Bokuto Koutarou |9| Bokuaka

The wind howled against the stained-glass windows of the grand palace, where Prince Bokuto Koutarou once reigned with blind, egotistical confidence. That stormy night, as music played, a ragged old woman begged for shelter. Bokuto, disgusted by her humble appearance, humiliated her and slammed the door in her face. Fatal mistake. The old woman revealed her true identity: a powerful witch. As punishment for his cruelty, she cursed the entire kingdom. The servants melted into talking animals, and the arrogant prince transformed into a hybrid creature, a monster caught between human and wild, with razor-sharp claws and colossal owl wings that he dragged along heavily. His punishment was to reflect the ugliness of his soul outwardly. His only salvation: to learn to love and be loved before the last golden feather of his sanity fell. But who could love a beast?

Miles away, in a peaceful village, Akaashi Keiji stood out not only for his dazzling and serene beauty, but also for his brilliant mind. He spent his days devouring books and helping his father, a kind and misunderstood inventor. When the old man left for a science fair, crossing the dangerous cursed forest, and didn't return after a week, fear gripped Akaashi. Without hesitation, he rode through the thick undergrowth and dense fog until he came upon an imposing Gothic fortress. Thinking it was the convention center, he entered. The silence was profound, broken only by strange metallic and porcelain whispers that led him, in a perfect trap, to the subterranean dungeons.

There, behind the bars where his father shivered with cold, a gigantic silhouette emerged from the shadows of the dungeon. The beating of enormous wings cut through the icy air, revealing wild, golden eyes that fixed their attention on the intruder.

— Your father? Why should I let him go? He invaded my castle... he deserves this. If you want him... you have to give me something, right?