I died.
I remember it clearly.
The hospital bed.
The slow… fading beeps.
Then—
Nothing.
---
So why…
Am I still thinking?
---
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
---
I couldn't breathe.
Cold liquid forced its way into my lungs, drowning me from the inside. My body screamed for air—
But no sound came out.
---
Darkness surrounded me.
Not empty.
Not silent.
---
Alive.
---
It pressed against me.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
Then—
A pulse.
---
Thump.
---
A sound echoed through the void.
Slow.
Heavy.
Like a heartbeat that didn't belong to me.
---
My thoughts sharpened instantly.
Too sharp.
Too clear.
---
I'm alive.
---
That realization struck harder than death.
---
My eyes snapped open.
---
Blue.
---
Everything was blue.
Blinding. Endless. Suffocating.
---
I was floating.
Suspended inside a transparent chamber filled with glowing liquid that shimmered like liquid crystal.
Strange runes pulsed across the glass—
Alive.
Breathing.
Watching me.
---
Then I felt it.
---
My body.
---
Wrong.
---
Too small.
Too weak.
Too… unfamiliar.
---
I tried to move.
Nothing.
Only a faint twitch.
---
Panic surged.
---
No…
No no no—
---
I forced my gaze downward.
---
And froze.
---
A tail.
---
White fur drifted behind me.
Striped.
Moving.
Alive.
---
My breath hitched.
---
That's not mine.
---
But it was.
---
A cold realization crept in—
slow…
inevitable…
terrifying.
---
I'm not human anymore.
---
Before I could react—
I saw them.
---
More chambers.
---
Dozens.
Floating in the darkness like silent coffins.
---
Inside each one—
A child.
Motionless.
Submerged.
---
And every single one—
Had a tail.
---
This wasn't an accident.
---
This was a system.
A process.
---
A factory.
---
Something… was making us.
---
Then—
Something changed.
---
One of the chambers to my left—
Shook.
---
At first, slightly.
Then violently.
---
The liquid inside churned.
The infant within convulsed—
---
Cracks spread across the glass.
---
> [WARNING: HOST FAILURE]
---
The voice echoed—not just in my head—
But through the entire chamber network.
---
The child's body twisted unnaturally.
Then—
---
BOOM.
---
The chamber ruptured.
---
Liquid exploded outward.
Red.
---
The body inside—
Collapsed into nothing.
---
Gone.
---
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Absolute.
---
My thoughts froze.
---
This isn't survival.
---
This is selection.
---
Pressure exploded inside my skull.
---
> [Beast Blood System: ACTIVATED]
---
The voice didn't speak.
It invaded.
Cold.
Mechanical.
Unfeeling.
---
My vision shattered—
Then reformed into a glowing blue interface.
---
> [Compatible host detected…]
[Synchronization: 3%… 21%… 57%… 89%…]
---
My heart pounded violently.
---
Something was waking up.
---
> [100%]
---
Everything stopped.
---
For one second—
The world held its breath.
---
Then—
Pain.
---
Not from outside.
---
From within.
---
Something ancient—
Something violent—
Tore itself awake inside me.
---
AAAAAA—!!
---
My body convulsed violently.
The chamber trembled.
Blue lightning erupted, tearing through the liquid like a storm unleashed.
---
For a brief moment—
I saw my reflection.
---
A cub.
---
A white tiger cub.
---
But its eyes—
Glowed blue like a collapsing star.
---
Power surged through my veins.
Wild.
Ancient.
Uncontrollable.
---
Too much.
---
WAY too much.
---
> [WARNING: Host soul instability]
[WARNING: Body integrity collapsing]
---
Cracks spread across my chamber.
The runes ignited, desperately trying to contain the energy tearing me apart.
---
I couldn't control it.
---
I was going to die—
---
Again.
---
> [Emergency Suppression: FORCED]
---
BOOM.
---
The power inside me was crushed.
Violently sealed.
---
But the damage—
Had already begun.
---
> [Status: Incomplete Awakening]
---
A flickering interface appeared.
---
> Name: —
Age: Infant
Race: Blue-Eyed White Tiger (Azurion)
Bloodline: 100% (SEALED — 0.5% Accessible)
---
Then—
My body broke.
---
Bones cracked.
Veins ruptured.
Organs collapsed inward.
---
I couldn't even scream anymore.
---
The liquid around me turned red.
---
Alarms blared.
---
> [Healing Protocol: Initiated]
---
The chamber reacted instantly.
The liquid was dragged into my body—
Violently.
Forcefully.
---
Rebuilding me.
---
Over.
And over.
And over.
---
Pain drowned everything.
---
Then—
Fire.
---
Blue flames engulfed me.
---
But they didn't burn.
---
They refined.
---
From within the flames—
Something formed.
---
Scales.
---
Azure.
Ancient.
Alive.
---
They wrapped around my body—
Layer by layer—
Sealing me inside a cocoon.
---
An egg.
---
A prison.
---
A rebirth.
---
My vision blurred.
My thoughts slowed.
---
Too weak.
---
Too broken.
---
I was slipping away.
---
Again.
---
No…
---
Not again.
---
NOT AGAIN—
---
Something deep inside me—
Snapped.
---
A roar erupted from my soul.
---
ROOOOOOAAARRR!!!
---
The chamber shook violently.
Cracks spread faster.
The glass screamed under pressure.
---
Across the darkness—
More chambers flickered.
---
Some went still.
---
Others—
Shattered.
---
> [ERROR… ERROR… ANOMALY DETECTED]
---
The System flickered.
Unstable.
---
Then—
For the first time—
It hesitated.
---
> [Re-evaluating Host…]
---
And somewhere—
Beyond the darkness—
---
A pair of eyes opened.
---
Watching.
---
Interested.
---
The pressure around me surged.
Wild.
Defiant.
Unyielding.
---
This wasn't just power.
---
This was will.
---
Refusal.
---
I will NOT die here.
---
The cocoon trembled.
Energy spiraled violently inside it.
---
Everything was breaking.
---
Everything was changing.
---
And in that moment—
A single thought formed.
---
Cold.
Clear.
Absolute.
---
If this cage wants to create a monster…
---
Then I'll become the one it can't control.