Chapter 2

Chapter 2 69%

The news that the female rescued from the Primitive Planet was awake spread through the base like wildfire. Everyone was buzzing with excitement.

This base housed over 30,000 people–all male beastmen of soldiers and logistics personnel without a single female.

By law in this empire, females weren’t allowed anywhere near dangerous locations like this.

Nyx was the first female to set foot in this military base over the years.

Even though most of the males hadn’t seen her in person, they all knew her name by heart.

They thought Nyx was a beautiful name. It sounded like it belonged to someone equally stunning.

Nyx was immediately scheduled to leave for the Central Planet Female Protection Association, escorted personally by Theon and Zayne. They weren’t taking any chances with her safety and assigned her to the most secure spaceship available.

“On the spaceship, Nyx’s room was conveniently close to Theon’s. The moment she stepped into her room, she froze.

The place was breathtaking.”

Warm light filtered through soft curtains, casting a cozy glow over the lightweight bedding. A small bedside lamp and a vase of dried flowers added a delicate touch to the atmosphere, while the faint scent of a soothing fragrance filled the air.

It was the exact opposite of the cold vibe she’d expected from that military camp.

“This is... my room?” Nyx asked, unable to believe it.

Misreading her expression as dissatisfaction, Theon quickly apologized. “It was a last–minute setup by my adjutant. I know it’s a bit plain. Please endure it for now. If there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

“It’s... not plain at all,” Nyx murmured, shaking her head as she stepped inside. She touched one of the soft cushions on the sofa and felt a complicated mix of emotions surge within her.

All her life, she had dreamed of having a warm and safe room to call her own. But it had always seemed out of reach–a luxury she could never afford.

During her growth, she’d been branded a “money sink“, dropped out of school to work, and struggled to scrape by while her earnings were snatched away to buy her younger brother clothes gadgets, and even a tablet.

Now, faced with the reality of her long–held dream, it all felt surreal.

To be fair, everything that had happened since she woke up felt like a dream.

“Could I get some books to read? There’s so much I need to figure out,” Nyx asked after snapping out of her thoughts.

Her request caught Theon off guard for a second, but then he quickly realized something.

He knew the little girl had lost her memory. Aside from her name, Nyx remembered nothing, not the people who abused and abandoned her, not where she came from.

Zayne had theorized it might be self–protective amnesia, triggered by her trauma.

1/4 12:26 Sat, Feb 8 BBB Chapter 2 69%

Theon thought it made sense, especially since Nyx had been visibly afraid of them when she first woke up. Whatever she’d been through was likely at the hands of males.

Guilt and protectiveness swirled in Theon’s chest. He gave Nyx a solemn nod and replied, “Absolutely. Whatever you need, Tll make sure you have it.”

Soon, an assortment of books was delivered to her room, including illustrated audiobooks aimed at younger audiences, which were easy to digest even if her memory failed her.

Having had enough sleep, Nyx shut her door and dove headfirst into the stack of books, eager to understand this strange. new world.

She soon realized this was a vast interstellar empire, stretching across eight star systems and countless planets. Earth’s technology couldn’t hold a candle to what she read here.

The citizens on this planet weren’t like humans on Earth either. They were beastmen.

According to the records, male beastmen had possessed two forms since ancient times–human form and beast form. They were powerful warriors, fiercely protective and capable of incredible combat.

The females, on the other hand, wielded something called “mental power“, which could calm males and prevent them from losing control and permanently shifting into their beast forms.

Now, in the age of interstellar exploration, beastmen had conquered new frontiers and developed advanced medicine, with an average lifespan of 500 years. Among the planets, they were one of the most powerful high civilizations.

But even they had a problem, a threatening crisis–Females were growing increasingly rare.

The gender ratio was becoming alarmingly skewed. The empire had even dabbled in ethically controversial projects, attempting to create artificial females. But the results were disheartening–artificial females couldn’t awaken mental power, and worse, their offspring often couldn’t take human form at all and remained purely beast.

After countless tragedies, the empire had no choice but to shut down its artificial female research program. Instead, they turned to fiercely protecting natural females, enforced strict laws to ensure their safety, and heavily promoted polyandry.

At first, there were still criminals trying to enslave and exploit females, but as the empire cracked down hard and tightened the protections of females, the status of females rose higher and higher–until they were practically worshipped.

The balance had completely tipped: Females ruled in this civilization, and males served.

Nyx finally understood why Theon and Zayne treated her so respectfully despite their obvious authority and power. It wasn’t because of who she was but because she was recognized as a female.

Nyx’s eyes widened, and she felt a mix of shock and disbelief.

But it also made sense. No matter how strong or capable a male beastman was, they all depended on the mental power of females to keep them from losing control. Without it, they’d devolve into mindless beasts, unable to return to their human forms.

Nyx realized how vital mental power was to those males, and she touched her nose with guilt, thinking she didn’t deserve their treatment.

She was an ordinary human, not a real female beastman. She didn’t think she had any mental power at all.

Later during dinner, Nyx asked Zayne about the mental power thing. “Do I... have mental power?”

9/4 12:26 Sat, Feb 8 BBB.

Chapter 2 69%@

Zayne, who was taking his nutrient drink, suddenly paused his movement. He then glanced at Theon with a faintly accusing look.

Theon immediately shook his head in protest, silently explaining he didn’t say anything to Nyx.

Zayne took a sigh and put his drink down to explain, “No, you don’t. Mental power usually awakens by the age of 18, and since you’re already 20, it’s safe to say your mental power didn’t awaken.”

Seeing her expression falter, Zayne added, “You don’t need to worry about it too much. Around 20% of females in the empire never awaken their mental power, but trust me, you’re just as precious as any of them.”

Zayne didn’t lie to her. Though females with strong mental power held high status, those without it were still cherished as treasures on this planet.

The next day, Nyx arrived at the Central Planet Female Protection Association, where she was greeted like royalty. The fanfare and attention were overwhelming, which was leagues beyond what Earth’s biggest celebrities ever experienced.

The staff at the association ran another full medical exam for Nyx. When they confirmed she had no mental power, their attitudes didn’t change a bit. They still treated her like the center of their universe and escorted her through the process of registering as an official citizen of their empire.

Nyx handed her medical report to a young male and flashed him a polite smile. “Thank you.”

The male’s face instantly turned bright red. He held his breath, frozen in place, until Nyx moved on to the next step. Only then did he exhale and cover his chest like he’d just survived a heart attack.

“Geeze, she’s adorable,” he murmured with a dreamy expression.

Females in this empire were often spoiled, and they were either crusty or timid that they barely showed those males any smiles.

Nyx’s gentle demeanor and soft smile were rare, almost unheard of.

“Too bad she didn’t awaken her mental power,” the male sighed. “If she had, I’d be chasing after her in a heartbeat.”

“Come on, get real,” his coworker teased. “She’s so gorgeous and sweet. Even without mental power, she’s not gonna run out of suitors anytime soon. You’re definitely not on her radar.”

The coworker added with a smirk, “Besides, malnutrition can affect mental power awakening. If she gets healthy, she might have a second awakening.”

“Second awakening? Come on, man. It’s rarer than a blue moon. Maybe one case every century.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Nyx, meanwhile, was blissfully unaware of the conversation.

She was waiting for her turn to input her information when a wave of dizziness hit her. The room spun around her, and she had to grab something to steady herself.”

As her vision swam, a line from the books she’d read yesterday came back to her: Intermittent dizziness is one of the key symptoms before mental power awakens.

12:26 Sat, Feb 8 GBB.

Chapter 3