Who Is the Beast King?
Season 1 — The Dragoness of Nature
Chapter 1 — Death & Water
The night air was crisp with autumn chill, and Areum's laughter still clung faintly as she walked home with her friends. The street lamps flickered, the sound of tires humming below the mountain road filling the dark. She hugged her school bag closer, her mind already drifting to the promise of college ahead and her family's warm smiles.
Then the world shattered.
A shove — sharp, unexpected, merciless. A jealous whisper in her ear a moment too late. Her heel slipped against the rail, and headlights split the night into blinding fear.
"No—!" Her cry was cut off as her body toppled into air, down into the rushing black.
The roar of traffic— VRROOOM!— was replaced by the splash of water— SPLASH!— swallowing her whole.
Cold closed over her, dragging her down. Panic seized her lungs. Her arms flailed, striking nothing but water. Glub—glub— bubbles rushed past her face as her chest screamed for air.
Haa—haa— her own muffled breath drowned against the river.
Her vision blurred, memories flashing: her father's proud smile, her mother's gentle scolding, her brothers' teasing voices.
And then, through the haze, a shadow moved— sleek, fast, dangerous. A presence more beast than man cut through the water. Strong arms encircled her waist, hauling her upward. She gasped as air broke over her face, coughing and choking, but alive.
The last thing she saw before fainting was a pair of glowing green eyes watching her through the moonlit spray.
---
When she woke, it was to the smell of damp stone and pine. The bedding beneath her was nothing but dried grass, prickly but warm. The cave walls glowed silver where the moonlight leaked in.
She stirred, body heavy, hair clinging damp to her skin. Rustle— Her hand lifted slowly to her chest, heart hammering. Ba-dump… Ba-dump…
Her gaze caught on him.
A man—too tall, too striking, too wild. Long black hair fell damp over his shoulders, his chest bare except for a single streak of red lightning tattooed across it. He sat by the cave's mouth, posture still as stone, eyes glowing faint green as he stared into the storm outside.
When his head turned, those same eyes met hers.
Her breath hitched. Haa…
"Where… am I?" she whispered, her voice hoarse, fragile.
He rose slightly, steps deliberate. Even in the faint light, his presence filled the cave, too large, too dangerous—and yet his gaze did not waver.
"You're alive," he said, voice low, rough with certainty. "That's all that matters."
Alive. The word struck her deeper than the river had.
She swallowed, chest still rising unevenly. "You… saved me?"
His jaw clenched, and for a moment his silence was louder than thunder. Then: "I pulled you out. Don't forget that."
Her eyes dropped, cheeks warming though the cave was cool. The steady ba-dump, ba-dump of her heart betrayed her.
He watched, and in the silence his thoughts stirred like lightning behind storm clouds. Why does her presence shake me so?
The cave breathed with them. Outside, thunder cracked—Crack-BOOM!—the storm raging. Inside, her eyelids grew heavy, exhaustion dragging her back down.
He moved closer, not to touch, but to guard, his voice softer now. "Sleep. I'll keep watch."
Her lashes fluttered. Blink… blink… Her lips parted, a faint sigh escaping—haa…—before sleep claimed her once more.
He sat in silence, eyes never leaving her fragile form curled on the grass. The red tattoo over his chest pulsed faintly like an ember, a vow carved into his flesh.
Even if it means I fight the world itself… I'll keep you.
The storm howled outside the cave, but within, only two hearts beat — one fragile, one fierce — bound already by something neither yet understood.