Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 267: Episode 265: Here I go!

That evening, Roxy tried her best to evade Torian.

He was stalking her. There was no other word for it. The White Tiger moved through the Iron-Wood Manor with a heavy, deliberate grace, his dark eyes tracking Roxy’s every movement with a burning, single-minded intensity.

It reminder her of how they first met.

He knew she was leaving for the ocean tomorrow. He knew the risks. And his beast was screaming at him to plant his seed, to claim her completely, to secure his legacy before she disappeared into the crushing depths of the Spires.

Though he was too foolish to realize the danger in that.

But Roxy knew exactly what his affections entailed. And taking a pregnancy into a high-pressure abyssal zone was a death sentence. She could not afford to let him catch her.

"Roxy," Torian’s deep, rumbling voice echoed from the doorway of the kitchen as she tried to sneak a cup of water.

Roxy nearly dropped the wooden cup. She spun around, a nervous, entirely fake smile plastered on her face. Torian stepped into the room closing the distance between them, his eyes dropping to her lips.

"Rian! Hi!" Roxy squeaked, her eyes darting around the room for an exit. "Just... hydrating for the journey!"

He reached out, his large, calloused hand aiming for her waist. "Allow me to help you relax before—"

"Oh, look! Zarek!" Roxy blurted out, ducking cleanly under Torian’s massive arm.

She bolted out of the kitchen and sprinted directly into the living room, throwing herself entirely into Zarek’s latge arms. Zarek who had been brooding over a map, blinked in surprise as Roxy grabbed his shirt, using him as a literal shield.

Torian appeared in the archway, his jaw clenched so tightly a muscle feathered in his cheek. He glared at Zarek, a low, frustrated growl vibrating in his chest.

"She is busy," Zarek stated flatly, happily taking the excuse to keep Torian away from her, even if he didn’t know the full context.

An hour later, Torian tried again in the upstairs hallway. Roxy saw his broad shoulders turning the corner and immediately threw herself sideways, crashing directly into Syris’s chest.

"Syris, my favorite cold-blooded travel companion!" Roxy gasped, wrapping her arms tightly around the Snake Beastman’s waist and burying her face in his neck.

Syris let out a soft, amused hiss, his emerald eyes flicking up to meet Torian’s furious, thwarted glare over Roxy’s head. "It seems our Queen requires my immediate attention, Tiger," Syris purred smoothly, wrapping a protective coil around her legs.

Torian let out a sharp, aggrieved sigh, running a hand through his stark white hair. He looked so incredibly miserable, so deeply starved and jealous, that Roxy’s heart gave a painful twinge of guilt.

She carefully untangled herself from Syris and took a single, cautious step toward the Tiger, keeping exactly one arm’s length between them.

"Torian," Roxy said softly, her green eyes meeting his dark, burning gaze. "I know what you want. I know what you need from me. But I cannot give it to you tonight. My body needs all its strength to survive the ocean pressure tomorrow."

Torian’s shoulders slumped slightly, the fierce Alpha dominance giving way to a raw, aching vulnerability. "You are leaving me again. Without a piece of you to hold onto."

"I am coming back," Roxy promised fiercely, pointing a commanding finger at his chest. "And when I return with the cure, when this plague is dealt with and my body is rested... I am going to give you an amazing reward. Do you understand? A reward that will make you forget you ever had to wait."

He gave a slow, jerky nod, stepping back to let her pass.

It was not like he could force her to do it, so he was left with no choice.

By the time night truly fell, the Alphas made a rare, unified, and entirely selfless decision. They knew the physical toll the Deep Spires would take on her body. She needed pure, uninterrupted rest.

They escorted her to the master bedroom, kissed her forehead one by one, and then deliberately scattered to the various guest rooms across the Manor, leaving her with the massive, fur bed entirely to herself.

It was a noble gesture. But as Roxy lay in the dead center of the enormous mattress, staring up at the wooden ceiling, she hated it.

The bed was too big. It was too cold. The silence of the room was deafening without the familiar sound of Kaelen’s steady breathing, Ren’s soft murmurs, or Zarek’s low, rumbling snores.

Roxy threw off the furs. She padded silently down the dark hallway, her bare feet making no sound on the floorboards. She didn’t need to guess which room Zarek had taken; she could smell the faint, comforting scent of him.

She pushed the door open. Zarek was lying on his back, wide awake, staring at the ceiling with his arms crossed behind his head.

The moment the door creaked, his head snapped toward her. The fierce, brooding tension in his face melted the instant he saw her silhouette. He didn’t ask questions. He simply lifted one massive arm, opening the furs for her.

Roxy crawled into the bed, pressing her cold body flush against his heat. Zarek wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her dark hair, inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes, finally feeling safe, and drifted off to sleep to the steady, thumping rhythm of his heart.

The next morning, it was time to leave.

Zarek, Kaelen, Torian, Ren, and Syris escorted her through the dense trees until the forest abruptly gave way to a massive, jagged cliffside.

The same cliffside that Roxy was pushed off before.

Below them, the ocean churned. It was a vast, terrifying expanse of deep water, the waves crashing violently against the jagged black rocks at the base of the cliff. The sheer drop was enough to make anyone dizzy, but to Roxy, it was nothing.

Staring at it again only brings bad memories of that protagonist.

Roxy stood a few paces back, wearing a sleek, form-fitting set of dark, waterproof leathers she had purchased from the System shop.

The time for goodbyes had come.

Ren stepped up first, his bushy tail drooping. He took her hands, pressing a desperate kiss to her knuckles. "Do not let the Merman keep you, Roxy. I will sit on this cliff until I see you surface."

"I will be back before you know it, darling," she smiled softly.

Torian simply touched his forehead to hers, his dark eyes burning with the memory of her promise. Kaelen wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off her feet for a brief, crushing hug.

But Zarek wouldn’t let go.

When it was the Dragon’s turn, he pulled her into a fierce, suffocating embrace. His massive arms locked around her ribs, his face buried deep in her neck.

"Zarek," Roxy patted his broad back. "Zarek, you have to let me go."

"I can’t," Zarek grunted, his voice raw. "I can’t watch you fall."

"You have to," she insisted gently, pulling back just enough to frame his rough, handsome face with her hands. She forced him to look into her violet eyes. "You are the king of the beast world. You have to lead them while I am gone. I am coming back to you. I swear it on my core."

Zarek’s jaw clenched. He stared into her eyes, searching for any hesitation, and found only the fierce, unyielding resolve of a Queen.

Slowly, agonizingly, his fingers uncurled from her leathers. He took a single, shuddering step backward, giving her the space she needed.

Roxy didn’t wait for them to say anything else. If she lingered, if she looked at their heartbroken faces for one more second, she knew her courage would fail.

She turned her back to the pack. She walked past Syris, who gave her a single, ready nod.

Roxy neared the absolute edge of the jagged cliff. The wind whipped her dark curls wildly around her face, the roar of the crashing waves filling her ears. She took a deep breath.

Welp, if I don’t do this, I might just submit my soul to the beast world.

She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t look down.

With a sudden, powerful burst of speed, Roxy sprinted the last three steps and threw herself into the open air.

Gravity seized her instantly. The wind roared past her ears as she plummeted toward the churning, icy depths below, the grey water rushing up to meet her.

"Well," Roxy yelled into the rushing wind, a wild, fearless grin spreading across her face. "Here I go!"

A/N: This part onwards was duplicated and I couldn’t delete it, after reading up to here you can skip to the next Chapter, thank you!

That evening, Roxy tried her best to evade Torian.

He was stalking her. There was no other word for it. The White Tiger moved through the Iron-Wood Manor with a heavy, deliberate grace, his dark eyes tracking Roxy’s every movement with a burning, single-minded intensity.

It reminder her of how they first met.

He knew she was leaving for the ocean tomorrow. He knew the risks. And his beast was screaming at him to plant his seed, to claim her completely, to secure his legacy before she disappeared into the crushing depths of the Spires.

Though he was too foolish to realize the danger in that.

But Roxy knew exactly what his affections entailed. And taking a pregnancy into a high-pressure abyssal zone was a death sentence. She could not afford to let him catch her.

"Roxy," Torian’s deep, rumbling voice echoed from the doorway of the kitchen as she tried to sneak a cup of water.

Roxy nearly dropped the wooden cup. She spun around, a nervous, entirely fake smile plastered on her face. Torian stepped into the room closing the distance between them, his eyes dropping to her lips.

"Rian! Hi!" Roxy squeaked, her eyes darting around the room for an exit. "Just... hydrating for the journey!"

He reached out, his large, calloused hand aiming for her waist. "Allow me to help you relax before—"

"Oh, look! Zarek!" Roxy blurted out, ducking cleanly under Torian’s massive arm. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

She bolted out of the kitchen and sprinted directly into the living room, throwing herself entirely into Zarek’s latge arms. Zarek who had been brooding over a map, blinked in surprise as Roxy grabbed his shirt, using him as a literal shield.

Torian appeared in the archway, his jaw clenched so tightly a muscle feathered in his cheek. He glared at Zarek, a low, frustrated growl vibrating in his chest.

"She is busy," Zarek stated flatly, happily taking the excuse to keep Torian away from her, even if he didn’t know the full context.

An hour later, Torian tried again in the upstairs hallway. Roxy saw his broad shoulders turning the corner and immediately threw herself sideways, crashing directly into Syris’s chest.

"Syris, my favorite cold-blooded travel companion!" Roxy gasped, wrapping her arms tightly around the Snake Beastman’s waist and burying her face in his neck.

Syris let out a soft, amused hiss, his emerald eyes flicking up to meet Torian’s furious, thwarted glare over Roxy’s head. "It seems our Queen requires my immediate attention, Tiger," Syris purred smoothly, wrapping a protective coil around her legs.

Torian let out a sharp, aggrieved sigh, running a hand through his stark white hair. He looked so incredibly miserable, so deeply starved and jealous, that Roxy’s heart gave a painful twinge of guilt.

She carefully untangled herself from Syris and took a single, cautious step toward the Tiger, keeping exactly one arm’s length between them.

"Torian," Roxy said softly, her green eyes meeting his dark, burning gaze. "I know what you want. I know what you need from me. But I cannot give it to you tonight. My body needs all its strength to survive the ocean pressure tomorrow."

Torian’s shoulders slumped slightly, the fierce Alpha dominance giving way to a raw, aching vulnerability. "You are leaving me again. Without a piece of you to hold onto."

"I am coming back," Roxy promised fiercely, pointing a commanding finger at his chest. "And when I return with the cure, when this plague is dealt with and my body is rested... I am going to give you an amazing reward. Do you understand? A reward that will make you forget you ever had to wait."

He gave a slow, jerky nod, stepping back to let her pass.

It was not like he could force her to do it, so he was left with no choice.

By the time night truly fell, the Alphas made a rare, unified, and entirely selfless decision. They knew the physical toll the Deep Spires would take on her body. She needed pure, uninterrupted rest.

They escorted her to the master bedroom, kissed her forehead one by one, and then deliberately scattered to the various guest rooms across the Manor, leaving her with the massive, fur bed entirely to herself.

It was a noble gesture. But as Roxy lay in the dead center of the enormous mattress, staring up at the wooden ceiling, she hated it.

The bed was too big. It was too cold. The silence of the room was deafening without the familiar sound of Kaelen’s steady breathing, Ren’s soft murmurs, or Zarek’s low, rumbling snores.

Roxy threw off the furs. She padded silently down the dark hallway, her bare feet making no sound on the floorboards. She didn’t need to guess which room Zarek had taken; she could smell the faint, comforting scent of him.

She pushed the door open. Zarek was lying on his back, wide awake, staring at the ceiling with his arms crossed behind his head.

The moment the door creaked, his head snapped toward her. The fierce, brooding tension in his face melted the instant he saw her silhouette. He didn’t ask questions. He simply lifted one massive arm, opening the furs for her.

Roxy crawled into the bed, pressing her cold body flush against his heat. Zarek wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her dark hair, inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes, finally feeling safe, and drifted off to sleep to the steady, thumping rhythm of his heart.

The next morning, it was time to leave.

Zarek, Kaelen, Torian, Ren, and Syris escorted her through the dense trees until the forest abruptly gave way to a massive, jagged cliffside.

The same cliffside that Roxy was pushed off before.

Below them, the ocean churned. It was a vast, terrifying expanse of deep water, the waves crashing violently against the jagged black rocks at the base of the cliff. The sheer drop was enough to make anyone dizzy, but to Roxy, it was nothing.

Staring at it again only brings bad memories of that protagonist.

Roxy stood a few paces back, wearing a sleek, form-fitting set of dark, waterproof leathers she had purchased from the System shop.

The time for goodbyes had come.

Ren stepped up first, his bushy tail drooping. He took her hands, pressing a desperate kiss to her knuckles. "Do not let the Merman keep you, Roxy. I will sit on this cliff until I see you surface."

"I will be back before you know it, darling," she smiled softly.

Torian simply touched his forehead to hers, his dark eyes burning with the memory of her promise. Kaelen wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off her feet for a brief, crushing hug.

But Zarek wouldn’t let go.

When it was the Dragon’s turn, he pulled her into a fierce, suffocating embrace. His massive arms locked around her ribs, his face buried deep in her neck.

"Zarek," Roxy patted his broad back. "Zarek, you have to let me go."

"I can’t," Zarek grunted, his voice raw. "I can’t watch you fall."

"You have to," she insisted gently, pulling back just enough to frame his rough, handsome face with her hands. She forced him to look into her violet eyes. "You are the king of the beast world. You have to lead them while I am gone. I am coming back to you. I swear it on my core."

Zarek’s jaw clenched. He stared into her eyes, searching for any hesitation, and found only the fierce, unyielding resolve of a Queen.

Slowly, agonizingly, his fingers uncurled from her leathers. He took a single, shuddering step backward, giving her the space she needed.

Roxy didn’t wait for them to say anything else. If she lingered, if she looked at their heartbroken faces for one more second, she knew her courage would fail.

She turned her back to the pack. She walked past Syris, who gave her a single, ready nod.

Roxy neared the absolute edge of the jagged cliff. The wind whipped her dark curls wildly around her face, the roar of the crashing waves filling her ears. She took a deep breath.

Welp, if I don’t do this, I might just submit my soul to the beast world.

She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t look down.

With a sudden, powerful burst of speed, Roxy sprinted the last three steps and threw herself into the open air.

Gravity seized her instantly. The wind roared past her ears as she plummeted toward the churning, icy depths below, the grey water rushing up to meet her.

"Well," Roxy yelled into the rushing wind, a wild, fearless grin spreading across her face. "Here I go!"