In the past, I was worried about what people thought of me, if I looked poor or dirty, and they judged me or my family because we lacked money…
The pain in my muscles grew slowly as I stepped towards the gate, my height increasing with each step while memories of the past month began to replay in my head, the first ratman and my nausea killing them…
A feeling of shame and pride filled me as I managed to take that first step, and now, as my speed began to increase, the Rai, who was a normal human, would be gone forever.
Instead, I would be known as a golden werewolf.
***
? Kana POV
For as long as I can remember, I have been trained by my mother that remaining weak would get me killed one day like my father. It was strange because he was my father, yet I had never met the man, and the only thing I knew was my mother and her warmth and iron fist that brought me up.
However… One day, more changed—no, we both changed and became different.
Mother said that she had awakened to a strange ability shortly after her father died, and the fact she gained it after made her frustrated and hated the power… I felt the same as my mother when the power awakened. I couldn’t feel things like I used to.
Kids who I used to play with got exhausted and injured play fighting with… suddenly they would be hurt seriously when I just meant to push them, and they couldn’t keep up and began collapsing when we ran together.
It was then I realised we were different and were treated like monsters.
As I grew up, some people tried to understand, but the more time passed, the stronger I became, and there was a point where it became impossible even to take part in sports like a normal student, and I was forced to sit out.
Thus, filled with frustration and anger, I joined a gang… a gang where the leader reminded me of my mother. She was strong, and her punches hurt.
During my time there, we didn’t do anything like drugs or prostitution.
In fact, Cassandra saved those who fell into that kind of vice, trying to recuperate them and make them into our fellow sisters…
There were times I bled, times I killed the thugs who tried to attack us, with threats like we’ll rape the lot of you or how they were going to fuck me till I bled…
However, they died, along with my growing hatred of these men, like my dad, that left us to die because he was weak and the weak thugs who crumbled from a single punch…
Until that night…
When an enemy gang filled with ability users attacked, and I was away taking care of my night lessons to finish college and get the qualifications that Cassandra insisted I do during that exam, I was so happy and managed to get the first A of my life.
Yet… then I saw the texts and calls from Cassandra and the other girls.
Many were beaten and abused, and some died, and yet, I was here enjoying my little exam.
The guilt was tremendous for me, and it was even more to learn that the person who saved them would become our new boss, and he aimed to make Cassandra his woman…
I was disgusted, thinking he was no different from the thugs from before, so I planned to crush him…
Then we met…
He was nothing like the men I met before, his eyes almost glowing when he saw me training, and it wasn’t the eyes of lust but eyes of competition…
So we ended up competing, and he crushed me, utterly crushed me, even when I knew he wasn’t trying his best… I felt a moment of joy, a desire to surpass him and as we sparred, the dead feelings vanished… his punches and kicks REALLY hurt… but I felt pleasure and bliss.
I felt normal when he was involved, but I couldn’t throw away my hatred of men after so long, so my attitude was so shitty, and I treated him like a pervert…
This morning he didn’t come to practise… If I knew this might happen, I would have honestly said thank you… for making me feel alive, and I would have asked more about him…
Is he somewhere in the city fighting? Or did he lose someone he loved and is trapped in grief…
This strange male, from the moment we met, I started to have strange dreams of a weird place, but he was there…
Always fighting ahead of everyone else…
Bang!
I heard a sound like a bomb exploding, which caused everyone who was about to fight to turn around, and then I saw it… as if to follow my words…
“Ah… of course, you’d be here… Fighting ahead of us all…”
“Rai?” My mother called his name—it was strange to hear such an intimate and gentle whisper from her lips… I felt a sense of jealousy and rivalry towards my mother.
Yet in mid-air, Rai began to transform… into a very beautiful and fierce golden-furred werewolf… like a magical prince, he leapt over us and landed, crushing one of the goblins into a paste, as his arms spread wide and his snout opened.
HOWL!
Suddenly, the terror of death faded… replaced with amazement at watching the man who surpassed me so easily crushing goblins.
At that moment, it was like something deep in my heart and mind snapped… chains that were holding me back as I felt my strength, speed, and endurance suddenly increase explosively.
My muscles began to churn and convulse… but after a few moments…
I realised that I had surpassed my mother.
And before I knew It, I was running after his golden back, that huge existence that I felt the need to chase and surpass…That Athena wouldn’t be just a cowering little girl forever… who is that?
I Shimizu Kana!
***
? Rai POV
I could hear their screams and exclamations after seeing my transformation.
Some called me a monster like the goblins, and it did feel like a thorn was pierced into my heart, yet I ignored them, my right hand with sharp claws extended and my left covered in a black and red flame, ready to slaughter the goblin knights and the goblin king who sat on his throne watching me with an intrigued eye.
“Impressive, boy, to awaken to such a strong power. You would have made a great pet… Shame, you must die.” The Goblin king spoke as he rose from his chair, revealing his body that was covered in armour with two short swords in each hand as he left the staff on the throne.
The goblin king was tall for a goblin, about 6 feet tall, and his skin was green, with small tusks protruding from his mouth, but he didn’t rush into combat, as I was not standing in front of two hundred or more goblin knights all wearing metal armour with iron weapons!
“Ha… pathetic to think you would stand against me with such puny numbers.” My voice had changed to a deeper growl as my golden fur stood up, and I began to charge straight at them.
BOOM!
The goblins charged at me, while others with spears tried to stab me, and arrows began to fly, all of which I dodged and parried with my left arm covered in flames, my right hand piercing through the chest of the goblin knights and ripping out their hearts and crushing them…
My body was filled with arrows, but the pain and damage were minimal as they fell out during our brutal melee battle.
I felt like I was drunk with power, my claws piercing the skulls of the knights like tofu while my flames melted the goblins like butter, and even though I took hits from the goblin knights, their swords and axes did nothing but cut my golden fur!
I felt like a god amongst mortals…
Slaughtering my way through, the ability users finally made their move and began to destroy the goblins I missed or that tried to circle behind me, as the two fully plated deformed goblins with huge axes began to charge at me…
It was at that moment that I was stunned by a figure that moved faster than I could see… just for a moment before her fist smacked into the head of one of the deformed goblins and sent him flying into a building!
“Kana?” I recognised the girl immediately as the deformed goblin no longer moved… blood and messy grey matter oozing from her single punch…
She has strength close to mine in this form!?
“Hehe~ let’s have a contest—whoever kills the king gets to ask the other for anything they want.”
It was a cheeky laugh, but more natural than I had ever heard from her before, as her feet tapped the ground and she darted towards the second deformed goblin with a wide smile.
A girl after my own heart.