Even after the fall of the gods and the rise of Ekekiri, scattered villages still clung to existence. Freedom had been stripped away, but life stubbornly continued.
The Uremi village had once been famous for its rare healing herbs, its unmatched medicinal knowledge, and the warm hospitality of its people. They were a warrior tribe that valued fairness even in war — which was why they did the unthinkable and rose up against Ekekiri to free the lands.
They fell like all the others.
Their village was burned to ash. Men, women, and children were slaughtered without mercy. Survivors were dragged away in chains, treated worse than beasts. Those who tried to flee were hunted down and executed.
All except one.
During the massacre, a small squad from the Golden Globe watched helplessly from a hidden ridge. They had come to scout, not to fight. The horror unfolding below was not theirs to stop — intervening would risk exposing the Golden Globe and bringing Ekekiri's wrath upon everyone.
But one soldier couldn't look away.
A pregnant woman broke free from the slaughter and ran desperately toward the woods. Three Ekekiri guards chased her down. The soldier broke ranks, flew in, and cut them down in seconds. His comrades cursed the foolish risk, but the deed was done. They disposed of the bodies and smuggled the woman back to the Golden Globe.
The city accepted her. They gave her a new home, helped her heal from the loss of everything she had known, and made sure she saw the Golden Globe as her sanctuary.
Months later she gave birth.
The moment the child entered the world, the entire Golden Globe grew dark and eerie. A sinister atmosphere lingered for days. The baby was not human. It was hairy, with sharp teeth, bright crimson eyes that glowed like a predator's, and fingers ending in blade-like claws. It barely resembled anything human.
Many called it a curse. A living omen that the Golden Globe would still fall. They demanded the child be put down.
The Elders refused. They accepted the girl and named her Meriosa.
Years passed. Meriosa grew to look more human, her beast-like features softening, but it was never enough. At five years old she had caused no misfortune, yet the people still treated her like a plague. Parents warned their children to stay away. Adults gave her looks of disgust. They called her "the beast," "the curse," "the monster."
She grew up with no one but her mother.
Meriosa never voiced the questions burning inside her — Why am I different? Why do they hate me? — because she didn't want to worry the only person who smiled at her. As long as her mother was there, the pain felt bearable. She had nothing, yet she felt like she had everything.
Until the illusion shattered.
One afternoon her mother received visitors — the same group of carers who had watched over her during the pregnancy. Meriosa was sent outside to play, but curiosity pulled her back. She crept into the house and hid behind the door, listening.
"I wish she wasn't born…"
Her mother's voice.
Everything inside Meriosa went numb. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. The world cracked.
"Mama doesn't want me…" she whispered, voice trembling. Tears blurred her vision. "Mama is just like the others."
She backed away slowly. Her foot caught on a stool. It crashed to the floor.
Her mother rushed out, face paling as she saw Meriosa's expression. Before she could speak, Meriosa turned and ran.
She ran faster than she ever had, tears streaming, no destination in mind. She tripped and fell hard in the mud. Staring at her dirty, clawed hands, she whispered brokenly:
"What am I…?"
She exhaled, wiped her eyes, and stood.
"No more crying. They don't want me… I don't need them either. I don't need anyone."
From that day she became a lone wolf.
She made the forest her home. She slept in caves, survived storms and scorching heat, fed herself on berries and wild game, and trained every day to defend herself. She became her own family. She survived in places others could not — for years.
At twelve she took the Flow Test.
She awakened a Flow never seen in humans before — only in the black wolves that served as elite beasts in Ekekiri's army. She named it Beast. It granted her enhanced senses, strength far beyond any human, unmatched speed, and rapid healing.
She finally had a reason to exist.
She would become the strongest Flow user alive.
She trained relentlessly, pushing her Beast Flow past every limit, breaking through again and again. No opponent in the academy could keep up with her. No one could defeat her. She earned her claws as her first-choice item and climbed to number seven in the Top Ten.
She was strong. Fearless.
Yet no one accepted her. They still saw only the beast.
Even when someone tried to be kind, it felt fake — a performance. The wound deepened the day she thought she had finally found a friend: her dorm mate. For the first time since her mother, Meriosa opened up. She shared her fears, her dreams, her pain.
Until she overheard her dorm mate talking to someone else.
"Can't believe she actually thought I would ever be friends with the likes of her… How unfortunate could I be, stuck as dorm mate with a beast."
Those words broke her again — the same pain as her mother's voice years ago.
Meriosa stopped hoping. She cancelled every thought of letting anyone in. She would walk alone.
She trained harder, rose higher, and pushed toward her dream of becoming the most powerful Flow user in existence.
She refused to admit it — even to herself — but every swing of her claws, every broken limit, every victory… was still for the same quiet, desperate reason:
She wanted someone, anyone, to finally accept her.
To be continued…