Back in the Fox Clan…
Claire slowly regained consciousness, her whole body aching like she had wrestled a truck.
"Arghhhh…" she groaned, blinking at the strange ceiling above her.
Where… the hell… was this?
She pushed herself up, looking around the small, shabby room. The walls were made of rough wood, patched in several places as if the owner gave up halfway through repairs. A tiny window let in weak sunlight, and the straw bed she was lying on felt like it had never met comfort in its life.
Great. Another unfamiliar place… perfect.
Her memory rushed back. Voices calling her Mira, strange beast-like people surrounding her, the moment before she passed out.
Mira Dravell. Mira Dravell. The name echoed in her head, matching the foreign memories that didn't belong to her. Unwanted daughter of the Fox Clan leader.
Claire sucked in a breath.
She thought she knew what was happening, but she needed to be sure.
She shot up quickly too quickly almost falling over as she began searching the room like a madwoman.
"Mirror… mirror… anything that shows my damn face—"
She didn't even know if mirrors existed here, but luckily she spotted a small piece of polished glass propped against the wall. She grabbed it instantly.
"Alright, Claire… brace yourself," she muttered.
She lifted it to her face.
And froze.
"What… the… actual… hell."
The reflection staring back at her was a crime.
Her hair was a mix of dirty brown and patchy blonde, tied in a messy bun stuffed with twigs, leaves, and sticks like a bird's nest. Her eyebrows, were those even eyebrows or overgrown bushes?? Facial hair covered almost half of her face. While dirt covered her entire face thick, crusted dirt hiding features that might have been pretty if they weren't buried under months of neglect.
And her body…
Skinny. Starved. Bones sharp through her clothes.
She looked like a walking corpse.
Her breath hitched. The glass slipped from her hand and shattered loudly on the floor.
The second Claire registered that this nightmare was supposed to be her, she let out a loud scream.
The mirror slipped from her hand and shattered on the ground.
"Oh Lord, oh Lord, this cannot be me! What happened to my clean, spotless, beautiful face?!" she wailed. "Why am I stuck in this? Who on earth let the original owner look like this?? How was she living life like this?!"
She wanted to cry. No, she wanted to collapse.
In the span of one day, she had been betrayed and murdered by her own sister, woke up in a strange forest, almost became wolf food, got injured, and now discovered she had transmigrated into the body of the most unwanted loser in a tribe. And on top of that, her new body looked like a zombie that crawled out of a grave.
Who had she offended? Which god was doing her like this?
How was she meant to walk outside looking like this?!
She took several deep breaths.
"Calm down, Claire. Or… Mira? Whatever," she muttered to herself. "I can fix the body. I can fix the face. Slowly. The problem now is… I don't even understand this world."
A beast world.
She vaguely remembered hearing a strange mechanical voice earlier, before she fainted. Or was she imagining it? She rubbed her temple, unsure.
Before she could think further a knock sounded followed by the door opening without permission.
A woman stepped in… or half a woman. Her body was human, but fox ears twitched atop her head, and a fluffy tail swayed behind her. A half-shifter? Claire—no, Mira—had no idea.
"Your father asked me to tell you to come see him now," the woman said, her voice dripping with disdain.
Mira frowned. Seriously? Was her reputation so terrible that even a half-shifter dared talk to her like this?
"I'll be there soon," she said firmly. "But next time, fix your attitude before speaking to me. You don't talk to me like that."
The woman smirked mockingly as she turned to leave.
"That's if you're still alive to even see a next time."
The door slammed shut.
And Mira froze.
She wasn't scared—just stunned. In her old life, she was used to being respected by everyone, people practically respected her by default. She wasn't about to accept disrespect in this one either. But…
What did that woman mean by 'still alive'?
Before she could process it—
A soft chime echoed inside her head.
Followed by a mechanical voice.
[System Initialisation….]
[60% complete… 70%… 100%]
[System Initialisation complete]
[Host binding complete >>>]
[Host, welcome to the Beast World. I am Stella, known as S — your newly assigned system.]
Mira almost jumped out of her skin. She wasn't scared—just startled. Heck, if she hadn't heard this voice earlier before passing out, she would have jumped out of the window. Anyone would be startled hearing a voice suddenly speak inside their head.
"A system??" she blurted.
She knew what systems were she had read enough novel back home. But what she didn't understand was why did she, of all people, have one.
[Host, I was assigned to help you do something. There's a reason I was sent to you, but I haven't been told… yet. I'll find out eventually!] Stella said cheerfully.
Mira pressed her fingers to her forehead.
"So you don't even know the reason you were assigned to me… yet."
[Host, you're correct! But even if I don't know the main purpose yet, I can still help you with other things! Think about it. You transmigrated into a world you know nothing about. You need guidance! And assistance! With me here, Host, I guarantee you'll be able to dominate this world forever!]
Stella sounded so proud of herself. As she bragged cheerfully
But Mira frowned.
"Dominate forever? This is a beast world. Why would I want to dominate anything? If anything I want to go back to my original world. There's no way I'm staying here forever. I don't care what it takes, but I'll return to my old life and take revenge… no matter what."