I was Sabotaged by My Own Beast That Fears Death

Yuta was on his knees, on the damp ground between the cold prison walls.

Sun rays invaded the cell, piercing through the tiny holes in the dungeon walls.

Moans of failure echoed through the dark corridors, where nothing could be seen except the iron bars that kept him locked up.

Leaning against the wall, Yuta punched it hard, consumed by a growing hatred for himself — he hated having failed, hated never being able to participate in the ceremony again and be recognized as human.

All he had left was to wait for his execution. He had nothing else to lose.

Shirtless, only his thin, cold body pressed against the wall, he cried like a shower that never stops dripping.

"Why me? Why me of all people?" he repeated between sobs, feeling wronged. "I was supposed to be human… everything was supposed to work out!"

He clenched his fists so tightly he punched the wall, wounding his knuckles.

His short green hair was messy, but he didn't get up. He stayed on his knees, letting the tears fall freely, his heavy arms touching the floor, lost among the walls that seemed to swallow his mind.

And then, the memory invaded him.

Thirteen years earlier. Yuta, four years old.

Inside a house with glass windows and a door decorated in blue, all painted white, the well-organized furniture gave the home a welcoming air.

Sitting at a wooden table, little Yuta, skinny, with short green hair, played with his stuffed toys — a rabbit and a bear that he made collide against each other.

On his lap, his beast — the golden lizard — lay stretched out lazily, like someone who had worked two days without rest.

Suddenly, the door slowly opened.

Yuta heard the creak and jumped up excitedly, recognizing who it was: his brother Zeurnis, who had just come from the 17-year ceremony — the ritual that turned teenagers into true humans.

The little boy ran to the door, his eyes burning with emotion to see his brother, now officially a citizen.

When he opened it, he found Zeurnis, his older brother. Black hair with green tips, the face of a seventeen-year-old teenager, smiling proudly — after all, he no longer carried a heart in his chest.

"Finally, I did it… Where's mom? I need to tell her!" he said, beaming, almost overflowing with pride.

"Yeah, now I'm human. I have my beast as my Góia. I'm no longer a pre-threat!"

Yuta held him by the arms, fascinated, thinking only of completing his own 17 years too.

"Zeurnis! When I stop being a pre-threat, my beast and I will evolve and be stronger than you!" he exclaimed, confident.

"And until then, my beast will reach the Dominant Class!"

His brother almost laughed at the boldness.

The lizard climbed up Yuta's shoulder and blinked its eyes twice, calm.

Yuta smiled, genuinely.

The memory shattered.

Back to reality, the tears kept falling. Barefoot, shirtless, breathing the cold, damp prison air.

Then he felt the beast crawling over his body. It stopped on his lap, staring at him with golden eyes, without any trace of guilt — only indifference.

It blinked twice. And then, something unheard of happened.

"You must be hating yourself for failing, right, Yuta?" said the thin, small voice, but real.

For the first time since he was born, Yuta heard his beast speak.

His body trembled, his expression confused. The delicate voice felt like a stab.

The lizard continued:

"I couldn't let you complete the ritual. If you did, I would cease to exist. I'd become your Góia… and die with you. I didn't want to die. Nobody wants to die, right, Yuta?"

The confession tore at the boy's chest. He stared at it, stunned, eyes wide.

"How can you talk? So it was you… YOU RUINED THE RITUAL?!" he shouted, consumed by rage.

But the lizard remained calm.

"No, Yuta. I didn't break the ritual. If I had, you would have truly died. I only regenerated your wounds every time you tried to kill yourself with the dagger. That way you didn't reach the heart… and I didn't become your Góia."

Yuta couldn't believe it. His chest burned with fury.

"I understand your anger. For a few moments, I panicked too. Every time you plunged the blade in, I feared my regeneration would fail. But it didn't. It worked. We're both alive, Yuta!"

His heart pounded like a drum. Red eyes, tears mixed with uncontrollable rage.

He raised his arms, ready to crush the lizard between his fingers. Sweat poured down like rain.

She didn't flinch. She knew that if she died, Yuta would die too. The bond was fatal.

He hesitated but still thought about throwing her against the wall.

Before he could, a sound shattered the silence.

In the dark behind the rusty bars, a flickering ember appeared. Footsteps echoed in the dungeon.

A shadow emerged.

Yuta and the lizard froze. It was time for the execution.

TIC TIC

The footsteps came closer. The light revealed a man's face: long black hair with some white strands brushing his face. Pale skin, eyes dark as pitch, an earring stuck to his left ear.

He wore white clothes covered by a dark cloak, his gaze as cold as the mage's.

Yuta's and his beast's eyes trembled. There stood the executioner.

The man said nothing. He simply raised his right arm, pointing at the bars. In a whisper almost inaudible:

"Come."

From his chest, where his Góia rested, horrifying shadows emerged. They materialized on his left shoulder: a black praying mantis, about thirty centimeters long.

In an instant, the creature turned into pure shadow, flowing into the man's hand and taking the form of a long, dark sword.

He touched the blade to the bars. A second later, the prison bars were sliced into tiny pieces, falling to the ground.

The sword dissolved back into shadow and returned to his chest.

Without a word, he tossed a black cloak to Yuta.

Trembling, Yuta caught it. The lizard crawled into his pocket.

"W-Who are you?" he stammered.

The man turned, holding the makeshift torch.

"Put that on and follow me."

No emotion, just coldness and sarcasm in his voice.

He turned his back. Yuta, confused, had no choice. He followed.

They walked for minutes through the depths of the prison, the firelight carving a path through damp corridors.

Suspicion burned inside him.

"You came to kill me, didn't you?" he risked asking.

The man didn't turn his face.

"There's nothing I love more than eliminating abominations like you. A being who still carries a heart… doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as me."

Yuta's chest pounded, a bomb about to explode. The lizard climbed to his shoulder, whispering:

"Yuta, you have to run!"

The exit approached — the sunlight growing stronger.

The man stopped, turned, eyes like ice.

"Unfortunately, I won't execute you. My name is Ika. Your brother sent me to free you. He wants to give you another chance to become human."

Yuta's heart stopped for a moment.

"How? They won't let me join the ceremony again… and even if they did, I wouldn't get a Góia."

Ika stepped closer, put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out a small stone wrapped in golden runes.

"You won't repeat the ritual. There's another way. This is a Sacred Tria, made by the celestials. There are four in total. Absorb all four and you'll merge with your beast — you'll gain your Góia."

Yuta stared at the Tria as if it were his only salvation.

"And the other three?"

Ika placed the stone in his hand.

"The others you'll find yourself. Now go. The exit is right there. The government will know you escaped — and they'll come for your head. Run."

Cold as ever, Ika vanished in a swirl of shadows that engulfed him.

The lizard appeared again, eyes wide with fear.

"You don't need the Trias! If you absorb them, I'll become your Góia. I don't want to die, Yuta! Don't do it!"

He ignored it. He held the Tria, raised his arm… and swallowed the sacred stone.

"Wait for me, Zeurnis. I'll find the other Trias and become human."

With c

lenched fists, steady gaze, Yuta took his first step toward the exit.

Now, he carried a new determination: To find the three Sacred Trias.