The Ophira clan members who remained could only swallow their anger. The pride they had walked in with this morning had been completely shattered into tiny, embarrassing pieces. Their rival clan Soul maidens had awakened bloodlines and promising powerful half-life beasts, elevating their clans’ status, while the Ophiras had just lost all their political leverage in a single moment.
Six Soul maidens had awakened today, and none belonged to their clan. It was the biggest humiliation they had suffered since the birth of Zyra Scorpion.
An awkward, heavy silence covered the hall after the doors slammed shut. Even the usually talkative clan elders looked lost, staring at the floor, completely unsure of how to tackle this massive disaster.
Breaking the silence, the clan grand elder Maria stood up. "Zyra Scorpion," she called out, her voice echoing in the quiet room. "Step forward."
Zyra didn’t flinch. She stood up smoothly, her posture as proud as a peacock. Honestly, all she was missing were the colorful feathers.
"Look at her," someone whispered from the back row. "Why isn’t she crying or hiding her face? Where does she get the nerve to stand like that?"
Ignoring the murmurs, Zyra walked majestically down the center aisle. Her head was held high, her shoulders back. She stopped right at the center of the hall, facing the Grand elder.
Up close, the elderly woman looked stressed. Her eyes were fixed on the glowing red mark on Zyra’s face, it seemed brighter in her opinion, brighter than ever. But as a Soul maiden herself, she knew it should have been pink by now. This was uncharted territory.
"What the hell is happening, Zyra?" Maria asked, abandoning her usual formal speech for pure, raw frustration. "Your bloodline didn’t react at all. Explain this. This is the Scorpion bloodline! It was inherited from your mother. It is one of the strongest that we have ever seen."
They called it the Scorpion bloodline because her mother was named Zena Scorpion. Because bloodlines were inherited from the mother, all Soul maidens took the surnames of their mothers. They added "Of" to identify their clans. So, she was Zyra Scorpion of Ophira.
Zyra kept quiet for a moment. Her mind was spinning, but outwardly, she was a pool of calm. She needed to think carefully. In this world, her reputation as a Soul maiden was her only shield. If they thought she was fake, they would throw her to the wolves and history would surely repeat itself. She needed to give them a reason....a dramatic, tragic reason....that would let her keep a shred of dignity.
Zyra cleared her throat, looking appropriately solemn.
"Grand elder, Elders," Zyra began, her voice steady. "There is only one logical explanation for why my bloodline remained dormant today. I believe... my soul has been corrupted."
Gasps exploded through the room.
"Corrupted?!"
"Oh my god!"
"How is that even possible?!"
Maria closed her eyes briefly, rubbing her temples. "Silence!" she commanded, shushing the noisy room as she massaged her pounding head. This was a nightmare. Zyra was her absolute favorite protégé. She was supposed to be the next Great elder of the clan. She had trained the girl in combat and healing herself, and Zyra had been an incredible, brilliant student. Losing her over a botched awakening was a terrible loss, not just for the Ophira clan’s political power, but for the whole of The Jersey Republic.
From the front row, Zyra’s Uncle Job leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "A corrupted soul? Zyra, child, what makes you think something so extreme has happened to you?"
Zyra cleared her throat again, putting on her best tragic-heroine face. "Do you all remember three years ago? The day some medium rank mutated beasts managed to tear through the protective veil and attack us?"
The elders looked at each other, nodding in sync as the memory clicked. "Yes, we remember."
"During that battle," Zyra reminded them, "I was deeply wounded by one of them. Immediately after, I became terribly sick for days. The doctors thought it was just poisoning and I was cured. But I have not been the same since then. I believe that beast’s energy slowly seeped into my soul core. It may not have killed me, but it obviously did a lot of damage. I was too afraid to tell the clan and thought maybe the resonance pool would heal my soul. I guess I was wrong."
Maria shook her head, a look of profound denial washing over her face as reality set in. A soul corruption? That was a condition that simply did not have a cure. In fact, it led to madness eventually. There was no miracle drug, no device, no herbs that could cure it.
Slowly, Maria stood up. She deliberately arranged her long, flowing robes, fixed her long white hair, and looked at Zyra with genuine pity.
"If that is the case," she announced, her voice heavy, "then unfortunately, Zyra can no longer hold the title of future grand elder of our clan. Zyra, you must step down as my protégé and Soul maiden of this clan."
More gasps rose from the crowd, but this time, the vibe was entirely different. Half the parents in the hall, with daughters who were born as soul maidens but were yet to come of age were practically celebrating. With Zyra out of the way, their own daughters finally had a shot at the top spot!
Now, in her past life, Zyra would have thrown a massive tantrum. She would have stubbornly refused, cried, and begged for a chance to find a cure. But this time around, she didn’t bother. She had lived through that misery once already.
"I understand, grand elder" Zyra said calmly, bowing gracefully. "I accept your decision."
The room went dead silent. Everyone was utterly shocked. Zyra was famous for being tenacious, spoiled, and incredibly fierce by nature. Normally, she would assert that she would move to the ends of the earth and fight gods to find a cure. Seeing her just give in so easily was unnerving.
In the corner of the hall, her nanny, Mrs. Munch, burst into loud tears.
Even Ian, her brother, was sniffling.
Suddenly, a sharp, dramatic wail pierced the air. "No! This is entirely unfair!"
It was Lita, Zyra’s foster sister. Lita rushed forward, tears streaming down her pretty face as she let out a defiant scream. "Zyra has sacrificed so much for our clan! How can you just cast her aside because of an old injury? This is cruel!"
If Zyra didn’t already know that Lita was a literal snake hiding in green grass, she probably would have been touched. But she knew the truth. Lita was currently throwing a party in her mind.
Nobody wanted Zyra to fall more than Lita, who had hated her secretly for years. Now that she had bonded with an S rank two-winged bear, she was hoping to step on Zyra. Teach her where she belonged in the new clan order.
In Zyra’s last life, Lita had even married one of her ex-fiancés after he dumped her. This public defense was just a show to make Lita look loyal and sweet, before she could plunge a knife into Zyra’s heart.