The voice that spoke wasn’t Kai.

No part of the creature Anna was looking at resembled Kai. She had an inkling in that very moment that Kai wasn’t an ordinary shark.

Without warning, without even glancing at her, he tackled Leon with a vicious and terrifying burst of speed. His claws slashed into Leon’s body with frightening accuracy, causing the massive Leon to thrash about and roar.

Anna watched, helpless, her trembling hands clutching onto Ray, as the two apex predators tore into each other.

Leon was fast, heavy and lethal. But Kai was swifter, faster, and on the winning end. The office was quickly reduced to a mess, their death match tearing apart everything in their sight.

This is all my fault.

I did this.

If I hadn’t used my spores then...

Leon roared, snapping his jaws at Kai’s throat. Only for Kai to dodge, tearing into Leon’s sides, deep bloody gashes appearing in his thick coat.

Anna’s breathing became very hard and fast. Her chest tightened and her vision blurred. Her ears exploded with a ringing sound as tears rushed down her cheeks. She looked down at Ray, noticing his pale cheeks, his eyes barely open, and she sobbed harder.

This is all my fault.

Aunt Camilla was right. Everyone around me ends up getting hurt.

A deafening crack shot through the air like a firecracker.

Anna shuddered, crouching over Ray to protect him.

The office gave out. Literally. A whole part of the outer wall shattered into pieces, caused by Leon throwing Kai’s body into it. Buckets of stone and mortar rained down, revealing the courtyard below.

Anna screamed, her mind frazzled and frayed.

"Anna!" A loud shout reached her. She peered down, at the courtyard where soldiers and some servants were gathering, and spotted Azul. The moment he confirmed it was her, he shot up, vanishing from sight.

Meanwhile, Leon and Kai continued to go at it, the scent of blood growing thicker and heavier in the air.

In second, Azul was beside Anna. His sharp gaze swept the office in two seconds, and settled over Anna.

"You’re hurt!" He exclaimed as he knelt by her side.

Anna shook her head. "Ray! Please take him! He’s dying!"

Only then did Azul glance at Ray. His jaw tightened and his eyes turned dark. He held no bad feelings for Ray, but Anna was injured and she was right in front of him.

"Azul please!" Anna cried. "He’ll die...he’ll die for real...."

Azul sighed. He swore to give Leon and Kai a piece of his mind once they were done acting like wild animals.

With swift and gentle movements, he carried Ray up. "Come with me!" He said to Anna.

Anna’s heart broke all over again seeing Ray so limp and motionless, looking so vulnerable in Azul’s arms. "I’m right behind you, please hurry!" She lied through bold teeth.

Azul bowed before hurrying off, a trail of blood following him.

Once he was gone and Anna spotted his form racing to the infirmary, she finally rose to her feet and faced the fight.

Down below, the soldiers all kept their distance. But whispers were already rising about the Princess. They said she was controlling her husbands, turning them into mindless and bloodthirsty beasts. They kept away, weapons drawn, but their faces pale with a mixture of awe and dread.

Anna didn’t care about that.

"Leon! Kai!" Anna screamed, hoping her voice would get to the mad men.

Nothing.

Neither one of them were listening. It was like throwing a bucket of water on a wild fire.

To make matters worse, Leon’s foot slipped and he fell right out of the gaping hole in the wall, landing on his paws in the courtyard. Kai followed after, jumping down with a gleeful laugh.

The soldiers on the ground all collectively stepped back, their weapons held higher, but none daring to step forward.

It was like now they had more space, their brawl turned into something monstrous.

Anna stood close to the edge of the hole, her eyes wide, her clothes soaked with blood, totally unable to believe what she was seeing.

Leon was bleeding out fast. His brown coat of fur had turned dark red. Kai remained unharmed, letting out bouts of guttural laughter as he repeatedly slashed into Leon while dodging his claws, remaining graceful and fluid and untouchable. His black eyes gleamed with ecstasy.

A sickening feeling twisted in Anna’s chest.

She froze as a violent headache ripped through her, unlocking a memory she had previously glossed over.

A fighting pit. Deep and dark, with blood splatters all over the floors and the walls. Rows and rows of seats chocked full of cheering spectators. It was a hot sunny day, and in the centre of the pit was a massive iron cage. There was Kai, younger, way skinnier than he was now. Yet his eyes gleamed with something intense and dark. His body was covered in fest ring wounds, and in the cage was another person, a massive snake beastman. Kai tore into him in seconds flat, emerging the winner. His body covered in blood and entrails. And seated at the front of the spectators with a cup of tea, was a sixteen-year-old Princess Orchid. Regal, cold, watching Kai with an expression caught between disgust and disinterest.

Everything made sense to Anna.

The reason Kai often acted like a pet dog. That was because Princess Orchid made him that way. She spotted his potential for violence, his craving for blood. And she used it to her advantage.

More of those memories came rushing forward.

Princess Orchid using Kai as her executioner, removing people she didn’t like. An assassin that got caught? He became Kai’s dinner. That one council member she didn’t like? Disappeared like poof. And each time Kai was good, she rewarded him with her oresence and more promise of violence. And when he was bad, she took his teeth out and roasted his fins and left him for weeks, chained to the bottom of his tank till he behaved.

Princess Orchid made Kai a weapon.

And now Princess Orchid was gone. But her programming still lingered.

And Anna was now facing the consequences of another woman’s actions. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Marriage? It was more of a master and pet dynamic.

No wonder. No fucking wonder.

In that moment, Anna knew without a doubt, that Kai would end up killing Leon.

A part of her wanted to stay back and do nothing.

Leon deserved it.

He deserved every cut and every snap of Kai’s jaws into his skin. He deserved it and more.

But...

Anna’s human heart ached each time she heard him roar out in pain. Seeing his blood soak up into the ground. Hearing Kai’s manic laughter. She may be in the body of a villainess, having her memories, and everything but deep down she was still Anna Carson. The corporate slave. The girl who couldn’t say no. The same girl who most definitely couldn’t watch someone die.

But he hurt Ray. Ray is dying because of him! Why can’t he die too?!

Anna raised her hands, channeling her black spores. They came easily. Too easy it was like everything in the universe conspired to aid her. Her spores materialized, hardening over her hands into two pointy ends. She aimed them at Leon.

He deserves it. Leon deserves to die. He should die. He should—but Lotus will miss him. She loves him. I should—

In a split second, everything went wrong.

As she leaned forward, her foot slipped on the slick puddle of blood left behind on the stone.

With a sharp gasp, she lost her footing. Her arms flailed around as she desperately tried to hold onto something, anything. All her fingers closed around was air.

The soldiers screamed in horror as the Princess fell forward, falling straight out of the ruined office wall and heading toward the chaotic, blood-soaked courtyard below.

Anna closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact. Which never came.

Before she could hit the ground, shattering every bone in her body, a massive mechanical shadow tore through the skies above the barracks. The sun was blotted out. A metallic screech tore through the air, causing the soldiers to scream and cover their ears.

A flying AI beast swooped down from the clouds. It’s massive, steel plated talons snapped shut around Anna’s waist mid-air with delicate precision m and plucked her right out of the sky.

Anna opened her eyes, horrified to see the scene in front of her. The beast inclined its wings, launching itself back into the sky with such speed it made her nauseated.

The courtyard became smaller and smaller, the figures of Kai and Leon halted just for two seconds to glance up at the sky before Leon pounced on Kai again.

Anna screamed, struggling and thrashing against the beast.

AI Beasts didn’t fly! None of them did. That was the one advantage this world had over them.

They absolutely did not fly!

"Let me down!" Anna screamed. Her black spores exploded all around her, flickering as her fear diluted them. The beast didn’t stop. Didn’t slow down. It didn’t drop her either.

Instead, it spoke. She went shell shock still as she recognized the voice. It was hard to mistake. She’d recognize that soft, guilty and reverent voice anywhere.

"Anna. You’re scared. You shouldn’t be."