Rebirth: Beasts Bound

"Thank you for everything, Architect," I said and bowed down in respect, but he stopped me mid-bow.

"No need, Young Duke." He paused and peeked over behind me. "I should leave, your beastsmen don’t seem to like my presence," he said and laughed it off softly. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

My eyes widened in realization as I watched him leave. "Wait," I said and immediately rushed to my cupboard, gently sliding it out and carrying the heavy rectangular box that sat there. He stared ahead, his hands behind his back, exuding a noble presence.

"This is the payment as stated. Pay the workers and yourself," I said, and he nodded. Gently took it and walked away. I gazed at him for a while and then gently closed the door.

I stretched my hands.

I could feel Thyrian staring at me from the pool, his hands and head resting on the edge, smiling at me.

"We should all rest," I said softly and yawned. Right now, I wanted to sleep badly.

"You two seem really close," Veyra suddenly said, and I raised a brow.

"What the fvck?" I blurted out and chuckled.

"Heck no, he’s way older than me," I said, but they didn’t seem convinced.

"Women can claim as many beast-men as they want... are you—"

"Never. He’s off limits. I don’t like him, plus he’s way too old. Stop those thoughts," I said, laughing it off. They exchanged looks. I couldn’t grasp what they exchanged, but they reached out to me and smiled.

"I’m going off to scout the academy," Azrael said and walked to the door.

"Don’t get lost or die," I said, and he smirked.

"That could never happen to me, Master," he bragged. His eyes landed on my lips and I blushed, thinking of what happened earlier in the void realm.

"See you later," he said, and the door slammed shut.

I turned back and rushed toward them. "Rest," I said and gently landed a kiss on Veyra’s cheek and did the same to Ryker. They both blushed and reached for my hair, gently caressing it.

"Night, Master," Veyra said and retreated, heading to his room. Ryker did the same and shut his door.

My eyes darkened instantly.

"Orange," I called out, and the room went pitch black and white. The cat appeared on the chair, her legs crossed and a smug smile on her lips.

"Who thou seeketh my presence?" she said poetically and winked at me. I couldn’t help but laugh and I felt my seriousness fade instantly.

"What happened to Liora and her beastsmen was intentional, right?" I asked, and watched her lips widen.

"Wow, you really are smart. Too bad you didn’t use that smartness when you were Rosette. Such a shame," she said and turned her head to the side.

"Forget about my last life. I’m Raven now," I said, and she hummed, not interested, almost falling asleep.

"Really, Orange?" I said in disbelief, and she snapped her eyes open.

"Who died!" she asked out of nowhere, and I pressed my lips into a thin line.

"Weren’t you listening the whole time?" I asked.

"No," she said casually, and I bit down on my lip.

"Let’s forget that..." I trailed off. "The only person capable of going as far as seeking the aid of ghouls must be Elowen. She’s the only one who does annoying, underhanded stuff like this," I said, and the cat hummed, her eyes hinting at a maybe, maybe not.

"So she’s not the one?" I asked, and Orange nodded.

I paused, scrambling through scenes in my head. Who, apart from Elowen, was stupid enough to get on my nerves?

"Sonia?" I blurted out, and Orange shook her head.

She jumped off the chair and cat-walked to the balcony. I followed her silently, feeling she was taking me there for a reason.

She jumped onto the iron railing, sitting down and staring below. I shifted my gaze, and who my eyes landed on made my lips twitch in irritation.

"Oh, she’s so dead," I blurted out.

Everything faded back to normal, and I placed a jacket over my shoulder. I unlocked the door and rushed out. I walked through the hallway with precision, my eyes cold. Even as other students passed by, they dared not look into my eyes, as if avoiding a plague.

I walked down the stairs and appeared near the pond, where she was feeding the fishes.

"They are so cute," a girl beside her said, but the other girl rolled her eyes.

"They seem okay," she said, obviously bored.

"Really, isn’t there something else we can do apart from this? Where are those other girls? It’d be fun bullying them, more exciting than this at least," she said, sighing, but the other girl went blank the moment she saw me.

"What are you looking a—"

POW!

A slap landed on Bibi’s cheek and she staggered backwards, but I reached out and yanked her hair.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed in pain. The other girl trembled, lost her balance, and landed on the floor.

"So you sold Liora to a ghoul!" I asked, and her eyes sparkled with realization. Before she could utter any curse words, my hand pulled her left arm behind her back.

"Ahh, ahhh! Stop, Raven! The Empress is my aunt, you can’t do this to me!" she screamed, attracting other students who stared at us.

"How dare you! She and her beastsmen almost died!" I screamed, and she laughed.

"Do I look like I care, Raven?" she shouted.

She suddenly moved, slipping her hand free, and grabbed my hair, yanking hard.

"Ahhh!" I screamed. I yanked hers too, and our screams echoed around the entrance.

"She caused it herself. What is a weak female like her even doing here? This academy isn’t suited for her. She should have known that," she yelled, and a scoff escaped my lips.

My leg kicked her foot instantly, and she let go of my hair, wincing in pain.

"You mess with her, you mess with me!" I laughed and reached for her hair again. I was going to show her why I was feared... I was a mad tyrant for a reason.

I shoved her head straight into the pond. She struggled, placing her hands on the edge, trying to push herself up. I pulled her head out and she gasped.

"I’ll kill you!" she yelled, and my smirk widened.

"I’ll kill you first," I said and shoved her head back in.

She struggled and managed to break free,her head collided with my nose. I staggered back, holding my nose as warm blood flowed down. Others gasped.

"She hurt Raven, no one has done that before."

"Wow, so Raven can actually be wounded."

"Go, Bibi!" the crowd cheered.

But I smiled. I wiped my nose clean. I even saw the smug smile on her lips, but—

POW!

POW!

I landed two slaps on her face. Her cheeks swelled instantly, and her lip burst. Before she could recover, my hands reached for her chest and...

SHOVE.

She fell straight into the pond. I watched as she surfaced, glaring daggers at me.

"You tried to kill a human and a beast. You do know that’s expulsion," I said. Hearing my words, the blood drained from her face instantly.

"I should let the academy throw you out, but I will not. Bibi, this isn’t a threat... it’s a warning."

I paused.

"Don’t mess with me or any of my friends," my voice dropped low. "Be careful with me," I spat.

She stayed silent, and I turned my back "Stop acting so righteous, Raven. You have destroyed so many lives. You’ve killed a lot, so don’t you dare preach to me."

The entire entrance fell silent. Everyone processed her words and looked at me, waiting.

I sighed and licked my lips softly.

"And so what, Bibi? People change. Change always happens....to you, to me, to everyone. I was vile once, but now I’ve vowed to only do good to those who deserve it and not be who I was before. I won’t let my past justify my present self," I shouted, not caring how angry or exhausted I sounded.

"Will you keep doing this? Bullying and trading lives for your selfish reasons?" I yelled, my throat burning. Memories flooded in... my past, my pain, being unseen.

"If you still keep judging me for who I was, then you are no better than me. Self-righteous, greedy... everything. Do you think throwing such words at me will make me feel bad or less of myself?" I yelled again.

Her lips trembled, unable to respond.

"You don’t care about me, what I feel, or what I say. Stop it—it’s annoying. Touch one innocent person again, and I’ll break those hands of yours," I jabbed a finger at her and smirked.

"Even the Empress won’t be able to save you from my wrath!"