SSS-Ranked Evolution: Worlds Unbound

"Ren Kobayashi, exiled for refusing the advances of the Tzen empire… sounds like a great story."

Ren scoffed to himself as he watched the crack of dawn. The once black sky dotted with multiple stars now turned a mix of shades; purple, red and blue, the sun was just rising. He watched such beauty from above a height, he was situated on the sturdy branch of a tree while his friends laid below. He missed the comfort of his bed and ever since his journey into the forest, he had less sleep as the days went by.

His thoughts were interrupted by the low growl of the wolf as she scratched up against the snake, resulting in her companion to hiss. Ren couldn't help but manage a smile, his knowledge of beasts like these was that they would fight to eat each other, but they seemed so close. Like they had known each other before he even came into the picture. Either way, his friends were waking up, and it meant he would have to continue on his journey to wherever they were leading him.

He slid down the tree and watched them spring to life, the wolf rubbing her coat across his leg as if using his leg as a scratching post.

"Ready?" he asked them, and with a howl and a hiss, they agreed. It was day three in the forest and if not for his beast companions, he wouldn't have survived well in the forest. They walked for hours, picking berries and fruits as little booster snacks before they were fortunate to come across a river.

The wolf let out a howl and moved closer to the water for a drink while the snake lounged around. Ren believed the girl must have been extremely thirsty, the sun was blasting after all. Deep down, he hoped that he found a town soon so he could rest up, he needed it more than ever. He drank some water from the river and splashed some on his space to revive him. In the view of the water, Ren looked at himself. He was a mess. Baggy eyes, dark circles, his skin rough and slightly dirty.

He looked like the male version of Miyo. Oh Miyo, how he missed his mum so much. She never had the time to look good, or go out, always making one meal after the other, and worrying on how to feed her children. He always promised that he would take care of her, even if he got married. The thoughts burned his chest and with a bitter heart, he took his clothes off and went for a swim.

More hours passed, and his beast wolf had brought back game for them. Cooking the food was not the problem but never had he thought he would eat a meal without his family. As he ate the meat in solitude, he observed the beasts. How the wolf hugged her food away from the serpent that was trying to cajole her to share. And then it made Ren wonder.

What happened to the other beast tamers before him? Did they suffer the same fate? Were they all pawns to the empire? Many people never wanted to awaken beast taming, and those did were never heard of again.

The forest spanned a great distance, and it was also the linkage to four major Provinces and many towns. He often went to this forest to hunt for game. He missed his mother so much, and it hurt him that he was forced to leave without saying goodbye to her. His mind wandered to Irina, did she survive? As she captured? Everything was going wrong, but he chose to continue regardless.

Judging from the position of the sun in the sky, Ren could tell that it was only a matter of time before the sun began to set. And he was fatigued. As he walked nonchalantly, his attention drifted, before it was brought back by a voice.

A fearless roar. One that screamed defiance. 

His beasts looked at each other before sprinting into the direction of where the roar came from, "hey! Where are you two going?!" It prompted Ren to follow them at full speed, getting his dagger ready in case he had to fight.

The roar he'd heard earlier echoed through the woods again, shaking the air and making the ground tremble beneath his boots. His instincts screamed danger, but something about that roar tugged at him—a desperate call for help.

Breaking through the thick foliage, Ren skidded to a halt. In the middle of a clearing stood a magnificent tiger, her sleek fur striped with orange and black. Her muscles rippled as she lashed out at a group of armed hunters circling her. Her glowing green eyes blazed with fury, but she was limping, her left hind leg streaked with blood. She roared again, defiant, even as she was pushed back.

The hunters were relentless, their blades and arrows flashing in the faint moonlight. One of them hurled a net, and she narrowly dodged it, only for another to land a glancing blow on her side with a spear. She stumbled, her roar faltering.

Ren didn't think—he acted.

"Get away from her!" he shouted, charging into the fray with his dagger gleaming in hand.

The hunters turned in surprise, but Ren was already upon them. His dagger clashed against a sword, sparks flying as he pushed the hunter back. Another lunged at him with a mace, but Ren ducked under the swing, landing a swift kick to the man's chest that sent him sprawling.

The wolf was a blur of silver lightning, leaping into the fray with a snarl. It lashed out with its electrified tail, sending jolts of energy through the hunters. They cried out as the shocks rippled through their bodies, their weapons clattering to the ground.

The serpent struck next, its enormous body coiling around a group of hunters, trapping them in a crushing grip. Its ear-splitting screech reverberated through the clearing, forcing the remaining hunters to clutch their heads, their movements disoriented.

"Stay down!" Ren growled, parrying another attack. He stepped forward, his dagger flashing in precise arcs. His strikes were fast and calculated, his newfound strength and speed making him a blur in the chaos. The hunters, seasoned as they were, couldn't keep up.

The tiger, watching from a crouched position, growled low. Her fierce eyes tracked Ren as he battled on her behalf. Her expression was unreadable—gratitude? Suspicion? He couldn't tell, and he had no time to think about it.

The last hunter standing took a swing at Ren, but the wolf darted in, slamming into the man's side and sending him flying into a tree. He didn't get back up.

Ren straightened, his chest heaving as he scanned the clearing. The hunters were either unconscious or fleeing into the woods. His wolf and serpent flanked him, their bodies tense and ready for more, but there was no one left to fight.

He turned toward the woman, lowering his dagger, "Are you okay? You're safe now—"

Before he could finish, she pounced.

Her massive body slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs as he hit the ground hard. His dagger clattered away, and her claws pressed against his chest, sharp enough to break the skin. Her breath was hot and ragged against his face as she leaned down, her glowing eyes narrowing.

"Who are you?! Who sent you?!"

"Wait—just wait! I'm not with them!" he raised his hands in surrender, the tiger's teeth were so close to his face and he feared that if he moved, he would lose an eyeball.

"Liar! You are all the same!" she growled about scratch the face he loved so much before the wolf used her body to knock her off Ren. She barked furiously and upon seeing the silver coat and electrifying eyes of the wolf, the tiger calmed down almost immediately, her gaze one of shock before her claws slowly reached out to touch the head of the wolf. Which the canine gladly accepted.

"Luna…you are okay? Where is?" her eyes moved to the snake who had also slithered close to her for affection, "you guys…you are alright?" The tigress's tail began to wag with solemn excitement until she realized they were with Ren. Her eyes darted to Ren, and he had pushed himself up and gotten his dagger ready in case she attacked again, "I'm sorry." she apologized, she knew she was in the wrong.

"I dont blame you, instincts, huh? You were almost game a few moments ago." he rubbed the dirt off his clothes before his eyes settled on hers. She had beautiful jade eyes, similar to Irina and though she stood like a human with some parts of her humanlike like her torso and arms she was no doubt a beast. Ren had heard of people like her, beast like humans, his mother told him many stories when he was still very young.

She said they protected the forest and ensured harmony between all the beasts, but they were widely sought out by humans and hence, had to remain in hiding. This was hi first time seeing one face to face.

And she was beautiful.

Her dishevelled orange hair and black stripes all over her tanned skin told Ren what type of beast she was. Her feline eyes were soul snatching and her lips were full, with the philtrum well shaped. Her nails were replaced with sharp claws, but her finger was long and slender. Her tail swayed gently behind her, orange and black stripped, she wore very old leather that covered her large bust and hips. Barefoot, she only had armour that covered her forearms and lower legs.

She looked like a queen. And Ren was staring too long.

"Why did you choose to save me? You are not one of them so what are you?" though she spoke English well, she had her accent laced well with the words she spoke. But Ren was knocked out of his examination of her, he too didnt really understand what he was, but there was something they called it.

"I am a beast tamer." just saying that was enough to put her on edge again, but his beast friends were there to calm her down.

"And you do not want to add me to one of your collections?" she almost hissed at him, and it hurt Ren quite deeply.

"Why would I do that? Im not some sicko…" he too was getting agitated and wanted to leave until Luna jumped to his side and prevented him from doing that.

"Im sorry." she apologized again before rising to her feet, a bit unsteady but strong enough to not need support, "thank you for saving me. I should not treat you so badly, if Luna and Nagini are with you, and they are okay…then you must be a good person." she closed the distance between them and delivered a short bow, "my name is Reina, and I am the queen of all tigers. It is a pleasure to make your acquittance."

Ren was taken aback but ultimately, he bowed, "I'm sure we are not much different, we are both hunted." he started the conversation as they journeyed into the forest a little bit, although Reina was injured, she still moved before they got to a quieter part of the vegetation.

"Yes. Beasts are still desired by humans like yourself, for many unlikeable reasons…" she slid down a tree and grabbed her gauntlets, taking them off to give herself relief, "I was trying to…find a cure. A great calamity has befallen my people and only water from a forbidden part of the forest can save them. Unfortunately I have been wanted by the empire for a very long time, and they were able to ambush me before you came to my rescue. However, I cannot return back empty-handed without the cure for my people…..they are dying..." she heaved a very heavy sigh and Ren felt so bad for her. She was about to lose everything, and he did admit inwardly that they were very similar. And in an instant, he made the decision to stick with her.

"Let me help you."