"That person... was it... was it the Scourge Queen?"
The question still echoed in his head long after he woke. The Scourge Queen.
The na alone made his blood run cold. It wasn’t a myth anymore. He’d seen her—felt her presence—like death breathing down his neck. It wasn’t a dream. It was a warning.
Nox sat up and swung his legs off the bed. The cold marble floor grounded him. His chest still ached where the phantom wound had been, and the tallic taste of blood lingered.
"Because of you," she had said.
The words wouldn’t leave his mind.
He clenched his fists. Fear wouldn’t help. He needed a plan—sothing that would make sure that vision never ca true. And then it hit him. The Beast Taming class. That was the key. In his dream, he’d been alone. But what if he wasn’t? What if he had an army of tad beasts—companions who could fight with him, not for him?
This was his plan from the very beginning, and now that he had the very active statue, it was ti to put it in motion.
By dawn, he was already working. Orders went out across Cromwell. ssengers ran through the streets and farmlands, spreading the word.
By morning, the entire Cromwell Kingdom was in a frenzy. From the villages in the east to the mountain settlents in the north, people stopped whatever they were doing. Farrs abandoned their fields. Blacksmiths left half-finished blades on their anvils. Even the guards in training dropped their weapons when they heard the call.
Everyone had heard of Nox Cromwell—the Beast Monarch, the man who could command creatures that could destroy armies. But few truly understood what he represented. To most, he was a legend, a walking myth. Yet now he was calling them to awaken... the sa class he held.
For many, that was more than a call. It was a chance—a chance to beco as powerful as him.
Others thought he was very benevolent to share his unique class rather than gatekeeping it like others would.
---
Nox stood on the marble platform outside the temple, watching the endless stream of people climbing the hill. The temple was built there purposely—its massive doors stood open behind him, light spilling from inside. The newly recovered statue of Terra, Goddess of Beasts and Mother of all Tars, stood proudly at the center of the hall.
She was enormous, easily fifteen ters tall. Her eyes glowed faintly, and ethereal vines coiled around her form like living veins. The statue pulsed every few seconds with a heartbeat-like thrum that even the unawakened could feel.
"You didn’t tell anyone you were coming,"
a familiar voice sounded beside Nox.
He didn’t turn around to know it was Jack.
"I forgot..." Nox said with a wry smile, though in truth, he felt there was no point in letting the others know he was back in the Cromwell Kingdom.
Apart from his mother, Aina, who was the governor of Lumina Bay, and Serana, none of his close circle knew that he was back.
"Well, it’s great that you’re in perfect health," Jack smiled. He recalled the first ti he had t Nox—during the ti he was heading to Snowhelm through the illegal tunnel.
(Chapter 83)
’Sure enough, he had grown and improved since then,’ he thought quietly, feeling as though Nox’s aura was continually changing.
Who would have thought that the little teenager who struggled to take down an elental beast would one day beco so powerful?
Soon, he stopped thinking about the past and looked toward the crowd instead.
"There are already thousands down there," he said quietly. "If this keeps up, we’ll need to station guards at every road."
"Let them co," Nox replied calmly. "The temple was built for this."
"You really think they’ll all awaken as Beast Tars?" Jack asked.
Nox looked toward the crowd again.
"The statue I used during my awakening was abandoned and rusty—it required intense prayer to actually get a response from Terra."
"What are you trying to say?" Jack narrowed his eyes slightly.
"There’s a big possibility that everyone who wishes to awaken could..." As he said this, he retrieved the gem. "Because of this."
---
By noon, the temple plaza was completely packed. Teenagers stood shoulder to shoulder, their faces filled with both excitent and fear. So looked barely thirteen; others were young adults already working in trades. Most had co because they had reached the Age of Awakening.
Most had initially planned to go to the Mountain of Ascension, but why go that far when they could easily awaken here in the kingdom?
Usually, people went to the standard awakening temples of Light, Sword, or Magic. But this ti, sothing was different.
This ti, there was Nox.
He stepped forward, and imdiately, the crowd went silent. Even the birds stopped chirping. He raised his hand slightly, and his voice carried across the entire plaza, echoing like rolling thunder.
"Citizens of Cromwell," he began. "For generations, the path of the Beast Tar has been forgotten—abandoned and mocked. But the truth is, beasts were never ant to vanish. They were our allies, our protectors, our family."
He paused, scanning their faces. "You’ve all reached the Age of Awakening. That ans the System itself recognizes your potential. And today, I offer you a choice."
He pointed to the statue behind him. "You may kneel before the Goddess Terra and awaken as one of her Tars. You may form a bond with the essence of life itself. But rember—this path is not easy. A Beast Tar shares their fate with their beast. You suffer together. You grow together. You die together."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. So were scared. Others looked ready to step forward right away.
Nox’s eyes glead faintly. "The world is changing. Monsters are returning. And when that happens, the sword and the staff will not be enough. We need people who can understand the creatures that walk beside us. We need Tars."
He spread his arms slightly. "If you wish to awaken, enter the temple. Touch the statue. If you don’t—step aside and let those with courage walk forward."
No one moved at first. Then, a boy barely fifteen stepped forward. He had dust on his clothes and a nervous look on his face.
"I’ll do it!" he shouted.
The crowd turned, watching as he ran up the stairs and fell to his knees before the statue. He placed both hands on the glowing stone. For a mont, nothing happened—then the projection of a huge monster appeared above him.
It was a wolf.
A giant wolf, larger and far more intimidating than any normal beast, radiating a powerful aura.
Then, a notification flashed before his eyes.
[Congratulations! You have awakened as a Beast Tar!]
The boy gasped, tears filling his eyes. The wolf howled once before fading into light.
That was all it took. The rest rushed forward like a wave.
The temple turned into chaos.
Hundreds of children knelt, palms pressed against the statue, as lines of energy spiraled from the floor. The sound of system chis filled the air, overlapping with cheers and cries of shock.
Outside, Nox and the soldiers struggled to maintain order. Jack barked orders, keeping the crowd from trampling each other. Even he couldn’t hide his awe at what was happening.
In just an hour, more than five hundred Beast Tars had been born.
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