4 Beast men and Tamers
Home? To Arella, this was just a fantasy. When she was 15 years old, she not only lost her mother but also her home.
Her father was a C-rank beast with a giant wolf as his beast spirit. He used to stay in the military camp for most of the year, and when he came back home, he would go straight into hibernation. Arella could not be with him much. Whenever they interacted, they maintained a polite distance, just like strangers.
So, she was raised under the careful negligence of her stepmother. She was below average in skills, did not have any friends, and was average in her studies. Other than her porcelain face, nothing could make waves.
The disappointment became evident in the gaze of everyone around her. Nobody wanted to interact with her. She became an outcast. Words like home and family were nothing but a glorious illusion to her.
Things were dismal, but Arella could not blame anybody. It was only her low aptitude that could be blamed. During her childhood, everybody had high expectations of her.
The reasons were very simple. Her mother was a B-level Tamer, while her father was a C-rank Beast. So, she could be a C rank at worst and a B rank at best, which was already great. Further, her family was wealthy. She had access to nutritious meals and better conditions since birth.
Arella was bound to find her place among the higher ranks. But defying all odds, when she received her aptitude it was only a D rank! People who wanted to curry favor and bask in her glory disappeared like air.
They ridiculed her behind her back. All of this did not escape her eyes, but she could not do anything. In the Advanced Beast Era, strength and aptitude were everything. Better aptitude meant higher opportunities and respect.
On TOI 7000 e, every person's soul was blessed by Beast Gods, and they had a beast spirit. They derived their powers from their beast spirit. Every beast's spirit was a manifestation of a beast.
People were categorized as Beast men and Tamers. Beast men received physical ferociousness, while Tamers received the mental abilities of their beast spirits. Like, a fox beast could have impeccable hearing, but a fox tamer would be cunning.
The beast men could swiftly change into the beast form of their spiritual animal. But things were not so simple for the Tamers. Though tamers, too, derived their powers from the beast spirit, their beast form was usually unknown. Only A rank or above Tamers could know the form of their beast spirit.
With the majority being in E, D, and C rank tamers, it was a common feat to not know one's beast form. That is why Beast men, even the lower ranks, were more respected in comparison to the tamers.
The presence of tamers played a crucial role in maintaining the balance on the planet. Beast men always acted on their instinct, so fights used to break out every now and then among the people. Their only advantage was their immense power.
That is why tamers were required to rein in the beast men. Strategy, insight, intelligence, and mental fortitude were synonymous with Tamers. A tamer's power could calm the raging beast and make them docile.
Beast men were required for their strength, and Tamers were respected for their mental abilities. When a person reaches adulthood, he or she will receive their aptitude. This aptitude sealed their path as either beast men or tamers.
Their career was inherent, but their ranks could be improved with time and experience. That is, a beast men would remain a beast men all his life, but he/she could raise the rank from D to C with proper experience.
Though there is only a rank of difference between two adjacent ranks, but, in reality, it was an insurmountable gap. Most people could only raise their ranks to one level during the span of their entire lives.
There were also instances of people dying with their initial rank even after trying their best. Hence, E, and D-ranked people were looked down upon by the higher clan members.
It was precisely because the difference between the ranks was too huge, that people started marrying people from higher ranks with hopes of having an offspring that could inherit a better rank.
But with this came the problem of spiritual compatibility. A beast could only mate with a tamer. In the beast clan, the marriage was not gender-specific but aptitude-specific. Two males or females could get married provided that, one of them, was a beast while the other was a tamer.
The awakened beast of a beastmen only took a tamer as his/her partner. But the tamer should have a spiritual connection with the beast. Tamers who did not know their beast forms had to perform a compatibility test with their potential partners.
A spiritual connection was proof of the beast spirits in the beastmen and tamer accepting each other as partners. Meaning, that the beasts were comfortable with each other. This stopped the birth of mutants and maintained the purity of the beast spirits.
A spiritual connection above 70% was considered acceptable for mating.
If it was less than 70%, it meant, that the tamer was incompatible with the beast. In such cases, if the beast goes out of control, it won't listen to the tamer and won't respond to the tamer's power. Such a union was lethal to the tamer and could result in death.
People had a trend of marrying up, that is, marrying a person above their rank. However, higher ranks did not want to get married to people from lower ranks. Hence, to increase the chances of getting higher-ranked offspring, the ruler declared a law.
Any pair having a spiritual connection of 90% and above had to get married, irrespective of their rank. People from higher ranks hated it, but they could not go against the law.
Arella had to thank this law. It was only because of this that her mother who was a B-ranked tamer could get married to a C-ranked beast. Their spiritual connection was 90%
Arella had got her spiritual compatibility tested with Luke. They were 75% compatible. It was over the minimum threshold, and Arella was ecstatic at the result. But what happened later? Despite being compatible, wasn't she cast aside by him? Their beast spirits had already given a nod for their union, but he still rejected her, didn't he? Was the spiritual compatibility test even reliable?
Adrian was looking at the quiet girl standing next to him. At such a proximity, she looked even more bewitching. His beast spirit, which had been restless and raging for the entire week was quiet as a quail now.
Just by holding her hands, Adrian felt at peace. He was 25 years old, which was old enough to get married from the beast clan standards, but he never found a suitable match. He never believed in marriages. He was already an A ranked beast, only a few tamers could be found acceptable and spiritually compatible.
To be honest, Princess Anna, the sister of the current Ruler was the only potential match he could find on this planet. But he wanted to stay far away from the intrigues of politics. As a Major General, he had a duty to protect this world.
Becoming Royalty came with a set of restrictions. If he became royalty, he would not be allowed to go to the ground for fighting. He could not teach the soldiers. He could not go to the battlefield. Anything that endangered his life would become restricted.
Fortunately for him, Princess Anna was also somebody who did not want to get married to him. Being the chief strategist and an A rank tamer, she had always despised his recklessness. That is why they never married.
Adrian had almost lost all hope of finding a match, but a week ago, his beast spirit started raging. Pain filled his chest. He felt as if a piece of his skin was being cut away. Something, that should belong to him, was being snatched away.
Looking at his restlessness, Anna asked him to go on a vacation. Having nothing to do, he came to overview the marriage ceremony of a B-ranked beast. Luke, that was his name. He was a newly scouted beast and had the potential of joining his Elite team.
When he reached the venue, his throbbing intensified. His beast raged against his chest. Hammering his ribs, he wanted to come out instantly. Before the beast went on a mad rush, a calming power suddenly wrapped him. It was bright, comfortable and peaceful.
When he came back to his senses, he was standing in front of a closed door. His beast was still restless, but unlike the rage, he felt a tremor course through his veins. He instinctively felt nervous.
Being a Major General, he never wavered in the face of life and death situations. Being nervous was not his trait. He felt bewildered. He wanted to know what was behind the door that made him so nervous.
Bang, he thrust open the door and found a sight that almost took his breath away. His beast went silent at the sight. It saw a woman in bridal attire right in front of him. He did not know her. He had never met her before. But the faint power that surrounded the girl felt extremely comfortable.
His spirit clamored to touch her. His beast started jumping in excitement. She was already clad in bridal wear. A strange thought made its way into his head. 'She should be my bride. Only mine.' A possessive instinct filled his senses.
"Marry Me." He spoke his mind. Then, he did what he wanted to do urgently. Touch her. As his hands touched her silky skin, a mark appeared on their wrists. It was their beasts bowing to each other. It was the acknowledgment and acceptance of the soul knot.
