Chapter 1 No One Lives

“Ah!” A jagged bone spike impaled Karina Straven's shoulder blade, shredding tendons and leaving her limbs useless. She lay sprawled on the ground, helpless as a dying beast, her screams of agony splitting the air—a wretched symphony torn straight from the depths of hell. “Karina, so even you have fallen to this fate. You were one of the Darkvale Tribe's most prized and fertile beastwoman. Now, you're less than a beast slave.” Avani Lorien sneered as she pressed her boot against the girl's skeletal hand, grinding it into the dirt. Her eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction as she drank in the sight of the broken wretch before her. “This miserable thing isn't even worthy to grovel at your feet, Ava!” The man beside her, his face alight with twisted devotion, clutched another sharpened bone spike. Eager to please, he drove it into Karina's ruined body once more. A fresh wave of agony ripped through her. One of her eyes was already gone, a gaping hole of raw carnage. Stripped of its skin, her face was an unholy mask of red sinew and exposed bone. Yet with the last eye she had left, veiled in blood and hatred, she fixed her gaze upon them. Her most trusted friend and the beasthuman she had loved—Xelrik Faelthorne—had betrayed her. She had always regarded Avani as a sister, sharing everything with her. And for Xelrik, she had sacrificed everything. She had given him the finest beast crystals, pouring her strength into his rise, helping him become the mightiest warrior among the beastmen. But all the while, they had been scheming behind her back. Once they had wrung every last drop of use from her, they discarded her like filth. They captured her to the lair of wild beasts, where she was subjected to unending torment—her flesh stripped, her blood drained, her body shaved raw. “W-Why...” I've treated them so well! Avani crouched beside Karina, her fingers curling around the girl's dislocated jaw with an almost tender touch. A playful glint danced in her eyes as she leaned in, her breath warm against Karina's bloodied ear. “Do you want to know why?” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, meant for Karina alone. “Why Xelrik and all the other men were drawn to you? You were the tribe's lucky charm—blessed with unparalleled fertility, showered with the best resources. And me? I was nothing. A rat in the gutter, left to scavenge for your scraps, begging for your attention. But not anymore. Give me all your blood essence. Only in your death can your destiny finally become mine. Karina, I've beaten you.” Her soft, honeyed voice slithered into Karina's ear, sending a shiver down her spine. Her eyes widened. From the very beginning, Avani had been scheming against her. She had called Avani her best friend, trusted her like a sister—only to discover too late that she had been nursing a venomous snake. “Oh, that's right.” Avani chuckled lightly, as if recalling something amusing. “Your foolish older brother, desperate to gather beast crystals for Xelrik's promotion, was crushed by a falling rock. Mr. Lorcan, who ventured into the forest to find you, was devoured by a wild beast. All because of you. And then there was that lovesick fool—you rejected him, and now he serves me without question, bound to my will for the rest of his life. No one can save you.” Karina's bloodshot eyes burned with disbelief. How could something have happened to Corvus and Mr. Lorcan? And Zareth... the only beastman who had genuinely cared for me... I've made a horrible mistake! Seeing Karina's ashen face, Avani felt a deep, intoxicating satisfaction. Brushing off the miserable beastwoman, she turned to Xelrik with a coy smile. “Xelrik, it's getting late. The wild beast must be hungry by now.” “I'll go lure it back right away,” he replied without hesitation. Karina watched them go, her eyes wide, her breath shallow. Moments later, a guttural roar shattered the silence, thick with the stench of blood and the foreboding weight of death. Atop the mountain, Avani leaned into Xelrik's embrace, her gaze fixed on the wild beast stalking into its den. A flicker of secret delight danced in her eyes. Now, all of Karina's luck belonged to her. The next moment, Avani lurched forward, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood. “Zareth! He actually risked his life to dissolve the beast slave contract?” She clutched her chest, feeling the bond disappear, her eyes flashing with disbelief. She had just finished her sentence when a shadow streaked into the den like a bolt of lightning. “Ava, are you all right?” Xelrik caught her just in time, his gaze locked onto the newcomer, dark with menace. Wiping the blood from the corner of her lips, Avani let out a soft, mocking laugh. “So what if the contract is broken? A beast slave barely clinging to life won't be able to save Karina.” This is perfect. Those two worthless things might as well die together! Inside the den, the blood-soaked figure, Zareth Everwyn, had barely stumbled in when his gaze locked onto a monstrous beast sinking its fangs into the young girl's neck. His eyes burned with fury as he fell to his knees, a silent roar of anguish ripping through him. If she's gone... no one else lives! As he lifted his gaze once more, his eyes were void of hope—only despair and the weight of finality remained. His hand morphed into a claw, and with a sickening squelch, he drove it straight into his own heart. The beastskin pouch at his side tore open, scattering countless beast crystals across the ground. At that very moment, a blinding eruption of crimson and violet light tore through the air, carrying a scorching, thunderous heat. A colossal mushroom cloud unfurled, stretching far. From afar, just as Avani and Xelrik were about to leave, sheer terror twisted their faces. “He actually detonated the beast core using the beast crystals!” “D*mn it! Where did he get so many high-level beast crystals?!” “Quick—” Before the words could fully leave his mouth, the roaring explosion consumed them both, the massive mushroom cloud swallowing their figures whole. In an instant, they vanished without a trace. Boom! Karina's eyes flew open, her chest rising and falling in frantic gasps. She was alive. She had been reborn—returned to the time before Avani's deception, before she was disfigured, crippled, and discarded. In her past life, blinded by Avani's manipulation, she had lost everything. She had slandered those who truly cared for her, exposed her inability to reproduce, and sealed her own fate. The beastmen had turned their backs on her, treating her with nothing but scorn. Isolated, ridiculed, and betrayed, she had been left to wither away. Avani had stolen everything from her. And in the end, Karina had died in torment. She could feel the despair and agony that tormented her before her death. But this time, Avani would not have her way. “Awoo!” Piercing howls ripped through the air, rattling Karina's eardrums. She forced herself upright, only to lock eyes with three grey wolves, their gaze aglow with an eerie green light. They watched her intently, hunger dripping from their fanged maws, claws flexing against the earth as if ready to tear her apart in an instant. And she was unarmed. She was surrounded by nothing but wild grass. There wasn't another soul in sight. A shiver ran through her body, but not from fear. There wasn't a trace of terror in her eyes—only a flicker of something far more dangerous. Excitement. Years of torment had long since reshaped her mentality into something beyond ordinary. “Well... who's to say who wins?” No sooner had the words left her lips than a grey wolf let out a guttural growl and lunged, its maw gaping wide. In an instant, the massive beast crashed into her, pinning her beneath its weight. Rip! The sharp rip of flesh echoed through the night. Behind it, the other two wolves threw their heads back and howled, their hunger mounting as they prepared to strike. But before they could move, the slender young girl twisted like a serpent, suddenly flipping onto the wolf's back. Her head buried itself into the crook of its neck. Then, without hesitation, she sank her teeth in. With a savage jerk, she tore away a thick chunk of fur-covered flesh, the warmth of fresh blood splattering against her face. Dangling from her clenched teeth, glistening and raw, was the wolf's torn trachea. The pair of grey wolves froze, their eyes flickering between uncertainty and caution as they locked onto Karina. They stood poised, ready to strike, waiting for even the slightest trace of fear to betray her. But none came. Karina turned her head and spat out the torn wolf skin and trachea, the sickening mass landing with a wet thud. With a sharp shove, she pushed the lifeless grey wolf off her and slowly rose to her feet. Her cold, mesmerizing eyes met the remaining wolves without a hint of hesitation. For a long moment, silence stretched between them. Then, the wolves whimpered. Their bodies tensed, paws shuffling against the dirt before they spun around and bolted into the tall grass, vanishing from sight. “Heh.” Karina scoffed, a chilling smirk curving her lips. They thought they could defeat me? She wiped the warm blood from her face and was about to take in her surroundings when suddenly, a panicked cry rang out from the distance. The voice trembled with sobs. “That's the place... where Rina and I encountered the beasts. It's all my fault. I should have taken her with me when I ran. The wolves were so fierce... Rina might have already...” Tears streamed down Avani's face as she led the men through the wild grassland. A few gnarled trees bearing clusters of purple fruit stood not far off, their shadows stretching across the ground. But before they could get close, the thick stench of blood filled the air. “Ava, don't cry. This isn't your fault,” one of the beastmen reassured her. “If Karina hadn't been so stubborn about leaving the tribe, she wouldn't have put herself in danger. You came back for help to save her, didn't you? If she insists on courting death, she shouldn't drag you down with her!” Seeing Avani in tears, the beastmen were filled with sympathy for her. With her head bowed, Avani continued to sob quietly—but in the depths of her glistening eyes, a calculating glint flickered. I've been gone for so long—by now, Karina must have been torn apart by the wolves! Her delicate skin wouldn't survive even the slightest scratch from their claws. She must be marred, disfigured... completely unrecognizable. Up ahead, the ground was soaked in fresh blood. Within the thicket, the faint outline of a body lay motionless. “Rina...” A rush of exhilaration surged through Avani. She was just about to collapse into a display of grief when a chilling voice drifted from behind her. “Are you looking for me?”