The crack of something heavy striking wood shattered what little composure remained in the chamber.
Erry didn't flinch—he simply turned his head, quiet, patient, and weary in a way only seasoned wanderers carried. His eyes caught the source: a broad, scarred hand belonging to a tall beastman with silver-gray fur, sharp yellow eyes, and a mane braided with bone ornaments.
Lupine. And from the way the man held himself—back rigid, shoulders tense, tail straight.
"I refuse!" the Lupine elder snarled, voice reverberating through the round stone chamber like a clap of thunder.
Erry blinked once. Not startled—only acknowledging.
Elder Towal did not so much as raise an eyebrow. The old feline's tail curled in controlled irritation, but his tone remained dangerously calm.
"Your refusal has been noted, Elder Raigun," Towal said. "But it does not change the fact."
Raigun slammed the table again, though less forcefully this time. "It changes everything, Towal! You speak of debt—but debt to a human? You would make the Dominion bow its head? To him?" His claws pointed sharply toward Erry.
Erry met the glare with an unreadable expression. Not submissive. Not defiant. Just… observing.
Another elder—this one of the Canine—grumbled low. "We are not bowing. We are acknowledging tradition."
"That tradition," Raigun snapped, "does not apply to him. That child—Lyra—she might be unwanted by her own bloodline, yes, but she is still Feleris. She is still beastman. A union with a human—this is disgraceful."
Erry had heard variations of "disgrace" many times in his travels, but never with such venom.
Elder Towal lifted a hand, commanding silence. "You forget something fundamental, Raigun. He saved her."
"By accident!" Raigun barked.
Erry almost sighed.
He wasn't wrong.
Towal continued, unperturbed. "Accident or not, the result remains. And beastman law is not concerned with the intent—only the deed."
Another elder, a plump Ursine matron, leaned forward. "We also cannot dismiss what happened outside our borders. The bandit threat grows bolder. The fact that a single human defeated them says much about his capability."
"A human capable of killing a few desperate bandits is hardly exceptional," Raigun spat. "I could do so with my eyes closed."
"Then why didn't you?" the Ursine elder replied coolly.
A ripple of murmurs echoed around the chamber.
Raigun's fur bristled.
Erry exhaled quietly, and for a moment he wished he were back wandering some forgotten forest trail instead of sitting in the middle of an argument that had nothing to do with him.
The chamber felt too tight, too loud.
Too political.
Something he had run away from years ago.
Towal's voice cut through the noise. "Regardless of personal distaste, rules exist for a reason. And the rule is clear: if a member of the royal bloodline is saved from mortal danger, the savior must be acknowledged."
Raigun scoffed. "Acknowledged, yes. But must we marry her off?"
Another Canine elder spoke up. "If we do not, word will spread. Rumors will twist. And humans will use it against us."
"So we marry her to him?!" Raigun gestured wildly. "A stranger? A vagabond? A sword-swinging brute with no clan, no ties, no honor? We know nothing about this man!"
Erry looked down at his calloused hands.
That's the point, he thought silently.
Towal's golden eyes slid toward Erry with an unreadable glint. "Perhaps that is precisely why he is useful."
The chamber stiffened.
Erry's jaw tightened—but he remained still.
Towal tapped his claws against the table. "A man with no clan is neutral. A man with no allegiance is malleable. And a man with proven strength is invaluable."
Raigun bared his teeth. "So that's it. You wish to use him."
"Everyone uses what they can," Towal replied blandly. "Including humans. Including beastman. Including you, Raigun."
"You—!"
"Enough." Towal's voice sharpened, slicing cleanly through the tension. "This decision is not made lightly. Nor is it made alone. We are twenty elders. You are one."
Raigun glared at the others. "Do you all agree with this madness?"
Some elders avoided eye contact.
Some shifted uncomfortably.
Some looked undecided.
A few nodded in reluctant acceptance.
Raigun's fury simmered.
Towal leaned back in his carved stone chair, tail curling. "We have three priorities: preserve the Dominion's pride, repay a royal debt, and prevent unrest. A controlled, strategic union accomplishes all three."
"It will destroy us," Raigun growled.
"It will change us," Towal corrected. "Difference is vital."
Erry's fingers curled slightly.
He didn't like being spoken of like an item on a political board—but he understood this language far better than he let on.
Royal courts were all the same, no matter the race.
Towal turned toward Erry fully. "Erry Tobock. You will, of course, gain privileges—housing, access to the Dominion, protection under our law."
Erry's face remained impassive.
"And you will marry Lyra de Ulfo Feleris."
Erry inhaled slowly, deeply.
He did not shout.
He did not argue.
He did not demand his freedom.
Instead, he offered a respectful nod—barely more than a tilt of his chin.
His voice was low but steady. "I understand your laws. And your expectations."
Towal's ears flicked. "Good."
"But understand something in return," Erry said, tone still calm, still polite, yet carrying an undercurrent of iron. "I'm not a pawn. I have no interest in being bound by force. I don't desire power here. I don't desire a place here. And I will not pretend to want this."
Silence.
Towal watched him intently—impressed, perhaps.
Raigun snarled. "Arrogant human—!"
"But," Erry added quietly, "if you need time to settle your debts and tensions, I will… cooperate. For now."
The chamber buzzed with shock.
Towal smiled faintly. "A reasonable answer."
Raigun's tail lashed behind him. "You see? He doesn't even want her!"
Towal shot him a cold look. "Wanting is irrelevant. He has honor. That is more than I can say for many."
Erry didn't react outwardly—but inside, irritation simmered like hot coals.
He hated this.
He hated being cornered.
He hated being dragged into someone else's mess.
Yet he could not, in good conscience, walk away knowing that Lyra—who had been unconscious since the attack—would be blamed or punished for his refusal.
He clenched his jaw.
Towal raised his staff. "The matter is decided. This union will proceed."
Raigun stormed out of the chamber, muttering curses under his breath.
A few elders followed with conflicted expressions.
Others exchanged tense glances.
Erry remained in his seat until the guards signaled he could leave.
As he stood, Towal spoke one last time.
"Prepare yourself, Erry Tobock. Your life will not return to what it was."
Erry paused at the doorway, giving a lone, quiet answer.
"It never does."
—
The palace healers moved quietly, their soft chanting filling the dim room that smelled of herbs and warm lantern oil. Lyra lay motionless on the bed, her breaths shallow, her face pale against the pillows of woven silk.
A healer placed a wet cloth on her forehead. "Her pulse is stabilizing… slowly."
"Will she awaken soon?" another asked.
"As soon as her spirit finds the strength to return."
Minutes passed.
Hours passed.
Then—
Her fingers twitched.
Her tail shifted beneath the sheets.
A faint sound escaped her lips—barely a breath.
Her eyelids fluttered. Once. Twice.
Her world was a blur of golden light and muffled voices. Her head felt heavy, her chest tight. Her memories were tangled fragments—running… fear… claws… shouting… and…
Arms around her.
Warm. Unfamiliar.
Strong enough to lift her effortlessly.
Who…?
Lyra struggled to focus.
Her lips parted, voice hoarse.
"…wh… where… am I…?"
The healers gasped softly. "Princess—she's waking!"
Lyra blinked weakly at the ceiling, brows furrowing in confusion.
"What… happened…?" she whispered.
Her eyes remained unfocused.
Her memory stayed hazy.
And above all…
She had no idea that her life had just been decided without her.
No idea a human was now tied to her fate.
No idea her world was on the edge of being rewritten.
Her tail curled weakly as she drifted between consciousness and exhaustion.
The healers rushed around her.