Owen's POV
The city below buzzed like an electric hive—glittering, alive, and loud—but all I could hear was the slow, calm rhythm of my breath as I stood atop the skyscraper. The cold night wind ruffled my coat, but it didn't faze me. I activated my Beast Vision—a skill inherited with my title Beast Lord, allowing me to perceive heat signatures, energy traces, and even movement across long distances.
My golden eyes narrowed, scanning the gated property down the hill.
Yates Mansion.
The place looked like a lifeless corpse—no warmth in the windows, no bodyguards patrolling the perimeter.
"So… no one's home right now," I muttered. "Perfect."
I stepped back a few paces, braced my legs, and leapt into the air. The wind roared past my ears, the skyline becoming a blur of light and metal until I landed on the mansion's terrace with a silent thud—graceful, like a panther descending on prey.
I stood straight, glancing down at the massive estate that once belonged to Owen's mother. Now claimed and corrupted by that bastard William and his gold-digging mistress.
"Willam..." I whispered as I cracked my knuckles, voice cold as the steel in my veins. "Just you wait... I will make sure to take everything from you. Everything you built on her pain... on Owen's name... I'll burn it down to ash."
Sliding the glass door open with ease, I slipped inside. The house was quiet, bathed in shadows and moonlight pouring through expensive crystal windows.
The smell of expensive perfumes and imported leather still lingered—but beneath it, something deeper. Faint... like a memory sealed in time.
I reached into my pocket, pulling out a photo from Original Owen's journal—one of his mother sitting on a garden bench, laughing, holding a small pendant in her hand.
"That necklace…" I said aloud. "She never took it off. It was her family heirloom. It should be here."
I searched the old study first. The walls were still lined with William's fake trophies and self-glorifying awards. Typical. A man obsessed with appearances but empty inside.
In the corner of the room, I found an old desk—locked.
"Please," I scoffed, driving my hand straight through the drawer with brute force. Inside, I found an envelope—faded, torn—and beneath it, a small velvet case.
I opened it slowly. Inside was the pendant.
"Found you," I murmured, the faint energy signature still clinging to it. A relic of her presence.
But there was more—beneath the velvet case was a ledger, hand-written.
"What the hell is this…" I muttered, flipping through the pages.
Transaction records. Funds wired directly from Yvette Jennings' private trust to William's dummy accounts. Dates matched Owen and Yvette's marriage timeline.
"He used her too?" I clenched my fists. "Even after all her coldness… she stayed loyal… and he still used her."
I stood up, heart pounding—not from rage, but from purpose.
Then I saw it.
A photograph—one hidden between the pages of the ledger.
It was Lexi, William's mistress, in an office—smiling. But behind her… a vault door. A logo etched on it: Halberd Corp.
"That's where you're hiding it all…"
I took the pendant, the ledger, and the photo. Then I turned toward the master bedroom. I opened the door slowly, taking in the expensive decor that now suffocated what was once a loving home.
On the dresser sat a framed photo—Lexi, Andrew, and William.
I picked it up and crushed it in my hand.
"Your turn's coming, Lexi. What you did to her… to Owen… you'll pay too."
I left the room without looking back, pockets full of evidence, heart burning with conviction.
One step closer.
Tonight wasn't about violence.
Tonight was about reclaiming.
For her.
For Owen.
And for justice that never came the first time.
________________________________________
I walked alone through the dimly lit streets, the rain-slick pavement reflecting the city lights like fractured stars. The world felt quiet… too quiet, like the calm before a storm.
Then it hit—
Ding!
A crisp sound echoed in my ears, and a glowing blue interface flashed in front of my eyes.
----
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
New Quest Unlocked!
Alpha Beast "Tyarent" has begun preparations to invade the Human Realm.
Estimated time of arrival: 7 Days.
Objective: Defeat Tyarent before the invasion.
Status: [Undiscovered Threat – High Priority]
Reward:
Fangs of Tyrants [Legendary Tier Weapon – Beast Bound]
Beast Claws of Dominion [Increases raw strength, speed, and reflex by 40%]
Do you accept this quest?
----
I stopped in my tracks. The glow of the system flickered against the puddle at my feet, but my eyes weren't on the reflection—I was staring straight ahead, jaw clenched.
"Tyarent…" I muttered.
A name only whispered in the deeper parts of the Beast Realm. An Alpha… a destroyer. A creature who once challenged the throne of the Beast King itself before being banished beyond the veil of worlds.
And now it was coming here.
"To test me, huh?" I said aloud, the corner of my mouth curling upward.
The rain began to fall harder, pattering against my coat as I stared into the dark skyline.
"I was a Martial King in my second life… now I'm Beast Lord of this one. You think I'd flinch at some wild, oversized mutt coming into my domain?"
I raised my hand slowly and pressed the glowing blue [ACCEPT QUEST] button.
[Quest Accepted.]
Time Remaining: 7 Days.
A burst of primal energy surged through me, my heartbeat syncing with the pulsing rhythm of the world's tension. The system sealed the contract, and I felt it — a subtle shift in the air, as if fate itself acknowledged the challenge.
I looked down at my hand — claws faintly glowing beneath the skin. A smirk danced across my lips.
"Alright, Tyarent… come at me. I'll prove why I'm the King of Beasts."