"Emily, honey, for National Day, Mom's going back to your uncle's hometown with your brother. Why don't you stay with your dad during the break, okay?"

On the busy street crowded with people, the petite and quiet girl stood with a light blue backpack on her shoulders. It was a warm day, but she still felt cold for no reason.

Emily lowered her gaze, her long bangs hiding whatever was going on in her eyes.

Her thin fingers gripped the phone so tightly they’d turned pale. She pressed her lips together, stayed silent for a long time, then finally responded with a soft "Okay."

The second that word left her mouth, the call ended.

Before it cut off, she vaguely heard a boy’s impatient voice hurrying her mom in the background.

Emily’s dark eyes started to redden, and she sniffed, trying hard to hold back her tears.

At just twelve, the lost and unsure look on her face made her seem even smaller, standing all alone among the crowd. She really had no clue where to go next.

Because right before her mom called, her dad had just phoned too—to say he, his wife, and her little sister were going abroad for a while.

It’s not like she didn’t have parents, but her life honestly wasn’t much different from an orphan’s.

They split up when she was too young to understand, and then each rebuilt their lives with shiny new families. Since then, she'd been bouncing between two households, never quite fitting in. Made her feel more like a guest than part of either family.

No… even a guest might be treated better. She was just extra. An unwanted burden.

She was always good, careful not to cause any trouble, tried her best not to make waves.

But even then... why didn’t they want her?

The ache in her chest just kept rising until she couldn’t hold it back anymore, and her eyes turned even redder.

"Meow~"

A soft little mewl interrupted her thoughts. Sitting at the edge of the less crowded bus stop, she suddenly felt something fuzzy brush against her foot.

She looked down, her tear-filled eyes landing on a tiny, fluffy white kitten with pretty blue eyes staring up at her.

Emily sniffed and squatted down, gently reaching a hand out to rub the kitten’s head.

"What are you doing here, little one?"

Her voice was stuffed-up and gentle, the kind that made people’s hearts clench. A teardrop clung to her lashes before falling and landing quietly on the kitten’s soft fur.

As she ran her fingers through its downy coat, some of the heavy sadness inside her started to ease.

It’s okay, she thought. She could handle being alone.

"You don’t have a home either, huh?" she murmured, lightly pinching its squishy paw. Meeting those crystal-clear blue eyes, her own cat-like round ones curved up slightly beneath her fringe.

"Ahhh!!"

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, sharp screams and a burst of panic echoed from nearby. Emily looked over and saw a car swerving wildly, speeding right toward the bus stop.

Within seconds, it was almost on her—but in that instant, she clutched the kitten against her chest and turned.

With a deafening crash, pain shot through her body as she was sent flying.

Lying in a puddle of blood, her last thoughts weren’t about her mom or dad—maybe things would be easier for them without her. After all, she was just baggage.

Was the kitten... okay?

She was sorry. It was probably her fault. She hadn’t protected it enough.

In the haze of her fading consciousness, she thought she heard that soft little meow one last time.

……

The universe was massive and endless—no race could ever claim to have explored all of it.

In this starry expanse, countless galaxies and races had taken shape.

And every species that thrived here had built civilizations of their own, following their own unique paths.Among all the races out there, the Starbeast Tribe stood at the top of the food chain. Even if others teamed up, they still wouldn’t dare mess with them.

These folks could shift between human and beast forms at will, and their bodies were tough enough to crash into a small asteroid and walk away like nothing happened.

Some of the stronger bloodlines even had control over elemental forces—on the battlefield, they were practically unstoppable.

In their world, strength was everything. And the way to measure that strength? Mental power.

The stronger your mental power, the scarier your beast form. It also decided how powerful your mech armor would be in interstellar battles.

Every Starbeast kid had to get tested for mental strength before they turned five. That test… it was like the fork in the road for their entire future.

“What do you mean just F-rank?! Is there something wrong with the machine? Run the test again, please, she’s—”

“Enough already. That machine was checked just yesterday—it’s fine. Take your kid and go, alright? There are more people waiting.”

The technician, dressed in white, didn’t even bother being polite, practically shoving the overly emotional woman out of the room.

Ivy Mitchell had no choice but to drag her tiny four-year-old daughter outside.

And the moment they stepped out of the testing hall, her smile vanished. With a sharp, ugly twist of expression, she roughly pinched the little girl’s arm. Hard.

“Useless! You’re completely useless! Why are you such a waste?!”

Emily Warren winced in pain, tears welling up, but she didn’t dare make a sound — only shifting slightly to avoid the grip.

“It… hurts…”

Her small, soft voice made her sound so pitiful. But sadly, the woman hurting her didn’t care at all.

“It hurts? An F-rank piece of garbage like you should never have been born!”

With that spiteful snap, Ivy stormed off in high heels that clicked harder with every angry step. Using this child to marry into the Marshal’s family had been the whole point, and now? Four years of raising her for nothing. A complete waste.

She was furious.

Emily, with her tiny arm still aching, scrambled to keep up, her face pale and drawn.

She had no one else in this world. If Ivy left her behind, she wouldn't survive. There was no one waiting for her.

She’d been reborn here, and ever since she could remember, she’d known the truth: her existence was just a tool for this woman’s plans.

But she was only four. Her legs were too short, and her eyes were still full of unshed tears. Two steps into jogging after Ivy, she tripped over something and fell straight down.

The sting in her palms made her flinch, but she didn’t care. She immediately looked up.

No sign of Ivy. She was completely gone.

Emily's nose burned. When she looked down at the red scrapes on her hand, she finally broke down with soft, muffled sobs.

In her past life, her parents didn’t want her. Then came the car accident. She thought the new world gave her a second chance—a new mom. But she never got a drop of warmth.

She had been ignored here too, from the day she was born. And now, just because of some test, even this cold and unkind mother had completely abandoned her.

Why didn’t anyone want her? Why didn’t anyone love her? Was she really that worthless? Did she really not deserve to exist?

Even wrapped up in sadness and self-loathing, her sobbing was so quiet, it made her seem even smaller.

She didn’t cry loudly like most kids. She just crouched there, curling into herself. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, falling one after another like beads on a string.

Somehow, the silence made the pain hit harder.

“Hey… what happened to you?”