The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

Bahamut sat on the railing of the balcony of his room, his blindfold off his eyes, and staring up at the moon and the garden in front of him. His expression was serene and calm as he looked through his system. The day had been hectic to say the least, but he felt a strong sense of clarity and vigor instead of fatigue. It was... strange and enticing.

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Bahamut

Age: 17

Race: Chimera (Fang)

Class: Tier 2 (Circle of Element)/ ???

Rank: Blessed

Titles: Psychopath (Titled), Ruthless Killer (Titled), Unknown, The BEAST (Titled), The Evolving Hunter (Titled)

Super Title: The First of His Kind

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HP: 7000 / 7000

MP: 5000/ 5000

Level: 35

EXP: 0 / 3250

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Attributes (Super-Ranked):

Strength: 31+19=50

Speed: 31+19=50

Agility: 31+19=50

Endurance: 32+20=52

Perception: 205

Willpower: 210

Luck: 4

Charm: 12

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Element(s):

- Fire

- Water

- Wind

- Earth

- Light

- Darkness

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Skills:

• Pain Immunity (Lv. 7)

• Super Reflexes (Lv. 12)

• Super Senses (Lv. 15)

• Self Healing (Lv. 13)

• Death Intent (Passive – Locked)

• Beast Trait Manifestation (MAX)

• Spear Mastery (Lv. 3)

• Sword Mastery (Lv. 3)

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Special Traits:

• Fragmented Soul (Effect Unknown)

• Past Lives Memory (Partial Dormancy)

• Madness Bloom (Dormant)

• Apex Shepherd’s Law

• Storage

• Predatory Assimilation (New!)

• Beast Master (New!)

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Followers:

• Ren (Chaos Bunny)

• Alana Nyx (Cow Beast-kin)

• Nagini (Solar Wyrm)

• Syrith (Solar Wyrm)

PATH OF THE BEAST

B - Brutality of the BEAST (81% Complete!)

E - Elemental Beast (30% Complete!)

.....

He hadn’t made much progress so far, but all was good. He had yet to face another challenge that would push him to his limits and beyond. His mind drifted off to the cloaked woman he had seen standing far away in the fields. She was strange and somehow familiar, like he had known her for a long time. But he knew inwardly that that wasn’t possible. This brought only one conclusion... she was like him, in some way.

"Was she the one who left the clue? Could she be the vigilante stopping the kidnapping?" He muttered to himself, his grey eyes glowing ever so lightly, and his hair fluttering in the wind. Whatever or whoever she was, he would find out... soon.

As he sat there, basking in the soothing glow of the moon and the cool breeze of the evening wind, he felt someone hug him from behind. He instantly knew the person.

"Alana..."

The embrace was gentle. It was not possessive like Lily’s or desperate like Exildra’s. It was quiet and fragile, but strong. Bahamut felt Alana’s forehead press lightly against his back as her arms wrapped around his waist. She wasn’t saying anything, nor was she trying to get his attention. She just stood there, as though drawing comfort from the warmth of his body.

"...Alana," he whispered again, his voice comforting and reassuring.

"Mmm..." Her reply was barely louder than the wind. Bahamut didn’t turn around immediately. Instead, he let the silence remain.

The moon hung high over Aurora, its silver light spilling across the courtyard below. Crickets chirped somewhere within the gardens, while a fountain quietly trickled beneath the moonlight. It should have been peaceful, like a few seconds ago, but Bahamut could feel her trembling very faintly.

"You’re scared."

The words weren’t a question, but a deduction, making Alana stiffen because it was true.

"Am I that obvious?"

"A little."

She laughed softly, but it sounded hollow.

"Sorry."

Bahamut finally turned around on the railing so he was facing her. She was wearing her night clothes, a simple white shirt that hung loosely over her shoulders and stopped around her thighs. Her short black hair swayed gently in the wind, framing a face that looked far more exhausted than it had during dinner. Her black eyes were afraid. They showed fear, deep-rooted, that only blood and extinction could wipe and uproot.

Bahamut reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Alana said, lowering her head.

He waited, and she remained silent.

"..."

"..."

Eventually, she spoke after noticing that he had chosen to only listen to her. Something that made her happy inwardly.

"When we investigated that house today, I remembered mine."

Bahamut’s expression softened. "The village?"

She nodded. "The little girl’s room looked almost exactly like my little sister’s, the one my parents planned to give her when she was born."

Her voice began to shake. "I tried not to think about it. I really did, but..."

She hugged herself. "...I couldn’t."

Her breathing became uneven.

"I keep thinking. What if... What if we’re too late again?"

Bahamut quietly listened.

"What if every village we visit ends up like mine? What if every child disappears before we find them? What if..." She clenched her fists. "...there really is a monster behind all this?"

The last sentence came out almost as a whisper while her eyes had become unfocused.

"The ghoul... It started with disappearances, too. Livestock, then hunters, and children." Her breathing quickened. "Everyone said it’d be fine. They said the guards would protect us. They said stronger adventurers would come. They said... They said..."

Her shoulders trembled violently.

"...they all died."

The words escaped her lips before she realized she’d said them.

"They all died, and I watched them die. My father, my mother, my friends, the elders..." She wrapped her arms around herself tighter.

"I can still hear them screaming." The moonlight reflected off tears running silently down her cheeks. "It wasn’t even angry. The ghoul... it smiled."

Bahamut remained completely still, listening to her. She was finally pouring out everything. She needed it, and he wouldn’t interrupt her.

"I was hiding. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t help. I just watched..." She covered her face. "And now... It feels like it’s happening again."

She looked at Bahamut with frightened eyes.

"The disappearances and the fear. Nobody knows who’s responsible. Nobody can stop it. What if... What if this ends the same way?"

Her voice finally broke.

"What if I lose everyone again?"

Silence settled between them after she finished speaking. The night breeze swept across the balcony, as if assuring her that everything would be alright. Bahamut slowly stood from the railing and, without saying anything, stepped forward and gently wrapped his arms around her.

Alana froze for just a second and slowly buried her face against his chest, allowing the tears she had been desperately holding back to finally escape.

"I’m scared..." She whispered. "I’m really... really scared."

Bahamut rested his chin lightly against her head.

"I know."

"No..."

"You don’t."

"I do."

She looked up into his eyes, his grey eyes that reflected the moon, calm and steady.

"I’ve seen fear before. I’ve seen people lose everything. I’ve seen people break."

His voice carried an odd weight tonight, like someone speaking from experience far older than seventeen or eighteen years.

"You know what the worst part is?"

Alana shook her head.

"They stop believing. They stop fighting because they’re convinced the ending has already been written."

He smiled faintly.

"I don’t like predetermined endings."

She blinked, not understanding Bahamut, but he still continued. Bahamut looked toward the moon.

"I’m not a hero, and I don’t want to be. I won’t tell you everything will be alright, because I don’t know." He looked back at her.

"But I can promise one thing." His eyes sharpened. "If something comes after the people beside me, It’ll have to go through me first."

His voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t carry overwhelming confidence. It was simply... absolute.

"You’ll protect us?" Alana stared at him.

He shrugged. "Seems troublesome," he grinned.

"So obviously I’ll do it."

She couldn’t help it as a tiny laugh escaped her lips.

"You’re weird."

"I’ve been told."

She wiped her tears.

"What if it’s stronger than you?"

Bahamut looked toward the stars.

"Then I’ll become stronger."

"What if it keeps getting stronger?"

"I’ll keep getting stronger."

"What if... It kills you?"

He scratched his cheek.

"...That one might be a problem, but you know a secret? I can’t die."

She lightly punched his shoulder.

"I’m serious."

"So am I." His grin widened. "I’m just optimistic."

She shook her head helplessly.

"...You’re impossible."

"And yet..." He looked directly into her eyes. "...you’re smiling now."

Alana touched her own face. She hadn’t even realized it. The fear she felt hadn’t disappeared completely. The memories were still there, the nightmares would probably return tonight, but, they didn’t feel as crushing as before.

She leaned forward again, resting against him.

"Can we stay like this... for a little longer?"

Bahamut nodded.

"Sure."

Neither spoke after that. They just stood together beneath the moonlight while the cool wind danced through the garden. Hidden beneath the balcony, unnoticed by either of them, two tiny red eyes peered out from the shadows. Ren, still in his bunny form, had come looking for Bahamut after failing to fall asleep.

He quietly watched the pair and smiled to himself.

"Good."

Without making a sound, he turned around and hopped away into the darkness. Some moments, didn’t need witnesses.