The gentle glow of the morning sun warmed Athena’s skin as she slowly stirred awake. Stretching, she let out a soft yawn and rubbed her temples. As her vision cleared, she noticed Owen already awake, his eyes scanning the area with anxious energy.
“Morning, Owen,” she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep.
“He’s gone,” Owen said flatly, a note of frustration in his tone.
“Who is?” Athena asked, blinking the last traces of sleep from her eyes.
“Nate… he left us here,” he muttered, a mix of doubt and disappointment clouding his face.
Athena paused, briefly considering the possibility. But something deep in her gut said otherwise. “He’s not gone,” she said with quiet certainty.
Owen scoffed. “How sure are you?”
“Because…” she began, then hesitated. Did she really know him well enough to say that with confidence? After a pause, she added, “He said he’d join our team.”
“And that I will.”
A voice echoed above, cutting through the quiet morning air. Both Athena and Owen snapped their heads up just in time to see Nate descending from the sky, shrouded in his Evil Charm form.
“The first thing about a team is trust,” Nate said as he landed gracefully, his body shifting back to his human form.
Owen stood frozen, his expression twisted with disbelief. After a few stunned seconds, he finally found his voice. “You… you… YOU TURNED INTO A BEAST?!” His voice cracked, wavering between fear and shock.
Nate’s eyes met Athena’s. She winced inwardly—maybe she had forgotten to mention that tiny detail to Owen the night before. But in her defense, the food had been amazing.
“Big deal,” Nate replied nonchalantly. “It’s not like people in the capital can’t turn into beasts.”
“Actually… no one can,” Athena corrected.
Nate’s expression shifted. “As in… no one?”
She nodded and crossed her arms. “As in no one.”
---
Owen's entire understanding of the world was unraveling. He had assumed Nate was just a beast tamer—dangerous maybe, but explainable. Yet after witnessing that transformation, everything he thought he knew was now in question. What shocked him more was Athena’s lack of shock.
He narrowed his eyes. “Nate, what are you? An enemy or a friend?”
Nate studied him for a moment, then smirked. “Well, you can decide that once you get to know me.”
Then, as if the previous tension didn’t exist, he casually asked, “So, do the two of you bathe together?”
Owen’s brain short-circuited. “What?!”
He and Athena both shook their heads in perfect unison, visibly disturbed by the question.
“Alright then,” Nate said as if it were a perfectly reasonable inquiry. “My beasts will show you your bathing areas while the ogre prepares our meal.”
With a snap, his creatures emerged from his shadow. “Thunder Cheetah, escort Owen. Ignil, take Athena. Knight, gather wood, and Ignil—light the fire for the chef.”
The beasts nodded in unison. Athena followed Ignil without hesitation, while Owen stood in place, still unsure whether trusting Nate was madness—or necessary survival.
---
Tenkanshirayuki
Chains bound her wrists and ankles, their heavy links inscribed with magic-cancelling runes. The prison made sure no one here could use their powers. She stood in line with other inmates, each shackled and silenced by the same oppressive weight.
When she reached the front of the line, a meager plate was shoved into her hands—barely enough to keep a grown person alive. This was how they wore people down.
Most who came here lost hope.
But not her.
In just a few days, she would escape this place. No matter what it took.
---
Nate
Nate sighed, glancing toward the treeline. Owen had been gone for over an hour now, still bathing. Injuries healed, nothing left to treat… just soaking.
Who knew the guy was such a lady?
Meanwhile, the ogre chef was at work again, the mouthwatering smell of food wafting through the camp like magic.
From the woods, Athena emerged, drawn by the scent. “What’s that incredible smell?”
She stepped into the clearing, followed closely by Ignil—whose mane no longer burned. Nate narrowed his eyes at the defeated look on the beast’s face.
“What happened to you?” he whispered.
Ignil didn’t answer. Instead, the poor beast slinked back into Nate’s shadow without a word.
Did Athena really put him through that much torture? Nate thought.
Owen returned shortly after, his expression blank until the smell hit him—then his eyes widened. Thunder Cheetah padded behind him with practiced discipline.
The ogre served all three of them and poured a mountain of food into a massive bowl for the beasts.
As Nate dug in, he thought to himself, I should’ve hired this guy way earlier.
Between bites, he asked, “Do we head to your palace first or to the guild?”
“The guild,” Owen answered without hesitation.
“Won’t they fight you for showing up there?”
“Not quite…” Owen’s voice dropped, his tone colder than before.
Nate didn’t press. If Owen had secrets, they were his to keep.
Still, something else was nagging at him. The system hadn’t shown up in a while. What the hell’s going on with that…?
---
Athena
With their meal finished, the group began the journey back to the capital. Nate walked casually beside his beasts, while Owen remained alert, his eyes scanning for threats.
As they moved, Owen asked, “So, Nate… what was that black energy that covered both you and Athena during the fight?”
Nate didn’t miss a beat. “It was a seal. It restricted Athena’s mana to a fraction of her real power.”
Owen’s expression hardened. “Then… can you make one that unlocks someone’s full potential?”
Nate paused mid-step and placed a hand on his chin. “Come to think of it… I think I can’t.”
His beasts collectively hung their heads in shame.
Athena sighed, already used to this.
Owen, on the other hand, looked like he was fighting the urge to strangle him. “Then why didn’t you just say that instead of wasting our time?”
They continued in silence after that, leaving the dense forest behind. The air became clearer, the land more vibrant. Harmless creatures wandered the fields, and the capital loomed just ahead.
Nate suddenly stopped, stunned by the sight before him. The vast sky, the breeze, the beauty—it left him speechless.
“Wow,” he murmured.
Athena turned to look at him, smiling softly. “Come on, the capital is just a few minutes away.” With a quick motion, she took off running.
Owen followed right behind her.
Nate lingered for just a moment longer, then turned to his beasts with a grin. “Let’s go, guys.”
Together, they followed.
Whatever awaited them at the capital, this was the start of something big. And, quite possibly, something painful.
But Athena couldn’t shake the feeling that with these people by her side… somehow, everything would work out.
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