Chapter 6:
Chapter 5 : the shy beast
Reincarnated as a mana delivery guy
The night was heavy, pressing down on me like a second set of chains. I tossed in bed, sweat clinging to my skin as the dream clawed deeper into me.
I wasn’t myself.I was… something else.
Through eyes that weren’t mine, I saw the world drenched in red. A forest torn apart by claws. Chains snapping, one by one. And above it all, a low, guttural voice whispered my name.
“Ryo…”
The sound reverberated inside my skull like a second heartbeat.
“What type of name is that ?”
I jolted awake, gasping for air. My chest burned.
Did it just mock me !?
When I lowered my head and pulled at the collar of the nightshirt the servants had given me, I saw it: faint glowing lines crawling across my skin, as if the beast inside me was trying to write its presence onto my flesh.
“Great… now I’m glowing.” I muttered to no one.
---
Morning came with the smell of roasted bread and fruit jam. The Sunwhisper dining hall was far too luxurious for someone who’d slept in decent inns weeks ago. Rose waved when I entered, cheerful as ever, while Elowen scowled into his plate like the sun itself had offended him.
“Good morning, Ryo!” Rose chirped. “Sleep well?”
I hesitated. “If you consider being stalked by a bloodthirsty voice in your dreams as ‘well,’ then… sure.”
Her smile didn’t falter. “That means the bond is forming.”
Elowen dropped his fork with a sharp clang. His eyes locked onto me, cold and sharp.“Did the monster keep you awake? Or was it you keeping it awake?”
I stiffened, gripping my fork tighter. A loud snap echoed—when I looked down, the metal was bent. My heart skipped.
Elowen noticed too. His hand hovered near his sword, but Rose’s delicate fingers landed on his wrist before he could move.“Brother, relax. If Ryo wanted to hurt us, he would’ve already.”
“He will,” Elowen muttered. “It’s only a matter of when.”
---
Later, in the Sunwhisper gardens, I tried to breathe in the peace of the flowers and the morning sun. But then I heard it again.
“human...”
I froze. The voice was clearer now, slithering through my mind.
“They want to cut you open. Kill you. Use you. But I… I can protect you. Together, no one will ever hurt us again.”
My hand trembled. My nails lengthened—no, claws. Black, sharp, dripping with an energy that wasn’t human. The beast was surfacing.
“Stop.” I whispered. “Go back inside.”
The claws vanished, but not before Elowen caught sight of them. Steel rang out as he drew his sword.“I knew it! He’s losing control—”
“Enough, Elowen!” Rose’s voice cracked like a whip. She stepped between us, pushing the blade down. “I will not let you harm him.”
Her brother’s eyes blazed, but he obeyed. For now.
---
The heavy door to the Sunwhisper estate creaked open, and two figures stepped inside, their boots still dusted with the dirt of the road. Both carried the leather satchels marked with the courier’s crest, faintly glowing from the mana inside.
I recognized them.
The confident girl and her white haired companion.
“We have a delivery for Lady Rose Sunwhisper,” the girl announced, bowing slightly.
Rose’s face lit up. “Ah, our couriers. Right on time.”
My chest tightened at the word. Couriers. People like me… or like I used to be, before the infection.
The white haired one glanced my way, his gaze lingering a little too long. His lips parted, and in a low whisper meant only for me, he muttered:“ how interesting, you're still alive”The girl beside him looked at me.
“That’s not my name,” I said, sounding annoyed. “It’s Ryo.”
“Well then, Ryo,” she said, “see you next time” before leaving the estate.
“I know someone who’s popular with the girls,” said Lady Rose, glancing at her brother “he’s doing better than you.”
He's definitely going to end me
---
That afternoon, Ashton arrived at the estate.
His hair was wild, his eyes too bright, too hungry. He circled me like a vulture that had finally found a dying carcass.
“Remarkable… simply remarkable,” he murmured, scribbling notes into a floating scroll. “The infection should have killed you within forty-eight hours. Instead, your statistics show… unprecedented growth.”
I crossed my arms. “Unprecedented how?”
Ashton’s grin widened. “Your intelligence—level one hundred. No courier has ever reached such a number. Which leads me to believe, dear Ryo… that intelligence does not belong to you at all.”
My blood turned cold. “You mean—”
“The beast.” He leaned closer, eyes glinting madly. “You are sharing a mind with it. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
Elowen stepped forward, siding with Ashton for once. “If that’s true, then he should be studied. Dissected if necessary.”
My chest tightened. They were talking about me as if I were a specimen in a jar.
“No,” Rose snapped, her warm demeanor gone. “Ryo is under my protection. I won’t allow it.”
“Protection?” Elowen spat. “You’re protecting a time bomb!”
“There’s still something that doesn’t add up,” Rose said, her brows knitting together. “The mana hound slipped into your satchel, yes—but at no point did you actually come into contact with it. So how did it infect you, bind itself to you afterward?”
She leaned forward, her silver hair catching the light. “And more than that—what was it even doing there in the first place? Mana hounds don’t wander this close to the borders. Ryo… can you speak to it?”
"Can you !?"
I wasn’t myself.I was… something else.
Through eyes that weren’t mine, I saw the world drenched in red. A forest torn apart by claws. Chains snapping, one by one. And above it all, a low, guttural voice whispered my name.
“Ryo…”
The sound reverberated inside my skull like a second heartbeat.
“What type of name is that ?”
I jolted awake, gasping for air. My chest burned.
Did it just mock me !?
When I lowered my head and pulled at the collar of the nightshirt the servants had given me, I saw it: faint glowing lines crawling across my skin, as if the beast inside me was trying to write its presence onto my flesh.
“Great… now I’m glowing.” I muttered to no one.
---
Morning came with the smell of roasted bread and fruit jam. The Sunwhisper dining hall was far too luxurious for someone who’d slept in decent inns weeks ago. Rose waved when I entered, cheerful as ever, while Elowen scowled into his plate like the sun itself had offended him.
“Good morning, Ryo!” Rose chirped. “Sleep well?”
I hesitated. “If you consider being stalked by a bloodthirsty voice in your dreams as ‘well,’ then… sure.”
Her smile didn’t falter. “That means the bond is forming.”
Elowen dropped his fork with a sharp clang. His eyes locked onto me, cold and sharp.“Did the monster keep you awake? Or was it you keeping it awake?”
I stiffened, gripping my fork tighter. A loud snap echoed—when I looked down, the metal was bent. My heart skipped.
Elowen noticed too. His hand hovered near his sword, but Rose’s delicate fingers landed on his wrist before he could move.“Brother, relax. If Ryo wanted to hurt us, he would’ve already.”
“He will,” Elowen muttered. “It’s only a matter of when.”
---
Later, in the Sunwhisper gardens, I tried to breathe in the peace of the flowers and the morning sun. But then I heard it again.
“human...”
I froze. The voice was clearer now, slithering through my mind.
“They want to cut you open. Kill you. Use you. But I… I can protect you. Together, no one will ever hurt us again.”
My hand trembled. My nails lengthened—no, claws. Black, sharp, dripping with an energy that wasn’t human. The beast was surfacing.
“Stop.” I whispered. “Go back inside.”
The claws vanished, but not before Elowen caught sight of them. Steel rang out as he drew his sword.“I knew it! He’s losing control—”
“Enough, Elowen!” Rose’s voice cracked like a whip. She stepped between us, pushing the blade down. “I will not let you harm him.”
Her brother’s eyes blazed, but he obeyed. For now.
---
The heavy door to the Sunwhisper estate creaked open, and two figures stepped inside, their boots still dusted with the dirt of the road. Both carried the leather satchels marked with the courier’s crest, faintly glowing from the mana inside.
I recognized them.
The confident girl and her white haired companion.
“We have a delivery for Lady Rose Sunwhisper,” the girl announced, bowing slightly.
Rose’s face lit up. “Ah, our couriers. Right on time.”
My chest tightened at the word. Couriers. People like me… or like I used to be, before the infection.
The white haired one glanced my way, his gaze lingering a little too long. His lips parted, and in a low whisper meant only for me, he muttered:“ how interesting, you're still alive”The girl beside him looked at me.
“That’s not my name,” I said, sounding annoyed. “It’s Ryo.”
“Well then, Ryo,” she said, “see you next time” before leaving the estate.
“I know someone who’s popular with the girls,” said Lady Rose, glancing at her brother “he’s doing better than you.”
He's definitely going to end me
---
That afternoon, Ashton arrived at the estate.
His hair was wild, his eyes too bright, too hungry. He circled me like a vulture that had finally found a dying carcass.
“Remarkable… simply remarkable,” he murmured, scribbling notes into a floating scroll. “The infection should have killed you within forty-eight hours. Instead, your statistics show… unprecedented growth.”
I crossed my arms. “Unprecedented how?”
Ashton’s grin widened. “Your intelligence—level one hundred. No courier has ever reached such a number. Which leads me to believe, dear Ryo… that intelligence does not belong to you at all.”
My blood turned cold. “You mean—”
“The beast.” He leaned closer, eyes glinting madly. “You are sharing a mind with it. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
Elowen stepped forward, siding with Ashton for once. “If that’s true, then he should be studied. Dissected if necessary.”
My chest tightened. They were talking about me as if I were a specimen in a jar.
“No,” Rose snapped, her warm demeanor gone. “Ryo is under my protection. I won’t allow it.”
“Protection?” Elowen spat. “You’re protecting a time bomb!”
“There’s still something that doesn’t add up,” Rose said, her brows knitting together. “The mana hound slipped into your satchel, yes—but at no point did you actually come into contact with it. So how did it infect you, bind itself to you afterward?”
She leaned forward, her silver hair catching the light. “And more than that—what was it even doing there in the first place? Mana hounds don’t wander this close to the borders. Ryo… can you speak to it?”
"Can you !?"
After several attempts, nothing happened—the beast was acting shy.
---
That night, alone in the guest room, I sat on the bed, staring at my trembling hands.
“No need to choose.”
The voice again—stronger now, mocking.
So now you can speak.
“of course I can, idiot”
The mark starts glowing.
"You won’t have to decide between them or me. Soon, I’ll show you the truth myself.”
A chill ran down my spine. My reflection in the window didn’t look like me anymore. My eyes glowed faintly—bestial, and unblinking.I pressed my palms to my face. “What are you doing to me…?”
The beast chuckled.
“I’m making you whole.”
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