Who Is the Beast King?
Season 1 — The Dragoness of Nature
Chapter 4 — Awakening
The forest rushed past in a blur of green and gold as Areum clung to Raion's fur. His panther body surged beneath her, a storm of muscle and speed that carried her as if she weighed nothing. Wind stung her cheeks, her damp hair whipping across her face, but her fear ebbed into awe.
He's so fast… so strong. Alone, I wouldn't have lasted an hour here.
The thought lingered, heavy. But another bloomed behind it, softer, steadier. I can't rely on him blindly. If this is the world I'm in now, I need to learn it, adapt to it. And maybe… maybe I can keep him close too. Not just because I need him—but because neither of us should be alone.
The trees opened, revealing a still, glimmering lake. Raion slowed, crouched low, and let her slide carefully to the ground. She staggered slightly, legs weak from the ride, before steadying herself. His form rippled, bones shifting and stretching until he stood before her once more in human form.
"Safe," he said simply, scanning the shoreline with sharp green eyes.
Areum stepped into the lake, gasping as the cool water wrapped around her skin. She cupped handfuls to her face, scrubbing dirt and blood away. Relief loosened her shoulders, but her mind was already racing.
Water helps, but it isn't enough. Soap, herbs for cleaning, something for my hair. I'll need plants… vegetables and fruits too. I can't live on meat alone. If I'm staying in this world, I'll need to make more than shelter—I'll need to build a life.
She pressed her lips together. But I can't do that alone. I'll need his help.
Glancing back, she found Raion standing with his back turned, arms crossed, silent but alert. He didn't peek, didn't waver, but his entire posture was a shield—ready to strike at anything that dared approach.
Her lips curved faintly. Cute, she thought.
When she finished, she waded back to shore, water dripping from her hair. "Raion," she asked softly, "will you… help me find what I need? Plants, fruits, herbs… things like that?"
His gaze flicked to her, unreadable, then he gave a single nod. "Yes."
They walked along the shoreline, the silence heavy but not uncomfortable. After a while, Areum broke it carefully. "What about your tribe? How far is it? Do you need to go back soon?"
The air shifted. His jaw tightened, his gaze hardening on the horizon. When he finally spoke, his words were blunt, stripped of hesitation.
"There is no tribe."
Areum blinked. "No tribe?"
"My family is gone." His voice didn't waver, but something deeper thrummed beneath it. "When I grew old enough, I searched. Wolves, tigers, bears, birds—I went to them all. But no tribe feeds an extra mouth. A pup with no blood ties is only weight to carry. No one wanted me."
Narration filled the silence between his words, truth that needed no embellishment:
After his parents and siblings were gone, Raion had been nothing but a shadow of a cub wandering the forests. The first tribe he approached turned him away with thinly veiled scorn. The second barely let him step past their borders before threatening him back into the wild. By the third, he already knew the words they would say: We can't feed you. You're not one of us.
So he learned. He learned to hunt for himself, to fight for every scrap of meat, to drink from rivers and sleep on cold stone. He grew faster, stronger, sharper than any cub his age because he had no choice. Loneliness didn't break him—it burned him into steel.
Raion's eyes narrowed slightly, his voice steady. "So I stopped looking. I became what they saw. A lone panther."
Areum slowed, her chest tightening. He spoke with such calm, such acceptance, it almost hurt. No bitterness, no begging for sympathy. Just truth.
"You survived without them," she said firmly. "That makes you stronger than all of them. I admire you for that."
Her words hit him harder than any blade. No one had ever told him that. No one had ever looked at his scars and called them strength.
Something shifted in Areum then. A warmth bloomed in her chest, faint but undeniable. It pulsed outward like ripples in water, humming through her veins. She gasped softly, placing a hand over her heart.
What was that?
It faded as quickly as it came, leaving only a quiet thrum of energy beneath her skin. She said nothing, uncertain, but deep down she knew: something inside her had awakened.
Raion's gaze lingered on her, but he didn't notice the subtle shift. He only saw the respect in her eyes, the words still echoing in his ears.
His tattoo pulsed faintly red. She doesn't pity me. She sees me. She accepts me.
The thought roared inside him like thunder. She will not be taken from me. She will not be alone. And neither will I.
By the time they returned to the cave, Raion's decision had hardened into iron. He would hunt again, not just for food, but for hides. He would clothe her, shield her, prove to her that by his side she would lack nothing.
As he disappeared into the trees, Areum lingered at the cave mouth, her hand pressed to her chest where the warmth still pulsed faintly. A smile tugged at her lips, small but sure.
I don't know what this is… but I know one thing. We're not alone anymore.