The Sky Begins to Change
The Astral Forest stretched endlessly, its heart known as the largest sanctuary—and graveyard—for magical beasts across the vast lands of Spirita.
Deep within its central core lay a realm that looked untouched by time, a fragment of paradise hidden from the outside world. Emerald canopies shimmered in the eternal glow of starlight filtering through the leaves, and a glass-like lake reflected the heavens above. Its beauty was serene, almost sacred, yet beneath that still surface lurked danger so suffocating it bent even kings of beasts into silence.
For mortals, this place was a forbidden land. For beasts, only those who had endured the tempering of a hundred thousand years dared step across its borders.
And yet, on the lake's mirrored skin, a young man in green robes stood as though he were born of the heavens themselves. His posture was relaxed, hands folded behind his back, but his presence pressed against the world like a mountain draped in silence. His gaze lingered on the sky above—steady, unreadable, ancient.
In the shadows, two overlords of the forest quivered.
The Skyox Serpent, its immense coils stretching longer than a ten-meter ridge, curled upon itself, vast eyes dimmed with awe and fear. The Mountainborn Ape-Lord, usually a living tower of rage and iron, had dropped to one knee, hunched low like a chastised child. These were predators who had ruled generations of beasts with unmatched might—yet before this man, they dared not breathe too loudly.
They knew the truth.
The figure on the lake was Nux, the one all creatures whispered of. The first and only beast-God Spirita had known for a million years.
"The sky…" Nux murmured, voice soft but carrying across the water, "is about to change at last." His eyes flickered with something distant—resignation, perhaps, or the quiet acknowledgment of fate's hand.
A clear, melodious voice broke the stillness.
"Nux… is your million-year beast calamity coming?"
Light tore across the air. A portal of silver unfurled beside him like a blooming lotus, rippling with power that smelled of moonlight and eternity. From its depths stepped a single foot—delicate, pale as carved jade, unstained by earth. Then a leg, smooth and flawless, followed by a body that seemed to have been sculpted to embody perfection itself.
She emerged whole, a woman of silver hair that cascaded to her ankles like flowing starlight, framing a face that could make empires burn with envy. Her long lashes trembled above eyes of crystalline violet, eyes that held coldness and fragility in equal measure, like glass that might shatter yet cut in the same breath. Even her pallor carried a strange allure, fragile yet irresistible.
Felberta, the Moonborn Dragon Queen.
Nux's lips curved slightly. "Felberta… why are you here?"
Her eyes narrowed, violet flames sparking. She puffed out her cheeks and snapped, "Nux! How many times have I told you—call me Fel. Not my full name."
His laughter slipped out soft and teasing, his expression unreadable yet tinged with warmth. "How could I dare? You are the Moonborn Dragon Queen, sovereign of magical beasts. To call you by anything less would seem…" He tilted his head, smirking faintly, "…presumptuous."
Felberta's cheeks flushed, though her gaze sharpened. "Presumptuous, my scales. There's nothing you don't dare! Stop pretending. Last time I bathed, who was it that barged in—"
Nux coughed, his lips twitching. "That… was an accident. How was I to know you chose that place to bathe?"
Her violet eyes blazed as she leaned closer, voice dripping venom. "I placed seals around that grove. Don't tell me the great beast-God of Spirita stumbled in by mistake."
He raised a hand, pointing toward the quivering giants at the lake's edge. "Fel, don't speak of that. Look at those two instead."
The Skyox Serpent and the Mountainborn Ape-Lord had frozen in place. Their colossal bodies shook as if thunder coursed through them. Their wide eyes screamed both terror and pleading. To flee was impossible, to stay was unbearable—yet they remained, paralyzed by the fear of learning too much, of being silenced for hearing words never meant for them.
Felberta's gaze turned to them, and her cold beauty hardened into steel. "You two…"
The weight of her voice fell like a divine edict. The beasts buckled instantly, their massive bodies trembling as their very souls cracked beneath her will.
"Moonborn Queen, mercy!" the Skyox Serpent hissed, its coils spasming.
"We heard nothing, we know nothing!" the Mountainborn Ape-Lord roared, lowering its head until the earth cracked beneath it.
"Roll."
Her single word slammed into them like a hammer.
Relief surged across their monstrous frames. "Thank you, my queen!" They scrambled away, massive forms tearing through the forest in a frenzy. Trees splintered, shrubs flattened, the earth scarred beneath their panic. Dignity forgotten, they vanished like frightened prey.
Nux chuckled, folding his arms. "Tsk, tsk… was that not a little too harsh?"
Her expression softened, the iciness melting just a touch as her lips curved in a small pout. "Not everyone deserves my gentleness." Her voice dipped, barely above a whisper, as her gaze slid to him. "…Only you. Only the God of this world."
The words stirred something in him, a heat that coiled in his chest. Looking at her proud figure and delicate lips, Nux felt an urge—raw, irreverent—to draw her close, to steal her arrogance with a kiss that would brand her as his.
Her violet eyes sharpened instantly. "You… you're plotting something shameless again."
He tilted his head. "No."
"Yes." She sneered, though color touched her pale cheeks. "Your thoughts can't escape me, Nux. Every twitch of your heart is laid bare before me."
His lips curved slyly. "Then tell me… why was it that I lingered in your bathing grove for so long without being discovered? Could it be… you allowed me in?" His eyes glinted with mock suspicion.
Felberta froze, then flushed scarlet, whipping her gaze away. "You're spouting nonsense! How could I, with my status, ever stoop to something so… indecent?"
"Of course," Nux said smoothly, his tone playful. "How could little Fel ever harbor such wickedness?"
Her fists clenched, trembling with both fury and embarrassment. "You—! Even the Moonborn Dragon Queen, you dare mock me!" She launched a flurry of soft punches at his shoulder, her motions more flustered than furious.
Nux caught her wrist with a smile, his tone shifting, weight settling into his words. "Enough, Fel. Stop. The time has come."
Something in his voice silenced her. Her breath stilled. Slowly, she raised her eyes to the heavens.
The sky groaned.
"Boom!"
Thunder cracked open the firmament, shattering the silence of the Astral Forest.