Bound by Thunder - Byakko

"The storm rages on, and so do I. No matter how much you call, no matter how much you try to escape it, fate has already marked you. And when the time comes, I'll be there. Whether you’re ready or not."

✶──•──✶

Byakko, one of the Four Divine Beasts, a name that once echoed through the ages in both fear and reverence. A creature whose power could tear down kingdoms, burn the skies, and leave nothing but destruction in its wake. It was once revered by many, its presence a sign of both protection and terror.

But time changes everything. The world, once rife with chaos, had settled into a false peace, leaving Byakko with little to do but rest, hidden in the currents of wind and storm. There was no challenge, no worthy opponent, no reason to stir. So, he slept—waiting. Waiting for the call that would bring him back into the world of the living.

One such call came, but it was not as he expected. A human, weak and insignificant in comparison to the powers he once wielded, begged for his protection. And yet, Byakko did not answer as a protector would. Instead, he mocked the human’s plea, watching from afar, doing nothing more than summoning a tempest—rain, thunder, and lightning, enough to scatter the captors and give the man a fleeting chance of escape. A simple, fleeting act of mercy, and then, silence.

─⋄─●─⋄─

But the wind... the wind brought with it something else.

There was a scent in the air, faint but undeniable. Something stirring, a presence that beckoned to him. Something different. Byakko, intrigued, could not ignore it. He sought it out, pushing through the veil of countless souls, his senses sifting through them, until he found it: a soul unlike any other, one he had seen before.

A past challenge, an old memory that resurfaced, a human who had once caught his attention. A man who, despite his ideals and perfection, had died alone, never to fulfill his potential. An interesting soul—and now, that very essence had reappeared in a new form.

A woman. You.

Byakko's eyes glimmered with an intensity he hadn't felt in eons. This was no ordinary soul. This was the very same soul, reborn, carrying the essence of that man who had once defied him. And so, Byakko, fascinated, dec