Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 169: Enter the trial

Visha woke up to the sound of birdsong. Her body felt as though a manic beast had hit it. She groaned. Her hand flew to her eyes, blocking out the sunlight that streamed in.

She felt much better than she had in a long time. She felt rested. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

She bolted upright when she remembered where they were. They were fighting those hideous plants. Did she die? Does heaven really exist? Is that why her body feels like it’s been sleeping on a cloud?

She scanned her surroundings. What she saw was not what she expected. It was an entire ecosystem. Animals were running around, and various plants were walking. Not aggressive in the slightest.

She was so in awe at the surroundings that it was only later that she realized Uri and Xeno were not beside her. She didn’t panic immediately; she attempted to feel their bond. When she felt it, she was relieved. They were both in the same place.

She got up gingerly and made her way over to them. She watched the plants and animals working together. Going about their day as if animals gardening was the most normal thing on the planet.

Following the bond, she found the two men in front of a building. It was a large, ancient-looking building. There were no vines, tendrils, or any plant life on the building. It did not look weathered in the slightest.

Black-green stones rose in layers. Massive pillars went around the outer perimeter. There were carvings on the pillars. Different beast forms could be seen. There were some Visha had seen and others she had never seen before.

She did not know what kind of beastment they were. The outer wall was covered in runes and symbols. There were words. The same words Visha had seen in the ruins they stayed in. The same ruins that revealed information about the First Beast and the creation of the Beast Continent.

Uri and Xeno were mesmerized. They had not even noticed her standing there. She saw them staring at two beasts. One was a tiger, majestic, regal, looking down on others as though he held the entire world in his palm. The other was a snake. Or rather, the evolution of a snake. It coiled around the pillar, all scales and fins. It appeared just as powerful as the tiger.

As they looked, their eyes glowed. Visha was not sure what they were experiencing, but she did not stop it. There was no sign of struggle from them. She assumed it had something to do with the building. She was afraid that disturbing them would trigger backlash.

She walked around the pillar, wondering what she might find. Since she found one for Xeno and Uri, would there be one for her? She touched her tail. She knew very well what kind of tail it was. She smiled softly.

She saw pillars representing phoenixes, unicorns, manticores, western and eastern dragons. There were some she had never seen before, so she could not name them. Her breath caught as she stared at each picture.

[You have entered the sanctum.]

[This is the core sanctuary of the Verdant Maw. A place where vital energy flows freely and with stability.]

[Find your beast soul, accept your inheritance. Experience your trial.]

[And Visha...when you’re done, there is something I need you to do.]

Visha listened as the system spoke. The first part of the speech was almost robotic. The last sentence made the system sound old. She could feel the anxiety and reluctance. Just like when Chi sent her the message before, there must be something more going on.

Vish does not actively want to be a part of whatever is happening, but she is also aware that the time for being reluctant has passed. She has no choice but to follow the path she had unwittingly embarked on.

I’ll help you. But I hope you won’t lead me astray. Visha sighed. The sooner she accepted things, the better it would be for her.

She felt a warm tingle in her mind. It was the system.

Now that she knew what she was supposed to do. She did not waste anymore time. Instead of walking randomly, she actually started to look for her own beast. The fox.

When she found it, she couldn’t help but smile. The seductive fox was staring down at her. But in that seduction, she saw wisdom, power, clarity. Visha could feel the nobility.

She had no idea where to start. She glanced at Uri and Xeno, who were still standing in one spot. From her position, she is able to see if anything happens to them. But she also knew once she started this trial, there would be no way to protect them.

She surveyed her surroundings once more. There was nothing that indicated danger here. The plants and animals ignored them. Even if some animals took the occasional glance, they would only tilt their heads before walking away.

There was also a feeling inside her telling her not to wait. It wasn’t her beast, she was sure of that. It was more like a pull from her soul, a call.

She made up her mind. If something were to happen here, she would accept it. Since they were all supposed to experience these trials, she would willingly let go and experience whatever it was she needed to.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She willed herself to relax. She willed herself not to think about anything except the task at hand.

When she opened her eyes again, she stared at the fox. Her eyes took in every feature, every curve of its tail. Then, finally, she looked at the eyes. Those eyes held the power to draw people in. And they were doing just that to Visha.

She hadn’t even noticed the moment when she relaxed. She was drawn into her trial. Her body outside relaxed. Her eyes glowed. Just the same as Uri and Xeno.

She stood there in the birdsong of the Verdant Maw.