The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

Elder Silvia looked at them with a neutral gaze, but inside, she was silently praying for Bahamut. There was something in the sect that no one apart from the higher-ups knew. Even some of the elders, the newer ones, didn’t know of it.

The Pharaoh sees everything.

The elusive and mysterious sect leader, the Pharaoh, was a being so strong that he was everywhere in the sect. He saw whatever happened, who did what, where someone was... he saw every single thing. You could say he was omnipresent and omnipotent. And that was what Elder Silvia feared. If anything were to happen to Bahamut, it would be either from witnesses: them or the Pharaoh... and whatever the Pharaoh said was law.

She could only hope.

Bahamut’s head hung low as his friends tried to lighten his mood, but it wasn’t working. It wasn’t simple. He wasn’t new to killing and didn’t regret killing those guys. They’d attacked and moved for the kill first, so it was right of him to do the same. But... he had eaten them.

As much as it sounded simple, it wasn’t simple. They weren’t animals, but beings capable of comprehension. They were persons... people, and he’d eaten them up. He could still taste their blood and flesh in his mouth. Just thinking about it made him feel nauseous. At first, the thought of being different, the thought of being strong, the thought of being special... sounded awesome. But now... he was already regretting. If he could lose his mind and become a hungry monster with an insatiable belly and eat people alive, then what would become of his friends, his companions?

Would he even recognize them in that state? The answer was pretty obvious from his earlier battle with Sel. He didn’t recognize him. If Sel weren’t strong enough, he would have ended up like the six guys, and Bahamut...

"Bahamut. The Chief Elder is requesting you," Elder Silvia suddenly said with a hard voice. Her expression was still neutral.

"Seems like I’m getting expelled..." Bahamut said with a hollow chuckle. He slowly stood up, his hair still covering his face, hiding his expression and his eyes. He slowly raised his head to see Sel holding his blindfold in front of him. With a shaky hand, he took it from Sel, but he didn’t wear it. He just tucked it into his skirt and followed the rest out of the place.

...

Chief Elder Sekhem sighed for the hundredth time as he waited for the boy he’d send for in his coven.

"Bahamut... such an obvious display of power and who he truly is. But... does he even know?" he muttered to himself, his golden eyes glinting faintly. He then turned to face a door to his left. It was plain, made from darkwood with no handle or knob. It looked like a cut piece of wood placed there to block something.

’What are you planning, brother?’

At the same time, he heard a faint knock.

"Come in..."

Elder Silvia and Bahamut walked in.

The moment the door opened, a faint wave of cool, ancient air drifted out, brushing against Bahamut’s skin like the breath of something far older than the sect itself.

The room was vast, far larger than it had any right to be.

Tall sandstone pillars lined both sides, each carved with intricate hieroglyphs that glowed faintly with a golden hue. The carvings told stories of beasts bowing to kings, of men ascending into gods, of wars that seemed too grand to be real. The floor was polished obsidian, smooth and reflective, mirroring everything like a dark, endless pool.

At the far end of the hall stood a raised platform, and upon it rested a throne.

Not overly extravagant, yet impossible to ignore. It was carved from black stone with veins of gold running through it like living light. Two statues flanked it, jackal-headed figures holding long staffs, their hollow eyes glowing faintly as if watching everything that moved.

Torches burned along the walls, but their flames were strange. They burned blue, steady and silent, casting long shadows that danced unnaturally across the room.

And above, he ceiling resembled the night sky. Countless golden stars shimmered faintly, arranged in patterns that felt deliberate... almost like they were watching.

Bahamut’s steps slowed slightly, not out of fear, but something else... A strange pressure. It was not oppressive like before, but... observant.

Chief Elder Sekhem sat on the throne, his posture straight, his golden eyes locked onto Bahamut the moment he entered. There was no anger in them. Just... depth.

"Come closer."

His voice echoed softly, yet it carried weight. Bahamut obeyed. Each step felt heavier than the last, his bare feet making soft sounds against the obsidian floor. He stopped a few meters away from the platform, his head slightly lowered, his expression hidden behind his messy hair.

Elder Silvia remained behind him, silent, watching, waiting.

Sekhem leaned forward slightly, resting his chin against his hand as he studied the boy in front of him.

"Raise your head."

Bahamut hesitated for a fraction of a second before raising his head. Their eyes met.

Red and something else. Something Sekhem noticed immediately. A faint flicker behind Bahamut’s gaze. It was wild and unstable, but... restrained.

"You are aware of why you are here," Sekhem said calmly. Bahamut let out a quiet breath.

"Yeah." His voice was hoarse.

"I lost control." He paused a bit.

"I killed them." Another pause.

"I ate them."

The words felt heavier than anything he had said before. The room fell silent. Even the flames seemed to still. Elder Silvia’s eyes flickered slightly, but she said nothing. Sekhem didn’t react immediately.

He simply watched. Then he spoke.

"Do you regret it?"

The question came without emotion, direct, and sharp. Bahamut’s fingers curled slightly at his sides.

"I don’t regret killing them." His voice steadied a bit.

"They came to kill me."

"But..." His jaw tightened. "I regret losing control."

Silence followed. Sekhem’s gaze deepened, his eyes narrowed as he observed the boy in front of him. There was no disappointment in his eyes. He was just... thinking.

Then his eyes shifted slightly. Toward the darkwood door at the side of the room for the briefest moment, then back to Bahamut.

"Good."

That single word echoed. Bahamut blinked in confusion. Sekhem leaned back into his throne.

"If you had said you regretted killing them, I would have questioned your place here."

Bahamut’s brows furrowed slightly.

"If you had said you didn’t regret anything at all, I would have expelled you immediately."

The weight of his words settled heavily in the room. Sekhem’s eyes sharpened slightly.

"But what you regret... is correct."

His voice lowered.

"You are not afraid of death." He paused, letting his words sink in. Whether it was for a dramatic effect or what, only he knew, but it did its job from Bahamut’s reaction.

"You are afraid of what you become." Bahamut’s body stiffened slightly.

"Yes."

Sekhem nodded slowly.

"As you should be."

The torches flickered faintly. The shadows stretched.

"Because what you are... is not normal." He paused again and dropped the last bomb.

"It will only get worse."

Bahamut’s eyes narrowed slightly at that. Sekhem’s gaze didn’t waver.

"You have already crossed a line most never return from."

His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his throne.

"Tell me, Bahamut..."

His voice dropped slightly.

"When you were eating them..."

A pause.

"Did it feel wrong?"

Silence.

It was so heavy that the room seemed to groan under its weight. This was a question that was expected yet unexpected. It brought back memories. Bahamut could still remember the cries of pain, the horror, the fear his victims felt when he ate them alive. This was unlike the first time which he couldn’t remember what happened. He only woke up inside the crimson fox’s body. But this time, he remembered everything clearly.

Bahamut’s lips parted slightly, then closed.

"No."

The answer came quietly, truthfully, and that... that made the room feel colder. Elder Silvia’s eyes shifted. Sekhem, however, smiled faintly in understanding.

"Good."

Bahamut’s eyes widened slightly in confusion and onflict. Everything was mixed together. Sekhem leaned forward again, his golden eyes gleaming.

"Because if it had felt wrong..." His voice softened. "...you would have broken."

A deep silence followed.

Sekhem sat back.

"You will not be expelled." The words landed like a shockwave. Even Elder Silvia’s eyes widened slightly. Bahamut froze.

"What?"

Sekhem’s expression didn’t change.

"Your case is... special."

His gaze shifted once more, briefly, to the darkwood door, then back.

"You will be punished."

A pause.

"But not expelled."

Bahamut stood there, unable to process it immediately. Sekhem’s voice echoed again.

"However..." The air grew heavier. "...from this moment on..."

His golden eyes sharpened.

"You will train under direct supervision." A faint pressure filled the room; ancient, unseen, and watching.

"Because if you lose control again..." This time the pause was long, and deliberate. "...next time, I will not be the one making the decision."

Silence fell completely and for some reason, Bahamut felt it. That presence, that unseen gaze, watching, judging, and waiting.