Sera's POV
The stable master's boot slammed into my ribs before I even saw him coming.
"Worthless!" he roared, his spit hitting my face as I crashed against the wall. "That beast pen should have been cleaned an hour ago!"
I couldn't breathe. My vision blurred as pain exploded through my chest. Through our bond, I felt Kazuki's rage spike like wildfire—he was ready to leap from my bag and tear this man apart.
No, I pushed the thought toward him desperately. Please, no. They'll kill you if you attack a human.
The stable master grabbed my hair, yanking me upright. His breath stank of cheap alcohol. "Maybe I should tell everyone that the 'great' Whitstone daughter is too weak to shovel griffin droppings. Would your precious family enjoy hearing that?"
My family. The word tasted like poison.
"I'll finish the job," I whispered, forcing the words past my split lip.
He shoved me toward the pen, and I stumbled but didn't fall. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Behind me, I heard his cruel laughter fade as he walked away.
The griffin pen was worse than I'd imagined. These beasts were massive—C-rank creatures with eagle heads and lion bodies. Their waste filled the entire enclosure, and the smell hit me like a physical wall. My empty stomach twisted. I hadn't eaten in two days. The three copper coins I'd earned yesterday had gone to buying Kazuki a raw chicken leg.
You need food more than I do, Kazuki's concern radiated through our bond.
"You're growing. You need the energy." I grabbed the shovel with shaking hands. "I'm fine."
I wasn't fine. My hands were covered in blisters that had popped and bled. My back screamed from yesterday's beating. And worse—the darkness was creeping back. The voice in my head that whispered maybe Elena and Cassian and Father were right. Maybe I really was worthless.
You're not worthless. Kazuki's thought cut through my despair like a blade of light. You're the strongest person I know.
"I'm cleaning griffin poop," I said bitterly. "How is that strong?"
Because you're still standing.
Something about those simple words broke through my walls. He was right. Elena would have run crying to Father after one day of this. Cassian would have used his noble title to avoid working at all. But me? I was here. Doing what needed doing. Surviving.
I started shoveling.
Two hours later, I was nearly finished when I heard voices outside the pen. I recognized one immediately—my heart went cold.
"...heard the Whitstone failure works here now," Elena's voice dripped false sympathy. "Poor sister. I should bring her some charity."
"My lady, are you certain?" That was her handmaiden, Prisca. "The master said this district isn't safe—"
"I have my phoenix. What could possibly threaten me?"
The pen door opened. Elena stood there in a pristine white dress, her phoenix perched on her shoulder in miniature form. The legendary beast's flames cast dancing shadows on her perfect face. Behind her, two guards flanked the entrance.
She wasn't here for charity.
"Sera." Elena's smile was poison-sweet. "Look at you. Covered in filth, exactly where you belong."
I didn't respond. Couldn't trust my voice not to shake.
"I came to offer you something." Elena stepped closer, careful to avoid the muck. "Father feels guilty about casting you out. He's willing to let you return home—as a servant, of course. You'd have food, shelter, a proper bed."
"No."
"No?" Elena's eyes flashed. "You'd rather shovel griffin waste than accept help from your family?"
"You're not my family." I met her gaze steadily. "Family doesn't steal. Doesn't betray. Doesn't kick people when they're down just to feel powerful."
Elena's mask cracked. "You think you're better than me? You with your common beast and your pride?" She moved so fast I didn't have time to react. Her hand struck my face, the ring on her finger cutting deep. "You're nothing! You've always been nothing! And when you finally starve in this disgusting district, no one will remember you existed!"
Blood ran down my cheek. Through our bond, I felt Kazuki gathering energy—preparing to attack despite my earlier warning. But before either of us could move, something else happened.
The griffin in the pen behind us went insane.
The massive beast's eyes rolled white. It started shrieking—a sound that made my bones vibrate—and slammed against its reinforced cage with enough force to crack the metal bars.
"What's happening?" Elena stumbled backward as the griffin's magic aura exploded outward like a shockwave.
Then I saw it.
On the griffin's neck, spreading like infection—a black mark in the shape of a twisted star. The same symbol from Oracle Mara's warnings about the corrupted Fusion.
No. That's impossible. We escaped the catacombs. The corrupted Fusion was trapped there—
The griffin's cage door exploded open.
"RUN!" one of the guards screamed, but it was too late. The maddened beast crashed through the stable wall, its claws shredding wood like paper. Elena's phoenix tried to intercept, but the griffin swatted it aside like an insect.
I grabbed Elena's arm—instinct, stupid instinct—and yanked her out of the beast's path. We hit the ground hard as the griffin's talons gouged the space where she'd been standing.
"The mark," I gasped, pointing at the spreading corruption. "Something's controlling it—"
Then I felt it. Through my bond with Kazuki, a presence invaded my mind. Ancient. Hungry. Furious.
A voice that didn't come from anywhere but everywhere spoke directly into my skull:
"Found you, little seventh. Did you think you could hide from me by running to the slums? I can sense my own kind across the entire continent. And now..."
The corrupted griffin's eyes locked onto me.
"...now I'll use this vessel to tear you and that nascent fusion cub into pieces. Then I'll take his body for myself and finally—FINALLY—have the strength to break free!"
The griffin lunged straight for us, jaws wide enough to bite me in half.