All eyes were locked on Leo's hand, the one made of blood. The air was thick with tension. Selina, drenched in sweat and barely holding on to the last of her mana, hovered closer to the Kraken than anyone else. Her breathing was ragged, and every movement seemed to draw from reserves she no longer had. She turned to retreat toward the fleet, but before she could move far, a violent surge of mana erupted behind her like a shockwave. It struck her back with the force of an explosion.

Above them, the sky fractured. It didn't tear like fabric, it shattered like glass. From the jagged cracks, something darker than night poured out, a living void that spilled downward in thick, shadowy streams. Within seconds, the shadows twisted into the shape of a giant hand and reached for Leo, or rather, his blood hand.

Sensing the danger, the Kraken responded with instinctual fury. It coiled its immense body, condensed its remaining mana, and fired a blinding beam of energy upward into the spreading darkness.

The light struck true. The shadows hissed and evaporated… but only for a moment.

The battlefield fell into a haunting silence. Then the sky erupted once more.

Dozens of shadowy limbs, massive and bestial in form, burst out from the rift above, each shaped like a clawed hand from a different animal. They descended in a coordinated assault, striking the Kraken from all sides. The monstrous creature screamed as the shadow hands tore into its flesh, ripping through its thick tentacles and burrowing toward its core.

On the deck, Leo recoiled. His hand trembled as he pulled it back, just in time to feel a sharp, searing pain explode through his chest and spine. He collapsed to his knees, gasping, and immediately knew what had happened, he had successfully expanded his domain. A new circle had been carved into his soul, and now his body was paying the price.

He hit the ground screaming. The others, still stunned from the burst of mana and the monstrous battle in the sky, rushed to his side, unsure what to do.

Meanwhile, in the waters below, the Kraken's roars echoed across the ocean, loud enough to reach the distant islands. The sea boiled with its blood, a thick, green ichor that spread like an oil slick. It tried once more to charge its beam, but the attempt was pitiful. The shadow hands were relentless, tearing away each tentacle until only its central body remained.

And even that would not last.

Back on the ship, Leo writhed uncontrollably. His hair grew longer, turning stark white. His eyes, once green, burned red. Fangs protruded from his jaw, and coarse patches of fur began to grow along his arms and legs. He clawed at the deck, his body caught in a transformation.

A single word pulsed in his mind, over and over, like a curse.

Kill.

Whatever he had summoned… it was not going to let him get away that easily. It was corrupted, a predator god soaked in ancient madness. And now, that corruption was trying to infect him.

Leo grit his teeth, focusing all his willpower to keep himself grounded, to keep his soul from being swallowed whole. The pain slowly ebbed, but the whisper in his mind remained. He forced himself to look up.

In the sky, the god he had summoned was no longer hidden. It towered over the battlefield, its shape flickering like fire caught in a storm. From the shadows, two glowing red eyes opened. A mouth, long and narrow like a wolf's, emerged next, filled with jagged teeth. The shadow mouth lunged and tore a chunk from the Kraken, half its massive body disappearing into the creature's jaws.

The Kraken, now barely alive, writhed and screamed as the god hovered above it.

Then… the red eyes shifted and turned toward the fleet. They locked on Leo.

The connection between them was immediate. Leo stared back, not as a mortal looking up at a deity, but as another beast, meeting its equal. There was no awe and no fear.

Then everything froze. Selina, still midair, stopped moving. The sailors and mages on the ships froze as if time itself had paused. Even the ocean seemed to still.

Everyone except Leo. He felt it instantly, the surge of power filling his body was beyond anything he had ever experienced. His muscles screamed for action, and his instincts flared. He didn't have time to think. That god's gaze alone was enough to kill them all if he didn't act.

With a burst of mana, he launched himself into the air. The wind roared in his ears as he reached Selina in seconds. She was beginning to fall now, gravity reclaiming her. He grabbed her waist, spun midair, and kicked off his platform in the air, redirecting their momentum back toward the ships.

As soon as they landed, he placed her gently on the deck. Without pause, he raised his hand. Blood surged from his palm, weaving itself into a massive shield, thicker, denser, and more powerful than anything he had ever created. It wrapped itself around the entire fleets like a crimson dome.

From above, the god reacted. The wolf-like mouth opened wide, and it let out a howl, a roar so powerful that it warped the ocean below, sending tidal waves in every direction. The force of it barreled toward the ships like a living tsunami of sound and death.

Leo didn't hesitate. He sprinted to the bow of the ship, opened his mouth, and released a cry of his own. It wasn't human, it was part beast, part man, a deep-throated roar that clashed with the god's wave like a wall of defiance. The two forces met midair, colliding with a thunderous crack that split the sky.

For a brief moment, Leo met the god's eyes one last time. Then the shield completed its seal, cutting off their connection.

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Behind him, the others began to move again, the spell broken. Selina stirred, coughing and blinking awake. The sailors gasped as they regained control of their limbs. Relief washed over Leo.

Then everything went black.

He collapsed to the deck, unconscious, as the blood shield shimmered around them like a dying sun.

…

Stillwood Village.

The sun had just dipped behind the trees when Marco finished his work in the fields. His clothes were damp with sweat and dirt, and all he wanted now was a hot bath. Of course, Stillwood didn't have plumbing, water had to be drawn manually from the well. It was slow, tedious work, but it was a normal part of life in a village untouched by modern engines.

He stepped inside his modest wooden house, stripped off his shirt, and reached for the bucket near the door. But as he took his second step, something sharp flared inside his chest.

A searing pain ripped through him, sudden and overwhelming. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the floor, convulsing. His fingernails scraped the wooden planks and split, pushing back as if something beneath was trying to force its way out.

His breathing turned ragged. Hair began to sprout along his arms, spreading rapidly. He stared at his hand, eyes wide, trying to make sense of it, but the pain drowned out all thought. His vision blurred, and the world around him spun, as everything went dark.

…

The Shadowland.

Far to the north, in the training fields hidden within the Shadowland, Alina gripped her staff, face drenched in sweat. She was in the middle of sparring with Arlasan, her longtime mentor, when a sudden shock of pain twisted through her spine.

She cried out and dropped to the ground.

"Alina?" Arlasan was at her side instantly, kneeling beside her as her screams echoed through the training yard. "What's wrong?"

She tried to speak, but her jaw clenched tight. Her mouth ached, then burned, her fangs were growing.

"Ah—Aaahh…" was all she managed.

Her body began to shift. Hair pushed through her skin in places it hadn't before, and her fingers curled unnaturally. Arlasan saw her nails lengthen and sharpen before she buried them into his arm. He winced as they pierced his skin, but he didn't move away. Instead, he pulled off his coat and wrapped it tightly around her, shielding her trembling form from any onlookers.

Voices rose nearby.

"What's happening?" someone asked, approaching fast.

"Nothing," Arlasan snapped, already lifting Alina in his arms. "Just overexertion. The training pushed her too far."

He moved quickly, ignoring the pain in his arms, and carried her back to her quarters. Once inside, he closed the door firmly and bolted it shut. For now, no one else could see her like this. If word spread, especially among the elders who already disapproved of her prayers to the Creator, it would be used against her. They'd say it was punishment from the goddess.

He laid her down carefully. Whatever was happening to her… if the Creator was behind this, Arlasan had to find a way to break that connection. Before it destroyed her.

…

Flesa city.

Liam stood alone in the open-air training ground, surrounded by scorched earth and shattered practice dummies. He preferred it this way, no witnesses. No eyes judging his methods or the strange abilities that had started surfacing within him.

He had just finished his final set, exhausted but satisfied, when the pain hit.

It was like a blade driven through his back and into his gut. His knees buckled and he slammed into the dirt. Every part of him ached. Something beneath his skin was moving — his muscles tensing, his bones shifting.

He bit down hard on his lip, stifling a scream as claws began to push through the tips of his fingers. Blood trickled from his mouth where his teeth had pierced flesh. Fur was already sprouting along his arms and chest.

'No. Not here. Not now.'

If anyone saw him, especially his siblings, they'd never let him live it down. They would use it against him, turn this into another reason to control or shame him.

His vision swam. He tried to crawl, but the strength in his arms faded fast. Everything around him dimmed, and the world fell away.

…

Leo stirred. His eyes cracked open slightly, greeted by blurred light and muffled voices. Everything sounded distant, like echoes carried through water. He blinked a few times, slowly, until his vision began to focus.

He was lying on a bed inside a large canvas tent. The ceiling above him swayed gently with the wind. Beside him, Briva sat slouched in a chair, fast asleep. Her arms were crossed, and her head leaned against the tent pole behind her. She looked exhausted.

The sounds outside, laughter, music, clinking cups, drifted in through the tent's thin walls. A celebration.

Leo's throat was dry. His first attempt to speak came out as little more than a whisper. "Briva…"

Nothing. She didn't stir.

He waited, letting mana and stamina slowly trickle back into his body. After a few minutes, he tried again.

"Briva."

Her eyes snapped open, and she shot to her feet. "Victor, You're awake!" Her voice cracked with relief as tears welled in her eyes. "Thank the gods, you're awake."

Leo's voice was hoarse. "What happened?"

"You—" she hesitated, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve, "You turned into some kind of… beast. You saved everyone. You stopped that thing. And then… you collapsed."

'So they saw it all,' he thought grimly. The transformation. The power. The thing he barely understood himself.

"No, I mean after that. What happened after I passed out?"

Briva nodded. "We sailed back to the island. Everyone made it back safely."

"And the Kraken?"

"When that… thing vanished, Arthur and a few others returned to check the wreckage. The Kraken's body was still there. It's dead. Definitely dead."

Leo exhaled, tension he didn't realize he was holding slowly easing out of his shoulders. "Good."

He pushed himself up slightly, then winced as his strength failed him. His arms trembled under the effort.

"Hey— stop that," Briva said gently, rushing to his side. "You need to rest. You've only been unconscious for a day. Your body's still recovering."

She paused, then her eyes lit up with a thought. She reached over to a crate beside the bed and pulled out a sealed blood bag. "Here. I wasn't sure if it would help… but just in case."

Leo took it from her gratefully. He pierced it with his fingers and let the blood spill into his palm. It swirled like warm ink in his hand before soaking into his skin. Power returned to him in a slow, steady wave. His breathing leveled. The pain dulled.

"Much better," he said, flexing his fingers.

But then he remembered. The transformation. The change that had gripped his body and soul, and the voice in his head that had whispered only one word.

"Do you have a mirror?"

Briva blinked, confused, but nodded and rummaged through her satchel. She handed him a small, polished mirror.

Leo held it up to his face and studied himself. His reflection stared back, familiar, unchanged. No new white hair, no fangs and no red eyes. Nothing out of place.

'What the hell was that?'

The only way to find the answer was to enter his domain. But right now, he was still too weak to do that.

With Briva's help, Leo swung his legs over the bed and slowly stood. The stiffness in his muscles reminded him just how far he'd pushed his limits.

Together, they stepped out of the tent.

Outside, the camp was alive with energy. A roaring fire crackled in the center of the clearing. Survivors, men and women who had stared death in the face, now laughed, danced, and raised cups to the sky. Lanterns hung from makeshift poles, their golden light painting the scene in warmth and flickering shadows.

They were celebrating. And Victor, the beast, the savior, had just rejoined them.

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