★★★

Inside a poorly lit room, a fair-skinned lionkin with long blonde hair that cascaded past his shoulders let out a puff of smoke as he removed a cigar from his mouth, following it with a decrepit laugh directed at the person who was glaring at him from below.

“You might not be of my blood, pest, but as long as the truth is never publicly recognized, you still have worth to offer the House—whether by making some connections or simply scamming the latest idiot who takes the House’s words as gospel, rather than judging you by your appearance. And now that the cheater is gone, you’ll need to compensate for two people.”

The only two individuals in the room were the middle-aged lionkin, sitting behind a desk, now reaching for a bottle of alcohol after delivering his speech, and a very young, fair-skinned female scorpionkin with heterochromia, standing silently in front of the desk. She hadn't blinked once during the lionkin's words, instead staring at him wordlessly the entire time.

After taking a large gulp, completely ignoring the young scorpionkin in front of him, the golden-eyed lionkin let out a satisfied sigh, then continued speaking. His complete lack of manners, overweight frame, and half-open top made him appear more like a random hoodlum than someone responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of people.

“Now, we do have standards. I’m not going to ship some kid still wet behind the ears off to be bred. So here’s how it’s gonna be. Niall befriended some people from above who are going to visit us for an unspecified amount of time. As long as you want a roof over your head, you’ll be their unofficial servant. Whatever they say will be your law, and I won’t have to deal with your presence any longer.”

While his tone was similarly roguish as someone that Aliyah would later meet in her life, the lionkin could only be called the polar opposite of that person. His roughness grated against her ears so much that she had to force herself not to frown and listen attentively.

Because she still hoped.

Yet, despite every word spoken by the lionkin being heard and internalized, when she finally opened her mouth, none of what the lionkin had said seemed to matter.

Because what Aliyah wanted was...

“Where is my mother, Airen?!”

One thing, and one thing only.

“Not even calling me "father", huh... At least we agree on something. Anyway, beats me. I'd like to know too. Such a waste of resources...” Her words not only fell on deaf ears but were also misinterpreted by the second-biggest scum of them all.

“I'm not calling you that because I don't want to see you as it, not because your blood doesn't run through my veins!”

Waving his hands as if an annoying fly had gotten too close to his face, Airen, the lionkin, resumed his speech, completely ignoring his daughter’s words.

“Sure, sure. Anyway, after that, you'll live nice and good until your sixteenth birthday. After that, I won't have to worry about some people's principles and can safely send you off somewhere else—not above, though—and then we won’t have to breathe the same air ever again. That should make us both happy, I guess.”

“You shouldn’t even be allowed to breathe, damn monster!”

Hearing this, Airen laughed loudly, then, after calming down a bit, got up from the chair he had been sitting in, then, at a speed Aliyah couldn’t follow, he ripped the golden badge from her dress, crushed it in front of her, and dropped a silver-colored one at her feet.

“That’s who you are now. Take it and leave both this room and floor for the rest of your days in MY manor.”

Aliyah dropped to her knees. As she picked up the silver badge from the floor, her eyes could no longer hold back the tears, which, though muffled as best as she could, dripped down her face.

The scorpionkin felt all her strength slowly draining from her body as she succumbed to pure despair.

But then, she remembered.

Battles can't always be fought ** **** *** ***** you know?

You should.….to fight…….not...

This..…advice…..the world…...but...

If you have this small lesson engraved in your heart early on, then maybe Aliyah... maybe you'll be able to take a few more steps than me in life...

The words of this memory were just as fragmented as the others, but at that time, and from that point onward, they became her foundation.

“I won’t give in.”

“Wha—”

The lionkin’s eyes widened slightly.

“Not to you, not to Niall, and not to anyone related to this place.”

That was the foundation that made her refuse to surrender to them since that day.

Even with tears streaming down her face, Aliyah’s gaze toward the lionkin remained resolute.

“I will never give up!”

◆◆◆

Midway through pulling out another batch of potatoes, Aliyah abruptly stopped, her eyes widening before narrowing in an instant.

'That’s right, I need to have this conversation with Sir Wael after all...'

He didn’t know who she was.

He had no idea of her circumstances.

And he certainly didn’t know about her impending fate...

'The life of a tool.'

Was that really all there was to her?

What did her "never giving in" amount to if she only limited herself to never falling, rather than trying to take at least one step forward?

'But that's mere fantasy, isn’t it?'

Her reality was always readily available to push her spirit down, lingering in the top-right corner of her vision...

Negligible.

Even the System—the unknown entity that, among other things, had granted animals human-like minds and bodies over 700 years ago—didn’t think highly of her.

But mom did.

Gazing once again at the deerkin, fully engrossed in his work, Aliyah made a decision.

'Even if all I can expect from the future is hell, I don’t want Sir Wael to worry about me.'

Because he too thought excessively highly of her.

And Aliyah didn’t want to disappoint him.

♦♦♦

With the green light from the crystals dimming, Aliyah’s time with Wael for the day was almost over.

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But something important needed to be said today, and she had already delayed it long enough.

That’s why...

“Sir Wael.”

That’s why she was standing in front of him, having finished her side of the field a bit faster than usual just so she could speak with him.

Hearing the scorpionkin address him, Wael turned around and, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead with the back of his right arm, answered her.

“Yes, Ally, is there anything you ne—ah, did you finish already? Want to leave early?” The deerkin went from confused to surprised. Aliyah wanting to leave early was practically unheard of, so why...

“Not really, but... it’s just...” The scorpionkin stammered, her eyes darting around, her tail moving in front of her as if trying to cover herself, though it wasn’t nearly enough.

Clearly, she wasn’t used to having this kind of conversation with anyone in her life...

“Take your time,” Wael said kindly. “I can always pull these roots out later. These potatoes actually preserve better than normal now, you know. There’s no hurry...”

Deep breaths.

In and out.

'I can do it.'

“T-This isn’t something that’s going to happen like tomorrow or the day after, but...”

The deerkin’s gaze grew serious, as if grasping a clue about what she was about to say.

But how could that be?

“Say, like, a week from now, maybe a few days later or so, I-I-”

In the end, Aliyah couldn’t bear to say it while looking Wael in the eye. She closed her eyes instead and hid her face behind her tail.

“I won’t be able to work here any longer!”

It was like an elephant thinking it could hide behind a small tree simply because it couldn’t see anything.

But, as they say, out of sight, out of mind.

After a few seconds of silence, an answer completely unexpected by Aliyah reached her ears.

“The Governor is marrying you off somewhere, isn’t he?”

And, sadly for her, the mental shock from Wael’s words instantly shattered her carefully woven hiding space, making her tail drop low, her guard raised more than ever.

How did he know?

How could he know...

And not tell her?!

“Wha—”

Trying to avoid escalating the situation, Wael immediately raised his hands to signal that he meant no harm and, doing his best to remain calm and unbothered by the scorpionkin’s visible panic, tried to reason with her.

“Sorry, Ally, but wait a moment and let me talk. I assure you, this isn’t the scenario you’re thinking about.”

Aliyah’s guard lowered slightly, her posture not as tense as it had been at first, but her mind was still reeling with doubts and fears.

'Was everything an elaborate prank by those bastards? Or did he stalk me somewhere in the past without telling me??'

And, in the end, the anxiety always came back to bite her.

'Did I make a mistake in trusting the wrong person...?'

Aliyah bit her lip and, after agonizing for a moment, finally relented.

'I can’t throw away six years just because of one doubt. Damn it!'

“Speak.”

Much unlike her inner turmoil, the scorpionkin’s voice was wary but also composed, something she just had to have mastered after living with those people for so long...

Wael didn’t mind the temporary distance she had created between them, both mentally and physically, as during their convo the scorpionkin had taken multiple steps back in her panic.

“Ally, I don’t know you, that’s a fact, but who I—like many others—do know is the Governor.”

‘That’s reasonable, but where is he going with this?’

“Go on...” Aliyah took a step forward, and Wael, seeing the distance lessen, perked up, a small smile appearing on his lips as he continued with his argument.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, the Governor is known by many for being incredibly obsessed with expanding our population.”

Wael had made sure to put emphasis on a certain word there, and judging by the soft chuckle Aliyah gave him, she certainly appreciated his wording, taking another step closer to him in the process.

“While I didn’t connect the dots at first, it wasn’t hard to figure out. Since originating from that person isn’t the rarest thing in the nest, and your unclear circumstances can hardly have a different explanation in a place like this, you know?”

‘When he put it like that...’

But then...

“Then why didn’t you say anything before?”

Wael let out a sigh, clearly troubled and perhaps doubting a bit his own judgment, as it had caused the scorpionkin to become so agitated.

Could he have handled it better? Who knew...

But his reasoning was...

“It’s because you deserve to open up about yourself on your own terms. It’s not my place to patronize your path.”

‘This...’

“If it was something I could’ve helped you with in any shape or form, I don’t think you would have kept it hidden. It’s not like I never tried to drop a suggestion or two since we’ve known each other, offering to lend a hand. Not sure if you picked up on that, though, but that alone is telling...”

At this point, the scorpionkin was now even closer to Wael than before. He, while speaking, slowly and visibly extended his right hand toward her left shoulder, looking closely at the young girl for permission before finally letting his hand rest there.

“Remember, Ally, you, just like any other person in this world, deserve both a place to fight for yourself and one where you can tend your wounds.”

The deerkin’s voice grew more passionate, evidently believing this was the crucial point of his message—one he just had to make sure stuck with the scorpionkin in front of him.

“I might not be there for you in the future, I know, now more than ever. But I’m sure someone like you won’t have trouble forming new bonds. You’re such a hardworking girl, after all...”

Hearing all of this...

Being told so many kind things by someone else.

‘H-How do I even respond to this...’

Aliyah didn’t want to cry ever again, not since that day...

That’s why she grabbed—almost violently—the arm beside her and buried her face in it with all the strength she could muster, as if exerting another part of her body could somehow lessen the pressure building up behind her eyes...

Despite her significantly strong grip, Wael made sure not to react, only using his left arm to gently ruffle the girl’s hair.

But even with that, despite trembling more than ever, Aliyah managed not to break the dam.

♢♢♢

With the green crystals above having become noticeably dimmer than before, almost to the point where their shape was hard to make out, Aliyah and Wael stood in front of each other, the young girl with her back turned to the distant manor.

As for Wael? He was looking at her from just outside the door of his own house, his back turned against it.

Both had smiles on their faces, feeling their bond had deepened...

But while one of them was savoring the kind words of the other, the other was doing his best to keep any inner turmoil from showing on his face...

“Sir Wael, I know it might sound repetitive, but I want to thank you again...”

The deerkin’s hands behind his back tightened.

Oblivious to this, Aliyah continued to convey her feelings of gratitude.

“When the time comes, I’ll make sure to remember your words, but I won’t limit myself to that...” The young girl said, a proud expression on her face, slowly letting a wide grin spread toward the person in front of her.

“I’ll also work hard to be able to send you letters!”

‘Why...’

Wael’s hands behind his back tightened even more, almost to the point of injuring himself.

But on the outside, all Aliyah saw was the deerkin’s kind smile.

“O-Of course, it might be for naught, I know, I know! B-But as long as I know you're out there somewhere, I won’t give up on one person for the other. Sorry about that!” The young girl put both hands in front of herself, stammering a little. She didn’t want to make a promise she couldn’t keep...

In her mind, she didn’t feel capable of maintaining it, something Wael wholeheartedly disagreed with...

“That’s fine by me, and again, you don’t need to apologize for something like that...” Finally mustering the strength to speak without betraying his own emotions, the deerkin tilted his head and reminded Aliyah of what he believed she still needed to hear with a sly grin.

“Then, same hour tomorrow?” asked the young girl, showing off a wide smile, clearly not taking Wael’s words to heart yet again.

‘Why am I...’

“Same hour tomorrow, but don’t stress if you can’t make it on time, okay?” The deerkin advised, bending slightly at the knees and extending a fist toward Aliyah.

“Sure! See you tomorrow then, Sir Wael!” Reciprocating the gesture, the young girl extended a fist of her own and lightly bumped it against his before sprinting into the distance.

Towards her hell.

‘Why am I so useless!’

Looking at the girl running away, her form shrinking as she headed toward the place where only the dim green light from the crystals above could reach her, Wael gritted his teeth.

You, just like any other person in this world, deserve both a place to fight for yourself and one where you can tend your wounds.

“Why can’t I be more than just that?!” Wael growled each word painfully, his gaze fixed on the ground as the thoughts he had carefully kept under control began to consume his mind more and more.

‘I thought I had left that helplessness behind...’

But compared to what that young girl had to endure every single day, weren’t his struggles simply those of a coward?

The girl was such a more amazing person than himself, but no matter how hard he tried to tell her that, the forces that pushed her down every day made his words unable to reach her heart...

The wall she had built over time to protect herself from the words of others made his attempts to heal her already existing wounds ineffective...

And there was nothing he could do about it.

For now...

Rummaging through his pockets, Wael eventually pulled out two small rectangular green pieces of paper, both with something written on them alongside the black illustration of a rabbit.

Tickets for relocating to another region’s nest.

Two years’ worth of money earned by them both.

‘It will be different this time.’ thought Wael, a determined expression soon pushing away his earlier anguish.

He wouldn’t run away for himself this time!

“How surprising.”

Suddenly, an unfamiliar male voice interrupted the deerkin’s musings.

Turning toward the voice, Wael was met by a light-skinned, white-eyed falconkin he had never seen before, who—bathed in the last dregs of green light from the dimming crystals—flashed him a smile full of contempt.

Immediately, the deerkin’s guard reached an all-time high, a few beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Seeing Wael’s reaction to his presence, the falconkin’s smile widened, and after releasing a few chuckles, he addressed the reason for his presence, pointing his right wing toward the deerkin.

“Why don't us two have a nice little chat?”

♢♢♢

As Aliyah was running across the uneven stone back toward her manor, she couldn’t help but feel an unfamiliar, suffocating smell invade her nose. The closest thing the scorpionkin had ever encountered that was similar was the cozy fireplace she and her mother used to sleep near during winter, about a decade ago. But this scent was dozens of times more intense...

‘Burning wood?’

Aliyah reflexively turned back, already imagining the worst possible scenario related to her.

But this time, that event wasn’t confined to her imagination.

She knew where the smoke—rising up to the top of the cave and slowly blocking out the green light from the crystals—was coming from.

Even as her sight grew hazy.

Even as her ears were overwhelmed by the panicking civilians around her who had also realized what was happening.

Even with all of that, Aliyah immediately—almost instinctively—knew.

Wael’s house was burning.