering the smell of mossy stone and blood. Of grass and wind. She didn't even register the sunset in the sky above. One thing that did snap her drained mind's attention was the sound of hoof-steps galloping in the distance, growing louder with each passing second. She was aware how, her eyes scrambled across the bodies, desperately trying to figure out how she was ever going to explain this to the approaching scout party. She raised her hands to hair and suddenly noticed she was holding a sword. Her eyes locked onto the weapon as her focus momentarily locked onto it, she instinctively knew what it was. Where it came from. It was the creature, it had hidden itself as the sword, a deception meant for the approaching men. Its voice sounded from the back of her mind. "Take credit for the carnage."

Lydia heard its voice and another thing came to her attention, her breathing was the same as when she performed her stress management ritual. Deep breath in, longer breath out, and despite the fear she felt her heart never sped up or skipped a beat. Instead staying the same, steady rhythm. She was conflicted, the lack of control over her own lungs was nauseating, yet she was grateful for the assistance in calming her mind. The scout party came into view...

"Miss Chain?" One of the men called out as they noticed her. "Lydia Chain?" She nodded.

"What happened here!?" Another man asked, departing from his horse as he looked at the scene before him. Lydia raised her sword, taking responsibility for the massacre. "It was self defence, they were going to kill me."

"Well I must say young lady, I'm certainly impressed, bewildered even." A third man spoke out, he seemed to be in charge. She met his eyes as the picture of physical and mental exhaustion, barely able to string together a thought.

She could barely remember what happened next, each memory a vague impression. She remembered the principal's office, a lot of discussion, and falling asleep in her dorm room. The only thing on her mind was the events of the day. Audrey, Gabriel, the trolls... and the mysterious creature that was now hiding as her sword...

The Chief stood by the gates to the village, his expression cold and empty. He had sent a small raider scout party out to pillage supplies from a nearby human town. It was now nightfall and they had still yet to return, he had sent a search party of another two trolls and a small number of goblins to assist them. All he had to do now was wait for their return and a thorough explanation.

After what felt like hours the search party returned, each of them with mortified expressions. Even the goblins...

"Report." The Chief broke the silence of the night, his green eyes piercing the darkness as his stone cold voice cut through the ears of troll and goblin alike.

"we found the raiders... they were... they were all in pieces!" The lead troll stammered out, as if he was still able to see the remains of his comrades. This caught the Chief's attention, trolls slaughtered in a human settlement of all places? That was unheard of.

"They were slaughtered..? By whom?" The cold and calm voice rung out again. One stone skinned eyebrow raised in confusion and irritation.

"The only tracks were human sir. And not exactly a big one." A goblin barely stuttered out, its face one of sheer terror. But not from the sight it beheld before, but out of fear of him. Fear of how he would take this news. It was wise to be afraid.

The Chief's crossed arms tensed noticeably, even though his face never once shifted, his glare steady. "A human..." his tone dropped with venom. "A small, measly human. And not even a large warrior..." The Chief processed these words... and broke out into laughter. The search party of trolls and goblins looked on in confusion and dread. Another few seconds of cackling rung out before the Chief slammed his foot into the earth, the ground rumbling and stone crumbling beneath him. He was not amused. "Tomorrow at dusk, we raze that wretched town to the ground, no survivors." The Chief commanded, and those who heard nodded and scrambled away. After he was alone, the Chief turned around and walked back inside his own recently constructed camp, Essentially a portable village. His cape bellowed in the wind as the night became still again...