The heavy aura surrounding the courtyard still vibrated, even after the initial roar.

The winds swirled around Strax and the colossal creature before him, kicking up dust and fragments of stone.

The smaller tigers behind the white beast moved restlessly, growling softly, as if awaiting a command.

The tigress—now clearly a woman in human form—took a step forward.

Her silhouette began to change, the bestial lines softening, the white glow condensing.

In a few seconds, a woman with pale skin and sparkling blue eyes revealed herself, silver streaks marking her body like natural tattoos.

Her white hair fell to her waist, and a fur cloak draped her shoulders.

Even though she wasn't in her full form, the aura emanating from her was one of savage sovereignty—cold, noble, dangerous.

She lifted her chin and looked directly at Strax.

Her voice was deep, firm, each word carrying the weight of restrained thunder.

"I didn't come looking for war, man..." she said. "I came to punish that wretched Beast King. That worm dared to mount one of my sons like a packhorse."

The tigers behind her roared in unison, as if confirming the insult.

The sound echoed off the courtyard walls, and for a moment even the air seemed to vibrate with indignation.

Strax merely sighed.

He ran a hand through his hair, unhurriedly, as if deciding whether or not to get involved.

Then, with an almost disrespectful calm, he spoke:

"If you came all this way for him... you've wasted your time."

"What do you mean?" Shura's eyes narrowed, a icy glint in them.

Strax looked up, meeting her gaze calmly.

Even faced with a creature whose power could rival that of a god, he didn't move.

"That idiot has become an obedient little monkey," he said with a half-smile. "He's chained, tamed... and he'll go through hell for the next eternity. You can rest assured."

For a moment, no one breathed.

Not even the wind dared to pass between them.

The tigers behind Shura stirred with low growls, glaring at their leader.

The tigress's expression became a mixture of disbelief and suppressed fury.

"You're lying," she whispered, and the energy around her began to shift.

The temperature dropped sharply. Ice began to form on the ground beneath his feet, cracking the stones of the courtyard.

Strax didn't look away.

His golden eyes glowed, and a wave of invisible power spread like a silent tide.

The ice forming on the ground simply... stopped.

Her spiritual strength was crushed the instant it touched his.

Shura's eyes widened for a second in surprise—and then she understood.

He wasn't lying.

The weight of that energy… the firmness with which he spoke… it was impossible to doubt.

Even so, a sovereign's pride didn't give way so easily.

"I want to see him," she said, each word almost a disguised roar. "With my own eyes."

Strax was silent for a moment. Then she slowly turned her face toward Kali, who until then had been watching the scene with her arms crossed, trying to appear bored, but clearly enjoying it all.

"Is he alive?" Strax asked, his tone neutral, without taking her eyes off Shura.

Kali arched an eyebrow and gave a crooked smile.

The kind of smile only she could muster—

"Alive…?" "I-I know," she began, crossing her arms. "W-well… technically, yes."

Strax's gaze weighed on her. Kali looked away, scratching the back of her neck.

"But…" she continued, trying to find the right words. "'Well' is another story."

Shura frowned, her cat-like ears twitching slightly.

"Explain," she ordered, and the sound of her voice made the ground vibrate.

Kali gave a nervous chuckle.

"He… um…" she gestured with her hands, trying to represent something. "

Let's just say he's breathing. And walking."

She paused.

"But he's not quite… whole."

Strax's eyes narrowed. He sighed deeply, a low, heavy sound.

"Where is he?"

Kali jerked a thumb over her shoulder, toward the back of the property.

"In the stable."

Shura blinked.

"What?"

Strax didn't answer immediately. He just turned and started walking toward the inner courtyard, the sound of his boots echoing on the floor.

Kali shrugged and followed him, still with that mischievous smile on her face.

"Yeah... you'll understand when you see it."

Shura's footsteps sounded behind them, firm and heavy, and the tigers, hesitant, stood at the door, watching. None dared cross the threshold.

As they walked through the torch-lit corridor, the smell of iron and ash mingled with the air.

Each step increased the tension.

And then, as they rounded the last corner, Shura saw it.

The "stable" was vast, with bars reinforced with magical runes and currents of blue energy.

And there, in the center, kneeling on the cold stone floor… was Rakan.

Or what was left of him.

His body, once covered in golden fur and menacing muscles, was now emaciated, burned in places, with black runes etched across his chest.

His eyes were empty—a dull, almost extinguished glow.

Around his neck, a collar made of living metal pulsed, emitting golden sparks with each shallow breath.

Shura was silent for long seconds.

The aura emanating from her wavered between hatred and disbelief.

"What…" she began, her voice trembling for the first time. "What did you do to him?"

Strax turned to her, his golden eyes gleaming in the torchlight.

"I kept my promise," he replied calmly. "He's still alive. Just... useful."

Kali chuckled and leaned against the wall.

"Useful is a nice word. He cleans the yard, carries stones, does what he's told... and if he tries to disobey, the collar reminds him who his master is. He was quite... rude, so he's paying for his crimes."

Pride roared within her, instinct screaming to tear the man before her to pieces.

But when she looked at Rakan—the shadow of the former monarch—she understood.

Strax's power was beyond measure.

It wasn't just strength. It was dominance.

And deep down, she knew that facing him would be like declaring war on her own existence.

Her lips parted, but the words were slow to come.

"So…" she said in a restrained tone, "he truly paid the price."

Strax nodded, his eyes still fixed on Rakan.

"And he will continue to pay. He invaded my city and attacked a woman I truly value. And, of course, he tried to belittle me."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Only the sound of chains, creaking softly as the former Beast Monarch bent over, panting, trying to move stones he could never lift.

Shura took a deep breath, trying to contain the mixture of anger and… pity.

Then, slowly, she knelt and looked at Rakan, her blue eyes glinting with an almost sad light.

"You dishonored the blood of the beasts, brother," she whispered. "And now… you bear the weight of it alone."

Strax remained silent, watching.

Kali, standing nearby, simply crossed her arms and smiled—satisfied.

The wind blew again, fanning the flames of the torches.

And in that instant, even Shura understood: Kaelthur was no longer a field of ruins.

It was the domain of a new monarch.

Strax watched Shura for a moment, his breathing slow, the world around him reduced to the metallic pendant pulsing around Rakan's neck. The torches cast shadows that danced across her features—fierce, proud, already softened by something like acceptance.

"So…" he asked, his voice drawling, almost curious, "you've come to kill him?"

Shura lifted her head, her jaw hard as rock. Her blue eyes burned, but there was a line of weariness there now; not the weariness of her body, but the weariness of consummated hatred. She looked at Rakan with contempt, then back at Strax.

"Kill him?" The word came out as if it were something small, inconsequential. "No. He's already become useless." What I wanted was done without me having to soil my claws. Revenge… was already served." A short, almost soundless laugh ran through her lips. "He lost what mattered: power, honor. I didn't need to take anything. Someone took it for me."

Strax arched an eyebrow, amused. "And that's enough for you?" he asked.

Shura shrugged, as if dismissing the subject. There was a heavy silence, filled with the low growls of the tigers, who kept a respectful distance. The leader of the beasts turned back to Rakan, as if explaining something to herself.

"I will return to the forest," she said simply. "There is new blood to hunt, cubs that grew while I was away. The lands cry out for me. I have kingdoms that demand vigil. I have no time to sit and watch a broken man breathe."

Kali, beside Strax, let out a sound that might have been a low laugh. "Hunting, raising the family… the same old cycle," she murmured, as if it were predictable and even a little boring.

Strax leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. His gaze was sharp, precise. "How about working for me?" he proposed, dry, direct as a blade.

The question hung in the air like something heavy. Shura frowned, her surprise clear. Her bestial instincts growled—not of violence, but of caution. What Strax offered wasn't simple: it was surrender. It was an exchange of freedom for duty, a bond that, for a queen of the forest, could mean the loss of her soul.

"Work for you?" she repeated, as if testing the word in her mouth. "You want me to leave my pack? To put my claws in the service of a... human king who wears chains and collars?"

"Hmm? Who's human here? I'm a Dragon," Strax corrected calmly. "And the chains you saw aren't my favorites. I don't ask for blind servitude. I seek usefulness. You have beasts; you have respect." There is a bloodline that obeys when you growl. I offer you a position. Protected territory. Resources. Autonomy within a system that will allow you to live and hunt as you please—as long as, when I command, you act in my best interests.

The trigress stopped and looked at him… "A dragon?"

Strax just smiled and let his aura out. "A real dragon."

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