Ten Years before the Main Story.
The night slled of damp wood and rusting iron.
Inside an abandoned countryside estate, a small girl sat trembling on the cold floor.
Her tiny hands were bound with rough rope, her cheeks wet with tears that refused to stop.
She was only six years old, and her na was Seris Vale.
Across the room, her father knelt on the ground, surrounded by ard n.
They had co two days ago during a happy family vacation trip.
But they were kidnappers, leeches that preyed on the rich.
They had kidnapped her family. At first, they only demanded money.
But that was never enough to fill their greed.
They forced Seris’s father to transfer everything he owned. Properties, companies, and even the land they possessed.
Piece by piece, the hard work of her father’s life was stripped away.
After signing the final docunt, her father looked exhausted. Yet he still forced himself to speak.
"You promised."
"You said you would let my family go."
The kidnappers burst into dry, cruel laughter.
The sound echoed through the empty house.
"Let you go?"
One of them mocked.
The leader walked forward and placed a pistol against the man’s forehead.
"You rich people are always so naïve."
The gun fired.
The sound shattered the air.
Seris watched as her father collapsed in front of her.
His blood sprayed across the floor. So of it splashed onto her small face.
Seris’s world went silent.
Her mind refused to understand what her eyes had just seen.
Then two n grabbed her mother.
"No! Let go!"
The woman scread as they dragged her into another room.
The door slamd shut.
Then agonizing, desperate screams followed.
Those screams clawed through the walls, chilling Seris to the bone.
The kidnappers outside laughed loudly.
Seris sat frozen on the floor. Her tiny shoulders trembled violently as tears poured down her face.
She covered her ears. But her mother’s screams did not stop.
Minutes passed.
Every minute felt like an eternity.
Then suddenly, the laughter inside the room stopped.
Confused voices followed.
"What happened?"
"Damn it."
"She bit her tongue and swallowed it."
"Waste of ti."
"Tch, way to ruin the mood."
The door opened again.
The n returned, annoyed.
Their eyes turned toward the small girl sitting on the floor.
One of them scratched his chin.
"What about the kid?"
Another shrugged.
"Loose end. Let’s get rid of it."
Seris’s entire body trembled.
Tears stread down her face.
But then she shouted through clenched teeth.
"I will kill you!"
For a mont, silence followed.
Then the n burst into laughter.
One of them stepped forward. He was a tall man with a cruel grin.
"Relax, she’s just a kid."
He crouched slightly.
"Let’s give her a painless death."
Seris stared at him. Her tears stopped.
There was no fear left in her eyes.
Fear had died along with everything else.
Slowly, she grabbed a small broken stick lying beside her with her tied hands.
Her tiny fingers gripped it tightly.
"I will kill you."
The man chuckled.
"Look at that spirit."
He took another step forward.
Then suddenly, a low growl echoed from the doorway.
That growl made all of them freeze.
A massive lion, nearly three ters long, slowly stepped into the room.
Its golden eyes burned like quiet fire.
The Lion looked around the room before pausing on Seris.
Seris and the lion stared into each other’s eyes.
For a brief mont, the world held its breath.
Then the lion roared.
It lunged forward like a thunderbolt.
The man barely had ti to scream before the beast tore into him.
Panic exploded through the room.
"Shoot it!"
"Kill it quickly!"
"Where did this lion even co from?!"
Gunfire erupted.
But the lion was not alone.
More wild beasts rushed through the doorway.
Wolves, leopards, hyenas, and many more.
Animals poured into the room like a living storm.
The kidnappers fired wildly.
Bullets tore through the air.
One struck the lion.
But the beasts did not stop.
Nor were they afraid.
They descended upon the n with savage fury.
Within minutes, the room beca a slaughterhouse.
When the last scream faded, only silence remained.
The animals slowly stepped back.
The wounded lion walked toward Seris.
Blood stained its fur.
It lowered its massive head slightly.
Seris reached out with trembling fingers and gently touched its mane.
...
Two weeks later.
The Council’s local branch finally located the abandoned estate.
What they found shocked every investigator present.
The kidnappers were brutally dead.
Their bodies were barely recognizable.
But that was not the strangest sight.
At the center of the ruined hall sat an unhard little girl.
Beside her rested two lionesses and one injured lion.
The beasts did not attack.
They simply watched, guarding her.
When the council mbers approached cautiously, the lionesses slowly stepped aside.
Seris stood up.
She looked at the lions one last ti.
Then she turned and walked toward the council officers.
She pointed at the injured lion, as if asking them to heal the lion.
...
Five years later.
Seris Vale was eleven years old.
Since the kidnappers were dead, with the help of the Council, Seris inherited her father’s properties.
Using that wealth, she purchased a remote wildlife island.
Although it was a huge amount of money, for her it was just a drop in the ocean.
The island was a place untouched by civilization.
She arrived there alone.
Only the quiet sound of ocean wind and rustling leaves filled the air.
Seris walked deep into the island.
Through thick forests, fallen branches, tall grass, and small ponds.
Until she reached the center of the island.
Then she stopped.
The forest grew silent.
One by one, animals erged from the trees.
Wolves. Bears. Lions. Leopards. Deer. Rabbits. Birds. And many more.
Creatures that normally hunted each other now stood peacefully together.
They approached her slowly.
Then they bowed their heads.
A silent gesture of recognition, submission, and loyalty.
Seris looked over the vast gathering of beasts.
The wind brushed through her dark green hair.
And for the first ti since that terrible night...
She finally spoke softly.
"I’m ho."
And the wild creatures of the island welcod their Sovereign.
That day, the wilderness acknowledged its ruler.
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