I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

ELSIE POV.

I could still remember the first day I picked up his scent.

It was from a mile away, and I was bound by my feet and hand and led to a cage to be sold like an animal to a slaughterhouse.

I felt useless before then, being captured by humans that I considered much lesser than beastkins.

I always hated them; they were full of greed, pride, and lust, and all they ever wanted to do was take.

They would plunge into lesser villages and capture our kinds, sell and use them as they pleased, and after one particular incident, I decided to act but foolishly got captured.

During that period when I felt like nothing, and I had decided to fall just like every other beastkin that was captured, where I lost all light and was dragged like an animal with no hope of ever returning, was when I picked up his scent, a scent so captivating, nearly suffocating, the scent of my Mate.

It's not just gut feeling, but an actual aroma that turns beastkin into a state of reinvigoration.

I was so happy when I perceived it, thinking that a beastkin or group of beastkin were nearby to rescue us.

I got the courage to move on as well since I picked up another scent that came with him or them, the scent of death.

I could tell that whoever was coming was going to be strong enough to cause such a trigger, and that caused an excitement that I could have never explained within me.

After all, it was the joy of every female beastkin to mate with a powerful Male, but that came crashing down when he came to rescue me from that fiendish human they called Gonzalo.

I could smell it from him, and it was extremely weird, after all, he was a human.

There have been cases where beastkins had gone through their entire life without finding a mate, and I always thought that their mates could have died already or were yet to be born, but my case was the first of many, but could it be that their partners could or should have been humans.

With those thoughts in mind, I stuck around during their fight, even when I had the chance to escape, and the fight only invigorated me more, causing a burning desire I couldn't explain.

I followed the battle with my eyes, until the very end when he froze him. That sight continued to live rent-free in my mind, and time and time again, when I recalled it after returning to my village, I would get so caught up in the moment, unable to move, breathe, or think.

It was ethereal! Like magic, ice had frozen the man's body until he had become dust. How could something be so terrifying and yet so beautiful?

It was at that moment that I decided there and then, that I would make him mine. Someone like him was bound to grow stronger, enough to reach the skies, enough to plunder mountains, and split seas.

So, I decided to mark him first so I would never forget it, and left back to the village to get permission, but of course, no one would let me do that to myself.

'I'm practically eloping at this point' I thought with a sigh. I didn't even let anyone know where I was going. I just went up and left one day. 'Father must be so furious…luckily I didn't tell him the name of the boy'.

If Raph was strong enough for me, a Chieftain's daughter to get mesmerized over, then it would be hard to imagine what sort of things he could accomplish in the near future, and I wanted to be part of that future.

'No, I need to be part of it'.

I took a step forward, noticing how he kept glancing at me as he walked into the Dining hall. His moon-shaped pupils and white hair only increased the tension within me; there was nothing imperfect about him.

'Oh, How much I want him all'.

It was natural for beastkin to fall in love with their mates immediately, but humans were different. If a mate loses their partner….they die shortly after, mostly due to love sickness, but another reason would be the emptiness they feel when they lose their partners. After all, beastkins were more loyal than humans.

Beastkins could let their male partners find another mate if they wished to do so, but only if they were at least twice as strong as their current female partners, so I wasn't scared that he would want to find another lover, what I was scared of was not getting loved at all.

I could die if he didn't show interest, but the challenge invigorated me. It didn't matter how long or how far I had to go, I would surely make him love me in the end; if that wasn't even possible, then he would at least look at me and want me.

With a small sigh, I tucked in all my emotions and feelings as I approached him, a smile growing on my face.

'Like grandma always said. The best way of mesmerizing a man is DST, dedication, submission, and….temptation'.

"Can I come to check your room when we're done with classes?" I asked, noticing the sudden change in his expression again. I loved how cutely his expressions changed when I brought up intimate conversations.

"No–no, you may not." He walked away to get a table, while I followed after him, a familiar song playing in my head.

I chuckled, humming it loudly as I got to him, and continued walking beside him.

'That's progress'.

****

Some few minutes had passed and most students had been seated on one of the five long rows of tables, intricate designs and patterns on the craft work on their tables and chairs.

It was mesmerizing, but not as good as the Beastkins.

We were seated together with a girl Raph called the "first" member of the group; I couldn't help but admit that I was jealous.

"You fitting in?" Raph asked the girl. Her raven black hair seemed similar to mine, but they were a deeper shade, and her eyes were much brighter than mine, almost like actual rubies.

'Well, no point in comparing'.

"Since when have we been in a talking stage?" The girl asked, trying to focus on the book she had been reading before we joined in.

It was peculiar, as she was the only one seated on this side of the long table.

"Hm? Were we not? Even after that night?" Raph asked, taking a sip of his tea.

'Oh, so elegant–Wait! Talking stage? That night? Wha–What is going on here?'.

I turned towards Raph, and he slowly glanced at me, noticing my sudden change in expression.

He raised a brow in confusion, until his gaze snapped in realization, and a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"I'm sorry, we just had a late-night conversation as all, nothing much about it."

The girl glanced at the both of us from the opposite end of the table, a sign of displeasure in her gaze. "She's the Chieftain's daughter isn't she? When I heard a beastkin got admitted into this academy, I had really made up my mind to give up on predictability".

Raph chuckled at her statement. He was fiddling with his sandwich, his thoughts probably somewhere else as he took a while before he took a bite from it.

"What is there in predictability anyways? Variables are much better when they're in your favor".

The girl's raised a brow. "True, But that just makes things unfair; variables are a sign of weakness. They shouldn't exist, since a predetermined future has been set.

Things like the weak defeating the strong or a poor man outsmarting a rich man doesn't make sense".

My ears perked up after that statement.

Since I found Raph, I had decided to ignore the other humans around him. After all, I don't trust them one bit. And I only trust Raph now because he's my mate, but what this girl said at the moment, really, really pissed me off.

"Are you saying the weak should continue to feel oppressed? Aren't variables needed to fight back against the strong?"

The girl looked up at me, her ruby eyes meeting my deep shade of crimson blood red eyes.

"It's their fault for being weak".

It was almost like something snapped within me, as I attempted to stand up from the chair.

'People like her would only listen to the strong anyways! No one would get hurt if I sliced her up a little. Or so I thought, but Raph held me back, making an unexpected, startling move on me at the same time, as I felt my cheeks reddened.

"Ra–Raph, your hand," I muttered, sitting back down while he glanced at me with an innocent gaze.

'This bastard keeps teasing me when I least expect it'.

He slowly withdrew his hands from my waist, turning towards the girl, leaving me to my thoughts.

"Ciara dear, this is exactly why I can't let you alone in this Academy". His tone had turned deep, much deeper than he had ever spoken before, and I could feel my legs fold to that voice.

The girl, Ciara, looked up at him, a raised brow on her face. "Huh?". She seemed just as confused as me.

"It's a good thing I got you to join my club; you will learn a thing or two before you graduate." His statement sounded much more commending than how he wanted to make it sound. I was sure of that, and the intensity in his gaze flickered like wildfire.

'Hah…' My body tensed, and a heat began to grow below my belly as I looked down, breathing slowly, while squeezing the helm of my dress. '.....just take me already'