Chapter 4: FIGHT ME, SOUL BEAST!

NEOMA woke up in the plain white room.

No, it would be more appropriate to say that she was inside a giant cube and all the sides were white. She was standing in the center while facing a black shadow beast that was shaped like a dragon. But it seemed like a baby dragon because it was just a little taller than her.

[But a dragon? How cliché! I want something more magical!]

"A little de Moonasterio, huh?" the shadow dragon mocked her in a deep, menacing voice. "I didn't expect that you'd awaken at such a young age. The question is… can you handle me?" His long snake forked tongue came out of his huge mouth and wiggled like it was supposed to be intimidating. "If you can't, I'll eat your soul."

[Let's see… how did Nero handle his Soul Beast again?]

Every de Moonasterio was supposed to have a 'Soul Beast' inside. It served as their guardian but not everyone could summon or use its power. According to the legends, the Soul Beasts were picky when it comes to choosing their masters. Just because she was a de Moonasterio didn't mean that this shadow dragon would serve her.

But in her past life, when Nero awakened, he was able to control his Soul Beast that came in the form of a shadow wolf. Thankfully, during that time, Nero told the emperor how he was able to control the Soul Beast.

And thankfully, she still remembered what Nero said then.

Every single detail was stuck in her mind because, during her first life, she tried to summon her Soul Beast. Sadly, it didn't heed her call. Maybe it was because she was weak-willed then.

[But now, I have all the motivation I need.]

Neoma cracked the knuckles of her small hands while rotating her head slowly from side to side. "Hey, clench your teeth," she said. "And no hard feelings, okay?"

The shadow dragon, even though didn't have a face, appeared to be confused.

She used that moment to run towards him as fast as her short legs would allow her. Then, she raised her tiny fist and punched the shadow dragon in what appeared like its throat. She thought her fist was going to get through but fortunately, she hit a solid body.

And as soon as her knuckles connected to the shadow-y throat, her punch sent the dragon flying until it hit the white wall. The impact was strong enough to put a crack on it.

Neoma blew on the top of her fist like a badass that she thought she was. "I'm the boss here, `got that?"

According to Nero, the Soul Beasts resided inside their soul. Thus, the name. Duh.

That meant that the "cube" she was in was the deepest part of her soul. And the master of her soul was her and no one or nothing else. To "tame" the Soul Beast, all she had to was take control. If she thinks that she's stronger than the dragon, then she'd be stronger than it.

[In short, willpower is the answer.]

In her past life, Nero said that he beat the wolf into a pulp until it called him "master."

[My twin brother is so violent.]

Well, it wasn't like she was one to talk.

[Damn, it seems like violence runs in our veins.]

"Hey!" the shadow dragon complained when it got up from the floor. "You punched my throat, you little b*tch!"

[Oh, right.]

Nero also said that their Soul Beasts would have the same personality as them.

[I have a bad mouth so this little shit also has one, huh?]

"Listen, you shadow-y bastard," Neoma said while cracking her knuckles again. "I don't want a dragon– I want a unicorn!"

Gosh, it seemed like her mental age had retrograded back to that of a child's!

***

"GREETINGS to the empire's one and only moon," the servants said in unison. "Welcome to Luna Palace, Your Majesty."

Nikolai ignored the maids, butlers, and royal guards that greeted him when he arrived at the palace's dining hall. He walked past them and went straight to his children. Of course, Glenn was walking closely behind him.

He found the royal prince standing protectively beside the royal princess who was sitting on a chair, almost lifeless.

The little girl had long platinum white hair and red eyes.

[Red eyes are the symbol of a de Moonasterio's awakening.]

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Nero greeted him with a solemn look on his face. Oh, he could talk without stuttering. The child didn't even appear intimidated by his presence. And most of all, he could look straight into his eyes without shaking in fear. "Are you here to help my sister?"

[Rude.]

Well, that was also a sign of being a de Moonasterio so he didn't mind.

And he hated to admit this but looking at Nero reminded him of himself when he was his age. They looked alike. Even the sharp look in their eyes was similar.

[Heh.]

"Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to stop the royal princess's awakening," Nikolai told his son. "An early awakening like this could only be caused by two things. First, you can awaken if you're a prodigy good enough to summon your Soul Beast. Second, you can also awaken if your life has been put in danger. What do you think caused the princess's awakening?"

"It's probably the latter," his son answered. "The cook checked Neoma's food and he found poison in the steak sauce. I already asked the guards to capture everyone who was present when our food was made. Also, the guards chased the one maid that ran away when the princess got into this state."

Nikolai was impressed.

He heard that the royal prince was diligent and respected by the servants. But he didn't expect him to be this smart and have great leadership skills.

[I wonder how he made the servants in this palace obey him.]

"As of this moment, the royal princess may have met the Soul Beast inside her," Nikolai explained to the prince. "Let's just hope that your twin sister tames the beast because if not…"

"What?" the prince complained when he paused. "What will happen to Neoma if she fails to tame the Soul Beast?"

"The Soul Beast will eat her soul," he said to the royal prince who glared at him. He smirked at his son's reaction. "Your poor twin sister will die if that happens."

As soon as he said that, the royal princess suddenly coughed blood.

The royal prince looked shocked when he saw what happened to his twin sister. Worrying was obvious in his face as he tried to wipe the blood off the princess's mouth. "Neoma…" He turned to him with a desperate look on his face. "Your Majesty, tell me what I have to do to save my twin sister."

"You can do nothing but wait," Nikolai said strictly. "It's a battle that the princess must overcome herself. Why don't you just trust your little sister?"

"Neoma can't fight," Nero said in a frustrated voice. "My baby sister is a sweet little angel that can't even kill an insect."

***

"DIE, you beast! Die!" Neoma screamed while punching the shadow dragon in the face. "I won't stop hitting you until you give up!"

To be honest, Neoma was just as beaten as the shadow dragon. The beast attacked her a while ago and b*tch-slapped the hell out of her using its tail. She ignored the pain and fought back as hard as she could.

So now, she was straddling the shadow dragon while throwing strong punches at it. Even though she was tiny, her strength as a de Moonasterio was no joke.

"I give up!" the shadow dragon screamed. "I acknowledge you as my master, Neoma de Moonasterio!"

Neoma stopped her fist mid-air. Then, she smiled sweetly at the dragon. "Then, can you do what I want?"

"Give me some time before I shape-shift into a unicorn," the dragon said in frustration. "It will take time before I can change into another form. Especially now that my energy is depleted after you beat me to a pulp!"

"You shouldn't have threatened me in the first place," she countered. "I felt like my life is in danger so I had to resort to self-defense."

"Self-defense my foot!" the Soul Beast complained. "Let's talk once I recovered my strength. For now, let's bid each other farewell." It slapped its own tail against the wall. "See you later, Master Neoma."

Before Neoma could even talkback, a warm light engulfed her body, and the next thing she knew, a strong force was already pulling her down.

***

NEOMA gasped after she felt like she was gutted hard in the stomach.

"Neoma!"

When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by Nero's worried face. She wanted to assure her twin brother that she was okay. But her attention was caught by the handsome and tall man standing behind Nero.

Platinum white hair, light ash gray eyes that almost looked like silver, pale skin, and an unbelievably handsome face.

She gasped aloud.

[Emperor Nikolai de Moonasterio!]

Her scumbag of a father.

To be honest, she resented the emperor in her past life.

Even now, she hadn't fully forgiven him yet for abandoning her. She wanted to curse and yell at him. But she held back because she knew venting out wouldn't solve anything.

So she swallowed her anger and smiled at the handsome scumbag.

"Papa!" Neoma said in a very sweet voice that made her want to puke. But instead, she got off the chair, ignored her brother, and ran towards the emperor. Then, she clung to his leg while looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. "Are you here to take Neoma with you, Papa?"

When Emperor Nikolai raised an eyebrow at her, Neoma felt like she wanted to punch herself in the throat.

["Papa," my foot!]

***

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