Once upon a time- Hehe, sorry... I got a little too poetic there~! Either way, back in the past before the time Alex was born on Gaia, there existed a mercenary who was famed as a great fighter. 

And by 'Fighter', I mean the name of her Class was called as such. It was a 'Common Class' nobody would see anything special about, unlike the rare class of 'Brawler' or 'Magister'. Not much to see...

However, this particular woman gained a name for herself despite the torturous odds against her. It was through dedicating herself wholly to master that her ordinary Class Skill: 'Close Combat' was polished. A systemic process of elevating her skills further.

Hard work allowed her to breathe life into the proficiencies. This caused her to indirectly lose out on the things other girls her own age experienced in their youth. She'd never knew the closeness of a friend. The fun of playing with dolls as a young girl...

In fact, all she had was the martial arts. She fully dedicated herself in practicing for years with great devotion to her craft. The girl one day grew into an inspirational woman. A fighter who many men felt inferior to. Having experiences others did not.

Though that was due to their own lack of diligence in training to fulfil the 'role' Gaia had given them. At least, that's how she saw it. Having thrown herself into danger multiple times more than others. She had the drive to achieve what she was born for.

In the human society of this world, there was no such thing as 'aspiring to work towards a dream job'... Their future was predetermined the moment they became aware of their 'Class' at a young age.

A fate set by Gaia...

Who needed dreams when you knew what your fate would be? What was the point of wanting more when the people had enough to be content with their lives... without being too envious or greedy? Wasn't it nice to know you were essential in this vast world?

Sure, she knew herself to be a cog in the machine. It wasn't like she was the only fighter around. It also wasn't true that she was the strongest. There were many who were simply more talented than her.

Like brawlers, who had shown they could do the same things as her... and so much more. In this kind of situation, an earthling would have had their pride shattered. Feeling that they were inadequate. That they were replaceable for more high-quality 'cogs'.

But neither her nor they saw it that way.

Having a class meant her role had value. If she was excelling in her own perspective, then that was the only thing that mattered. Those with rarer roles were simply different, and not 'higher quality' existences. 

Like the time she had saved a brawler in a hunting mission, and ended up becoming good friends with that adventurer. Knowing that despite having less talent than him, her existence was irreplaceable.

He held gratitude for her saving his life.

For being the support in his team that day.

Life went on as usual.

The woman felt satisfied with her life.

It's fine if she was rather ordinary as a fighter.

This was her destiny.

Her role...

Those with non-combat related classes like the 'Educator' class were destined to become great teachers or tutors. Especially to those of standing people born into 'Nobility'; Those who had given birth to someone of a rare class each generation.

Dragoons, Samurais, Ninjas, all these classes beside the Warrior or Mage Class... were usually destined to surpass their peers in the aspect they excelled in. It was the norm. They were 'Rarer' talents, after all.

She didn't recognise that she was different.

The only exception to this unspoken rule about classes were beings that ascended the system. The people who worked infinitely harder than others mainly 'acquired' talents. New ones that differed from the ones they were given from birth.

She didn't recognise she was truly special.

One who found a loophole in 'the system' that could allow even her to become a famous figure. If more people knew about her strength, the current system of government could very well collapse above her.

It was a good thing no one had ever found out.

I wouldn't have been able to be here otherwise.

Back to the main point: This mercenary woman wasn't the type who was quite and strict. This was despite her devotion to train. Instead, the mercenary woman was really outspoken and straightforward about her morals than others would let on.

She wasn't prejudice against 'Beasts' and had no animosity towards one of her friends, who turned out to actually be a werewolf in disguise; a beast or so-called 'Fiend' from a royal clan of werewolves.

The two of them actually hit it off after their first meeting in the Dark Forest. It was a jungle that seemed to cover any place where there wasn't either an official road protected by mercenaries, or a human settlement like small towns and villages. 

The mercenary woman wasn't aware of the true identity of the handsome young man, who she met in such a dangerous place, at first... She still had enough guard to slowly figure it out his trickery.

She became aware that he was a 'Beast' after some time and realised that she, as a mercenary and 'Human', should either be hunting, capturing, or escaping from him. Either one of those options. It was crazy to think that they would be getting along.

This wasn't his fault. 

It was just common sense.

The knuckle duster spirit essence, the spiritual weapons of her soul, had given her the instincts to fight him regardless of the risks. It was a hypnotic suggestion that burrowed deep inside her psyche.

She betrayed her subconscious.

It was her 'Role', and the reason she was given a combat-related Class. She was definitely born to fight beasts... At least, that's what she thought about her life initially. Until she started to open up to him.

This kind of relationship wasn't an impossible occurrence. No matter how different the races of the world seemed on the surface, there was always a chance people could learn and understand one another. All through talking things out peacefully.

This was especially true when people could speak the same 'Tongue' of a 'Mystic Race'. Communication was an easy to overcome barrier... The reason the mercenary woman had the opportunity to learn more about the creatures she once hunted... was due to once having become lost in the Dark Forest. It was after having no choice but to run away from a foe she was unable to beat. She landed into this situation.

The 'Moon Wolf' she coincidentally ran into, after finding a place to recover from her wounds, wasn't a kind man by any means. However, after talking with her for a few days, she became fond of him.

And he became fond of her presence.

The wolf man offered to help her find a way to the nearest human settlement. At least before they parted ways. Go back to where they belonged. The beast felt the heart of 'men' were uncontrollable indeed... Who knew when she would turn on him.

He wanted to quickly leave.

After all, no matter how fond they became of each other's presence, it wasn't possible for a human and beast to live together... That was the nature of their existence and what culture fully dictated. Destiny.

Both societies they came from wouldn't allow them to become anything more than acquittances. No, the best they could ever become was an enemy to the other's kind. The werewolf himself learned things about humans he had never expected to hear before. 

He became more aware of his ignorance towards the complexity of humanity as time went on. However, it didn't completely change his perception of them. He couldn't simply call them completely 'good' or 'evil'.

On the surface it may seem that beasts were complex species due to their large varieties, but they were actually more simple. They all had sincerity. Dumber than they let on. They hunted those outside their pack as a species, or those they were a nemesis to.

'Animalistic Beasts' had an ecosystem to take care of. 

They couldn't go around destroying anything.

They also weren't savages... If a 'Monstrous Beast' born solely from the 'Dark Ether' of Gaia was to enter their territory, they would welcome it as one of their own with open arms. As long as it didn't attack them, they didn't too. It was 'open-minded' in a way.

You could even say the moon wolves were mediators of sorts. Those that helped form 'Beast Society' were actually those 'Monsters'. Making up the largest population of the Dark Forest and its inhabitants.

This was despite how a monster's state of existence forced them to have no relatives upon birth. It was the crux of the reason why there were specific kind of beasts... like those who were cultured, and those monsters who had only hatred for humanity in them.

Despite coming from animalistic clans that could be considered 'savages' to humanity, the moon wolves were at least more intelligent than those monsters constantly attacking humans. They weren't even considered the same species, but were given the blame. Humanity blamed all beasts for the attacks done by those born from Gaia. It was all insane.

How could they blame bystanders?

Moving on: The mercenary woman finally introduced herself as 'Minerva' to the werewolf. It wasn't a complex name, nor did she have any worthwhile background worth getting interested in.

The werewolf was different.

Draxus Moonshade, a so-called 'Fiend', was a type of creature that was infamous to humans as savage beings. Fiends were known as those that brought about only destruction around them. He decided to keep quiet about his identity, but gave out his name.

That was the start of their friendly relationship.

Unlike those normal beasts (who were treated like regular animals), those who were titled as 'Fiends' were feared due to their innate advantages over humanity. They were the apex of predators.

This perception was mostly since they would always initially be born with the highest concentration of the Dark Mana, also known as 'Moon Mana'. This concentrated form of the 'Dark Attribute' was renowned throughout the world of Gaia.

Even worshiped by some as the 'Moon' Attribute. A power of darkness so pure that it was considered heretical by the Luminous Church: Those who saw everything other than 'light' as undoubtedly evil. 

Their religion was created to reject darkness.

Minerva didn't understand the difference between a normal beast and the moonlight-haired fiends though. She was born of a poor and closed off environment at a young age from the beginning. It was hard for her to imagine the power of a fiend.

Fiends themselves were also rarely seen. Some people had thought of them as myths. There was that much lack of evidence that there could exist a 'Dark Attribute' of such level of purity. Even if it's possible.

They were more like fictional villains in stories used to scare children. Stories rather than actual threats to think about. Initially, she was unaware of his true nature... but his power were enough to convince her:

To think... she'd actually meet a fiend!

The revelation was an incident that almost made him attack her outright. The only reason he didn't was because she promised to keep it a secret... and that she was too strong for him to kill easily.

He had no choice but to accept the reality.

Once they arrived at a nearby village, Minerva couldn't allow her saviour to leave without a good drink. She took him to the nearest pub to chug down a few gallons of alcohol to celebrate their meeting.

Their relations would end here.

This was their last goodbye.

She covered the young man's wolf ears with a hat and strolled into the village with the calamitous fiend in tow... as if she was bringing around an old friend. A scene not too conspicuous in the village.

They were able to fool those guarding the gates of the village and stop them from finding out his identity pretty easily. It was by throwing out her famous name...! A woman well-known in the area.

She'd grown up near here, after all...

But although Draxus was stunned by how shamelessly she proclaimed him to be an old friend of hers to the dutiful guards of the village, he didn't cause trouble and allowed her to drag him around.

This was due to feeling curiosity for human society.

The two of them found a place to sit in a nearby pub and talked, but none of them wanted to leave. They drank, they ate, they drank... In fact, this was the most the two of them ever drank alcohol in their entire lives. The two of them didn't know how to say their farewells to each other after so long. Minerva especially. She didn't stay with others as long as him.

So saying goodbye was difficult.

Whenever the topic came up, the two drank more to swallow down the bitterness of the situation they were in. Even Draxus couldn't help but wish he had never met Minerva. It was a petty response...

The wolf man thought that perhaps he wouldn't have felt so much pain from separating from a human... if it wasn't for how he felt about her. They knew they'd have to accept everything and part ways eventually...

The duo both had hidden feelings they were unable to speak of, and so, they drank, and they drank... to the point the people around them assumed they were in some kind of drinking competition.

A contest of nerves with one another...

Minerva, being the only one conscious after Draxus drank himself half to death (mostly due to not being used to the concentration of common wine sold by human bars), was shocked to see their tab!

He'd had actually put her pocket in the red zone...!

The famous fighter grumbled inwardly after paying up and taking the dead log- I mean, moon wolf, out of the pub and into a nearby inn so he could sleep off his hangover. The same could be said for her.

Minerva punched him in the gut after she threw his body onto the bed of the room. She still rented it to sleep for a night even after deciding to blame the expenses on him. The woman decided not to let go of him until he helped her earn her money back.

Draxus woke up groggily with a drunken look.

His eyes were swimming. 

Minerva's figure becoming clearer in his pupils.

To him, this crazy girl's anger was just absurd...!

The inhuman man argued back after hearing her complaining about money. He was a fiend who had never left his clan, and had only 'saw' the human world before with his own two eyes, so he didn't have much understanding of the value of money.

Why would a beast know about human trade?

It wasn't like he could do business with them.

As one of the highest echelon members of the 'Moonwolf Clan', all he needed to get food was to tell those of lower standing than him or hunt some good prey. 'Money' wasn't an asset used in exchanges.

This was how Beast Society worked. It was just an ecosystem where the strong ruled over the weak. It was a system of social experience and promises made by one another. Bonds were important assets.

Draxus never needed money before, so he arrogantly spoke of it as if money was nothing he couldn't get back within a day or two with just a finger's worth of effort... This infuriated Minerva greatly. She had always risked her life to get enough to pay rent!

How can a random 'Wolf Beast'- No, a fiend  understand her bitterness? Had he ever done work before...? From the way he spoke, he sounded like a rich merchant that was looking down on the poor

Did the 'Beast Royalty' even do work themselves?

The two of them talked to each other, not realising how close they were becoming with each heartfelt interaction, and with each opening up on their bottled true feelings... all until they accidentally crossed the line they were never meant to cross.

They forgot the politics of their races. They forgot the consequences of their actions. The only thing that was in their eyes was each other. The night they arrived at the village slowly became day. The duo then realised just what they did the night before.

Minerva's face paled considerably upon realising what she had done, but Draxus, being a man who went against common sense when the situation called for it, straightforwardly claimed responsibility for what happened. He proposed to her on the spot.

The very next day, he decided to head towards the place he was born. He decided that he would break the laws of the Moonwolf Clan he was part of in order to bring his 'partner' to his hometown. 

On their way there (after they slowly travelled for a few long months), Minerva finally regained herself and told him not to worry about it. It was accident and the fact that humans and beasts couldn't have children was well-known throughout Gaia.

At least that's what she initially believed... 

...until realising she was starting to feel more nauseous whenever she ran, her stomach was growing, and other signs of pregnancy started to hit her. Again, she was shocked still, while Draxus, on the other hand, didn't know what the problem was.

The wolf man was ignorant about the details about what would happen if a human and beast were to mingle- do the 'cha cha'... or... umm.. well... be so intimate with each other with their clothes off the whole night. He didn't have any weird fetishes!

Why would he know that?!

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Beasts never thought of having children with humans, after all. The known consequence of what would happen if he was to be so intimate with a human woman never crossed his mind before. He wasn't so perverse as to know a thing like that, and only saw Minerva's pregnancy as only a natural occurrence when two opposite genders... 'did it'.

It was after Minerva explained her situation after regaining herself, did he realise that something wasn't right about her pregnancy... As it wasn't like he was an idiot with zero intuition. The two of them couldn't be sure of what was about to be born.

Human? Beast?

His superhuman sense of sight which was enhanced by Moon Mana peered into the magic signature of his child in Minerva's stomach. Draxus then realised that the child they would have was going to have was most likely going to be 'human' due to the signature. 

Knowing the prejudice his clan had towards humanity... and how even his own parents would only be able to 'barely' accept him taking a human for a wife, he decided to take her somewhere they could live peacefully among humans instead.

He no longer dared to let even a single hint about his identity leak out. Draxus even dyed his hair black before becoming your regular house-husband. This was after going to another village far from the one they first visited to live out their lives peacefully.

The funds Draxus had left in his 'shadow' (pocket dimension) were enough to start a new life. He couldn't take any chances about his identity so he did everything he can NOT to stand out. 

Months later, when Minerva finally went into labour, he stayed close in order to be there for his child's birth. He took her as his wife and had done all he could to blend himself into a new community.

They had a beautiful daughter! However, the joy of his infant child's birth was put to the side. Draxus had heard screams of the wet-nurse from the room where his wife had given birth. His mouth gaped.

The wolf man's eyes constricted...!

He saw something he had never before heard of in his entire life. It was a weird 'mutation'.... The child in Minerva's hands wasn't a human infant like he expected, but that of a tiny wolf girl with platinum yet weirdly metallic ears growing on top her head. 

But his thoughts were interrupted by footsteps.

The sound of the villagers gathering made his eyes darken in despair... What had exposed them? It was only after seeing the nurse had disappeared did he realise his fears were correct. Humans were all liars.

His wife and child were in danger.

The wolf tail and ears that his clan were known for wouldn't have shocked Draxus so badly if his daughter was born of the Moon Attribute. The only reason he found himself unable to accept reality was the realisation that his child still had a 'Light Attribute' Mana Signature despite being a wolf!

This was an unprecedented event that no one could have expected. Draxus could only resolve himself after the villagers realised what he was. It was to take his family and live in isolation from the world until his daughter became independent.

Until she was able to live by herself...

He lifted his wife and child into his arms before disappearing. Many people holding pitchfork-shaped Spirit Essences barged into the room after the wet-nurse informed them all about their existence. 

This was the unfortunate, yet hopeful beginning of the girl most beloved by the hands of fate. The 'Light Wolf' who would later on teach Arthur the method to surpass his class! She truly was deserving of being called an 'Anomaly' in this world of twisted fates.

Years passed, and they found their luck to have gotten distinctly better after their daughter had been born. Almost scarily lucky to say the least... Draxus was able to gain many opportunities these years to hide his identity and raise his daughter well.

That little girl had grew up quickly...

She travelled the world, and one day came to the Ruling Kingdom of Lancia. Home of all 'Rulers'. In the middle of a street, the people were bustling around to get to their jobs and fulfil their roles.

There, a small incident happened...

"Humans are so stupid..." A inconspicuous girl wearing a hat to cover her platinum blonde, yet bizarrely metallic ears, spoke melancholically. She watched a 'Horse Beast' in the form of an animal be mistreated by a man using it to pull a carriage. 

She recognised the vicious man as a mere 'Baron'.

He didn't have much actual power as a ranker...

A golden glow appeared in her eyes at that moment. 

The glint too small for it to be noticeable.

She walked towards the 'Noble' while thinking of how to extend her hand to the pitiful Animalistic Beast. It was whipped in public. The bystanders around the noble also felt pity for the beast... but knew they couldn't offend nobility for the sake of a mere animal. A deep, unfathomable coldness appeared in the young girl's eyes. She stepped forwards courageously to give the beast help.

The path of someone similar to Alex had her destination fixed, and shadows moved in secret.

A gentlemanly cultist started to take notice of her.