Reborn From the Cosmos

Arc 8-11 (Kierra)

Arrogance, the confidence of no substance. As fleeting and vicious as a storm, as useless as a string of pearls on a swine.

Kierra had been called arrogant many times in her life, her family many more times. They were Atainna, the royal blood. The blessed blood. The cursed blood. What they were called depended on the perspective, but one thing was universal; all gazed upon their family with expectations, whether it be as monsters or champions.

It created pressure. Kierra had used that pressure to forge herself, reveling in the conflict like her mother, but not all of her siblings could say the same. Her sister had run away to dance in the gardens of High Noon. Her brother had taken to the seas, disappearing over the vast swath of anonymity offered by the oceans. The saddest of her siblings had run off into Twilight with delusions of grandeur, lost to everyone but memory.

But Kierra wasn’t always so confident in her abilities and her place in the world. Even before the fateful night when her desires were laid bare, she struggled with her identity, caught between the healers of her father’s blood and the tyrants of her mother’s. Her early years were a confusing time, where she often contemplated whether she was walking the right path. After her imprisonment, such thoughts plagued her daily, to the point it became torturous.

Yet, as her partner stalked toward her in the guise of a beast, tail swishing like an eager puppy and grinning with canines that didn’t match her beautiful face, Kierra was thankful for every decision she’d ever made, as it had led her to this moment. Her father was right. Decades ago, he had counseled her in the value of restraint, of kindness. She was a huntress, a conqueror, a warrior, but that didn’t mean she had to be cruel. She didn’t have to inflict mindless destruction on the world. The world lived alongside those that lived on it. It took notice. Fate was its will and by its will, she would be rewarded for good deeds that seemed to have no consequence.

Lou was a better reward than she could ever ask, better than she deserved. Their meeting and their love seemed bigger than them; what were the chances that someone perfect for her, in both mind and body, would drop into her lap in her direst hour? Even if an unimaginably powerful being hadn’t inserted itself into Lou’s life, she wouldn’t think it was pure chance. Miracles were made, not bestowed to the undeserving.

Their meeting, their union, was a message. A prophecy. The two of them and their clan were meant for great things, whether they be miraculous or monstrous. That was why Kierra pushed, even when it hurt. Especially when it hurt. They had time, they had forever, but Kierra didn’t want her love to be caught off guard. She didn’t want her to be pained by her inability, as Kierra was.

The appearance of her parents had reminded her of her own inability. Lou didn’t know but Morgene had walked Kierra through the ruins of the city and chastised her about how poorly they’d decimated it. Apparently, if one was going to destroy a city, they should do it entirely, leaving not even its bones. Morgene was outright offended that Lou, with her bumbling prowess, had claimed more lives.

Opposite of her, watching her father contend against Lou with quiet competence where she’d been bested, even if it was only by surprise, was a blow to her ego.

They reminded Kierra that she was lacking. That they were all lacking compared to the monsters that had pursued strength for centuries before retiring to unknown corners of her homeland. If they meant to challenge dragons, they would all have to put in a lot more effort. A charge that she would lead, as she knew that her devoted spouse would only be motivated if she was running after her.

But a small break every once in a while was fine. She would have deeply regretted not seeing her clan acting so cute. Lou tried to be a villain, but her love and care seeped into every action. Then there was Alana, acting the stern mistress while literally shaking with desire. All the while, both laughed and smiled, breaking character. It had been a while since she’d seen them so carefree and she relished it, doing her best to play along with their little game.

“Hehehe. You’re all mine now.” Clawed hands trailed down her sides, grabbing her waist as Lou pushed apart her legs. Kierra once again affirmed her conviction that the matriarchs of Twilight couldn’t learn of her love before she was strong enough to rip their spines out of their backs. Otherwise, they’d never know peace.

Different clans hunted mates for different advantages: beauty, strength, magic. For their preferred traits, they would bed even the most grotesque creatures. For Lou, a being of infinite potential that was also attractive? War was too mild a word for the chaos that would ensue. Her eyes alone were treasures the matriarchs would spill blood for.

“Kii,” a voice softer than a whisper prompted as Lou loomed over her. “You’re terrified, remember?”

The game. Yes, she was a terrified, powerless girl. How hilarious. Even in the face of true death, she’d awoken a new passion. Perhaps there was something broken in her mind, but she had never feared death. She didn’t want to die because she loved life, but the threat of the end had never made her pause. If a creature that looked like Lou ambushed her on her way anywhere and wanted to have its way with her, it’d be all she could do to hold back long enough to make sure she didn’t cause her gentle conqueror any hurt.

She couldn’t imagine the fear her persona was supposed to feel. The best she could manage was mimicking the panic she’d instilled in her opponents when her peers still thought they could challenge her.

“W-what are you going to do with me?” she asked, making her voice quaver.

Lou bared her teeth, but her eyes danced with amusement. “I’m going to do whatever I want.”

It was truly a struggle to be afraid of such an offer. “Please, don’t hurt me!” She hoped her squeal as a tongue trailed her cheek sounded something other than delighted but there was no way to stop her hips from grinding into her lover.

“Don’t worry, I’d never hurt you. We’re going to be together for a loooong time.”

Her mouth was stolen, the presence of fur and teeth adding new sensations to the familiar act. She happily welcomed the invader that pushed past her lips, a thrill fluttering in her gut as she thought of where it had been earlier. A chastising bite on her lips and a quick pout reminded her she was being a little too eager and Kierra relaxed, trying to appear reticent. Something that became harder with every passing moment, as the more docile she became, the more eager her lover’s response, as if to compensate. And all the while, she could feel Lou’s “gift” rising, coaxed by the delicious friction of their bodies rubbing together.

Feeling that part of Lou always awakened something in the elf. It was worse than the effect trolls had on her. Their scent caused her mind to blank, leaving her body susceptible to her desires. Her Lou did shut her reason down. It transformed it.

Everything desired her love; her mind, her body, and she suspected her spirit. Her thoughts didn’t stop. They turned to one thing, supported by love and acceptance. She swore she could feel her Twilight ancestors at her back, prodding her to follow nature’s call, to take her perfect mate again and again until an army of the next generation, stronger than any other, was ready to conquer the world. It was a primal urge that went deeper than pleasure, coming from the same place that reveled in tearing apart prey. An instinct that wouldn’t be denied.

When her lover entered her, she couldn’t stop the shout that burst out of her, more of a roar than a scream, her persona be damned. A sharp pressure on her throat cut off the sound, the large teeth testing the durability of her skin, making it hard to breathe. She tried to hold back, truly. But she couldn’t take five breaths before she snapped her bindings, heart pounding furiously as she tackled Lou, her lover’s surprised yelp only spurring her excitement.

“I guess the game’s over,” she distantly heard Alana mutter before she was lost to the whims of her blood.