Rayna slowly opened her eyes.
"Why don't I feel any pain?" Rayna thought, puzzled.
Instead, she became aware of something firm yet oddly soft beneath her.
Glancing down, her eyes flew open in shock.
"A man? And—he's handsome?" Her thoughts raced. "Not that I'm complaining, but... where did he come from? And why am I lying on top of him? Did he just... save me?"
Rayna studied the man closely. She tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes as she looked at him.
He was so handsome. Just like the superstars and the idols Rayna stanned on social media.
He had a sharp, chiseled jawline and long, navy-blue hair that framed his face like something out of a fantasy. He was dressed in a short, skirt-like garment, with dark feathers layered across it—resting softly against his thighs as he lay there. And his body—gods help her—was sculpted. Rayna could hardly believe her eyes. Eight abs. She counted again. Eight. Who even has that many?
Rayna couldn't take her eyes off him. She had never seen a man this breathtaking in real life. Was this real? Because she was definitely lying on top of a man who looked like he walked out of a fantasy drama.
"Have you stared enough?"
A deep, commanding voice snapped Rayna out of her thoughts. She glanced down—only to find herself caught in the man's piercing yellow gaze, with a golden glint that seemed to flicker like sunlight.
Flustered Rayna quickly moved and stood up.
"Uhh are you okay?" Rayna asked nervously.
The man stood up—tall, definitely over six feet. His straight hair cascaded over his shoulders like silk. With a brief nod, he turned his gaze to Rayna, studying her from head to toe. His eyes swept over her wings, lingered on her tail, and finally returned to her face.
He spoke, "Why was a female dragon flying in the sky that too alone without her mate?"
Rayna froze. "What did he say? A dragon? Where? And what's with this weird terminology? Female? Mate?"
The man spoke again, his tone flat. "Your flying is unstable."
He took a step closer and sniffed the air.
"No scent of mates, either." Crossing his arms, he raised an eyebrow.
" Well dragons are rare. And I have never seen one around here atleast. Did you hatch recently or something? If I hadn't been there, you would've cracked your skull open with that kind of landing."
Rayna slowly pieced it together.
"Mates? Female? Dragon? Beastmen? "
The words echoed in her mind—strange, yet oddly familiar.
She glanced at the man again.
"Were you the bird flying in the sky earlier?" she asked cautiously.
He raised a brow.
"Well, yeah. Do you see any other beastmen around here, female?"
That word again—beastmen. And female.
It clicked.
Rayna's eyes widened.
Wait... beastmen, mates, volcano... he called me a dragon?!
She looked behind her again—wings, a tail.
No way. Am I really... in the Beastworld? And my beast form is a dragon?
Her jaw dropped.
Seriously?
Rayna's heart pounded as she took it all in—wings, tail, the strange surroundings.
Her mouth opened, but only a whisper escaped.
"I'm... a dragon? For real?"
She looked down at her hands, her tail, then behind her again—yep, definitely wings.
"This doesn't make any sense. How... how did this happen?", Rayna murmured.
She had read beastworld manhuas,manhwas and stories where the girl gets transmigrated to some other world full of beasts. But the girl usually used to be a normal pretty human. She didn't transform into a dragon or such. Maximum the female protagonist used to be a fox or a deer, according to some of the stories she read. But dragon!? That was unfamiliar to her.
The man didn't give her much time to think.
He crossed his arms, expression unreadable.
"You're not answering me and standing dumb. You're pretty and all, fine. But your brain has stopped working I guess. Not very bright for a dragon. Should've guessed from the way you crash-landed."
Rayna blinked. "Pretty? Me?"
Sure, in her world she wasn't exactly unattractive—but she wasn't some stunning beauty either. Just... average. Normal. Ordinary.
But wait—he also called her dumb. That snapped her right out of it.
Oh no. No no. Her ego wasn't about to let that slide.
Stupid was the last thing she ever wanted to be called.
Time to fire back.
"Excuse me?!" Rayna glared.
He tilted his head slightly. Unbothered.
"Can I at least have a minute to figure out what's going on? I just woke up, my head's spinning, and for your kind information, I was about to crash because of you, dumb bird! Who couldn't even keep his distance and crashed his wings with mine!" Rayna shouted.
The man blinked at her, unfazed. "Typical female. Loud and dumb." He thought.
Then he snorted—actually snorted.
"You're blaming me? I saved your neck, female."
Rayna gaped.
"Saved me? You slammed into me mid-air!"
He stepped closer, just enough to make her tail twitch in irritation.
"You were spinning out of control long before I got to you. I was trying to stabilize you. Which, clearly, didn't work."
He glanced at her wings.
"Still wobbling."
Rayna narrowed her eyes.
"And you're still annoying."
A faint twitch played at the corner of his mouth—was that almost a smirk? But it was gone too quickly to be sure.
He gave a small sigh and turned his back to her, arms folding again.
"Argue all you want, female dragon. The truth is, you're lucky I was there. No one else patrols the ridge this early."
She stared at him, trying to get a read on this maddeningly calm bird-man with golden eyes and an even colder tone.
"What's your name, anyway?" she asked, crossing her arms in return. "And stop calling me female, I have a name. I'm Rayna".
He looked over his shoulder. "Rayna", he murmured, each syllable deliberate—as if committing it to his memory.
"I'm Soren. Temporary Guardian of the Vukari village." His tone was clipped, formal.
"Well, Soren the Temporary Guardian," she said, mock-bowing with a roll of her eyes, "Maybe next time try not to 'save' someone by crashing into them like a flying boulder."
Soren didn't answer. Instead, he glanced at the sky. "If you're done whining, we need to move. You can't stay out here alone."
Rayna blinked.
"Wait, where are we going?"
He gave her a side glance.
"Somewhere safe. Before your scent draws in something worse than me."
That didn't sound comforting.
Suddenly Rayna felt a burning sensation from her back.
"Argh!" Rayna winced, stumbling forward.
"What is this?"
She twisted around, her fingers brushing the base of her shoulder blade. Something was glowing—burning—beneath her skin. A reddish mark, like a tattoo, pulsed faintly with heat and light.
Soren turned at the sound of her voice.
"Something wrong, Rayna?"
She gritted her teeth.
"Yeah... this thing—it hurts. It's burning and tingling, and I don't know why. It wasn't here before."
Yeah, Rayna definitely didn't have this mark before. She knew it. Where did it suddenly pop out from?
Without a word, Soren stepped closer and gently turned her around to get a better look. His expression hardened as his eyes landed on the glowing mark.
It was unlike anything he'd seen before.
A red symbol, intricate and wild, coiled like fire just beneath the skin. He didn't know what it was, but his instincts stirred—this wasn't ordinary. This mark could bring trouble, and not just for her.
"Rayna," he said carefully, "Can you try hiding it? Maybe adjust your dress to keep it covered?"
Rayna was confused, but didn't question him. She nodded and began to adjust her wrap, pulling the fabric higher across her back. Soren respectfully turned his back to give her privacy.
"All done," she called softly a moment later. The mark still itched faintly, but the burning had dulled.
Soren turned around.
"You okay?"
Rayna managed a small smile.
"Yeah... thanks for asking."
Soren's eyes widened slightly.
A thank you? From a female? That was new.
He cleared his throat, expression returning to neutral.
"Good. Let's move, then."
He took a step closer.
Rayna narrowed her eyes.
"What are you doing?" Rayna asked warily.
Soren raised an eyebrow.
"Well, judging by your graceful flying earlier..." he said dryly, "I figured I'd offer you a lift. Unless, of course, you want to hike through this forest full of thorns and wildbrush?"
Rayna rolled her eyes, glaring—but only half-heartedly.
Something about his ridiculously handsome face weakened her resolve to argue.
Damn it. Handsome faces are clearly her new weakness.
And... being carried by such a handsome man? Not a terrible idea.
Ahem.
"Fine," she muttered, then added with a smirk, "But I expect first-class service, feather boy."
Soren actually smirked back, amused by her sass.
Without another word, he shifted into his beastman form. His birdlike wings spread wide, and he lowered them gracefully, offering her a seat between his shoulders.
Rayna blinked.
Well, she was a bit disappointed.
Honestly, she'd been secretly hoping—you know, like wings bursting out of his back while the rest of him stayed shirtless and perfectly sculpted. Maybe he'd scoop her up bridal-style, all strong arms and abs, and fly off into the sky with her tucked against his bare chest. Yeah she had seen his beastform earlier in the sky, but after seeing his delectable figure her mind well, forgot it.
Her cheeks flushed.
Damn it, Rayna. Get your imagination under control.
She shook her head and climbed onto his back.
Oh. Wow.
His feathers were soft, warm, and incredibly cozy. She could honestly fall asleep in this feather nest.
Soren glanced back, checking her position. With a short nod, he launched into the air.
Rayna gasped as the wind rushed past her face—but her fear faded quickly.
She could again see that breathtaking view.
The vast stretched, untouched forest—its emerald canopy swaying gently with the wind. As Soren flew a bit more, a river came into her view. It glinted like silver ribbons between the trees, shimmering in the sunlight.
It was beautiful. Vast. Full of greenery unlike her city life. And somehow... it made her heart feel lighter.