Earlier, the members of the Zur'Ibex Clan of the Devil Horned Tribe stood on the rocky outcrop, gazing down at the forest below.
Their expressions were grim, their collective mood sour as they engaged in a heated discussion.
"We've only attracted weak wild Zur'Ibexes," one of them grumbled, his voice thick with frustration. "All of them are below Wilding in the third stage. It's a disgrace."
"Indeed," another agreed, his tone equally discontented. "The shaman sacrificed his magic main core for this ritual, hoping to summon strong warriors with incredible talent. What if no strong wild Zur'Ibexes come? It would all be for nothing."
They were a proud clan, once thriving, now diminished and desperate.
The memory of their displacement by the Snow Leopard Tribe and the Hundred Bison Tribe lingered like a dark shadow over their spirits.
Forced from their ancestral home, hunted relentlessly, and now, they had turned to desperate measures to ensure their survival by attracting new members from the wild.
However, the shaman's self-sacrifice was meant to be a beacon, drawing powerful beings to bolster their ranks. Instead, it seemed to have drawn only the weak and unworthy.
"If it weren't for those cursed tribes, we wouldn't be in this situation," a third member spat, his eyes narrowing with anger. "We wouldn't need to resort to such drastic measures."
Their conversation shifted to a recent meeting where they had encountered fake Ibexes, imposters meant to deceive and infiltrate. "Remember what the spy told us?" one of them said, his voice lowering conspiratorially. "He claimed we were in the territory of the Rose Kingdom and the Borgias Family."
Laughter erupted among the group, a bitter, mocking sound. "The Borgias Family? What Family is that? I'm sure he is lying," one of them scoffed. "Those tales are nothing but myths. The Snow Leopard Tribe and the Hundred Bison Tribe would never allow themselves to fall under the dominion of anyone, let alone a human kingdom or a family."
Their disdain was obvious, one could see it in their faces.
The notion that their fate could be intertwined with the human domains was laughable to them.
They were the proud Zur'Ibex Clan, survivors of countless trials, yet now teetering on the edge of ruin.
As their laughter subsided, the air grew tense, their discussion trailing off into uneasy silence.
They looked out over the rugged landscape, each lost in their own thoughts, doubts gnawing at their confidence.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. A sound rose from the forest below, a roar so powerful it seemed to shake the very ground beneath them.
"GURRRAAAAAAAA!!!!"
It was unlike anything they had heard before, far stronger and more commanding than the feeble cries of the wild Zur'Ibexes they had attracted thus far.
The roar reverberated through the cliffs, echoing off the stone and filling the air with a sense of raw, unbridled power.
They paused, every one of them frozen in place, their eyes wide with shock and a flicker of hope.
This roar was different, unmistakably strong.
Perhaps, just perhaps, their shaman's sacrifice had not been in vain.
…
Below, inside the stone-like cage, a beautiful girl sat huddled against the cold, unyielding walls.
Her name was Corora, and her youthful look belied the torment she had endured. Her large, expressive eyes were red and swollen from crying, her cheeks stained with the tracks of endless tears. Her hair, once neatly kept, was now disheveled and tangled, her delicate hands clutching at the ragged remnants of her clothing.
Twin bighorns curved gracefully from her head, a sign of her forced transformation.
Corora sobbed harder when she heard the roar that shook the air.
GURRAAAAAAAAAA!!
It was a terrifying sound, filled with raw power and menace. She had been crying endlessly since her capture, and this new development only intensified her fear. Her mind drifted back to the horrifying events that had led her to this point.
In the real world, in just three days, her life had become a constant struggle for survival.
Flesh-eating black-inked zombies roamed the land, creatures of nightmare that could run, climb, and track their prey by scent. She remembered the day they had attacked the house where she and her younger sister had been staying with their aunt.
The zombies had come out of nowhere, a relentless tide of death and destruction.
Corora had watched in horror as the zombies devoured her aunt, tearing her apart while she screamed.
The memory was seared into her mind, an indelible mark of terror.
She and her sister had fled, desperate and terrified, not knowing the fate of their parents or what the future held.
The world had become a dangerous place, filled with threats they could scarcely comprehend. And then, without warning, Corora had been transported to this dark, magical world, tasked with infiltrating the Devil Horned Tribe as a human spy. But she had been caught, like so many others, and thrown into this stone cage.
It had been three days since her capture.
She was back and forth, always hiding in the real world and worried to his sister who was with her while she was caged in this unknown world.
Three days of fear and uncertainty, of crying herself hoarse and praying for some miracle to deliver her from this nightmare.
The tribe had made it clear that she and the other captives were to be used for some nefarious purpose, and the waiting had driven her to the brink of despair.
Back in the present, Corora's heart pounded in her chest as she saw a massive creature charging towards her cage.
GURRAAAAAAA!!!
It was gigantic, a hulking figure that radiated power and menace. She could barely process what she was seeing, her mind reeling with terror.
The sight of the massive creature, far more massive than any other creature brought back memories of the horrors she had witnessed earlier, of the other captives who had been taken before her.
She remembered the women who had been violated by the tribe's members, their screams echoing through the dark caverns.
These beasts were driven by lust, their minds clouded by a primal hunger that left no room for mercy or reason.
Corora had watched in helpless horror as the creatures fought over the women, their brutal desires turning the captives into objects of their depravity.
The sight of one, two, three, four, five, and an uncountable number of beasts assaulting a single woman was a nightmare she couldn't erase from her mind.
Corora was just a normal student, a girl who had once dreamed of a quiet, simple life. She was cute, with a shy demeanor that had kept most boys at a distance.
A lot of boys always send her letters.
The last time someone had confessed to her, the boy had been too shy to even look her in the eye.
She had always hoped for a normal love, a gentle romance that would bring happiness and warmth into her life, and all she needed was a little courage—hoping someone would talk to her normally.
That's all Corora is asking—courage.
Now, faced with the reality of this monstrous creature, those dreams seemed to shattered.
The giant beast approaching her was nothing like the love she had imagined. It was a creature of nightmares, far larger and more terrifying than anything she had ever seen.
The thought of what it might do to her filled her with a dread so profound it seemed to freeze her very soul.
Soon, it reached her and it slammed the cage she was in.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The stone-like cage rattled as the creature reached it, its massive form casting a dark shadow over her.
The ground shook with each step it took, the sound of its breathing a deep, rumbling growl that resonated in her bones.
Corora cowered in the corner of the cage, her body trembling uncontrollably. She could hear the stone cracking under the force of the creature's assault, the bars bending and groaning as it tore through the barrier that separated them.
In the final moments before the cage gave way, Corora's mind was a whirlwind of fear and despair. She didn't want this, didn't want to be a victim of such brutal, senseless violence.
She wanted to go home, to find her sister, to live a normal life free from the horrors that had consumed her world.
"Someone, please take me back to the past, I'll be a good girl," all she could mumble.
However, the last thing she saw before the cage shattered was the creature's eyes, blazing with a terrible hunger of lust.
The bars splintered and fell away, and the beast's massive hand reached for her. And then, the world went dark.
Nothing.