The Beta Dominates Alphas

Chapter 134: Ren Got Captured (2)

The tendrils moved away just a bit, revealing a face as pale and smooth as porcelain — Kestrel’s face. In the flickering firelight, her face showed no sign of recognizing Ren. Her golden eyes stared coldly at him.

Feeling exposed and helpless, all Ren could do was raise his head a little, looking deep into her eyes, hoping she’d remember as her familiar hand reached out to him.

A cold sensation touched Ren’s forehead and eyes, blurring his vision. It felt like a powerful force was pushing its way into his mind.

Before, when they used to train together, Kestrel would always be gentle when she tapped into his psychic world, handling them with care. She was always wary of causing him any harm.

But this time, Kestrel’s psychic energy felt like an ice storm, rushing into his mind, pushing everything aside. She was different, almost as if she had forgotten herself and didn’t care about hurting him.

Ren was baffled. Kestrel’s upper body still looked human, but her lower body was now a mass of tendrils. Her golden eyes, which once held warmth, now looked cold and distant, as if she wasn’t even human anymore. She seemed to have lost all memories of her past life and everything they shared.

In a desperate attempt, Ren reached out to her in his psychic world, taking the shape of an orca, a creature Kestrel had always loved. He called out to her, asking her what had changed. But she just ignored him, even holding back his psychic form. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

They were trapped underground with danger lurking at every corner. If they started fighting each other now, they’d only weaken themselves and their chances of escaping this nightmare would diminish.

Feeling helpless, Ren decided to let go, allowing Kestrel’s psychic grip to take hold.

The cold hand that had been covering his face was lifted away. Having experienced such a psychic intrusion, Ren felt drained. He had battled his way through so many challenges to get here, relying purely on his willpower. But now, with Kestrel’s unexpected assault, his strength was gone.

Every part of him felt heavy and painful, like all his energy was drained. His body was overwhelmed with fatigue, and the side effects of the many drugs he had taken to push himself began to take over.

Amidst the flickering firelight, he could see all sorts of creatures watching him. Unable to move or fight back, he felt utterly defenseless.

Tendrils played with him, picking up his bruised hands and feet, moving him around as if he were just a toy. It was as if they were curious about him, but in a way that was also quite mean.

Ren tried to close his eyes, hoping to shield himself a bit from all the creatures staring at him.

"Please don’t," he thought. "Not like this, Kestrel. Not in front of them."

The drugs he had taken to keep going were too much for his body. He was already at his limit. And with Kestrel’s sudden turn against him, all the side effects hit him at once, making him feel even worse.

Ren felt a strange sensation pulsing throughout his body, as if every single nerve was being poked and prodded. An icy chill crept in, rendering his arms and legs motionless.

He was paralyzed and vulnerable, reminiscent of the traumatic times when he found himself surrounded by enemies with no one to come to his rescue.

How he wished Kestrel could recognize him, hoping she’d comfort him like in the old times. But it seemed she had forgotten their shared past.

Despair consumed him, cold and suffocating, like being trapped beneath a heavy sheet of ice.

Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, the tendril that had been wrapped around his neck released its grip. It slithered across his face, oddly giving him a gentle pat on the head.

That very tendril started to coil around Ren, encasing him in a protective barrier against the outside world.

"He doesn’t want to be seen like this."

"He doesn’t want to be humiliated in front of others."

Kestrel’s voice, coming from somewhere among the mass of tendrils, directed the gathering of mutants. "Leave. All of you."

"But he hurt us," argued the monster with the missing wing, glaring menacingly at Ren. "We want to see him punished."

Another chimed in, "He’s caused pain. Why protect him?"

The chorus of monsters all added their grievances. From those who were able to articulate their feelings to the ones who could only growl in anger, a cacophony of voices filled the air.

"Kestrel," Taja implored, "we want to see him suffer. Why are you pushing us away?"

But with a mere glance from Kestrel, Taja crumpled, clutching her head in agony. "Stop, stop, Kestrel," she wailed, hastily retreating.

Seeing the power Kestrel wielded, the monsters around them either took flight or scampered off, leaving the cavernous space empty save for Ren, Kestrel, and the tendrils.

Transporting Ren to their lair, the tendrils seemed curious, almost childlike in their actions. They carefully removed Ren’s shoes and gently pulled off his blood-streaked gloves, inspecting his fingers one by one with innocent yet strange fascination.

Ren’s skin, warm to the touch, held a gentle resilience. As the tendrils wrapped around his fingers, they felt a strange yet familiar sensation. Memories seemed to stir within them, reminding them of a time when these very hands had been intertwined with them.

Ren held a special place in their consciousness. His presence piqued their curiosity, urging them to engage with him.

The cavern, enshrouded in complete darkness, echoed the occasional murmurs and the soft sounds of the tendrils’ movements. Ren’s resistance had waned, allowing Kestrel’s tendrils to move and position him as they wished. When they lifted his hand, he wouldn’t resist, and when released, it’d just drop limply to his side.

Shaking him elicited a feeble cry, "Kestrel." The sound was like a song to the tendrils, who continued to prod and play with him, coaxing him to utter her name again and again, until his voice was barely a whisper.

However, as their game proceeded, Kestrel sensed something amiss. Ren’s frailty was evident, and there was a disturbance in his psychic world. He was on the brink, teetering between life and death.

She remembered Taja’s cautionary words about the fragility of these beings. But it perplexed her. "How could he be this weak?" Kestrel wondered. "Just a little play, and he’s at death’s door?"

Noticing his weakened state, she gently asked, "Hey, what’s happening?"

In the encompassing darkness, Ren’s faint voice whispered, "Water... I think I’m burning up. Kestrel."