Yura opened her eyes, feeling dazed.
“…Where is this…?”
“Mom!”
“…Ran?”
“Heheh, I brought the baby! Dad said he has to go hunting now!”
“Is that so?”
As soon as she opened her eyes, her eldest daughter, whom she cherished more than anything, excitedly rushed over and placed the baby in Yura’s arms.
A tiny infant, sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the world.
‘…Was that a dream?’
Yura gazed at her daughters, feeling as if she had just awakened from a terrifyingly vivid nightmare.
“Heheh, the baby is so cute!”
“Isn’t she?”
“Yeah!”
“You’re the big sister now, so you have to take good care of Ran, okay?”
“Yes!”
Her eldest daughter wagged her tail excitedly, jumping up and down with joy.
Yura watched her with a gentle smile.
The warm sunlight streamed down.
Days passed peacefully, just like always.
She sat in their small hut, basking in the serenity.
And then—
“…?!”
Her ears twitched as an unpleasant sound reached them from afar.
Her keen beast-like senses detected the acrid scent of the forest burning.
Before long—
“There they are!!”
“Break the female’s legs so she can’t run! Knock out the male and take him!”
“Hurry up!”
“If they resist, just kill them!”
Men clad in black armor stormed into the once-peaceful forest.
And behind them—
Yura’s eyes landed on her husband, bound at the wrists and ankles.
“Yura!! Run!!”
“…!!”
Her husband’s desperate scream was in vain.
Yura, Ran, and Belle were all ensnared in the imperial soldiers’ nets.
“…Darling!”
“Yura…!”
She saw it.
Her home was burning.
She saw them.
Her children, wailing in her arms.
Her heart pounded wildly.
‘…A dream?’
At some point, Yura found herself in a space of complete darkness.
A pitch-black void where nothing existed.
‘…A cliff.’
It felt as if she were teetering on the edge, bound and helpless.
‘…Ugh?! My stomach…?!’
—Splat.
“Hngh…”
She looked down at her lower body.
It was still in ruins.
A plaything for the imperial soldiers.
“…Kh… The blood…”
Blood dripped endlessly, falling into the darkness below.
Yet, she heard no sound of it hitting the ground.
“…The Void.”
And then, she remembered.
The Void from the Beastkin religion.
A place where shattered souls fall, believed to be the true end of one’s journey.
Beastkin faith taught that souls were eternal, reincarnating over and over again.
That life never truly ended.
And so, they feared the most—the wounding of the soul.
For a scarred soul would be reborn with a curse… or abandoned by the gods entirely, cast into the Void.
“Ran, Belle, Darling…”
The Void lay before her.
This was the end of her journey.
“…No. I… I haven’t seen my family again yet…!”
At the moment she was captured and dragged to the imperial dungeons—
She remembered.
The promise she had made with her husband.
“Dear…! Please take care of our children. I swear, I’ll come back to you safe and sound. Okay?!”
“…Ah, okay!”
“Don’t cry. Be strong.”
Her husband gave her a gentle smile before a soldier of the Empire struck him on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
And just like that, their family was torn apart.
“…I’m sorry, my love.”
“I’m really sorry.”
From then on, her days were nothing but hell.
Forced into intense physical labor while drugged, feeling her mind and soul slowly being consumed.
And when the work was done, she was violated under the guise of “serving” the Imperial soldiers.
Her body and soul deteriorated in unison, until she eventually lost control of her own body.
Her spirit and flesh fell into complete dissonance—her body no longer obeyed her mind.
Under the influence of drugs, her body moved on its own, smiling as it degraded itself to obtain more.
She could do nothing but watch as her daughters were forced down the same path.
“I couldn’t even protect them…”
“…I let other men touch me, not just you…”
“There’s no excuse for me. I have no right to be a wife… or a mother…”
Tears streamed endlessly from Yura’s eyes.
“…But, you know?”
“I miss you so much, my love…”
“I want to see my children smile again… just one more time…”
Tears fell relentlessly, more profound than the blood she had just shed.
She had failed to keep her promise.
She had failed to protect her children.
She had failed to keep her purity.
But even so, Yura longed for the warmth of her family.
“…Forgive me.”
“I don’t want to fall into the Void without even a chance at redemption…!”
She still wanted to protect them.
The thought of her children growing up without her, of her husband someday hearing the news of her death—she couldn’t bear it.
There was still one promise left unbroken.
As long as she was alive, there was still a chance to fulfill it.
“I’ll see you again. No matter what.”
As Yura wiped away her tears and spoke those words—
The sensation of slowly descending into the Void changed.
Her soul, which had been sinking, suddenly surged upward at an incredible speed.
“…?!”
A searing pain tore through her lower body as she ascended.
“…Light?”
A single ray of light pierced through the pitch-black void.
A radiance like a supernova.
“…How fascinating.”
Back in the Empire, Rose muttered in awe.
Dragons roamed the imperial court in a frenzy.
“Shh, don’t cry, little one.”
Frightened by the dragons, the baby in her arms wailed.
Rocking the child gently, Rose scanned her surroundings.
The garden had been trampled beyond recognition—plants uprooted and crushed under the weight of descending dragons.
Even massive lizard-like footprints were scattered across the ground.
It seemed the Empire had paid dearly for angering a dragon.
“Seriously, why did they trust what that ‘Star’ said?”
“The Emperor is a fool. Why would he provoke a dragon and bring this disaster upon himself?”
Rose let out a dry chuckle as she observed the ruins before her—the consequences of a mistake made by the ‘Star’ that had once stolen her body.
“Well… I suppose I bear some responsibility too?”
Sighing, she looked around, searching for something she could do.
Even if she hadn’t been in control of herself, she still felt partially accountable.
She wanted to at least help clean up the mess.
As she cradled the child, Rose spotted something.
“…Blood.”
“The situation is severe…!”
“Damn it!”
A beastkin with sky-blue hair.
Two dragons were desperately trying to save the wounded figure.
“One of them is even an Elder?”
Whoever this beastkin was, they must have been incredibly important.
Perhaps… saving them would serve as some form of atonement.
“No need to hesitate.”
Rose stepped forward, appearing before the two dragons.
“Greetings.”
“…?!”
“…Who are you?”
The white-haired dragon looked startled, while the black-haired dragon frowned as they stared at Rose.
‘…Did they catch a whiff of the Star’s scent?’
Rose cleared her throat before introducing herself.
“I’m just a passing follower. It seems someone here has a wounded soul.”
“……?”
“Would it be alright if I tried to heal them?”
Rose lifted her staff with the gentlest smile she could muster.
“Raaawr!”
“Whoa! So scary! Just as expected from a dragon…!”
…This is a bit awkward.
Out of nowhere, Belle looked at me and suddenly suggested a contest to see who was scarier.
My mother whispered to me that beastkin, when they want to establish dominance, usually approach their target and challenge them to a test of strength.
And since young beastkin are afraid of getting hurt, they have this playful contest to see who can be scarier instead.
It’s like a practice match for the duels they’ll have as adults.
So now, I was trying my best to “scare” Belle in our little game.
“Alright, Belle, your turn.”
“Okay!”
Belle nodded enthusiastically, then stood up and made little horn shapes with her fingers.
“I’m a dragon!”
“…?”
What is she doing?
I tilted my head in confusion, and Belle mimicked me, tilting her head as well.
“You’re not scared, Dragon?”
“…Uh, no— I mean, I am scared.”
I felt like I had to act scared, so I said it, and Belle giggled happily.
From behind, I could hear my mom and sisters squealing with amusement as they watched.
“Alright, baby dragon’s turn now.”
“U-Um…”
Everyone was watching, which made me a bit nervous.
What should I do to be scary?
“…Roar!”
“Ahh?!”
“Kyaa~!”
“…Huh, that was cute.”
“Minho~, you’re adorable~!”
I had tried my best to imitate a fierce tiger, but apparently, it wasn’t very convincing.
Everyone behind me cheered about how cute I was, which made me feel so embarrassed.
Although the friend I was trying to scare did seem pretty startled…
“Let’s not do this anymore.”
“…Suddenly?”
“Yeah. Baby dragon is too scary. I miss my mom, so I can’t play anymore.”
The reason for stopping the game was so adorable yet so heartbreaking.
Belle, suddenly overwhelmed with longing for her family, slumped onto the bed.
I lay down next to her.
“…When will Mom come back?”
“She’ll be here soon.”
She would return safely.
Our dad and grandfathers were capable of anything, so they would definitely fix this.
I believed that with all my heart as I gently patted Belle.
…It reminded me of the time when I, too, had once cried endlessly, thinking about my own parents.
Though, Belle’s parents would surely be safe.
Still, feeling a little lonely myself, I went to my mom and hugged her.
“Minho?”
“…I just want to be spoiled a little.”
“Is that so?”
With a kind smile, my mom embraced us both, accepting all of our childish clinginess.
Yey