I nurtured a beastman bodyguard with my own lifeblood. Six years. I loved him, cherished him, poured out every ounce of my heart, only to get one answer: “Don’t even think about taming me.” During the Creature Uprising, he shielded another girl, leaving me to be trampled. He was *my* bodyguard. Yet he always left me behind. He even used his scorpion tail to constrict my throat, forcing me to give my blood to save that girl. He didn’t know that every drop of blood I shed diminished my life force. He also didn’t know it was the last of my lifespan. “Anya, I swear I’ll make it up to you. Please, save her.” The proud creature finally bowed, acknowledging me as his master. My fingers slowly became transparent. “But… we don’t have a future.” His scorpion tail thrashed wildly, his eyes glazed over with primal rage. He’d gone feral. “Chloe…” Even then, he called her name. I let him bite into my arm. Only when my blood touched his throat did he slowly calm down. “Thank you…” I didn’t whine or complain like I usually would. Instead, I pushed him away, wiping the remaining blood on a nearby plant. The withered leaves instantly revived. And my life force dwindled further. “I’m moving closer to the lab. You’re my bodyguard, so you’re coming with me.” Kael froze. “But…” “I feed you with my blood every month, not so you can handle her heat cycles.” His chest was covered in love bites. I forced my gaze away, my eyes stinging. The accusation almost spilled from my lips. But it twisted, turning into a threat. “Don’t forget your duties. If anything happens to me, the Federation won’t let you off.” In this fractured world, after the great creature upheaval, food crops were on the brink of extinction. I was the Federation’s only botanist. “Understood.” Kael lowered his gaze. “I’ll head out then.” As he reached the door, I called out to him. “Kael, what do you think we are to each other?” He paused. His broad shoulders shrugged, taut, golden-bronze muscles tensed. At his waist, there was the indelible brand of a rejected specimen. If I hadn’t spent half my life saving him, he would have died long ago. “Employer and bodyguard.” “You provide the blood, I protect you.” The answer I expected. No matter how much I gave, his heart would never have a single corner for me. Why force it? He was never my Liam. He wouldn’t cherish me like I was the most precious thing in the world. No matter how much he looked like him, he wasn’t. Tears blurred my vision. I tried to wipe them away, but my fingertips were already turning transparent. “I might not be able to pay your salary anymore.” I was fading fast. Kael didn’t take me seriously. “Then I’ll find a new gig.” He strode away, leaving the door ajar and me to my quiet sobs. I always joked with him. But this time, it was real.
When I woke up, Kael was already geared up and waiting by the main entrance. “Your clothes are all here. Files are sorted.” He frowned slightly, his strong, elegant fingers brushing aside a stray lock of hair as he meticulously checked the luggage. “Your calming diffuser was a bit damp, so I didn’t bring it. I’ll get you a new one later.” “The plushie, I bagged it separately…” “Throw it out,” I said flatly. That plushie was a gift from Kael. He was originally going to give it to Chloe, but she rejected it, so he passed it off to me. The ridiculous part was, I cherished it. Kael paused. “Why?” It was the first time he hadn’t obeyed my command. “Didn’t you like it a lot? Keep it…” “Brother Kael!” Chloe’s light footsteps echoed as she ran into the yard, throwing herself into Kael’s arms. “Thank you for yesterday! I came to express my gratitude.” Kael stiffened, his hands unsure where to go. His ears, out of Chloe’s sight, were flushed and hot. His scorpion tail hovered high, as if afraid of accidentally hurting her. I glanced at the back of my hand. It had been brushed by a venomous barb last night. It was red and swollen, looking like it might break the skin. Perhaps I was used to it; I didn’t even feel the pain. “Oh? Isn’t this the doll I didn’t want?” Chloe picked up the beautifully wrapped plushie, examining it. “How did it get here?” “Did you give it to Anya?” Kael glanced at me. He hesitated slightly. “Uh… no.” I turned my face away, my hands, hanging at my sides, unconsciously clenching. He said, “I left it at home and forgot to throw it out. It’s just garbage.” With a flick of his scorpion tail, the plushie was flung into the trash. Its plush face, still smiling, rolled into the grime, becoming saturated with its foul wetness. “I knew it! Why would you give my unwanted garbage to Anya?” Kael caught sight of my pale face, his pupils trembled, then he quickly looked away. I couldn’t tell if it was guilt or perhaps a flicker of pity. He was afraid Chloe would misunderstand. So, he chose to hurt me. Of course, there was no comparison between us. Even a gift had to be something she didn’t want. I unclenched my hands. Several crescent-shaped indents marred my palms. “Throw out the luggage. I’ll buy new stuff.” “I don’t want any of it.” I looked at Kael. “Not even you. I don’t want you anymore.”
I applied to the Federation for a new bodyguard. “Are you sure?” “Kael cost you half your life to save.” Director Thorne chuckled. “Ms. Anya, the food crops in the North District are growing exceptionally well. Want to take a look?” “It cost you half your blood.” “And where you begged and pleaded on your knees with the High Council, grass has now grown. That beastman doesn’t know that, does he?” “A failed genetic experiment like him, why would he be worth your life?” “Oh, I forgot, he looks just like Ms. Anya’s childhood best friend. No wonder…” I had made up my mind. I would replace Kael and never get involved with him again. The next day, my new bodyguard from the Federation arrived. It was Ryker, the Alpha Guard, even taller than Kael, his snowy white tail curled around his luggage. “Greetings, Ms. Anya.” I cleared out the room I’d prepared for Kael and let the Alpha Guard move in. Just as I was briefing him on his duties, the doorbell rang. I didn’t answer. Kael waited outside for a while, assuming no one was home, and then tried to punch in the code himself. “Access Denied—” He thought he misheard. He tried again. “Access Denied.” He started pounding on the door. Annoyed, I sent the Alpha Guard to deal with him. A thunderous crash shook the entire house. I rushed out and saw Kael and Ryker locked in a violent struggle, neither giving an inch, the front door ripped off its hinges. “Stop!” Kael looked up, jealousy practically dripping from him. His scorpion tail powerfully plunged into Ryker’s side. A muffled grunt, and the Alpha Guard sagged, his skin visibly bruising. “Are you insane!” I slapped Kael across the face. His head snapped to the side, several drops of blood flying. Only then did I notice the raw, bleeding gouge on the back of his head where Ryker had clawed him. “Who is he?” Kael stared intently at the other man. “My new bodyguard.” I helped Ryker, quickly cut my arm, and fed my blood to him. Kael’s eyes turned bloodshot. “*I’m* your bodyguard.” His defiant stance crumbled. He stood frozen, looking lost, especially without my response. Even his scorpion tail drooped. “I am your bodyguard…” “You can’t protect me,” I said coldly. “Get out.” He stood rooted to the spot. Perhaps realizing how awful he’d been, he muttered something, his lips barely moving, unable to utter a single word of protest. “I can…” “I’ll protect you properly from now on, I’ll protect you with my life…” Kael’s reflection stared back from the glass, his jaw tight, his gaze locked on me. He didn’t even flinch, despite the blood running into his eyes. “Just give me one more chance.” Ryker woke up, shoved me aside, and bolted for the door as if a venomous barb was still chasing him. “Anya, no one’s better suited for this job than me,” Kael took a step forward. “I *can* protect you.” I was silent for a moment. Then I looked at him. “You said, ‘with your life’.” Kael nodded frantically. “I promise.”
I could feel my life force draining. An inexplicable weariness settled over me. My sleep lengthened, and even the plants in the lab barely responded to my control anymore. “I’m tired. I’m heading back.” “Of course, Doctor.” Kael was waiting just outside the lab. He slipped the heating pad he’d been holding for ages into my arms, said nothing, and deliberately walked on the windward side, shielding me from the drifting snow. “Cough, cough—” I coughed violently. The recent experiment had drained a huge amount of energy from me. I could barely stand. As soon as I got home, I started running a fever. Kael used cold water to wipe my body down, over and over. “Liam…” Burning with fever, my vision blurred, my hand lightly brushed Kael’s cheek. “I love you so much…” He suddenly grabbed my hand. “The Liam you called… was it me?” “Who is this Liam?” I closed my eyes, drifting into sleep. Kael kept pressing. “Don’t ask. You’re Liam, okay? Just stop…” He let out a shaky breath, the tension visibly draining from his shoulders. He pulled out the photo he had hidden in his pocket. He examined it closely. The man’s face was identical to his own, but Kael couldn’t remember ever taking such a picture. “Maybe I forgot.” He mumbled to himself. He pulled up the blanket, only for his attention to be caught by my semi-transparent hand. Kael’s heart jolted. He blinked, and my hand looked normal again. *Ding—* A notification sound broke his thoughts. “Brother Kael, you haven’t come to see me in ages…” Chloe was slurring, clearly wasted. “If you don’t come soon, I’ll be whisked away…” Kael threw on his jacket and moved to leave. I grabbed him. “Don’t go. Stay and take care of me. I feel awful…” “I’m going to die…” He pulled free. “Don’t talk nonsense.” “Chloe has an emergency. I have to go to her first.” His back was resolute. He never lingered for me, not even for a second. He was *my* bodyguard, yet he always left me behind. He had promised to protect me with his life. Kael, I believed you again and again. Chloe’s words were true. “If the Federation hadn’t forced him, he wouldn’t be your bodyguard.” “Brother Kael cares about me the most, Anya. Even if you died right in front of him, he wouldn’t feel an ounce of pity.” “You’re just a burden to him.” Whether it was during the Creature Uprising three years ago, when he abandoned me in the eye of the storm, or three years later, when I told him I was dying. Kael never truly cared. I called my assistant. “Take out the blood I had stored for Kael’s sustenance.” “Yes, give it to the North District. Let them use it to grow food.” I wouldn’t leave him a single thing.
It was a rare moment of free time, so I went to a bar alone. Most of the patrons were beastmen. Seeing a pure-blooded human like me, they couldn’t help but be curious, gravitating towards my table one by one. “Hey, sis.” A young man sat beside me, his yellow ears perked up. “Let’s hang out.” “I’ll teach you a game we play in the beastman world…” His tail unconsciously wrapped around my arm, soft and fluffy, feeling nice to the touch. “Are you a cat?” He paused, then smiled, revealing sharp teeth. “Yeah, do you like it? A lot of people…” Before he could finish, someone grabbed him by the throat and lifted him. The young man was about to get angry. But when he saw a venomous barb hovering before his eyes, he deflated instantly. Kael’s posture was commanding; just standing there, he kept many other beastmen at bay. The lights were dim, so I couldn’t make out his expression, but the veins on his neck were clearly prominent. “He’s not a cat. He’s a leopard.” “It’s dangerous out here. How could you travel alone? Or is he your new bodyguard?” I stared straight at Kael. “Put him down, then get out.” An invisible pressure spread through the bar. Kael took a deep breath and threw the young man onto the floor. He didn’t leave. Instead, he approached me. “We’re going home.” “The sector’s energy fluctuations have been unpredictable lately. Be careful of uprisings.” “What uprising?” someone scoffed. “General Liam Beckett is coming back soon! Who’d dare cause trouble then?” I instinctively looked towards the bar entrance. No one. A wave of disappointment washed over me. Kael saw it clearly. His heart inexplicably swelled with irritation. “Let’s go.” He reached for me. Suddenly, Leo lunged, biting Kael’s arm, tearing at it. Immediately after, red-eyed beastmen poured in from all sides of the bar, attacking anything alive, especially pure-blooded humans. Countless eyes stared at me with hunger. If Kael dared to leave, I would be torn to shreds. “Brother Kael!” Chloe crouched in a corner, tears streaming down her face. “I’m scared!” Fueled by pure survival instinct, I clung to Kael’s clothes, my fingernails bent backwards, drawing blood. “Protect me! You’re *my* bodyguard!” He tried to pull free. “Don’t you dare! If you leave me, I’ll have Director Thorne kill both you and Chloe!” Kael hesitated. In that moment, Chloe was tackled by a large beast. “Chloe!” I don’t remember much of what happened next. All I know is, Kael left me again. It hurt so much. I was bleeding profusely. Herbivore creatures scrambled for the wild growth sprouting from the floor, while carnivores greedily lapped at my wounds. A flash of white light. Time seemed to stand still. The next second, all the beastmen collapsed to the ground. I was lifted. “Anya, hold on to me.” Light shone on his face. Was it Kael? No. He wasn’t this gentle. He didn’t call me ‘Anya’ with such tenderness, nor would he hold me in his arms like this. “Liam…” “I’m here.” When I woke up, I was already lying at home. All my wounds had vanished. “Liam?” Barefoot, I searched every room. No one. It was as if it had all been a dream.
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