"`choo!"
In the dark world, the only lights that remain are the stars above and the occasional streetlamp. A man in a dark hooded cloak totes a barren unconscious girl. Camouflaged in the darkness, the man's features are difficult to distinguish from afar, but in sharp contrast, the girl's body appears beaten and worn down–her body bathed in splatters of blood around her flailing hands and mouth for all the world to witness.
"Where…am…I…?"
"Ah, so you are finally awake. Good, for a moment, I wasn't completely sure if you were still alive or not."
"Am I still…alive…?"
The girl looks at her hands–the sight of her protruding claws colored in crimson alarms her. Moving on to the rest of her body, she becomes aware of her nakedness–anxiety creeps on her face.
"Who are you…what have you done to me?"
"What have I done? I'm only fulfilling the request of my clients. How you ended up in your current state is a mystery to me, but I assure you that I mean you no harm."
"..."
The girl calms herself, staring at the man silently. She squints her eyes, doing her best to study his face.
"Oh right, I didn't answer the first question. I am nobody worth remembering, but you can call me Vex."
"Vex…Mr. Vex…"
"Hey now, I'm not quite in my 30s yet! No need to make me feel so old. If I may ask, what may I call you?"
"I'm…Lily."
"Lily…that's a nice name. I hate that you and I are meeting each other like this in such dire circumstances, but it can't be helped. So far, we have come a long way from the noble palace. I'll tell you what, you really made those royal guards furious. They were a pain in the neck to escape from!"
"Gasp, oh no! The royal guards are after me?"
"More like they are after the both of us now. Fortunately, you seemed to have taken down several of their men before you were rendered unconscious, so it made it easier for me to maneuver around their smaller squads."
"Please…please don't do this for me. I don't want anyone else to be hurt for my sake."
"Lily, it's too late for that, haha. But don't worry about me, I have my ways of avoiding trouble with the law. We still have a while before we reach our destination, so if you want, we can walk in silence so our minds can rest. However, if you don't mind, I would like to hear your story. How did a young girl like you end up like this?"
"...It's hard for me to remember. Everything has been a blur to me for the past few hours…but I'll try my best…"
___________________________________________________________________________
At the peak of noon, the rays from the sun shine down upon Olan and his five wives in the palace courtyard–their fancy apparel shimmer in the light. Lily, who stands inside the building, awaits her cue. Her outfit isn't typical of her maid uniform; rather, it's a ceremonial dress that fits in with the atmosphere. With one hand on her shoulder, Yami awaits alongside Lily.
"Miss Lily, are you truly ready?"
Lily ever-so gently places her hands over her throbbing heart. She takes a deep breath, listening to her heart speak.
"My heart still does not feel ready for what's coming, but it's not like I have any other choice. Is that wrong?"
"No, not at all. It would be cruel of me to expect you to embrace such a moment with a still heart. You may not have chosen this life or for this to happen, but there are things you can still choose–it's up to you to determine those choices."
"..."
I can still make choices? Choices outside of what my master offers me?
Lily closes her eyes, making a conscious effort to digest Yami's message.
"Looks like Lord Olan is preparing to give the signal. Before you go out there, please don't forget…just how beautiful you are, Miss Lily."
Lily's line of sight sinks deep within Yami's eyes. Her eyes, tranquil as a resting lake, reflected Lily's image back at her: a pleasant smile.
"Of course I cannot. It's only natural that I would become as beautiful as my seniors, Miss Yami."
"Aw, you don't have to flatter me."
Lily and Yami smile at each other. Although it was but for a brief moment in time, their genuine emotions were shared.
"IT'S TIME TO COMMENCE!"
Olan's booming voice penetrates the glass door that was separating him from Lily. Yami bows her head, opening the door.
"Please proceed ahead, Miss Lily."
Lily slightly bows her head to acknowledge Yami as she proceeds outside. Before her lies a golden carpet that creates a pathway to the center of the courtyard, the place where Lily's master eagerly awaits. His wives, privy to the occasion, display an emotion that is neither joyful nor melancholy.
The day has finally come.
The day that I become free from slavery…
But not free from bondage.
"Come forth my darling–don't make me wait any longer for our moment!"
"Yes, master. I am coming."
Every step that I take, I can feel my heart sink within my chest.
Every single step that closes the distance between my master and me makes me feel more uneasy.
Step by step, more of his teeth appear.
Step by step, his eyes widened.
Step by step, my feet get heavier.
Step by step…
Step by step…
Step by step…he looks more and more like her.
Finally completing her long tread, Lily arrives in front of Olan, hanging her head slightly downward so as not to look directly into his eyes but also display an air of humility.
"Lift up your head, my dear girl, for this is a glorious moment worth celebrating! Belle, if you would do the honors."
"Yes, my dear husband."
Belle passes a silver necklace to Olan; at its centerpiece is a rose-gold crystal heart. Olan carefully transfers the necklace to its rightful place–around Lily's neck.
"Master, what is this?"
"It's jewelry that was gifted by some guests as a tribute to me. I had no use for such a thing, so I told my wives to lace it with silver so that I could give it to you instead. The color of the jewel compliments your lavender eyes very well. Consider it a physical representation of our newfound love from this day forward!"
"Thank you, master Olan. I will be sure to treasure this gift for the rest of my life."
I want to rip it off my neck and throw it into the fountain.
"Excellent, just as I expected of you. Ahem, attention wives, it's time for the big moment."
His wives, who were in a formation standing by his side, take a step back in unison and face directly towards Olan and Lily. Their movements are precise and automatic.
"Today, I formally proclaim that this demi-human girl before me, is no longer my slave. From today onward, she shall be my concubine and bear the responsibilities and privileges that comes with such an honorary title. Please welcome the newest member of our family, Lily Rapacy!"
The women give a standing ovation, all in the same precise timing and rhythm. As they are celebrating the occasion, Olan stands proudly, tugging his mustache.
"For granting me such a privilege, I cannot possibly thank you enough."
Please let this end already.
"Oh I know exactly how you can thank me–there are too many ways to number! Let's begin with the first one."
"?!"
Olan swiftly reaches out for Lily's hand, which was resting by her side, and grips it.
"We shall walk together to our private banquet, which has been prepared by your now fellow concubine sisters. Wives, lead the way!"
"Yes, dear!"
Olan's wives form a horizontal line in front of Olan and Lily, proceeding to guide them to their next destination.
"Lily, get ready to eat like a noble! Very few people in this world could even dream of eating such luxurious cuisine. I just know that your heart is beating in anticipation!"
"Yes, master. You know me so well…"
My heart is still beating…
Yes, I'm sure of it.
___________________________________________________________________________
Knock knock
"Master Olan, this is Lily. Permission to enter? I understand if now is not a convenient time for you–"
"Please come in, Lily! I've been eagerly waiting for you beyond what my words can describe."
Olan's voice seeps through his bedroom door, penetrating Lily's ears as if she were standing right next to him. Lily cracks the door, getting a small peep into her master's sacred chamber reserved for no one else except his wives. His room is spacious, with a bed large enough to fit nine people taking up the center. Olan himself lies on his bed, wearing nothing but an open robe that exposes his hairy chest and boxers.
"A-are you sure you wanted me to come here at such a late hour? I don't want to be a burden to you."
Is this it? Has the day Yami and Serine warned me about finally…no, I can't think of it. I can't!
"Come in all the way, right in before me, Lily. There's no need to be so reserved anymore–you are my concubine now. Do you know what that means?"
Lily slowly shakes her head as she softly closes the door behind her.
"Did you take a thorough bath like I requested beforehand? Every single part of you has been cleaned spotless?"
"Yes, master."
You should know–I caught you taking a peek at me!
"Good. Then I will show you what it means firsthand! First procedure, my dear concubine is to take off your clothes–all of them. Only your underwear may remain, if you so choose to wear anything."
"Eh?! But master, I'm not sure I can do such a thing! It's too indecent and–?!"
Olan speedily, without warning, pounces onto Lily's body, pushing her onto the bed.
"Master?!!"
He's on top of me! He's on top of me!
"Well then, allow me to do the honors!"
STRIP!
With minimal effort, Olan tears off Lily's gown fabric by fabric until her undergarments are exposed.
It feels like my skin is being peeled off my body!
I never seen Master Olan do this to me before–my heart wasn't ready for this!
Thump thump
Thump thump
No no no no no no no!
I can't…I can't…!
"Lily, calm down! Why are you hyperventilating so much? This is only a natural continuation of our special bonding. You can either participate and enjoy this privilege with me, or you can let me do all the work. I suggest the former!"
"I-I…I I I–"
"Then the matter is settled. Let us finally enjoy the fruits of our labor…"
Olan, towering on top of the young demi-human girl, spreads out his fingers. The wider they spread, the wider Lily's eyes became.
"My precious kitty!"
"!!!"
Olan's hands latch onto their intended target–Lily's breasts. Lily's body becomes petrified by the very impact.
Kitty?
I'm his 'kitty'?
I'm…Master Olan's…kitty?
No…no no no…
She's not here!
That woman whom I hate the most is not here anymore!
Thump thump
Thump thump
No, I hated being her kitty–I'm nobody's kitty!
"I'M NOT A KITTY ANYMORE!!!"
"Huh? What are you–?!"
Lily's sudden outburst startled Olan so much that he was forced to stop fondling her breasts. Using this opportunity, Lily reaches between her breast pocket to retrieve a small capsule.
"Get away from me! Ee-yaah!"
Crash!
Just before the capsule could hit Olan, he narrowly moved his head away, causing the capsule to hit the wall behind him. A translucent, slightly thick liquid leaks out.
"Wha–did you try to attack me?! How dare you, you wretch!"
SMACK!
The fully enraged Olan delivers a power backhand slap across Lily's face, leaving a bloody red marking plastered on her skin.
"Eeek!"
Oh no, I missed! I wasted Miss Serine's gift for emergencies!
Oh no oh no oh no oh no!
A scowling face looms over Lily, looking down upon her offendedly.
"Now, let's continue where we left off before your rude interruption!"
He's coming for me again! My body can't take it anymore!
I can't take it anymore!
Refusing to give up her life, Lily forces her free hand to rip off her necklace.
"You can have this back, I never wanted it!"
"?!"
With all her might, Lily casts the necklace charm right into Olan's eye. This unexpected, forceful attack made him wince in pain and stumble off of her petite body.
"AAArugh! It stings!"
He's off of me, he is finally off of my body! The path to the exit is clear–this is my chance!
Lily musters up the remaining strength in her body to launch herself from the bed. Allowing her body to return to its natural instincts, she sprints towards the door on all fours.
I need to find Serine or Yami; I'm not sure how, but I know that they can help me!
"?!"
"Gotcha!"
Almost as soon as Lily ran past Olan, he tightly clenched her tail with one hand and yanked her towards him with ease.
"Eeeep!"
My tail! It feels like it's going to be ripped off me!
Thump thump, thump thump
Olan turns Lily around towards him and forcibly embraces her around her waist in a fashion similar to a chokehold. His right eye is bloodshot, pulsating in dark pink.
"So, is this the thanks I get? I freed you from the filthy slave that you were and accepted you into the noble family. I thought you were taught better than this!"
"I-I'm…so-sorry…m-master…"
My chest is getting tighter and tighter.
My body is becoming numb.
I can hardly breathe.
Thump thump, thump thump
Olan clenches Lily's face by her jaw, squeezing so tightly that he forces half of her tongue to pop out. Lily can look to look nowhere else–nowhere or no one else but him.
"Your meaningless apologies aren't gonna cut it! One way or another, I'll correct my bad kitty!"
"!!!"
Olan moves his face closer to Lily's. Lily's body trembles, the sound of her heartbeat amplifies to the point of being audible to anyone in the vicinity.
Thump thump
Thump thump
Thump thump
Thump thump
Thump thump
Thump thump
I AM NOT ANYONE'S KITTY!!!
"NYAAAA!"
"W-what?!!!"
The petite girl in Olan's grasp began to grow much more mint green fur. Her body rapidly multiplied in size, completely towering over him in a matter of seconds. Due to this sudden transformation, the miniature man loses his once firm grip and stumbles onto the floor.
Having no other alternative, he looks up towards the ceiling above him–a gigantic feline beast returns his gaze. Her eyes are filled with bloodlust.
"Lily? Is that really…? Let's just calm things down and talk this over–"
Slash!
Splat!
Olan's once pristine room befitting of nobility, is now stained in filthy crimson.
___________________________________________________________________________
"I see, so you transformed into a humongous beast and went on a rampage in defense?"
"Well…I didn't mean to do that. I was just tired…tired of everything. I didn't want to endure hell anymore…"
"Same here kid, none of us do. Do you really not remember what happened while you were in your beast form?"
"My mind's a blur…it's like I was asleep while my body operated on its own will."
"That sounds similar to possession…anyway, I'm glad that my little gift was of use to you."
"Your gift?"
What gift could he be referring to? I don't recall ever meeting this man before, let alone receiving anything from him.
"Don't think too much about it. While I don't approve of your killing spree, due to your circumstances, I have no right to judge you. Though that doesn't mean others won't."
"Killing spree? What do you mean…oh no…"
Did I kill everyone in the palace?! Even Miss Serine, Yami, and Lady Endori?!
The color from Lily's face quickly fades, making her pale from stress.
"While it's true that you did kill Lord Olan and a handful of other members of the noble palace, rest assured, the ones that you treasure the most are alive. Perhaps a little injured from attempting to calm you down, but alive nonetheless. At least, that's the message they told me to tell you."
"Oh…thanks for letting me know that."
I'm glad that my best friends are safe, but…
Lily looks at the blood on her hands, remarking its dried texture. She inadvertently sticks out her tongue and licks some blood from her cheek.
"…I'm a murderer."
"They didn't tell me this to say to you, but may I give you my thoughts?"
"Sure, mister–I mean, Vex."
"First, a mini questionnaire; a simple 'yes' or 'no' will suffice. Lily, did you request to become a slave?"
"No."
"Do you think it was fair for you to be forced away from your family?"
"No."
"Do you think you deserve the abuse that you endured?"
"No."
"Then it's only fair that in order to take your life back, you ended up taking the lives of others–especially the bastards that did this to you. All I'm saying is that you are free now, so why should you care? You should live freely. You wouldn't have harmed anyone if you weren't harmed in the first place, so it's not fair to bear all of the blame yourself. Victims shouldn't feel guilt that the perpetrators will never feel themselves. You're free from your oppressors, so don't let them have power over your conscience anymore. Enjoy your life to the fullest...at least, that's how I see it."
"..."
Enjoy my life? I can finally…enjoy my life? I can be happy?
I don't have to lie about my feelings anymore?
I can live with mother again!
"Mr. Vex, your morals are hard for me to understand…but I will take it to heart."
"Yeah, I sort of have a messed-up view on life, don't I? I'll take your smile as a compliment."
The two share a laugh together, showing defiance to the brutal reality they are faced with. In the short distance, a mecha dragon carriage is parked. Spotting this, Vex carefully places Lily down to stand on her own feet.
"Mr. Vex, what's that?"
"That's your ride to your final destination. The lady inside that carriage can drive you back home. Don't be afraid of her, she is my colleague…not that that matters much to you since we are still strangers."
"...no, it does matter to me. After doing something like this for me, someone who you don't know, a girl who turned into a hideous monster and harmed several people, how could I consider you anything but a friend?"
"Have I really done that much to earn such a status?"
"Huh? Of course you have, silly!"
"Well, I suppose I will trust your judgement. Farewell, Lily. Take care–?!"
Just before Vex could finish his goodbyes, Lily–intentionally submitting to her nature–pounced onto Vex, embracing him dearly.
"Thanks. Thank you all so much!"
"..."
Tears poured down Lily's eyes, washing over the remaining stains of blood on her cheeks. At long last, she could cry again–not out of despair, but inexplicable joy.
Vex watches her in reserved silence, not knowing what to say. He slowly returns Lily's embrace, wiping the excess tears from her eyes.
"Oi, I hate to break up the atmosphere over there, but we don't have forever, you know! We're fugitives!"
A woman wearing a cloak similar to Vex's yells from the windows of the carriage. Her voice carries a weight caring cautiousness.
"Right, sorry for the hold-up! Lily, we have to go. If we delay any longer, we risk getting caught by Avarice's noble guards. Have a safe trip."
Vex pries away from Lily's embrace, releasing himself from her tight grasp. He turns around and walks away, leaving the dismayed Lily sulking.
This man…this man is the only man who put my heart at ease for as long as I can remember.
I can't let him go!
I don't want to lose him forever!
"Hey girl, where are you going?!"
Ignoring the outcry of the driver, Lily makes a run towards Vex, reaching out to him.
"Wait, Mr. Vex! I've decided! I want to travel with you! We can live freely together! Please let me–"
"Yo, it's nice seeing you again, little lady."
A familiar face is settled on a throne–his grinning face resting on his chin.