Chapter 458: Chapter-458
The simplicity of his answer—the absolute certainty in it—made something crack in Kaya’s carefully maintained walls.
She looked away, her jaw tight. "You say that now. You don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Maybe I don’t," Cutie said softly. "But I know I wouldn’t abandon you. Curse or no curse."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning Kaya wasn’t ready to unpack.
Her stomach growled again, breaking the tension.
Cutie’s expression shifted immediately, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the serious conversation. "Come on," he said gently. "Let’s get you some food. You can tell me I’m stupid while you eat."
Kaya wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him to leave her alone, that she didn’t need anyone hovering over her, that this whole situation was insane and he should run while he still could.
But she was tired. Hungry. And maybe—just maybe—having someone who stubbornly refused to leave didn’t feel as terrible as she wanted it to.
"Fine," she muttered, falling into step beside him. "But if you make this weird, I’m eating alone."
Cutie’s smile widened just a fraction. "I’ll try my best."
As they walked together through the quiet settlement, Kaya’s mind continued to churn through everything the elder had told her. But for now, at least, she had a simpler mission: food, rest, and figuring out what the hell she was going to do about the rabbit beastman who apparently thought curses were worth sticking around for.
One problem at a time.
As kaya slowly entere dthe room they were assigned well thank gof its not bare cave she saw veer sleeping on the mat nearby even through veer is a vulture soemtimes kaya doubt it like what tyep of vulture sleep in such a deep sleep that tehy does not care about what going around them well anyway .
As kaya and cutie were eating soem wild fruits yeah taht because kaya does not think ita a good idea to just take soe.one food without permission and asking to eat at thos time is already too rude .
So tehy decided to fill their stomach with wild fruits at least as they were eating suddendly veer sit up causing eve kaya to sjock not because of his behaviour but because of jis eyes like normall you when veer woke up its looks lazy yet right now his eyes where shining amber liek he was in alery mode seeing this even kaya face turn serious veer take a deep breath and closed his eyes like focusing soemwhere suddendly cutie expression also turn serious his ears twitching kaya look at both of them and ask what happened hearing that veer an dcutie look at each other na dsaid did you hear the same sound cutie asked veer shook his head slightly my hearing is not taht strong but i smell their dirty smell and i think they are nearby , hearing taht kaya looked at them and asked ’they’, who? .
Veer said in a grave tone snakes
As they walked together through the quiet settlement, Kaya’s mind continued to churn through everything the elder had told her. Reincarnation. Gods. Sealed power. Beastmen collecting around her like moths to a flame.
But for now, at least, she had a simpler mission: food, rest, and figuring out what the hell she was going to do about the rabbit beastman who apparently thought curses were worth sticking around for.
One problem at a time.
When they finally reached the small stone house the tribe had assigned them, Kaya pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was dim, the faint glow of dying embers in the hearth casting long shadows across the walls.
It wasn’t a bare cave, at least. That was something.
Her eyes swept the space and landed on Veer, sprawled out on a woven mat near the far wall. He was lying on his side, one arm tucked under his head, his breathing slow and steady.
Asleep.
Kaya frowned slightly.
For someone who was supposed to be a ’vulture’ beastman—sharp-eyed, hyper-aware, always ready to pick apart danger—Veer slept like a rock. Deep. Unbothered. Like the world around him could burn and he wouldn’t even twitch.
What kind of vulture sleeps that deeply?
She shook her head and stepped further inside, Cutie trailing quietly behind her. He closed the door with a soft click, then glanced nervously at Veer’s sleeping form.
"Is he... okay?" Cutie whispered.
"He’s fine," Kaya muttered. "Just dead to the world, apparently."
Cutie nodded, though he still looked uneasy.
Kaya’s stomach growled again—softer this time, but insistent. She sighed and dropped down onto the mat opposite Veer, pulling out the small pouch of wild fruits she’d gathered earlier from the forest edge.
Cutie sat beside her, hesitating. "We could ask the tribe for food, you know. They offered—"
"At this hour?" Kaya raised a brow. "After I just spent half the night interrogating their elder? No thanks. I’d rather not be ’that’ rude."
Cutie blinked, then smiled faintly. "You have strange ideas about what’s rude."
"Says the guy who waited outside a stranger’s house like a stalker."
His ears flattened. "I wasn’t—"
"Relax." Kaya tossed him a fruit—a small, round thing with dark red skin. "I’m joking. Mostly."
He caught it, still blushing, and bit into it without another word.
They ate in silence for a while, the only sounds the quiet crackle of the dying fire and the faint rustle of wind outside. The wild fruits weren’t much—tart, a little bitter, with just enough sweetness to make them tolerable—but they filled the gap in her stomach well enough.
Kaya leaned back against the wall, chewing slowly, her thoughts drifting again.
Curses. Reincarnation. Gods who didn’t know when to let go.
She hated not having answers.
Then—
Movement.
Veer sat up.
Not slowly. Not groggily like someone waking from deep sleep.
He shot upright in one smooth, violent motion, his whole body snapping to attention like a soldier hearing gunfire.
Kaya froze mid-chew, her hand instinctively dropping toward her gun.
Because Veer’s eyes—
They were ’wrong’.
Not sleepy. Not lazy. Not even a little bit human.
They were glowing amber, sharp and wild, burning with a hyper-focused intensity that made every muscle in her body tense. His pupils were thin slits, locked onto something she couldn’t see, and his entire posture screamed one thing:
’Alert. Danger. Ready to kill.’
Kaya’s face went serious. Her fingers brushed the grip of her holster.
"Veer?"
He didn’t answer. Didn’t even look at her.
Instead, he took a slow, deep breath through his nose, his eyes narrowing further. Then he closed them, his head tilting slightly to one side like he was listening—or smelling—something far beyond the walls of the room.
Beside her, Cutie’s expression shifted too.
His red eyes sharpened. His ears twitched—once, twice, swiveling like radar dishes trying to lock onto a signal. His body went still, unnaturally so, and Kaya recognized that look.
He was sensing something too.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up.
"What happened?" she asked quietly, her voice low and controlled.
Veer and Cutie glanced at each other—brief, wordless, the kind of look that said they both knew exactly what the other had just picked up.
Cutie spoke first, his voice barely above a whisper. "Did you... hear the same sound?"
Veer shook his head slightly, his jaw tight. "My hearing’s not that strong." His voice was rough, clipped. "But I smell them. That dirty, rotten stink." His eyes opened again—still amber, still sharp. "And they’re close."
Kaya’s pulse quickened. She straightened, her hand now fully on her gun. "They?" she repeated. "Who?"
Veer turned his head slowly, his gaze locking onto hers. When he spoke, his voice was low and grave, each word heavy with warning.
"Snakes."
The word hung in the air like a blade.
Kaya’s stomach dropped.
Not again.
After coming to this world, there was one tribe Kaya feared above all the others.
Not the vultures, not the hyenas, not even whatever those giant monsters in the forest had been.
The snake tribe.
She still remembered the last time they’d come for her—silent, swift, fangs bared. And back then it had only been two, maybe three at most.[1] Even that had been enough to leave her bleeding, swearing, and very sure she never wanted to see another scaled bastard again.
Now Veer was staring at her with those wild amber eyes, every muscle in his body taut.
"Snakes," he said.
The word crawled under her skin.
Kaya’s grip on her gun tightened. "How many?" she asked, trying to keep her voice flat.
Veer didn’t answer immediately.
His nostrils flared as he inhaled again, jaw clenching. The easy laziness he usually carried was gone—wiped clean, replaced by something hard and sharpened. He glanced toward the door, then back at her.
His face turned grave.
"More than thirty."
The room went very, very quiet.
For a heartbeat, Kaya just stared at him, brain refusing to process the number.
Thirty.
Not two. Not three.
