LightReader

Chapter 2 - The River’s Call

The whisper echoed in Arian's skull long after it had faded into the rain.Your blood belongs to the forest.

He didn't know where he was running anymore. The trees all looked the same — dark, wet, and endless. His breath came in ragged gasps, his legs trembling from exhaustion.

Suddenly, the ground gave way.Arian slid down a muddy slope, his hands clawing at roots and vines that tore free in his grip.

Then — SPLASH!The icy current of a swollen river swallowed him whole.

The shock stole his breath. He thrashed, trying to fight the water, but the river was a raging beast of its own, pulling him under again and again. The roar of the storm above became muffled, replaced by the dull, crushing silence of the depths.

Something moved in the darkness below.Not a log. Not debris.Eyes — glowing, golden, like the beast's… but older. Wiser.

A shape emerged from the black water, massive and striped, its fur rippling unnaturally as if the current bent around it. A tiger — but not made of flesh. Its body shimmered with shifting patterns of gold and shadow, like sunlight through leaves.

The creature's voice was inside his head."Arian, son of the last guardian… awaken."

His lungs burned. His vision dimmed. The tiger swam closer, and with one massive paw, touched his chest.

A searing heat exploded through his body, drowning out the cold, the fear, the pain.In that moment, Arian felt something deep within him… break free.

The next thing he knew, he was on the riverbank, coughing violently, water streaming from his mouth and nose. His clothes were torn, his hands trembling — but his nails were sharper now.

Too sharp.

Arian stared at his hands.The nails weren't just sharp — they were curved, dark at the tips, like claws. His breathing was ragged, his chest still burning from whatever the golden tiger had done to him.

The jungle around him was eerily quiet now. Even the rain seemed softer, muffled by the pounding in his ears.Every sound was sharper — the drip of water from a leaf, the faint rustle of something moving far away.

Then he heard it: footsteps.Not human ones. Heavy. Padded.

From the treeline, two glowing eyes appeared.But it wasn't the same beast from his house — this one was smaller, younger… and limping. Mud clung to its orange-and-black fur, blood streaked along its flank. It looked at Arian with a strange familiarity, as if recognizing him.

He took a cautious step forward, but the tiger growled — not in warning, but in pain.

A sudden sharp whistle cut through the air. The young tiger's ears flattened.From the shadows, three masked hunters emerged, silver-tipped spears ready.

Arian froze. The instinct to run gripped him again — but alongside it, something new surged inside him. A deep, primal anger that was not entirely his own.

His vision sharpened.His muscles coiled.And for the first time in his life, Arian's lips curled back, baring teeth that felt far too sharp.

The nearest hunter stepped forward."There's the cub… and the boy," the man muttered through his mask. "Take them both."

The anger inside Arian exploded. His body moved before his mind could catch up — claws flashing, a guttural roar ripping from his throat.

The hunters hesitated.It was not a boy's roar they heard.

The hunters' eyes widened behind their masks."This… this isn't possible," one whispered.

Arian didn't wait. He lunged forward, faster than his body should've allowed. Mud sprayed under his feet as his clawed hand slashed across the nearest spear shaft — the metal tip clanging to the ground.

The hunter staggered back with a curse, but the others closed in, circling both him and the injured tiger.

The young tiger let out a low, pained growl.Arian's head snapped toward it — and in that instant, one of the hunters lunged. The spear's silver edge grazed Arian's side, burning like fire. He hissed, stumbling back, but the pain only fed the strange energy inside him.

His heart pounded. His vision tunneled.Somewhere deep in his mind, a voice growled — not the golden tiger's, not his own."Protect the bloodline."

He roared again, the sound reverberating through the dripping trees. The hunters faltered. The young tiger took the chance to limp toward the riverbank, but one hunter threw a chain, its glowing links hissing as they hit the wet ground.

Without thinking, Arian caught the chain mid-air. His grip tightened.The links shattered like brittle wood.

The hunters froze. For the first time, fear crept into their stance."He's awakening," one said. "Call the others—"

But they never finished. Arian's leap closed the distance in a heartbeat, his claws tearing through the air, his roar swallowing the storm.

Somewhere behind him, the injured tiger vanished into the jungle.And as the last hunter fell into the mud, Arian stood in the rain, chest heaving, the silver burn on his side still smoking — proof that whatever he had become… it was no longer entirely human.

The rain eased to a drizzle, but Arian barely noticed.The hunters lay scattered in the mud, their weapons broken, their silver charms dimming in the wet earth. The only sound was the distant rush of the river.

Arian's hands trembled. The claws were still there.He stared at them, waiting for them to fade, but they didn't. Instead, his reflection in a puddle showed eyes that gleamed faintly gold in the dim light.

What… am I?

Somewhere deep in the jungle, the young tiger's roar echoed — not in pain, but as if calling to him.

Then, another sound: a low, resonant drumbeat. Slow. Steady.It wasn't coming from the ground or the air. It was inside his chest.

With every beat, he felt the forest itself… listening.

A shiver crawled up his spine.Arian knew this was no longer just about survival.Something ancient had claimed him.

And it wasn't going to let go.

More Chapters