An ordinary day can turn into someone’s greatest fantasy—or their worst nightmare. The creation of something unique, or the destruction of something precious.

  You see, billions of years ago, this world was nothing but a scorching inferno, incapable of sustaining life. In fact, it still can’t. It has no atmosphere and is so close to its star that its surface slowly vaporizes. No one would think there's a small region that’s different—a small part where life does exist.

  The story goes that five thousand years ago, a massive comet crashed into the southern hemisphere of the planet. Inside the comet was a strange gem containing all the essential elements for creating life.

  The outer layer of the gem was partially pulverized by the impact, scattering across the inside of the crater and even beyond it. The rest remained in the center of the crater as a single piece. The impact was so strong that the surface, once made of ashes, had been compacted into solid ground. Sure, it was red-hot, but it was solid ground now.

  And so, two years after the impact, the gem decided it was time to get to work.

  The pulverized remains of the gem soaked into the ground and quickly changed its composition—from barren dirt to fertile soil. But what good was that if there was no atmosphere? Well, the central gem took care of that too, creating one from itself—a barrier made of what is now known as mana. The region underwent total terraformation, with water springing forth from the gem itself, the air being purified, and the temperatures dropping to a temperate climate. And most importantly, the creation of life that now inhabits this place.

  The gem's influence caused evolutionary processes to accelerate. Within three months, that miserable crater had become a temperate paradise. But it wasn’t inhabited by anyone… at least no one sentient up to that point, apart from the insectoids, until one day, the Beasts appeared.

  Creatures that you and I know as anthropomorphic animals, whose civilization is currently in the Middle Ages.

  From the very beginning, the Beasts appeared according to their habitat: birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals in their respective zones. They eventually unified as a single race after two or three inter-species conflicts, thanks to the joint development of studying and using mana for magic.

  But this story wouldn’t be told if something hadn’t happened—and that "something" is what I’ll talk about now.

  A thousand years ago, out of nowhere, strange creatures appeared in rings three, four, and five to the Beasts’ eyes—with almost no fur and no feathers at all: what we know as humans.

  “What?! A human did what?!” exclaimed a burly wolf Beast.

  “That’s right, sir. A human managed to activate the portal of the former kingdom of Phareos. He appeared at midnight in the contenders’ reception,” said the other Beast calmly, a salamander.

  At present, it is still that fateful night when the kingdom of Vereida fell and that messenger was sent through a portal to the central Beast kingdom, which is exactly where we are now.

  “We can’t overlook this. Where is he being held?” asked the wolf Beast.

  “In the interrogation room. I saw him a few minutes ago. He looks confused and disoriented and doesn’t speak any Beast or Valsago dialect. Our interpreters are doing their best to figure out his intentions,” explained the reptilian Beast. “That’s all for now, Your Majesty.”

  “Thank you for the report, Holvient. At my request, while the interrogation process is completed, give him a room and keep him under watch while he recovers,” said the wolf Beast. “Three days should be enough to let him go if he has no bad intentions, of course.”

  “Understood, Lord Prowler,” replied the reptilian Beast, leaving the room to return to his duties.

  “What are those vermin planning? A kingdom invasion? Do they want to restart the war?” the king said aloud, rubbing his forehead with his hand. “No. That can’t be. Only a madman would do that. We’ve worked too hard to destroy the human-Beast diplomatic relations built over the last century.”

  The Beast leader rose from his throne and made his way to the training grounds, passing through the corridors and halls of the massive castle.

  “Tomorrow is the tournament. I don’t want to waste my focus on some human who snuck into the castle,” he told himself. “You better be training when I arrive, my contender.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Ah… the Beasts. A magnificently powerful race, capable of achieving superior strength and magical ability compared to humans. That said, they tend to be hard-headed when things get complicated, relying on brute force before reason. There’s no doubt that there are very wise Beasts, but their instincts prevail over everything else—something that cost them many victories in the human-Beast war.

  Beast architecture is known for being gigantic and erratic, with many shortcuts built into their structures. With full mastery of magic, they didn’t hesitate to use it; a human castle is four times smaller than a Beast castle. Everything is proportional to the Beast’s size and the needs of their race.

  “Hunter!” shouted King Prowler, his voice echoing across the training field.

  In the training field stood a young Beast with fur similar in color to the king’s, wearing only dull red Arabian-style pants tied at the waist with a golden sash.

  He was fit, the muscles on his arms well-defined; it was clear he had trained for hand-to-hand combat. His upper body was much larger than his lower body. He looked quite busy, jumping from one training dummy to another, hitting them so hard that some burst from the impact of his magnificent punches. However, the force of the strikes made it so the young Beast didn’t hear the king speak.

  “Hunter Wolf!” the king shouted again.

  “Huh?! Huh?! Who is it?!” Hunter asked, stopping just before landing another punch.

  “What do you mean ‘who is it’? It’s your old man! Get over here!” said King Prowler, calling his son joyfully.

  “Oh, Father, it’s you!” the Beast exclaimed happily, quickly making his way to his father. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have things to attend to?”

  “Not at all. I have the night off. I saw you having fun with those dummies. I can see you’ve grown a lot in that regard,” said the king.

  “I’m more than ready for the tournament. The other Beasts will run in fear just by looking at me,” exclaimed Hunter, laughing at how easy he thought it would be. “I’m the representative of House Wolf—there’s no way I’ll lose.”

  “Well, the representative of House Wolf will have his fun tomorrow, then. It will be your debut in front of the entire central Beast kingdom,” said the king, patting his son on the back. “The second reason I came was to give you a gift… from your mother, for when you turned eighteen.”

  “M-Mom? She…” The young Beast’s sentence was interrupted by his father, who took a small wooden amulet in the shape of a mini totem out of the left pocket of his coat. It glowed with a phosphorescent green light.

  “Take it. It’s yours. She told me to give it to you on your birthday, though you’re still about five months away, but I think it’ll be useful to you tomorrow,” said the king, handing the amulet to his son.

  “Mother… thank you…” said Hunter, taking the amulet gently, feeling the strange yet familiar warmth it emanated.

  “Your mother worked very hard to make that talisman. Enchanting a small object with that many spells is no easy feat,” said the king thoughtfully. “She’d be proud of you.”

  “Yes… she would be… This is just a reminder of why we can’t afford to forgive the humans and the atrocities they caused… I swear that one day we’ll wipe out those pests once and for all… Isn’t that right, Father?”

  “Eh? Uh… Hmm…?” The king hesitated at his son’s words. “Yes, yes, of course.”

  The young Beast, hearing his father’s approval, smirked mischievously. The king immediately changed the subject upon seeing his son’s reaction.

  “I know your magical aptitude is low and your barriers are far from perfect. This talisman will cover all those weaknesses,” said the king.

  “And how will I know when it activates?” asked Hunter, scratching behind his ear.

  “You’ll know when you see it. You know, I think you’ve had enough training for today. Relax in the hot springs and get some rest. Trust me, son—tomorrow will be the best day of your life.”

  Morning arrived. The smell of street food and beer filled the stands of the central Beast kingdom’s battle arena. Beasts, packed tightly together, jostled for a good spot to see the spectacle that was about to begin.

  The king, along with his council and guards, watched from above on a terrace. The crowd’s noise made the atmosphere electric; the aura of battle could be felt throughout the place.

  “Welcome, everyone, to the fifty-first tournament for the throne of the central Beast kingdom!” exclaimed a bear Beast acting as the commentator, seated in a protected room with a panoramic view of the battlefield. “As you all know, every ten years we test the strength of our rulers—to see if they’re still worthy of ruling our sacred lands!”

  Upon hearing that, the audience erupted, shouting, banging on the stands, making their excitement known.

  “The rules are simple!” the commentator shouted. “One by one, each house’s challenger will fight the defending tribute. At the end of a round, both winner and loser will receive a panacea. If any challenger wins, the kingdom is immediately theirs. Without further delay, let the first contender enter!”

  The iron-barred gate opened. A mysterious figure stepped forward, carrying a blue banner with a logo of a hawk made from crushed white stone and water.

  “Our first contender, from the icy lands of the seventh ring of Lydenfrost, representing House Hawk: Novell the Sorceress!”

  In the arena, Hunter was already waiting, the talisman he’d worn since yesterday on full display. It looked like a simple accessory.

  “That many layers of clothing won’t make my punches hurt any less, little bird. Let’s hope magic is on your side,” Hunter said mockingly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart—I promise not to pluck you bare in the process.”

  “…”

  “Awww, what’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Hunter continued mocking.

  “That might work on Novell…”

  “Hahaha! Looks like the pressure’s made her a little crazy!”

  “…but I’m not Novell.”

  The banner of House Hawk burst into flames in the woman’s hand. The fire spread over her body, engulfing her entirely.

  “What the hell?!” shouted Hunter, confused.

  Before Hunter, the flames dissipated, revealing a completely different figure—someone determined to win. That red-haired woman… yes, I’m talking about…

  “My name is Griezu. Among the humans, I’m known as the Witch of the Seventh Ring, and I’ve come to your tyrannical kingdom… to claim what is rightfully ours!”