Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord

Jayden's body sank into his mattress like he'd been dropped from the sky. The night's hunt clung to him, the faint lingering scent of frost and venom in his hair. His muscles ached, but not in the way of pain.. it was the deep, thrumming fatigue of a predator who had spent the night proving he belonged in a world built on claw and fang.

He had managed to earn a decent number of EXP through the night hunt, but they weren't enough for him to level up just yet.

He stared up at the ceiling, chest rising and falling, the whisper of Luna's voice still threading through his skull. The presence and actions of the Sapphire Sonic.

The name alone made his pulse quicken. A living blur of white and blue, a creature whose very presence had made the Winter Wolf and the Saber-Tooth Flare feel like shadows. It hadn't attacked him. No, it had looked at him. Assessed him. And for the first time in a long while, Jayden had felt small again.

And yet... his mind tugged at the thought: Could it be tamed? Could he convince it to become his ally?

Then his thoughts spiraled, drifting into deeper thoughts. The Winter Wolf.. icy, ruthless and proud. Could she also be bound?

What would it mean if he could gather beasts like them... not as trophies, not as enemies, but as allies?

His chest stirred with an ambition he hadn't dared give words. It was a new feeling he was starting to decipher, especially after that night with Tasha when she was talking about being friends with beasts.

Was it really possible... Having beasts as allies rather than hunting them?

As Jayden thought of all these, exhaustion finally set in, pulling him under the spell of the sandman. His last coherent thought before falling asleep was of glowing blue eyes blinking at him from the dark.

....

When he woke, sunlight had already spilled across his curtains. A golden warmth pressed against his eyelids, coaxing him awake. Jayden sat up slowly, rubbing the fog of sleep from his face, his body stiff but rejuvenated after the night's chaos.

He moved through the rhythm of the morning: toothbrush in hand, cold water against his skin, the sting of mint clearing his senses. The house was alive with soft domestic noise downstairs... the faint clinking of plates, murmurs of voices. He joined them, slipping into the family current as though the night before hadn't been soaked in blood and discovery.

Breakfast was warm, grounding. The taste of eggs and toast lingered in his mouth as laughter buzzed faintly around him, though his own mind was elsewhere... taming beasts, the system, the sapphire sonic.

Back in his room, he unbuttoned his shirt and stepped toward the bathroom. He meant to shower quickly... just strip, rinse, and be done with it.

But his gaze snagged on the forgotten bathtub. The porcelain curve gleamed faintly in the sunlight spilling from the window. For weeks, it had sat there like an afterthought, ignored, abandoned.

Yet now, something in him slowed. The thought of slipping into water, of letting his muscles unravel into warmth, was irresistible. His shoulders slumped, his body giving in before his mind could protest.

He turned the tap. Steam curled upward, soft and ghostly, filling the air with the subtle scent of soap as he dripped it in. The water frothed faintly, catching the light. Jayden stripped down, muscles tense and scar-lined, then stepped in. The instant heat licked at his skin, and he exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Oh, yeah... that feels right." he murmured, his voice a low sigh.

He leaned back, submerged up to his chest, the warmth seeping deep into the marrow of his bones. Every ounce of tension, every phantom ache from claws and ice and venom, loosened. His mind cleared, the silence of the water cocooning him.

The system interface flickered to life at his mental call, its familiar silver screen hovering faintly above the mist. He scrolled, eyes scanning his stats.

He had seventy available stat points. A trove of raw power.

He tapped his fingers against the water's surface, ripples spreading. He could distribute them, push his strength higher, fortify his speed, sharpen his senses. But his stats were already formidable... balanced, solid, basically overpowered.

Then a thought lingered in his mind. A voice telling him he should leave the stat points and keep piling them up, to save them for some other time. A time when they might come in handy.

So he left the points untouched.

Time passed unnoticed. He lingered nearly an hour in the bathtub, his body slack, his mind floating somewhere between strategy and peace. Eventually, though, he rose. Droplets slid down his skin, tracing along his muscles, before he dried and covered himself with his towel.

The world snapped back to rhythm the moment he stepped out of the bathroom.

But before he could take another step, a knock rapped on his bedroom door. Light, almost playful.

Jayden paused, towel still wrapped around his lower body. He approached the door with a raised brow and opened it.

And there she was.

Blonde hair tumbled down in waves of gold, catching the light like strands of spun sunlight. Her eyes... sharp, amethyst purple, glittered with a mischief that pulled the air tight in his lungs. She leaned against the doorframe as though she owned it, as though she'd been waiting for this moment all along.

Her outfit was a deliberate contradiction: an oversized white jersey that draped loosely off her frame, paired with pink mini-shorts that revealed her long legs toned with subtle strength. On her feet, pink sneakers tapped lightly against the floor, restless and alive.

The sight was casual, playful.. yet breathtaking.

Jayden blinked, his throat suddenly dry. "...Cassie?"

Cassandra's lips curved into a grin, slow and knowing. "Hey, Romeo." Her voice carried that familiar teasing lilt, equal parts affection and trouble. She tilted her head, purple eyes dancing with unspoken amusement. "Did you miss me?"

********

Hey guys, so quick heads-up. The next chapter will be longer and therefore cost a lot more coins to unlock.

I made the mistake of uploading two different chapters in the same draft. But don't worry, I've merged them perfectly.

So this means you'll be unlocking two chapters at once instead of one.

Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for reading.

Gracie!