Beast Gacha System: All Mine-Chapter 217: Unfamiliar Him

CLICK.

Cecilia moved fast.

The moment her hand touched the handle, she reached out with her power, thin, precise threads of telekinesis slipping into the lock, finding the mechanism, pushing. The door swung open before she could second-guess herself.

Inside, the bathroom was dark. Darker than the bedroom. Darker than anything should be at this hour, with the sun still high outside. The curtains here were drawn too, heavy fabric blocking every sliver of light.

She turned toward the bathtub.

And there he was.

Sitting in completely still water, the tub filled to the brim, was Arkai Dawnoro. He was almost completely submerged, only his shoulders and head peeked above the surface, pale as marble against the dark water. His eyes were closed. His face was slack.

He was still wearing his travel clothes from yesterday. The same clothes he had worn when he took Rinne to watch the moon.

And he was completely pale as a sheet.

"Arkai..."

Cecilia whispered, barely a breath. She crossed the room in quick strides, her blood running cold. She reached him, her hands finding his neck, his head, searching—

Pulse. Breathing. Repeating it over to make sure.

His pulse was there, faint, thready, barely perceptible under her fingers. His breathing too, shallow and slow, each exhale a struggle.

"Arkai, please—"

Golden light emanated from her chest. A healing potion emerged from her inventory, materializing in a shimmer of light. She grasped it, popped the lid off, and brought the mouth of the bottle to his lips. "God, please... Arkai..."

She tilted the bottle, focusing, willing him to swallow. The liquid touched his lips, trickled into his mouth—

His eyes flickered open.

But they weren’t Arkai Dawnoro’s eyes.

Not the ones she knew. Not the warm darkness she had looked into a hundred times, the steady gaze, the him she had married.

They were crimson.

Completely crimson.

GRASP!

The world spun.

SPLASH!

Cold water engulfed her. It was shockingly, violently cold as she was pulled straight into the bathtub. She gasped, fought, forced her face to the surface—

And saw a beast looming over her.

It crouched over the bathtub, massive. But its eyes, those crimson eyes, burned through the darkness like twin embers. A slow, rumbling growl vibrated through the water, through the air, through her bones.

The room was dark.

But this creature was darker.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIP—

The sound was horrifying. The violent, tearing scream of fabric should not have been possible. Cecilia’s dress ripped apart like paper. Wet fabric shouldn’t rip that easily. It should cling, resist, fight.

This was explosive.

This was dangerously strong.

Rut?

No. This didn’t feel like a rut. This was something else.

Rampage? No.

A rampage was mindless, undirected. A beast lashing out at everything. This was focused. Intentional.

This was something even more dangerous.

Cecilia’s mind raced.

Her hand shot into her inventory, pulling out a Five Stars Item she had never used before. Berserker’s Muzzle. The leather was cold in her palm, enchanted to subdue even the most rampant beasts. Golden light blazed from her chest, a desperate attempt to blind him, to buy a second of hesitation.

She lunged.

His reaction was faster.

His hand ripped the muzzle from his face before it could even touch him, and from her hand, tearing her grip away in the same brutal motion. Before she could recover, his other hand shot out, grasping her wrist, pinning it to the edge of the tub. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Cold porcelain bit into her skin. His grip was iron, absolute, impossible to break.

"Ah!" Cecilia’s breathing turned ragged, her hollow chest ached and her head strained with the effort of thinking, thinking, thinking. "Arkai, please come to your senses. You’ll regret this when it’s over!"

He didn’t respond.

Those crimson eyes, if they even were eyes anymore, stared down at her without recognition, without him. His massive body lowered, lowering, and she felt her legs forced open, wider than they usually go, wider than was comfortable, wider than—

Summon.

The thought pierced through the panic. She could summon Oathran. Eastiel. One of them would come, would stop this, would—

Wait.

There was a better option.

"System, begin the scenario now—"

***

The world blurred.

It was not a gentle transition. It was usual wrenching, churning reality, constricting and expanding like fabric forced through a hole too small for its weave. Cecilia felt her soul pulled, stretched, compressed, and then—

She blinked.

Cold air touched her cheeks. Familiar air. Air that smelled of old stone and magical residue and the particular mustiness of institutions that had stood for centuries.

She was back in the Athenaeum.

Winter surrounded her, just as before. The same crisp chill, the same grey light filtering through tall windows. But something was different. The halls were not empty, not silent. People moved around her in waves. Students, staff, professors... all bustling with purpose, with urgency.

She turned, taking in her surroundings. She was in the main hall, the grand space where ceremonies were held and important guests were received. And above her, half-hung and still being adjusted by a team of harried-looking workers, was a banner.

"International Magic Student Conference"

What—

"Ah... if only I had enough credits... I wouldn’t have to suffer through this stupid event during winter vacation..."

The complaint drifted from nearby. A student’s voice, young and whining. Cecilia’s ears caught it automatically, the way they caught everything.

"Ssshhh... even the top nerd is here. It’ll be worth it," another voice responded.

Top nerd. The old nickname. The one that had followed her through these halls in another lifetime.

"Bruh, she’s no longer the top nerd. She’s the top slu—"

"Shut up! You want Oathran or Eastiel to kill you?"

"Pff, they’re not here..."

The words lowered, followed by the sound of a scuffle and hurried footsteps retreating.

Cecilia stood frozen, processing. Oathran or Eastiel. Both names, spoken casually. This world already contained them both.

"Cecilia!"

A voice called from behind her. It was sharp and impatient, the voice of someone used to being obeyed. She turned.

A professor stood there, a stack of papers in his arms, his expression harried in the way of all academics during event preparations. He didn’t wait for her to respond, simply continued as if she had already agreed.

"Since you’re done here, can you please look for Arkai? We need his signature before nightfall."

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Alright guys, I need to go to sleep or I’ll collapse. One more Chapter will be uploaded when I’m done writing it after I wake up!