I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 125: CP: The Disputed Land

[Current status: Everyone is home, fed, and experiencing varying degrees of chaos]

[Sally: Attempting to explain Earth to Jade who is clearly intrigued.]

[Snakelings: Has adopted their aunt as Earth Explainer simultaneously and doesn’t seem to mind]

[Granite: Asleep. Do not disturb.]

[Next priority: Find a permanent home before someone climbs something they shouldn’t]

[Alex: You should probably think about the sanctuary location.]

Alex was sitting on a warm obsidian ledge, Ripple draped across his lap like a very large and heavily scaled blanket, watching Sally teach Snakelings the tug of war. It wasn’t going well because Siddy kept coming up with new ways to cheat and insisting they were valid options.

"LAVA," Siddy announced triumphantly, forming some incomprehensible shape with his coils.

"That’s not a thing!" Sally protested.

"It IS in MY game."

"Tug Of War Doesn’t Have Lava—"

"Mine does."

Naga lowered himself onto the ledge beside Alex, shoulder pressed warm against his.

"System has been making pointed remarks about sanctuary planning for the last hour."

"I noticed from your expression," Naga said.

[Just saying,] System offered.

[You currently have fourteen adults, six four-year-old snakelings, one interdimensional guest, and a dragon Lord. The volcanic citadel is NOT a permanent solution. Drakar’s hospitality is generous but this is his territory, not yours.]

"I know," Alex started.

A distant crash echoed from somewhere deep in the citadel, followed by Granite’s muffled roar of "SIDDY—" and then a heavy silence that suggested Granite had remembered he was trying to sleep and gave up.

Alex: ".... "

"I’ll look into sanctuary locations," He said.

[EXCELLENT. Now, I’ve been thinking about geography.]

A holographic map shimmered to life in the air in front of Alex—the Beast World spread out in miniature, territories marked in rough approximation. Wolf lands to the northwest, spread across forest and highland. Bear territory to the east, mountainous and dense with ancient woodland. Lion pride grounds to the south, open savanna broken by rocky outcroppings. And serpent territory threading through the center-south like a river, warm lands, rocky plateaus, the occasional hot spring.

[Here’s an interesting thing,] System said.

[See this region right here?]

A point of light appeared on the map, sitting at the rough convergence of all four territories—where wolf forest thinned into highland, where bear mountain foothills began their descent, where the savanna’s northern edge met the serpent plateaus.

[This land technically belongs to none of them. It’s been disputed for about three hundred years. Nobody’s formally claimed it because the moment any one faction tries, the other three object. It’s been sitting empty ever since. Hot springs nearby. River access. Defensible terrain. And because it touches all four territories, it’s actually considered neutral ground by ancient convention.]

Alex sat up, shifting Ripple carefully. "Neutral ground."

[Meaning no single faction can object to a sanctuary being built there WITHOUT all four objecting simultaneously. Which they’d struggle to do given that a sanctuary would benefit all of them. And—this is the interesting part—a sanctuary built on that land, with the blessing of all four factions, would technically be its own recognized territory. Not serpent land. Not lion land. Yours.]

Alex explained everything to Naga who was staring at the holographic panel before him.

System has generously decided to make himself visible through the projection for better communication efficiency.

Leo, who’d been sharpening a blade nearby with the meditative focus of someone processing large amounts of new information, looked up.

"The Curse lands," he said slowly.

"You know it?"

"Every cub in the pride knows it," Leo said. "We were told it was cursed land. That anyone who tried to settle there would earn the wrath of three other factions. That it was—" He paused. "That it was a lesson in why some things belong to no one."

"Or," Alex said, "a lesson in why some things could belong to everyone."

[Now you’re thinking like a sanctuary founder.]

Zale drifted closer, his sphere casting rippling light across the obsidian floor. "The mer-people have trade routes that pass near that region. The river access System mentioned—it connects to a tributary network that eventually reaches the coastal channels. If the sanctuary were built there, I could maintain contact with the ocean without it being in anyone’s territory."

"And the wolf packs," Alex murmured, thinking of Moss and the others who’d helped them. "They’d have access without crossing hostile land."

"Bears already range through the foothills," Naga added, scales shifting thoughtfully. "Granite’s people could reach it easily. It would become a natural gathering point."

[Exactly,] System said, with the tone of someone who’d been waiting for everyone to arrive at a conclusion they’d reached approximately forty minutes ago.

[But there’s a step before building. You’d need the blessing of all four faction leaders. Or at least their non-objection. Wolf Alpha, Bear Elder, Lion King, Serpent Lord.]

"Naga’s the Serpent Lord," Alex pointed out.

"I am," Naga agreed, a dry edge to his voice. "That’s one. Conveniently easy to obtain."

"The Bear Elder." Alex looked toward where Granite was attempting to sleep. "We know Granite. He has influence."

"He’s basically the Bear Elder’s favorite nephew," Leo said. "Or equivalent. It’s complicated bear hierarchy but yes. Granite’s word carries weight."

"The Wolf Alpha." Alex thought of Lucas again. Remembering his ’I’ll wait for you vow.’ "He’s... not hostile. "

Alex looked at Leo. "And the Lion King."

Leo’s expression went carefully dark.

"The lion Lord and Raqasha," he said.

" This is going to be a problem. "

Silence settled over the ledge.

Sally, who had apparently given up on Tug Of War glanced over with the instinct of someone who recognized when important things were being said in quiet voices.

" The lion king? Like Simba?" she asked.

"I was exiled," Leo said flatly. "From the pride. From the lands. From—everything. Returning to request a favor from the Lion Lord would be..." He paused, jaw tight. "Complicated."

"Complicated like ’awkward conversation’ complicated," Sally said carefully, "or complicated like ’someone might try to kill you’ complicated?"

Leo considered this with more seriousness than the question deserved.

"Complicated like ’I publicly rejected the Saintess and stole the Golden Stone’ complicated," Alex said quietly. "The Lion Lord might not be thrilled to see us."