While saying this, there was anger in Genia's eyes towards those people who had caused so much pain to the real owner of this body. She continued, "The biggest thing was that the girl had been ugly since childhood, which made everyone despise her. Her own sister was the most beautiful in the clan, and she treated her own sister like an enemy. Even the female summons from the Black Tiger Clan was meant for her elder sister, but they decided to hand over the rightful owner of this body to the Black Tiger Clan to save her."
The terror of that moment was clearly visible in Genia's eyes. Clenching her fists, she said, "They killed the girl, the one in whose body I was... The Black Tiger Clan had decided to hand him over to the ruthless chieftain. They were sending her to that beast as a gift or a fiefdom so that the Black Tiger Clan would not destroy their clan. When I realised this, the ground beneath my feet slipped away. I was in a world whose language I didn't know, whose rules I didn't know, and I was being led to a monster whose very name made the whole region tremble."
Alex's face turned red with anger, his fingers tightened on the hilt of his sword.
"Rabbit clan has always paid for his cowardice with his daughters. But the leader of the Black Tiger Clan… he is ruthless. Although this is just now, in childhood, no better brother than him would do anything to protect his three brothers."
While saying this, there was a pain in Alex's eyes, which he had hidden from everyone.
"I didn't give up," Genia said proudly, raising her head a little higher. "Even though I was in a frail body, my mind was still that of a modern-world girl. When the Rabbit Clan's people were taking me to the Black Tiger Clan, we passed through a dense forest along the way. In that forest, my eyes fell on some strange, blue-striped herbs growing near the roots of the trees. Suddenly, I remembered everything I had learnt during my studies, and because of that, I got a job at a corporate company. That company used to make animal-related products, due to which I got a good job in that company. It was a special kind of sleeping potion, which, if smelled by rabbits, could make them unconscious in a moment."
Genia further said, "At that very moment, I realised that I needed to freshen up and using that as a shield, I broke the herb and hid it in my clothes. So that whenever I get a chance, I can make those people unconscious by making them smell that herb. They had been walking for a long time and were now tired, so they chose a place and decided to spend the night there. They tied me to a tree, and I first pretended to be asleep so that they would not suspect me. At first, they tried to stay awake one by one, but they could not control their sleep, and slowly they fell asleep. As soon as they fell asleep, I very slowly untied the rope tied to my hands and knocked them unconscious one by one. As soon as he fainted completely, I ran away from there without looking back."
A slight smile appeared on Alex's face. He said, "Extraordinary! Even without any magical powers, you managed to outsmart those rabbit beastmen with your intelligence."
"But the story doesn't end here, Alex," Genia continued, "My fate played another trick on me. I forgot that I am also a Rabbit Beast, and those herbs can affect me too. As I ran through the woods, it began to affect me as well. My head started spinning, my legs felt heavy, and my eyes started closing. I wanted to run away from the Black Tiger Clan's territory, but the smoke poisoning and exhaustion caused me to faint behind a dense bush."
A gust of wind blew through the library, making the pages flutter again.
Looking into Alex's eyes, Genia said, "Luckily or unfortunately, Kevin happened to pass by while I was lying unconscious. Kevin saw me lying alone in the forest in that state. He didn't know who I was or where I'd run from. He thought I was a helpless and dying girl, and out of humanity, he saved me. He picked me up in his arms and took me with him to a deeper part of the forest. When I regained consciousness, he asked me who I was, and I told him my story, but I didn't tell him I was from Rabbit Clan. Kevin had seen me knocking those people unconscious, so he wanted to know how I did it. I told him about my skills and agreed to join his clan with Kevin, as he wanted to save his friend's life."
Having said this, Genia took a deep breath and fell silent.
"What happened next?"
Alex could not wait to find out what happened next.
" I felt like I needed to hide somewhere right now so that the Rabbit Clan and Black Tiger Clan wouldn't find me. At that time, the best option seemed to me to go with Kevin to his cleaner. But when I reached his cleaner with Kevin, I was shocked. Kevin rescued me and brought me straight to the Black Tiger Clan's hideout, as he himself was affiliated with the clan!"
Alex took a deep breath and said, "So you are back in the lion's den you were running away from!"
"Yes!" Alex said. "Just imagine what condition I must have been in. I was standing right in the middle of the same tribe whose chief I had risked my life to escape from. If they had even the slightest inkling that I was the Rabbit Clan girl being brought to the Chieftain, they would have killed me on the spot or dealt with something worse."
Genia lowered her eyes, as if she regretted the lie. He added, "At that time, I had no other way to protect myself. I urgently needed an identity that would distance me from both the Black Tiger Clan and the Rabbit Clan, so that no one would suspect me. So, I made up a story on the spot. I looked Kevin straight in the eye and lied, saying I was from the Monkey Clan. The people of the Monkey Clan are known for their independence and nomadic nature. But I didn't know that my lie would come true because the Monkey Clan's females are quite ugly. Kevin believed me and took responsibility for my safety. From then until today, I've been saving my life with the same lie."
After listening to Genia's entire story, Alex remained silent for some time. He paced the library floor, his fingers on his chin. He was assessing the difficulties faced by Alex and her thinking.
Finally, he came back to Alex and said, "So this is it…your soul started struggling to survive as soon as you came into this world. Your lying to the Monkey clan was the smartest thing to do at the time. If the leader of the Black Tiger Clan found out that you were a girl who had escaped from their clutches, he would have wiped out the entire Rabbit Clan and imprisoned you. But now the tables have turned. You are safe here in the palace, and you have this 'blue feather' which is the key to your true powers."
Genia looked at the feather in her palm. Its blue aura had deepened, as if it was admiring Genia's courage after hearing her story.
"But Alex, what next? Kevin still thinks I'm just an ordinary girl from the Monkey Clan. What if he finds out the truth? And that leader of the Black Tiger Clan... what if he finds me? Apart from that, I myself am not able to accept that I am Andromeda."
But Genia could not deny the scene she saw, and that whatever she saw was a lie. But if this was the case, then why did Kevin's mother not tell her anything? Why did they hide her true identity from him? This question still gnawed at her.
Alex moved his sword forward slightly and said firmly, "As long as there is even a drop of blood left in Alex's body, no soldier or chieftain of the Black Tiger Clan can even touch your shadow. But we must be careful. Your powers haven't fully awakened yet, and we must discover the hidden secrets of this castle so you can regain your true form—the powers of Guardian Andromeda."
They looked at each other. A new sense of resolve had now settled into the heavy silence of the library. Genia knew that her lies and her past were soon going to be exposed, but she was no longer alone.
When Alex praised Genia's intelligence and the lie about Monkey Clan, a deep sadness appeared on Genia's face. She looked out the window at the dense forests, where the last rays of the sun were hiding behind the trees. She took a deep breath and turned to Alex and said, "Alex, this was just the beginning of the struggle I faced physically. But there was a question in my mind that was eating me up inside. I couldn't understand that if I was alive in my human world, then how could my soul suddenly come into another body in this world? Am I dead there, or is this a big mistake? I found the answer to this mystery the day we both went to that magical waterfall."
Alex furrowed his eyebrows in surprise. He asked, "That day? But Genia, that day we waited for hours for that waterfall to appear. When he didn't come, I left you alone and returned from some important work at the palace."
"Yes, Alex," Genia said, closing her eyes, "you are absolutely right. As long as you were there, there were only dry rocks and silence. But as soon as you disappeared from my sight and I was left there alone, a strange echo started to be heard in the entire valley. Suddenly, blue and golden water burst out from between the dry rocks. That water was not normal; it was shining like pearls floating in the air. In no time, the magical waterfall appeared in all its grandeur. I was looking at it speechlessly when suddenly the streams of water from that waterfall started joining together. The water slowly took on a human form, that of a very gentle, divine, and loving woman. Later I came to know that she was none other than Kevin's late mother, Mara."
Alex's face was filled with great surprise. He whispered, "Mara, Mother? Did you see her?"
Genia nodded and said, "Yes. When I saw her in front of me, my fear vanished. There was a peace on his face that calmed my troubled mind. I put the same doubt before her that I was alive in my world; then how did my soul come here? Then Mara Mother smiled and made me feel as if she was placing her hand on my head. She told me that the ultimate protector of this world, the Forest Goddess herself, had taken this decision. The Forest Goddess had exchanged my soul with the soul of that Rabbit Clan girl from this world. She did this because chaos, cruelty and darkness have reached their peak in this world. To save this kingdom, a pure and untouched soul was needed who could restore the balance of both worlds. My soul has been brought here not by mistake, but for a deliberate divine purpose."