The wind was sharp that evening, slicing through Velmora's air with a chill that bit at exposed skin. The academy's outer limits were silent, yet restless — the kind of night beasts prowled and secrets crept from their shadows.
Inside the eastern training hall, the clang of fists echoed off stone walls. Instructor Gaelis barked orders, and students scattered into sparring teams.
Kenneth was partnered with Kael.
A rare pairing.
"Don't hold back," Kael said flatly, voice devoid of emotion.
Kenneth narrowed his eyes. "You'll regret saying that."
He moved first — fast and low — a blur of precision. Kael ducked beneath the strike and pivoted, brushing past Kenneth's side… but subtly, silently, he tagged him.
A tiny black microdevice — no larger than a fingernail — adhered to the inside hem of Kenneth's shirt.
Kael's eyes flickered as he backed away, already accessing the feed through his neural interface. It pulsed with data: vitals, trajectory, movement. Too perfect. Too fast. Kenneth wasn't normal — not even by superhuman standards.
Not even close.
---
Hours Later — Outskirts of Velmora Forest
Zarek tugged his black cloak tighter as he ducked beneath a twisted branch.
"This is crazy," he muttered. "We're going to get caught. Or mauled."
Kael walked ahead without concern. His hand hovered near the tech embedded in his wrist — pulsing with location data from Kenneth's tracker. "We're close."
Zarek hesitated. "Why are we even doing this, Kael? If he didn't want us to know, maybe there's a reason."
Kael didn't look back. "You're afraid of what we'll find."
Zarek didn't reply.
Then the air changed.
It shimmered — warped — and grew hot. The scent of burning wood and something fouler filled their noses.
And then, through the clearing, they saw it.
---
Kenneth stood crouched over the mangled body of a fallen thunder boar — a feral, heavily armored beast known for electrical rampages. Its body smoked and twitched, torn open by claws and flame.
But the thing feeding on it…
…was not Kenneth.
Or at least, not the boy they knew.
He was transformed.
Fur as dark as night. Veins glowing with lava-light. Flames coiling off his back like a phoenix's plume. His fangs dripped fire. His claws were soaked in blood.
And his eyes… his eyes weren't his own.
They were hungry.
Zarek froze.
His breath caught in his throat.
"K…Kenneth?" he whispered.
The beast's ears twitched. Its head snapped toward them.
Kenneth's monstrous form snarled — and roared.
The trees bent. The fire swelled. Flames exploded from his limbs as he lunged.
Kael immediately threw up a shield from a stolen shield-tech module, buying a second to whisper into his neural wristband: "Initiate Boom Tube."
The air cracked. A shimmering blue vortex opened, flickering — unstable.
Zarek was still frozen, eyes wide with terror.
"MOVE!" Kael shouted, grabbing him.
But Kenneth was already on them — blazing, howling, monstrous.
A claw whipped through the air — it should have severed Zarek's head —
But it stopped.
Just before impact, a wall of blood erupted between the claw and the boys, forcing Kenneth back.
Malrik.
Dressed in a long black cloak, silver hair flying, his crimson eyes glowed in fury.
"Enough, Kenneth."
The beast staggered, claws twitching, fire sputtering from his jaw. He howled — a deep, tormented sound — and dropped to all fours, panting.
Malrik raised a hand, and the blood swirled again — forming a cocoon around Kenneth.
"Sleep."
The cocoon compressed. The fire died.
And Kenneth collapsed.
---
The cabin was warm, but quiet. Zarek sat on a worn couch, pale and shaking. Kael sat nearby, studying Kenneth's unconscious form, eyes narrowed — not in fear, but in understanding.
Malrik entered the room, looking bone-weary.
"He'll wake soon," he said softly.
Zarek looked up. "What the hell is he?"
Malrik sat across from them. "A secret. One I've protected for years."
Kael leaned forward. "You're his mentor."
Malrik nodded. "And his shield. His leash. And if I must be — his executioner."
Silence.
"He's a hybrid," Malrik continued. "Vampire mother. Werewolf father. Born of a forbidden union during the last war. When the vampire king discovered the truth… he killed the queen."
Zarek's fists clenched.
Kael didn't blink. "So he ran."
"No," Malrik said. "We ran. I took him. I raised him. And now… the fire has made him more."
Zarek looked at Kenneth's still form, guilt weighing heavy. "He wasn't going to tell us."
"Would you?" Malrik asked. "In a world that hates both sides of what you are?"
---
He groaned softly, sitting up. His face was drenched in sweat. Fire glimmered faintly in his veins before fading.
Then he saw them.
Zarek. Kael.
Malrik standing beside them.
Kenneth swallowed.
"You saw," he whispered.
Zarek stood. "Yeah. We saw."
Kenneth looked away, ashamed.
Zarek stepped closer.
"I was scared," he admitted. "Not because of what you are… but because I almost lost you."
Kenneth blinked. "You're not afraid of me?"
Zarek smiled faintly. "I am. But I'm still here."
Kenneth turned to Kael, whose expression was unreadable.
Kael tilted his head. "You're not a monster. Just very, very… interesting."
And for the first time in weeks, Kenneth laughed — just once. But it was real.