Rekindle The Light

Chapter 3: A Monster

Nagano didn't have enough time to take a good look at himself, but there was one thing he was sure of.

He was some kind of lycanthrope. He looked like a damn furry.

Nagano's appearance resembled the way it did on Earth. At a glance, he was human. Except for one new trait. A pair of wolf ears sticking out of his hair that matched the golden blonde of his hair. The pieces started to fall together. The reason why Nagano's senses were heightened. Why he was referred to as a "mutt."

The man scowled back over his shoulder at Nagano. He must have been trailing behind too much. Nagano hastened his pace to catch up. He looked around the town square. Hundreds of people were there, watching Nagano and the man when they passed. Something about it made him sick. His eyes then fell onto an elegant fountain in the middle of the square. White marble, delicately carved in the shape of a woman,

And a guillotine right in front of it...

Laughter bubbled up in Nagano's throat, but no joy was behind it. Life loved dealing him a crappy hand of cards. The townspeople's gazes changed from disgust to fear as they heard him laugh wickedly, and part of Nagano relished it.

The closer they drew to the contraption of death, the more hope seemed to diminish. There was no visible way out as the guillotine towered over him.

The man gripped Nagano's neck and felt a chill run through his spine, but it was accompanied by something else.

Something surged through his veins—almost painful—a sense of power he had never experienced before.

The man tried to force Nagano down into the guillotine, but he did not budge.

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The man had caught a beastman. The filthy thing had attacked a group of humans in south Elysium. He was bringing it back to the town to execute it, but when he opened the prison cell on the carriage, something was different about the beastman.

The look in his eyes seemed empty but calculating. They weren't the same as when he captured the beast.

He figured it was nothing and forced the thing to get up. He knew the beast would be unable to walk after sitting for days...

It shouldn't be able to, right?

The best man's legs buckled as it stood up but still pushed through it. This thing had some tenacity, but it didn't seem to resist any demands either.

"Keep up, mutt." He grunted as he began walking into the town. The beastman trailed behind.

The man could finally see the guillotine in the middle of the town square, and when he looked back, he expected to see fear in the beastman's eyes. The beastman started laughing, but his eyes were dreadful, tired–Too old for his age.

The thing must have gone crazy. Even though the beast was filth, the man thought putting it out of its misery would be best. He grabbed onto the thing to push it into the guillotine and—

It wouldn't budge. He felt the beast's muscles flex under his hand, and the beast man's eyes locked onto his. Like predator and prey.

The man's pulse beat faster, he felt a drop of sweat roll down his face, his breathing was heavy. He was petrified. The beastman's eyes were piercing. They were unbelievably cold yet filled with so much anger, as he had finally let loose after years of pent up anger.

The beastman gripped the man's wrist, and he heard a crack.

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Nagano began to sprint away. Whatever this mysterious power was, it sure did drain him. Although he felt exhausted, he felt alive. He had never been more agile. It felt like his muscles were more powerful, his lungs were more efficient, and his heart pumped faster. The townsfolk attempted to stop him, some managing to knick him with a blade or deliver a blow when he breezed by them, but he still managed to weave through.