In 2030, a virus called Inner Beast Disease (IBD) has infected forty percent of the human population, turning the hosts into mutant animal-like monsters dubbed Beasts. At the same time, children who were born with IBD are discovered and are anointed as Beastborne. Soon, feral Beasts rose against humanity, forcing its remnants to live in underground bunkers. These bunkers are protected by cyborg soldiers called Scissors, who are tasked to slay any feral Beast that crosses their path. Seventeen years later, a Beastborne girl named Tori Chan is taken into the custody of bunker No. 24. Over there, she forms an agreement with No. 24's officials to fight against criminals that threaten the bunker and its people in exchange for her freedom.
Characters
Victoria "Tori" Chan: The main protagonist. She is a seventeen-year-old Beastborne girl who takes the appearance of a wolfdog. Her condition was due to her mother contracting IBD while pregnant with Tori when the virus was first discovered. For this, Tori is considered the first Beastborne to exist. As a Beastborne, she has wolfdog-like abilities like agility, enhanced strength, and a heightened sense of smell and hearing. She is also skilled in hunting, martial arts, and firearms, having been trained as a child by family friends. Though she was shunned by others as a child for being a Beastborne, except for her family, Tori is strong-willed, independent, and direct with her words. However, her wolfdog mannerisms and instincts often leave her impulsive, the only quality of herself she dislikes. Her favorite food is hot dogs.
Shay Forester: A young Scissor Tori's age who has grayish-blue hair and light blue eyes. Shay is a recent recruit for Squad Bayard, a group of ten Scissors who are tasked to protect No. 24. He is the first Scissor Tori encounters at the beginning of the story. As a Scissor, Shay's cybernetic enhancements grant him superhuman speed, strength, flight, and a convertible robot arm. In his case, his robot arm, which is on his right, can convert into a sniper rifle, making him skilled with long-distance attacks. He also has a talent for fixing machines, making him liked by No. 24's technicians. Shay is kind, optimistic, and is a sympathizer for Beastborne, much to the disdain of his fellow Scissors. For this, he always follows Tori around to watch over her welfare; the latter is initially annoyed by this but will warm up to him later on. Shay dreams of a world where humans and Beastborne can one day live together in peace.
Aya Wilson: Another member of Squad Bayard who has blonde hair tied in a half-ponytail with pink streaks in her bangs and pink eyes. She is Shay's crush who is often confused by the latter's sympathy for Beastborne. Aya's robot arm, which is on her left, is removable and acts like a boomerang. She is of mixed Japanese-British descent.
Ru Park: The leader of Squad Bayard who has chin-length lime green hair and reddish-pink eyes. He is always focused on his objective of protecting No. 24 from any Beast that threatens the bunker's residents. Ru is often aloof with Beastborne and Scissor recruits such as Shay. He is also cold with Tori due to her Beastborne status with the latter's feelings being mutual. However, he slowly begins to understand Shay's reasons for wanting peace with Beastborne as well as open his doors to Tori because of him. Unlike normal Scissors that have one robot arm, Ru had both his arms replaced with cybernetic ones that can turn into swords.
Alpha Fang: A seventeen-year-old Beastborne who takes the appearance of a grey wolf. He is the leader of a Beastborne activist group called The Pack, whose goal is to create a society where Beastborne can live as themselves. Like Tori, Fang's Beastborne abilities consist of superstrength and superspeed. However, his sense of smell and hearing in his left ear was damaged due to experiments he and several Beastborne endured, making him reliant on his fellow Beastborne. Because of his past, Fang despises humans, especially ones from a bunker called the Republic, which creates the Scissors and governs all bunkers. Alpha Fang is an alias; his real name is currently unknown.
Vel: A fifteen-year-old Beastborne who takes the appearance of a rabbit. He is a member of The Pack who acts as Fang's right hand.
Wane: A thirteen-year-old Beastborne who takes the appearance of an albino jackalope; another member of The Pack. He wears an eyepatch over his left eye.
Hina: A fourteen-year-old Beastborne who takes the appearance of a calico cat; another member of The Pack. She has two tails due to a mutation caused by an experiment she endured as a child.
Zulian: A sixteen-year-old Beastborne who takes the appearance of an electric eel. He works at a fishing wharf near No. 24, where he faces discrimination from his coworkers due to his Beastborne status. Yet, he continues working there to provide for Nino, who he cares for like a little brother. He is always seen with two swords and white strips of cloth around his forearms.
Nino: A twelve-year-old Beastborne who takes the appearance of a green frog. He is often at home and doesn't attend public school due to Zulian's mistrust of the school system.
Theo: A thirteen-year-old Beastborne who takes the appearance of a gray mouse. He is blind and homeless and is acquainted with Shay.
Preview
"I'm sorry," Shay said as he hung his head low. "To be honest, I thought our meeting was going to be brief, but here you are in a cell. I didn't mean to get you locked up."
"Why?" Tori asked, getting the boy's attention.
"Why what?" Shay raised an eyebrow.
"Humans hate Beastborne, Shay. You should, too. You are a Scissor, your job is to protect the people within the bunkers from the Beasts, so why are you being nice to a Beastborne like me?"
With a sigh, he replied, "Because I realized long ago that there's a huge difference between the feral Beasts outside and the Beastborne. The Beasts were once humans who lost their humanity as soon as they contracted IBD, but Beastborne... You Beastborne had a hard time, even now."
"We had a hard time?" Tori raised an eyebrow.
"You Beastborne were once human within the womb only to come out as an animal because of the virus. Since your kind showed up, you have been shunned, abused even, all because of a virus that turned a small chunk of humanity into the monsters we know as Beasts. Everyone thinks that Beasts and Beastborne are the same, but I don't."
Tori raised both her eyebrows in response.
"You Beastborne have feelings, personalities of your own, just as we humans do. It's not fair that you're treated this way for being different," Shay said as he furrowed his eyebrows. "For that, I dream of a day where humans and Beastborne can live with one another in peace. After all, the Beastborne deserve better."
Tori was speechless by this. To think she would find a human who cares for Beastborne such as herself. Should she feel grateful? Relieved? Tori didn't know how to feel about Shay, who she initially thought was just a clueless idiot who didn't know what he was doing. For that, she thought, How did someone like him become a Scissor?
