Chapter 15: Cry in an alley

The next day came sooner than expected. Lia and I had spent the night going at it and barely got any sleep, but even then, she seemed pretty recharged.

"Somehow, doing it more with you is making my ability stronger," Lia muttered as she got dressed. We were about to head out and register at the Adventurers’ Guild so we could enter the Sky Palace.

I had bought a pretty simple sword the previous day. It wasn’t expensive, but it was pretty good. I wasn’t sure I would have much use for it, but I wanted to keep it around me just in case. ℯ

"That’s great, then." I walked over to her and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You keep getting stronger, and we’ll be able to rise to the top."

She nodded, smiling ear to ear in happiness. I looked at her face for a second before turning around. Today, the entire plan started. I had to become something else entirely to ensure that I captured this world in my hand and manipulated it to my will.

Like my father always screamed into my ears, choosing to allow yourself loose because of morals was something only a fool would do. All that mattered was pride and power.

We left the inn and walked into the city streets, heading toward the palace.

The noise in the city made it difficult to hear anything. People walked up and down the streets, handling their business. Everyone tried to mind their business, even when someone was getting beat up at the corner of the road. No one batted an eye. That was the job of the city guards and not the people. I liked this sort of setup. It easily allowed for loose ends to be tied up since no one wanted to be involved with what was happening.

We walked past a pretty large alley. I noticed a carriage there, and then in the next second, I heard a loud scream. It was that of a girl for sure. I ignored it. I had no time to check what was happening.

[Mate Found]

The system rang out. A mate was found. I paused where I was going. Lia turned around and looked at me, wondering why I had stopped.

"What’s wrong, Tez?" she asked.

"Come with me, I have to do something," I replied and turned around, heading toward the alley.

[.....]

Mira’s POV:

I lay on the ground with my body trembling, blood seeping down the sides of my head because I had been smashed into the wall a few seconds ago. My small frame could not resist the strength of the three men I saw standing before me in this dark alley.

I tried to breathe, but even my lungs fought hard against the air, closing up very quickly and making me extremely dizzy. I could not sleep though. If I did, that would be the end of me for sure.

The three men looked down at me. Each of them standing, towering over me. The two on either side were men filled with muscle. They looked like human walls, completely different from the man who stood at the center.

He was fat, as round as a ball, short, and he stank of meat and cheese. He was also my owner.

He had bought me from my slave owners, the people who dragged me off from my home and brought me here. They beat me daily with whips and splashed cold water into my wounds. They said all sorts of things and called me all sorts of names. They spat on me, called me worthless, they turned me into a toy for their amusement, and when they were done, they sold me off to this fat psychopath.

I had endured a lot all my life. Being a slave was the worst part of it all, but somehow, it pales in comparison to what this evil man did to me.

He went beyond it. He wanted to take not just my body, he wanted to tear apart my body.

Born from the tribe of cat people, my tail and ears were the most important part of me, the only way I remembered who I was and where my home was. This man wanted to tear them off. He snipped one of my ears and made it shorter. The pain I felt then was beyond anything that I had ever felt before.

He went for my tail next, and that was when I could no longer take it. I fought back. I could not lose my tail. I dug my claws into his face and left a massive scratch that damaged his eye. This was how I ended up in this situation, looking up to this man who hated me now and was dead ready to kill me. No one was going to remember me at all, not in this massive city.

"You bitch, after all I gave to you, you still come and harm me? I’ll make sure your body is unrecognizable after this. I’ll make sure you know that I am your master and you are nothing but a stupid bitch," the fat man roared. I could see the spit leaving his mouth. I could tell his rage was extreme. There was nothing I could do except face my fate and die.

One of the men picked me up, his large hand wrapped around my neck and raised me off the ground. I gripped at his hand and tried to free myself. I took out my claws and dug into his hand, but he laughed it off before punching me right into the gut. My body arched, and I coughed up blood. He dropped me to the ground and kicked hard.

"Ahhh," my cry came out silent, barely any air in my lungs to even make it loud. Everything was turning blurry.

"Haha, no one can find you here. I picked this location to make sure no one came in here," the fat man said to me as he watched in glee.