Chapter 139: [Bonus Chapter] Kestrel’s Rage (2)
Ren reached out to the mural, watching the pictures that barely glowed in the dark. But the story seemed to stop there – nothing showed why humans went from this high point to where they were now, and how this huge, thriving underground city became a creepy, monster-filled place.
He was trying to piece it together when suddenly he heard strange noises in the distance. In the dark, there were sounds of big things moving, making a kind of wet, slushy sound.
Yup, those were tendrils. They were coming from the center of this temple place, and they were moving super-fast. And worst of all? They were headed straight for Ren.
He felt a jolt of fear and took off running.
This place was like a crazy maze, and it was so dark. But Ren was an alpha, which means he had awesome senses and could run really fast. When he went all out, hardly anyone could keep up.
A mutant that was guarding a pathway heard him coming. But before it could do anything, Ren’s blade sliced through it, cutting it in two.
He jumped over its parts without slowing down. From behind, he could hear a bunch of monsters chasing after him. The sounds of the tendrils and splashing water were the loudest, chasing without giving up.
"As mad as Kestrel is now," thought Ren while running, "she might not let me go this time."
He even had a scary thought. "What if I end up dead because of Kestrel?" He felt sad thinking about it, but he shook it off and ran faster, shooting out of the dark tunnel like a bullet.
Right at the tunnel’s end was this huge mutant. It had a head that looked human-ish but a neck that was long like a snake’s.
Ren didn’t stop. He whipped out his sword, struck the creature’s head, and then jumped over it, even with all its creepy long water plants on its head.
Now he was at a split in the path: left or right. If he went right, he’d end up at Kestrel’s den. Left would take him upstairs and out of this deep, dark place. Going left meant getting out, but maybe never seeing Kestrel again.
But going right, towards Kestrel’s den, meant facing tons of mutants. And if they caught him? Well, he might be hurt, locked up, or worse, killed by Kestrel.
Ren stood there, torn, trying to decide what to do.
The mutant with the super long neck lunged at him, its noodle-like neck reaching out, its mouth wide open, ready to chomp down.
In that split second, Ren felt pretty hopeless. A part of him thought, "Maybe I should just let it bite me."
He really didn’t want to face Kestrel again, especially not her upset and disappointed look.
Suddenly, his blade grew bigger and fiercer. He gripped it with both hands and swung, slicing the giant mutant’s head in half.
His sword kept going, cutting through the mutant’s snake-like body, turning it into a mess of bits and pieces. The blade shone bright red as it cut through, leaving a path of destruction.
When Kestrel showed up, she found Ren sitting there surrounded by bits of mutant bodies. He held his blade, looking powerful and kinda scary.
The other mutants were lurking nearby, growling. They formed a circle around him but looked too scared to move closer.
Kestrel’s tendrils lifted her onto a platform. She looked down at Ren from up high, him surrounded by the monsters.
She was mad when she found out Ren had tricked her, and it was the kind of mad she couldn’t shake off.
She didn’t get why she was so angry. As Taja had pointed out, plenty of alphas came and went here all the time. She could easily replace Ren if she wanted to. And if she felt like it, she could just grab another alpha from above. It wasn’t hard for her.
And being lied to? Normally, that wasn’t a big deal for her. Kestrel knew Taja had secrets and wasn’t always honest, but that didn’t make her mad.
Yet, knowing that Ren had tried to leave her behind and trick her was getting to her. She got overwhelmed by sheer fury.
At least Ren had come back to the entrance of the den. If he hadn’t, Kestrel didn’t know what she might’ve done.
Kestrel moved around Ren, feeling a bit better. One of her tendrils reached out, wrapping around Ren’s wrists. It snapped sharply across his hand.
Looking like he had given up, Ren let go of his sword, now covered in blood.
Another tendril wrapped around him, squeezing his middle and lifting him up.
Ren turned his head to the side, whispering, "Please, not in front of everyone..."
From the darkness, the other mutants started making noises, laughing and teasing with creepy growls.
Kestrel commanded firmly, "Get the hell out of my sight."
Every creature underground knew when Kestrel was super mad. The mutants, who had been curious about what was happening, quickly disappeared, like they didn’t want to get in her way.
Ren felt Kestrel’s tendrils pull him back to the den. She dropped him on the floor.
The fire in the room had gone out. Only a tiny glow from the dying embers lit the space. Looking up, Ren saw Kestrel. She sat on a ledge, staring at him with a cold look, like one of those creepy statues he’d seen earlier.
He remembered the murals on the walls, and the stories they told. In this hidden, dark city, there was once a super-powerful creature that everyone thought was a god. It was like the boss of the whole place.
That creature wasn’t around anymore, but now Kestrel had kinda taken its spot.
Staring at Kestrel, who seemed like she’d forgotten everything, Ren felt a mix of sadness and anger.
How he got why the Queen had only sent Kestrel, even though she was just a beta, into this dangerous place.
The high-ups of the Empire wanted her to be here, to take over and run things. Ren didn’t know all their plans, but he felt like they wanted to change her, take away who she was, and make her the rule... or the Backbone, of this dark place.
Ren thought of his old friends. They were all really nice and had been sent into the Polluted Zone by the powerful people from the Tower. All of them, however, died in vain.
Now, he was alone, except for Kestrel. She was an amazing friend, super strong and kind. But those in charge sent her here, making her forget everything and turning her into someone who didn’t feel anything.
She was so caring, like a gentle moonbeam. But they turned her into this, making her live in this dark place, like some kind of evil deity feeding on human.
Anger flared up inside Ren, making him feel hot and furious. He hated this messed-up world and the Tower, which acted all good but was anything but.
In his head, he made a promise. He would get out of here, no matter what it took, and one day, he’d get back at the Tower and bring down the whole rotten system.
Inside their quiet home, the only sound was the drip of water. A faint red light made half of Kestrel’s face glow, while the other half was in shadow. The place felt unreal, like a scary dream. It reminded Ren of the nightmare he had once been through.
Ren stared into Kestrel’s eyes, which seemed icy and distant. They’d faced many battles side by side, and while Ren was usually the level-headed one, Kestrel’s actions could be wild and super spontaneous.
But Ren knew a secret about her. Underneath that unpredictable exterior, Kestrel was even more determined than him. When she really wanted something, no amount of begging or trying to stop her made any difference. She’d just go for it, not looking back or second-guessing herself. And now, since she didn’t remember anything from their past, she might be even more intense and unforgiving.
Especially since he was the one who had tricked her.
Kestrel’s figure appeared from the shadows, coming down from the tangled mess of pipes lining the walls.
Suddenly, Ren felt a rush of fear. He tried to calm himself, thinking about all the battles he had been through. He had faced so much pain and danger before, so he told himself that he could handle whatever Kestrel might do to him. After all, he had been through so many tough situations. As long as she let him live, there was still a glimmer of hope.
Then, he felt the chilly touch of tendrils wrapping around his arms and legs.
He watched, eyes wide, as Kestrel came closer. She looked right at him and whispered, her voice chilly as ice, "For lying, your sensitivity for pain will be increased tenfold."
