The sharp sound echoed beneath the water, snapping Zyra out of her memories. Her eyes widened in horror. She watched, paralyzed, as a hairline fracture spread across the shell.
Her eyes locked with those of her brother, he offered a reassuring smile, but her expression remained blank; after all, he was among the very people who had abandoned her after today.
And now that she thought about it, what exactly had she struggled so much for in the past life? As an orphan whose only source of protection in the clan was a red mark between her eyebrows, how could she have expected the clan to protect her when her special identity proved useless?
Why had she ruined her health by doing menial work, eating poorly, becoming an idiot who was the beck and call of everyone!!
Why had she clung to a small clan in a small town for unappreciative relatives whose loyalty vanished the moment her utility ended?
How pathetic she had been!! Why had she struggled to stay? Why had she pleaded with people that eventually had her half-life beast for dinner?
"What a shitty life." She muttered. Her blood boiled with fury for her past life and all the humiliations she had suffered. Wouldn’t it have been easier to voluntary break ties with the clan and move to another city before being branded a false maiden? she thought to herself.
CRACK!!
More fractures formed on the shell of the egg, and a small green head poked out. Just as it had been in her last life, her half-life beast was a low ranked common garden snake.
Any kind of snake as a half-life beast was bad news. While other beasts leveled up easily, snakes were harder. They needed a lot of energy stones for advancement. No human that had a snake as their half-life beast had done anything great for humanity in the past or present.
Zyra heard the gasps in the pool. Other people who were there to awaken started to whisper. The whispers around the pool grew louder.
"No..." Her brother cried out first.
"A snake! What a waste." Someone commented loudly.
"A soul maiden has actually bonded with a common snake!"
"At least I bonded with a silver thorny plant."
Zyra lowered her eyes to the little snake in her hands.
It stared back at her silently. Small. Weak. Powerless with no hope of becoming stronger. Just like in her previous life. The snake moved and coiled around her wrist. Resting easily, with no clue that it was evidence of a ruined life.
Zyra didn’t cry. She did not panic. She straightened her shoulders and pushed forward, walking up the steps from the pool. Not one drop of water fell from her body because the resonance pool was unique. The liquid didn’t stick to the body like water would.
Two elders that were pool guardians pulled the doors open for her, naked horror in their eyes.
Zyra ignored them, walking by them with her head held high.
Outside, in the grand hall, the atmosphere became suffocating the moment she entered. The elders of the five clans that ruled Myrtle town, along with other clan elders and witnesses of clan councils from the capital leaned forward in their velvet seats with bated breath.
They were expecting a miracle. Most expected a mighty half-life beast. Perhaps a shadow panther, or crystal serpent. Maybe even an eight scaled eagle. Instead, the most promising soul maiden of this batch had a slender green snake coiled around her wrist.
Worse, the red blossom mark on her forehead was still bright red. It had not transformed to pink, which was supposed to happen after her bloodline awakened!
The silence in the hall was deafening. The trap had been laid, the predators were watching, but Zyra looked out at the faces of her future executioners, to add to their shock she smiled like she had awakened a titan half-life beast.
This time, she was going to burn the world down first if they dared to put her on a stake.
The ceremony did not stop just because Zyra’s life had completely imploded. In fact, the grand hall was still buzzing. A soul maiden was always the first in and out, and others followed. So, others were already walking out, some glowing in the glory of their half-life beasts.
There were fiery birds, promising wolves, and ethereal felines. Each success was met with thunderous applause and proud cheers.
Meanwhile, Zyra was already feeling the heavy, suffocating side effects of her epic failure. The air around her practically vibrated with judgment. Her so-called peers were shooting her sidelong glances, whispering behind their hands. The clan elders looked at her as if she had personally ruined their retirement funds, their faces etched with deep disappointment.
But the clearest sign of her new social outcast status? The sudden lack of human presence. Usually, people would practically fight to breathe the same air as Zyra. Now, there was a neat, five-foot empty radius around her. No one sat close to her. Not a soul.
Even her fiancés...the four young men who, just yesterday, were writing her poetry and fighting over who got to hold her hand were suddenly sitting three rows away. They avoided her gaze entirely, looking at her as if she were carrying a highly contagious flesh-eating virus.
Right next to her sat her brother, Ian. He wasn’t avoiding her, but he wasn’t helping either. He was trembling so hard his teeth were chattering, looking significantly more terrified than she was.
For years, living as the brother of the future, possibly most powerful Soul maiden in the world had been fantastic for him. Free everything, instant respect, and a flock of loyal friends and girlfriends. But the moment Zyra walked out with no bloodline and the snake, those friends had vanished like smoke.
They were already shunning him. He realized, with immense dread, that if his sister was going down, he was being dragged right down to the social bottom with her.
Finally, after five hours, the grand resonance ritual concluded.
Mr. Flentstone, a heavy-set man with a long scruffy beard and tiny spectacles was the last out of the pool hall and its doors were sealed. He stepped onto the podium and cleared his throat. "The resonance ceremony is officially concluded," his voice boomed. "All clans are dismissed to celebrate, except for the Ophira clan. Please remain in the hall, it’s a request from your clan leader."
That was the cue for the whispers to begin.
"Wow, did you see that Ophira Soul maiden?" a young man from the rival Claw clan mocked loudly, ensuring his voice carried. "So much hype, and she didn’t even bond with a house cat but a snake! At least the cat can act cute on command. What can a common snake do?"
"The Ophira’s have been walking on air since that girl was born. It is about time they come back to the ground."
"I would hate to be her right now."
"Do you think she is a false Soul maiden?"
"A complete waste of resources," a girl chimed in, giggling. "I guess the Ophira clan will have to learn how to walk with their heads down from now on. Our Rodrick clan’s Soul maiden has awakened her bloodline and bonded with a five clawed tiger. We own this city now."
A loud booming voice echoed through the hall. "Burn. Burn. Burn the False Soul maiden."
Zyra’s heart skipped a beat. She would set this town on fire, before they burned her again.