"That person… was it… was it the Scourge Queen?"
The question still echoed in his head long after he woke. The Scourge Queen.
The name alone made his blood run cold. It wasn't a myth anymore. He'd seen her—felt her presence—like death breathing down his neck. It wasn't a dream. It was a warning.
Nox sat up and swung his legs off the bed. The cold marble floor grounded him. His chest still ached where the phantom wound had been, and the metallic taste of blood lingered.
"Because of you," she had said.
The words wouldn't leave his mind.
He clenched his fists. Fear wouldn't help. He needed a plan—something that would make sure that vision never came true. And then it hit him. The Beast Taming class. That was the key. In his dream, he'd been alone. But what if he wasn't? What if he had an army of tamed beasts—companions who could fight with him, not for him?
This was his plan from the very beginning, and now that he had the very active statue, it was time to put it in motion.
