Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 173: Visha’s trial

When Visha opened her eyes, she saw silver trees rising to the skies. Moonlight filtered in through the trees. Nine shadows stretched before her. They were obvious in the moonlight. Completely different from the shadows of the trees. They almost appeared solid.

In the distance, she heard sounds. Laughter. Crying, Angry shouts. Each came from a direction a shadow pointed. She knew those voices. It was her own voice. Different emotions caught in the shadows.

A voice filled her ears.

"A fox survives by changing with the world around it. True strength comes from knowing what to hold on to and what to let go of."

Figures emerged from the forest. They were people she cared about. Uri, Xeno, Krag, Chi. She saw a person she didn’t recognize, small, head bowed. Uri was cold and distant, nothing like the man she knew her mate to be.

Xeno was battered and bruised. He limped as he walked towards her. Chi looked completely frightened, as though she had seen Visha do something she couldn’t believe. Krag was disappointed. His lips were pursed, and he held Chi, only sparing Visha a glance.

As for the person, she didn’t know. He lifted his head. Hair completely covered his face. He made no move to do or say anything. But Visha could see he was shackled. He held out his shackled arms towards her.

Then the accusations started. What she did, what she didn’t do. How she exhausted herself. How she made the wrong choice.

Visha’s emotions were in turmoil. She heard Uri and Xeno admit they were never mates. Whatever she felt was an illusion. They were toying with her.

Krag and Chi told her how many choices she made that were wrong. They told her about the many people she hurt with her unorthodox methods. That she was never meant to come to this continent.

Every work hurt to her core. When she became angry, the trees around her would explode in flames. When she felt guilty, vines would appear to bind her in place.

Visha had no idea what to do. Unconsciously, she started using the only thing she knew could help at the present moment. She used the rite to stop the vines from binding her. She used it to heal Xeno. She tried to touch Uri, but he stepped back. She tried to talk to Krag and Chi, but they wouldn’t listen,

Everyone refused to acknowledge her in some way or another. Only the mysterious person stood watching her in pain. Unable to move forward or step back.

The more she uses the rite, the more the forest calms, but the more the people she loves move away from her. If she stops using it, the forest becomes volatile, but the people move closer. Her hair turns completely white.

Then the moon begins to move. From high up, it moved until it stood face to face with Visha. Then it becomes a mirror. In the mirror, she can see herself. The self in the mirror has nine tails. This person is calm with eyes like starlight.

Visha heard her own voice, coming from the person in the mirror.

"To become truly powerful, decide what’s worth fighting for and what must be left behind." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Three flames appeared in front of her. Blue, Red, and White. The blue represents compassion. The red represents rage, and the white represents detachment.

"You cannot extinguish all three. You cannot take all three. If you choose rage, you will lose harmony. If you choose compassion, you will waste away. If you choose detachment, you will lose your connection. Decide."

Visha stared at the three flames. She couldn’t take all three, but she needs all three. She is very clear about that. If she loses any of them, it would be disastrous. Without her connection, she could not be a priestess, nor could she be Uri and Xeno’s mate. She refuses to lose either.

If she had no rage, she would be a stepping stone for others and become her mate’s weakness. She refused to be a weakness for them or anyone else. Losing her compassion meant she wouldn’t see people as people. They would only be a means to an end. She would lose more than she gains.

She needs all three.

Making a choice, she stretched out her hand. All three flames were close at hand. Each flame was less than an arm’s length away. She smiled and stepped forward, into the flame.

Her right hand touches the red flame. The left touches the blue flame, and she walks directly into the white flame. This is her choice. Rather than choose one, she chooses to merge all three.

By merging the three, it becomes one.

A searing pain travels through her body. She needs to weave the flames together and accept everything that comes with doing so. The responsibility of duality. She must know when to kill and when to save. When to leave and when to stay.

She must adapt to every and any eventuality.

The flames twist inside her body. Each is trying to become a dominant force. She doesn’t allow any of them to assert themselves. Instead, she weaved them together, a little at a time.

The pain is excrutiating but she knew what she had to do. When she finally merged them, a purple flame stood in their place. It was docile. As she held it in her palm, it sank into her skin. It did not burn.

The version of herself that stood in the mirror stepped out.

"Now, will you stop denying me?"

Visha smiled and nodded. Her mirror image turned into a wisp, disappearing into her forehead. The nine shadows shrank, becoming one shadow under her feet.

Outside, Visha’s hair changed. Now completely white. Wisps of energy circled her body, purple just like the flames carried within her. It circled her entire body, leaving no room for anything else.

As Visha opened her eyes, a flash of purple light emanated from them.