I've Been Reincarnated As A Summoned Beast: Chapter 8

Euphy

The fullness of my heart at the summoning of Zero is now emptiness at the fact he isn’t by my side. What a rollercoaster of events that has completely shattered what I once believed. How naive to think I would just be able to summon a beast and have it fully under my control.

If that was truly the case, then what was the point of the academy? Nothing I learned prepared me for this day and the overwhelming presence of Zero. The bond we created upon summoning has weakened considerably once I started to doubt him. I’m such a fool.

It’s quite obvious that his intelligence is far superior to that of any other beast I’ve come into contact with. I wish I could go back in time to before I overreacted to Zero’s actions, in which he wasn’t completely wrong.

He saw one of his own being mistreated, so of course he would have a hostile reaction to that person. It’s not like he went on a killing spree; Zero only confronted the one responsible along with his beasts.

I can’t help but feel like such an idiot to actually feel fear toward my summons for even a second. Zero has been very affectionate towards me since we met, which should have been a blaring obvious sign that he would never harm me. To think I also got jealous of that little fox, who was probably the other reason I reacted the way I did.

The feeling of regret is eating away at me as I stare at the ceiling, unable to close my eyes. My mind is working overtime as I keep replaying the day’s events in my head, wishing I could hug the friendly Zero I met at the summoning.

My mother’s words from earlier weren’t wrong, and if I truly want to have any control over him, I have to show Zero that I truly want this. It’s something I’ve always wished for my whole life and was brought up to become.

Zero had mentioned that he was at the very top of the food chain in his world, so he’s probably not used to having rules put upon him. Killing off an enemy was just a Thursday to him. Changing my morality will be a tall order, as I’ve always believed in the justice my father preached.

It’s obvious we desperately need Zero's strength to combat the invaders from those rifts that come into our world and cause mayhem. I have to solidify my bond to have any hope of saving this world with Zero being our greatest strength. He had even mentioned earlier about growing even more tails in the future that would increase his power.

Crash… slam… crack…

“Emergency protocol! Emergency protocol!” A loud voice reverberated throughout the estate as multiple explosions shook my room, coming from the direction of the Oversight guild.

“What’s going on?” I said out loud in a shriek as I ran to my window to look in the direction of the guild.

Multiple light flashes and different elements illuminate the sky as shock waves start blowing out the windows of our estate.

Without even a chance to react, someone on the top of a beast jumps through a window into my room, showing a menacing grin. The beast he was riding started snarling at me as if I would be his next meal.

I hurriedly backed up as far as I could until my foot hit something, causing me to fall backwards right against the wall. My head slams harshly into it as my senses start to waver. Blinking slowly, trying to regain my senses, I watch on as the man with aggressive features and a mocking smile jumps off his beast and starts approaching me.

He took something out of his pocket and showed it to me. It was a picture of my family. “This is you, right?” I just stared at him, unwilling to confirm or deny anything, as it was obvious she was the one in that picture. Pink hair was not something common among people in this world. “If you’re going to stay quiet, I will allow my buddy here to play with you.” His grin was as wide as it was sinister.

Even though I feared what it meant I had to confirm it, the other option was something I definitely didn’t want to experience. “Yes… that’s me.” I said with a sigh as if I just signed my own death warrant.

“Great, so you’re the one who summoned the anomaly. You’re currently our highest priority right now and will have to take you back with me.” He grabbed onto both of my arms with his hands and yanked me up, and in one fluid motion threw me over his shoulders.

“Ahh! Wh-what do you want from me?” I couldn’t help but blurt it out.

“Shut up, it’s not like it will change anything if I explain.” Before I could even catch my bearings, I was thrown on top of his giant beast that resembled a buffalo. I was placed in front of the man while lying across the beast on my stomach.

I was in a position that made it very difficult to change my current situation and also to understand what was happening around me. Without having a chance to catch my breath, the man jumped back out the window he entered and started running quickly.

Looking around, I could see the guild building was almost fully destroyed, with multiple dead bodies of humans and beasts littering the ground. A metallic scent permeated the air as we traveled. There were no signs of my mother or father, but if they were a target, I could only assume I would see them once we got to our destination.

Where are you, Zero?

During our travels into the forest where I had heard Zero traveled into earlier, the man would repeatedly rub my butt as we traveled. In this position I was completely at the mercy of this bastard. If only I hadn’t been such an idiot earlier, I would have had someone to protect me from this.

After about ten minutes of traveling we hit this encampment of hundreds of men and beasts congregating around a rip in space. They seem to be worried about something, as most of them seemed to be on high alert.

Coming to a complete stop, I was thrown off the beast, landing on something soft and at the same time familiar. Looking up at the one who took a hard hit on the ground trying to catch me were the teary eyes of my mother.

“He’s gone, Euphy; those bastards murdered him!” The anguish I saw in my mother’s eyes was like daggers to my heart as I couldn’t help but follow her lead as tears started to fall.

“Shut the hell up.” One of the men yelled at both of us with a commanding tone. He seemed to be the one in charge as everyone else was looking at him, waiting for orders.

I couldn’t help but shrink back into the embrace of my mother as I bury my face into her chest, unwilling to look at the evil men and women surrounding us. All their beasts had unsettling faces, giving off the feel they were waiting for a command to swallow us whole, as the smell in the air made me sick to my stomach.

Lifting my head I got a glimpse of what was just behind my mother and it was something I would always remember for the rest of my life. Multiple dead bodies covered in blood lay unmoving giving me a realization of what I’ve been breathing in.

My whole body started to shake, understanding I was probably going to die. “I don’t want to die.” I said in a whispered tone to my mother.

I felt her hand rubbing my back, “Me neither sweety, but are only hope is Zero and he’s nowhere to be seen.” I sighed at my mother’s words.

“Do you think he would even come back?” I said with regret.

“Did you not see the way he acted towards you at the beginning? There’s no way the bond you two formed is so shallow for him to throw you away after a small disagreement.”

Hearing her words, I did feel a little more confident that Zero would come. But, at the same time, I remembered just what kind of world he came from and the mentality he must have. Would someone who believed in the survival of the fittest help someone as weak as me?

If Zero Truly does show up and rescue us, I will treat him the way he wishes to be treated and hug him all he wants. So please, Zero… save us!

Suddenly, my hair was pulled violently as I was yanked out of my mother’s embrace and pulled towards the middle of the congregating invaders. After I was thrown violently to the ground, my face slamming into the ground, I felt a wet substance start to fall from my face.

“This is the one who summoned the anomaly. If not for our spies at the academy, we would have never known what kind of entity was brought into this world. It’s a great threat to us as well and must be taken care of.”

“GASP!” The man kicked me with a lot of strength right into my stomach, making it very hard to breathe for a while. Gasping for air, I looked at all those who surrounded me, and not one of them showed any pity in their eyes. Many of the men had lustful gazes towards the both of us.

“After we use this bitch for bait in luring her beast here, I will allow all of you to do with her what you wish. The same goes for her beautiful mother, but until we kill that beast, they must remain alive.” His stern eyes looked around at everyone in attendance, stopping on a few key individuals who looked away from his powerful gaze.

“YEAH!!!!” They all cheered as if their deepest desire was about to be fulfilled. I couldn’t help but feel disgusted and fearful of all these horrible people. Even the woman looked at me as if I were a piece of meat. What the hell?

I looked back at my mother, who stared at me with wet eyes, as I’m sure she’s feeling the same way I do. Having to watch people take advantage of her daughter in this way couldn’t be good for a mother’s rationality.

“Beep... Beep… Beep!” All of a sudden a beeping noise sounded throughout the camp that started getting more and more frequent. The faces of all those around me started looking serious, as if something was coming.

“Everyone get ready!” The one in charge roared as he came in my direction, pulling me to my feet, wrapping his arm around my neck, and placing a dagger harshly against my midsection.

Who could it be? Would Zero actually be coming? That was my only guess if I was being used as a hostage.

The atmosphere started to become heavy as all the beasts in the area started roaring into the sky as a force began pushing down across the entire area. I felt his arm tighten around my neck as it became even harder to breathe.

Everyone was looking in a certain direction as I heard the trees start to snap and shake as something big was making its way towards us. Even though I understood this could be Zero, I still felt fear not knowing for sure what was about to happen.

Without warning the green and brown scenery turned into a vibrant white highlighted with a blue tinge that covered everything in its menacing aura. Four large walls sprouted out of the ground with a solid ice texture, creating a cage that no one could escape from.

Then a massive beast sprouted out of the tall trees, looking down at us with a malicious grin on its face. Its glowing sapphire eyes were so intimidating that many fell backwards in fright. Even the man holding me took a few steps back, causing some blood to run down my body as the knife lightly dragged across my skin.

I watched on as Zero looked at me straight in the eye as all seven of his tails stuck straight up along with his ears. No longer waving all around when we were interacting with each other before, but giving off a killing intent that everyone was now feeling.

“ROAR!!!” The loudest and most violent sound carried throughout the area as the force I felt earlier disappeared with one of an even higher level. Pushing myself and the man to the ground, I heard a "ting" sound. Taking a glance in that direction, I saw the man’s dagger had dropped to the ground.

Gazing in my mother’s direction, I saw a blue, clear-like sphere encircle her body, exuding the same energy Zero was giving off. That very same aura was also enveloping me. I watched on as that same man who threatened my life earlier, promising his men my virginity, grabbed the dagger and tried to pierce this barrier.

“Ahhhhhh!” As he came into contact, he turned into an ice cube in the matter of a few seconds. I look up to where Zero is currently standing and smile, hoping he will forgive me.