"So, you want me to work for you, huh?" Inosuke asked, arms crossed as he stood before the grand throne.
He had arrived in the kingdom just a few hours earlier and was promptly escorted to the palace. As for the beast-woman, she had been taken elsewhere...her fate uncertain. Now, Inosuke stood in the presence of the First King of the Four Nations: King Rathkar of the Dravok Beast Clan. The once-proud warriors of Tharnak's first kingdom.
Once hailed as the mightiest nation, the Dravok Kingdom was now a shadow of its former glory. The rise of the other kingdoms each having discovered secrets to unnatural power left it behind. Their obsession with strength had neglected the kingdom's heart: its people.
"Yes," King Rathkar said, rising from his throne and descending the cracked stone steps. "I want you to serve under my banner."
Inosuke glanced around the throne room. It was dreary,more a tomb than a royal hall. Everything was old, dust-ridden, and lifeless. Even the kingdom's capital had been the same—outdated and starved of progress.
"And why should I?" he asked. "This place looks more dead than the beast I beat."
The king ignored the jab and took another step forward. "Serve me, and I'll grant you whatever you desire. Land. Wealth. A noble title."
Inosuke's gaze sharpened. "There's only one title I want. Not in this kingdom… but in this world."
Rathkar's brows furrowed. "And that would be…?"
Inosuke's lips curled into a smirk. "I want to rule the entire planet."
Gasps filled the room. The guards, the three soldiers who had brought him, even the king himself were stunned into silence.
Then laughter.
Rathkar shook his head left and right. "You're bold," he said. "But tell me… after conquering the world, what then?"
Inosuke paused. Truthfully, he hadn't thought that far ahead.
But as he recalled the broken buildings, the worn faces of the people, and the ruin surrounding them, he found the words.
"I'll end these pointless wars you all glorify. Rebuild the kingdoms. Make them thrive." His voice echoed across the hall. "And then…"
"Yes?" Rathkar leaned forward, eager.
"…I don't know," Inosuke admitted with a shrug.
The room fell into a confused silence.
Rathkar raised an eyebrow and stepped closer then, to everyone's astonishment, dropped to one knee before Inosuke.
"Young warrior, I, Rathkar of Dravok, hereby offer you my kingdom. If your goal is to bring change then I shall follow you. May you rise as the storm that reshapes Tharnak."
The guards and soldiers followed suit, kneeling in unison.
Inosuke stood still utterly speechless.
Just like that, he had claimed his first kingdom. With no fight...no hastle...but just a mere simple speech.
====
The torches flickered as Inosuke walked through the underground prison.
"This is where we lock away the most dangerous beasts," said General Kael, the man who had first brought him to the capital. "Many of them once threatened the capital itself. But here… they wait. Most dream of one thing...being defeated by a true warrior, and then pledging their loyalty."
As they walked past cages, snarling and howling beasts stared at Inosuke with fear, awe… and longing.
Then he saw her.
The beast-woman from before, chained behind cold iron bars.
"Free her," Inosuke said without hesitation.
"Your Majesty?" Kael blinked, unsure if he'd heard correctly.
"I said free her." Inosuke's tone left no room for debate.
General Kael rushed forward, unlocking the door. As it creaked open, the woman leapt out—eyes wide—and rushed toward Inosuke with arms wide for a hug.
He sidestepped casually, avoiding her hug. "What's your name?"
"…My name is Kaena," she said in a low tone.
Inosuke turned to the general. "And you?"
"I am General Kael, commander of the frontline forces, my king."
"Good." Inosuke looked at them both. "Gather the civilians. I have an announcement to make."
Kael gave a sharp salute. "At once, Your Majesty!"
That evening, in the late king's bedchambers, Inosuke lay back uncomfortably on the stiff, outdated bed. The ceiling above was rusted and cracked, like everything else in this place. A long road lay ahead.
Beside him, Kaena stood in silence. She now wore a faded dress once belonging to a former queen stitched from the hide of a slain beast. Tharnak fashion was rough but symbolic: the stronger the beast, the higher the garment's worth.
"So, Kaena," Inosuke asked, breaking the silence. "Why did you kill?"
Kaena's face darkened. She looked away.
"…I didn't choose to," she said softly. "The beast inside me… took over. It clouds the mind. We, the giant-beast hybrids, are seen as abominations. Feared. Hunted."
She finished tying the last strap of her dress and turned, catching Inosuke's gaze lingering a moment too long.
"I don't see you as an abomination," he said. "In fact… that power you have? That's what's needed to change this world. I'd keep it close if I were them."
He looked back at the ceiling. Cracked. Empty. Just like the future he had yet to build.
But somewhere deep inside, something had awakened. A purpose that would carry him forward.
To be continued...