The next morning began with pain.
Not dangerous pain.
Not alarming pain.
The ordinary, deeply irritating kind that came from discovering muscles Kael had apparently never used before.
He opened his eyes.
Then immediately regretted moving.
His shoulders ached.
His thighs protested.
His lower back seemed personally offended by yesterday’s training.
Kael stared at the ceiling.
“…Wonderful.” Inside his soul, D-Rex gave an amused rumble.
“Weak.” Kael closed his eyes again.
“You weren’t carrying the pack.” “I carry mountains.” “You stand on mountains.” “Same thing.” “It absolutely isn’t.” The Queen laughed quietly.
Kael had begun to suspect that immortality—or whatever strange existence his Beast Souls possessed—came with an unfortunate amount of free time.
A violent knock struck his door.
Then the door opened.
“Big Brother!” Noah entered carrying something behind his back.
Kael didn’t move.
“Noah.” “Yes?” “What have we discussed about knocking?” “I knocked!” “And then?” “I entered.” “Before I answered.” Noah thought about this.
“Oh.” Kael sighed.
“Progress.” Noah smiled proudly.
Then he revealed what he had been hiding.
A wooden tray.
On it sat a cup of water and two pieces of toast.
One piece was badly burned.
The other somehow looked raw.
Kael stared.
“I made breakfast.” That immediately explained everything.
“You made this?” “Mostly.” “What does mostly mean?” “Mom stopped the fire.” Kael sat up much faster than his muscles appreciated.
“Fire?” “A small fire.” “Noah.” “Very small.” From downstairs, Lyra shouted.
“HE ALMOST BURNED A TOWEL!” Noah shouted back.
“IT WAS ALREADY NEAR THE FIRE!” Kael covered his face.
Five years old.
Somehow more dangerous than monsters.
He looked at the toast again.
Then took the less burned piece.
Noah’s face brightened.
“Is it good?” Kael bit into it.
It was terrible.
“Delicious.” The lie came effortlessly.
Noah grinned.
Kael decided some lies were acceptable.
— By the time Kael reached the Academy, his muscles had loosened enough to function normally.
Mostly.
Rex was waiting near the front gate.
He stood unnaturally straight.
Kael immediately knew something was wrong.
“Morning.” Rex turned his entire body instead of just his head.
“Morning.” Kael stared.
“Your neck?” “I cannot move it.” “Conditioning?” “Conditioning.” Aria approached from behind them.
“You’re both walking strangely.” Kael looked toward her.
“You aren’t sore?” “I stretched after training.” Rex stared at her with genuine betrayal.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me that was an option?” Aria blinked.
“I thought everyone knew.” “I didn’t.” Adrian arrived a moment later.
He walked normally.
Rex pointed accusingly.
“You too?” Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“What?” “You can move.” “Yes.” “Unfair.” “Stretch next time.” Rex looked toward Kael.
“Friend?” “I’m sore too.” Rex placed a hand over his heart.
“At least someone understands me.” Kael immediately regretted answering.
— Their first class was Beastification Theory.
Professor Selene stood at the front of the lecture hall.
No diagrams waited behind her today.
Instead, four words appeared across the crystal screen.
BODY.
INSTINCT.
ELEMENT.
IDENTITY.
Kael stopped the moment he saw the last word.
Identity.
For some reason, that word bothered him more than the others.
The students settled into their seats.
Professor Selene waited until the bell rang.
“Yesterday, we discussed Instinct Bleed.” She pointed toward the first two words.
“Body and instinct.” “Today, we’ll discuss why understanding your Beast Soul requires understanding yourself.” Rex whispered: “That sounds philosophical.” Adrian replied: “Please don’t ask if philosophy is edible.” “I wasn’t going to.” “You were thinking about it.” “…Maybe.” Selene looked toward their row.
Both immediately became silent.
She smiled.
“Good.” Then continued.
“Many new Beastifiers make a predictable mistake.” “They ask…” The screen changed.
WHAT CAN MY BEAST DO?
“That is a useful question.” “But it should never be the first.” A second sentence appeared beneath it.
WHAT IS MY BEAST?
Kael watched closely.
Selene tapped the screen.
“These questions sound similar.” “They aren’t.” She displayed the image of a wolf.
“A student awakens a wolf-type Beast Soul.” “What do they immediately think?” Hands rose.
“Speed.” “Claws.” “Tracking.” “Pack hunting.” Selene nodded after each answer.
“All correct.” “But those are abilities.” She enlarged the wolf’s image.
“What is the creature itself?” The room became quieter.
Aria raised her hand.
“A social predator.” “Good.” Another student answered.
“Territorial.” “Potentially.” Someone else said: “Adaptable.” “Excellent.” Selene smiled.
“Now we’re learning.” She turned back toward the screen.
“Understanding a Beast Soul isn’t memorizing abilities.” “It’s understanding nature.” — The wolf disappeared.
A large tortoise replaced it.
“What about this?” “Defensive.” “Patient.” “Slow.” Selene looked toward the student who gave the last answer.
“Slow?” The boy hesitated.
“Usually?” “Compared to what?” He blinked.
Selene continued.
“An armored tortoise may be slow in a sprint.” “But perhaps it can continue walking for three days.” She smiled.
“Words become dangerous when we confuse them with understanding.” Kael liked that sentence.
He wrote it down.
— Next came a hawk.
Then a bear.
Then a serpent.
Then several creatures native to this world that Kael didn’t recognize.
A Crystal Antelope.
A Storm Manta.
A six-legged creature called a Ridge Stalker.
With each one, Selene asked the same question.
Not what abilities it possessed.
What it was.
How it lived.
How it moved.
How it responded to danger.
What environments shaped it.
The lesson gradually became less about combat and more about biology.
Kael became fascinated.
Then Selene changed the screen.
A Shadow Drake appeared.
Kael’s pencil stopped.
Several students glanced toward him.
Selene ignored them.
“Shadow Drake.” The image showed a black reptilian creature standing on four muscular limbs.
Its body was low and heavily built, with short horns running backward from the skull.
It possessed no wings.
Interesting.
Kael studied the image carefully.
He hadn’t actually researched the creature thoroughly.
The Queen had selected it as D-Rex’s disguise.
He had simply trusted her choice.
Selene continued.
“Shadow Drakes are often misunderstood.” The image rotated.
“Despite their appearance, they’re not true dragons.” “They belong to the Lesser Draconic family.” A student raised his hand.
“Are they dangerous?” “Any Beast can be dangerous.” Selene smiled.
“But naturally?” She considered.
“Shadow Drakes are ambush predators.” “They prefer forests, caves, and rocky environments.” “They avoid unnecessary fights.” Kael almost laughed.
D-Rex rumbled inside him.
“Pathetic.” “Quiet.” “They hide.” “That’s literally what we’re doing.” Silence.
Kael felt victorious.
— Selene continued.
“Shadow Drakes possess remarkable patience.” “They may remain motionless for hours while hunting.” “However, their greatest strength isn’t raw power.” The image zoomed toward the creature’s feet.
“Environmental awareness.” “They detect vibrations extremely well.” Kael’s attention sharpened.
That was useful.
Very useful.
If his fake Beast Soul possessed vibration sensitivity, he could potentially disguise some of D-Rex’s enhanced perception under that explanation.
The Queen spoke quietly.
“That is why I chose it.” Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“So you did research.” “I had access to your memories.” “Not those memories.” “No.” A pause.
“Then how?” The Queen didn’t answer.
Kael’s suspicion immediately returned.
He couldn’t question her now.
But he remembered.
He always remembered.
— Professor Selene dismissed the Shadow Drake image.
“Now.” She folded her hands.
“Who researched their own Beast Soul after Awakening?” Nearly every hand rose.
Kael raised his too.
Technically, he had.
Just not enough.
“Good.” “Who found conflicting information?” About half remained raised.
Selene nodded.
“Excellent.” Rex whispered: “Why is conflicting information excellent?” Aria answered quietly.
“Because it teaches us not to trust a single source.” Professor Selene heard her.
“Precisely.” Aria sat slightly straighter.
Selene continued.
“Books simplify.” “Families exaggerate.” “Legends distort.” “And sometimes…” She smiled.
“Researchers are simply wrong.” Several students laughed.
“That is why observation matters.” — She touched one of the floating crystals beside her.
A large transparent cylinder rose from beneath the floor.
Inside rested several objects.
A stone.
A feather.
A bowl of water.
A piece of wood.
A small metal bell.
A bundle of herbs.
The students stared.
Rex raised his hand.
“Are we cooking?” “No.” He lowered it.
“Disappointing.” Selene gestured toward the cylinder.
“Today, each of you will perform a simple exercise.” “Not Beastification.” “Observation.” The students exchanged looks.
“You’ll approach these objects one at a time.” “Touch them.” “Smell them if appropriate.” “Listen.” “Observe your reactions.” She pointed toward the class.
“Your Beast Soul may respond.” “Perhaps it won’t.” “There are no correct results.” Kael immediately became cautious.
An instinct test.
In public.
Wonderful.
— Students formed a line.
One by one, they approached.
The results ranged from interesting to hilarious.
A Fire Salamander Beastifier touched the stone and immediately complained that it felt unpleasantly cold.
A River Otter Beastifier placed his fingers into the bowl of water and visibly relaxed.
A girl with a Silver Sparrow Beast Soul picked up the feather and began turning it between her fingers without realizing she was doing so.
Then came Rex.
He approached confidently.
Stone.
Nothing.
Feather.
Nothing.
Water.
Nothing.
Wood.
Nothing.
Bell.
He shook it.
Ring.
Nothing.
Then herbs.
Rex leaned closer.
His nose wrinkled.
“Food?” The class burst into laughter.
Selene looked at the herbs.
“Medicinal root.” Rex looked disappointed.
“So…
technically food?” “No.” “Understood.” — Aria went next.
The feather caught her attention.
Her Moon Owl instincts responded subtly.
She turned it over.
Examined its structure.
Then listened unusually closely to the bell.
“Interesting,” Selene murmured.
“Your auditory response is strong.” Aria smiled slightly and returned to her seat.
Adrian followed.
His Silver Lion Beast Soul reacted most strongly to scent.
Especially the herbs.
Not hunger.
Recognition.
He immediately identified that another student had touched them recently.
Selene nodded approvingly.
“Enhanced scent processing.” Adrian returned.
Then— “Kael Draven.” Kael stood.
He walked toward the cylinder.
Calm.
Nothing to hide.
At least…
That was the idea.
He touched the stone first.
Cold.
Rough.
D-Rex reacted.
Not strongly.
A simple awareness.
Ground.
Kael moved on.
The feather.
Quetzalcoatlus stirred.
His fingers almost lifted it automatically.
He stopped himself.
Notice.
Understand.
Choose.
He touched it briefly and continued.
The water.
His fingers entered the bowl.
Everything changed.
Mosasaurus awakened.
Not violently.
Not aggressively.
But the response was far stronger than Kael expected.
The temperature of the water.
Its movement around his skin.
The tiny vibrations caused by his heartbeat.
For one impossible moment…
The small bowl felt enormous.
He could sense every ripple.
Every disturbance.
Kael withdrew his hand.
Professor Selene noticed.
“Something?” Kael kept his expression neutral.
“Comfortable.” She nodded.
“Interesting.” A Shadow Drake shouldn’t have a strong water response.
He needed to redirect.
Kael touched the wood.
D-Rex responded again.
Then the bell.
Quetzalcoatlus reacted to the sound.
Finally…
The herbs.
Nothing significant.
Kael stepped back.
Selene studied him.
“Which produced the strongest response?” Kael had already prepared the answer.
“The stone.” D-Rex gave an offended rumble.
Technically true.
Just not the whole truth.
Selene nodded.
“Expected for a Shadow Drake.” Kael returned to his seat.
No suspicion.
Good.
— Except Adrian was looking at him.
Again.
Not suspiciously.
Curiously.
Kael sat.
Adrian whispered: “You pulled away from the water quickly.” Kael looked toward the professor.
“It was cold.” Adrian nodded.
Nothing more.
But Kael made a mental note.
Adrian noticed too much.
That could become useful.
Or dangerous.
Perhaps both.
— The exercise ended shortly before lunch.
Selene returned to the center.
“What did we learn?” Rex raised his hand.
“Medicinal roots are not food.” The room laughed.
Selene closed her eyes briefly.
“Besides that.” Aria raised her hand.
“Instinct isn’t always dramatic.” “Exactly.” Selene pointed toward her.
“Most instinctive responses are subtle.” “Attention.” “Comfort.” “Discomfort.” “Curiosity.” “Sometimes even boredom.” She looked across the room.
“If you expect your Beast Soul to constantly roar inside your mind…” Kael almost choked.
“…you’ll miss the quieter influences.” Rex leaned toward him.
“You okay?” Kael nodded.
“Wrong breath.” Technically true.
— After lunch came Team Strategy.
Their instructor was someone Kael hadn’t met before.
Captain Helena Voss.
She entered the classroom wearing the dark uniform of the Royal Defense Corps.
Short brown hair.
A scar across her left eyebrow.
No decorations except a single silver insignia.
Marcus would probably know her.
She didn’t introduce herself immediately.
Instead…
She placed four wooden blocks on the table.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Black.
Then looked at the class.
“You are guarding a village.” No greeting.
No explanation.
Just that.
The students immediately became attentive.
“One hundred civilians.” She placed the green block down.
“Twenty trained guards.” Blue.
“Four Beastifiers.” Red.
“And one approaching monster.” Black.
Rex leaned forward.
Now this was his kind of class.
Captain Voss looked around.
“What do you do?” Hands rose immediately.
“Attack the monster.” “Evacuate civilians.” “Build defenses.” “Call reinforcements.” Voss listened.
Then asked: “What monster?” Silence.
Nobody knew.
“What terrain?” Silence.
“How far away?” Silence.
“What Rank?” Silence.
“Can civilians travel safely?” Silence.
Voss nodded.
“You’ve all failed.” Several students blinked.
She pointed toward the blocks.
“You made decisions without information.” Kael immediately liked her.
— “Strength does not excuse stupidity.” Captain Voss continued.
“Before making a plan…” “Understand the problem.” She removed the black block.
“Strategy begins with questions.” Kael wrote that down too.
“What do we know?” “What don’t we know?” “What must we learn?” She looked across the class.
“Those three questions will save more lives than heroic speeches.” The lesson continued with increasingly complicated scenarios.
Some involved monsters.
Others involved natural disasters.
One involved escorting merchants through dangerous territory.
Another required rescuing injured Beastifiers without engaging the creature hunting them.
The class argued constantly.
Not angrily.
Energetically.
For the first time, Kael saw personalities emerge through decisions.
Adrian prioritized organization.
Aria sought information.
Rex favored direct solutions but surprisingly refused strategies that endangered civilians.
Kael…
Kael noticed something uncomfortable.
His own first instinct was always to eliminate the threat.
Quickly.
Permanently.
Sometimes before considering alternatives.
Ethan’s instinct.
Not Kael’s.
Or perhaps…
Both.
Professor Selene’s words returned.
Notice.
Understand.
Choose.
Kael forced himself to reconsider each scenario.
Not every threat required destruction.
Not every enemy needed to die.
That was something Earth had rarely taught him.
— Near the end of class, Captain Voss presented one final scenario.
“Your team is surrounded.” She placed four red blocks together.
“Enemy stronger.” Black blocks encircled them.
“Retreat route compromised.” Blue block removed.
“One teammate injured.” A red block tipped sideways.
“You have one option.” Students waited.
“Leave the injured teammate behind…” She tapped the fallen block.
“…and the other three escape.” Silence.
Rex immediately frowned.
“No.” Voss looked toward him.
“No?” “We don’t leave them.” “Then all four might die.” Rex’s jaw tightened.
“Then we find another way.” “There isn’t one.” “There’s always another way.” Voss stared at him.
For several seconds.
Then nodded.
“That’s what everyone says.” The room became quiet.
“Reality doesn’t always provide another way.” She looked around.
“Sometimes leadership means choosing between terrible outcomes.” Kael stared at the fallen red block.
Something cold moved inside him.
A memory.
Rain.
Sirens.
Hospital lights.
A small hand slipping from his.
His brother.
Earth.
A system that had reduced a human life to paperwork and money.
No.
Kael’s fingers tightened beneath the desk.
He knew his answer.
He would never leave family behind.
Never.
Not again.
But teammates?
Friends?
How far did that promise extend?
Aria?
Rex?
Adrian?
He looked toward them.
They had known one another for only weeks.
Yet…
The question bothered him more than it should.
— Captain Voss removed the blocks.
“There is no correct answer.” Several students looked surprised.
“The exercise isn’t about finding one.” “It’s about understanding what decisions cost you.” The bell rang.
She gathered the blocks.
“Tomorrow, we’ll discuss team roles.” Then she left.
No goodbye.
Rex stared after her.
“I think I like her.” Adrian nodded.
“She’s terrifying.” “Exactly.” — Classes ended shortly afterward.
The four walked toward the Academy gate.
For once, Rex wasn’t talking much.
Aria noticed.
“You’re thinking about the last scenario.” He nodded.
“I wouldn’t leave someone.” Adrian looked toward him.
“Even if everyone died?” Rex hesitated.
“…I don’t know.” That honesty surprised Kael.
Rex scratched his cheek.
“I want to say yes.” “But if other people were depending on us…” He sighed.
“Strategy is annoying.” Aria smiled faintly.
“Because there aren’t always perfect answers.” “Exactly.” Adrian looked toward Kael.
“What would you do?” Kael stopped walking.
Three pairs of eyes turned toward him.
He could have given the Academy answer.
Assess the situation.
Calculate survival probability.
Prioritize mission objectives.
But that wasn’t what they asked.
They asked what he would do.
Kael looked toward them.
“If you’re mine…” Rex blinked.
“Yours?” Kael corrected himself.
“If you’re someone I’ve accepted as family…” His voice became quieter.
“I don’t leave you.” No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
Aria studied him.
Adrian’s expression became thoughtful.
Rex smiled.
“Good.” Kael looked at him.
“Good?” “Because I’m terrible at running.” The tension shattered.
Aria laughed.
Adrian shook his head.
Kael smiled despite himself.
— That evening, Kael returned home to find Marcus in the backyard.
His father was repairing one of the wooden training posts.
Kael changed clothes and joined him.
For several minutes, they worked quietly.
Then Kael spoke.
“Dad.” Marcus looked up.
“Hm?” “Do you know Captain Helena Voss?” Marcus stopped hammering.
Then smiled.
“Unfortunately.” Kael raised an eyebrow.
“Unfortunately?” “She broke my nose.” “When?” “Training exercise.” “Why?” “I disagreed with her plan.” Kael stared.
“And breaking your nose solved that?” “No.” Marcus rubbed it instinctively.
“But she won the argument.” Kael laughed.
“She teaches Team Strategy.” “Of course she does.” Marcus shook his head.
“Still terrifying?” “Very.” “Good.” Kael handed him another nail.
Then asked: “Did you ever have to leave someone behind?” Marcus stopped.
The question changed everything.
His expression became quieter.
Older.
“Yes.” Kael waited.
Marcus looked toward the training post.
“Once.” He didn’t elaborate.
Kael didn’t push.
After a moment, Marcus spoke.
“It was the correct decision.” His voice was steady.
“I know that.” Then…
“I still hate it.” Kael understood.
Correct decisions could still hurt.
Marcus looked toward him.
“Why?” “Class scenario.” Marcus nodded.
“What did you choose?” “If it were family…” Kael’s voice hardened.
“I wouldn’t leave.” Marcus watched him carefully.
“And if staying killed everyone?” Kael didn’t answer.
Marcus placed the hammer down.
“Strength gives you more options.” “That’s one reason we seek it.” He looked toward his son.
“But Kael…” “Never become so obsessed with protecting people that you stop allowing them to choose what they’re willing to sacrifice.” Kael froze.
The words struck somewhere deeper than Marcus could know.
Possessive.
Protective.
Controlling.
Ethan’s soul had always blurred those lines.
The Queen was silent.
For once…
Completely silent.
Marcus returned to repairing the post.
Kael stared at him.
Perhaps the Academy wasn’t the only place teaching him.
That night, Kael entered his inner world again.
D-Rex stood upon the volcanic land.
Mosasaurus moved beneath black oceans.
Quetzalcoatlus rested among endless winds.
The Queen watched from her distant throne.
Kael didn’t approach them.
He simply stood between the territories.
“Body.” The landscapes shifted faintly.
“Instinct.” Four presences responded.
“Element.” Earth.
Water.
Air.
Death.
Then…
“Identity.” Nothing happened.
Kael frowned.
That was strange.
The Queen’s eyes narrowed.
D-Rex raised its head.
Mosasaurus stopped moving.
Quetzalcoatlus opened its wings.
For one brief moment…
Kael felt something.
Not another Beast.
Not another presence.
Himself.
Two selves.
Ethan Cole.
Kael Draven.
One shaped by loss.
One shaped by love.
The sensation lasted less than a heartbeat.
Then vanished.
Kael opened his eyes.
His bedroom returned.
His breathing was slightly faster.
He stared toward the twin moons beyond his window.
His Beast Souls weren’t the only things inside him struggling to synchronize.
There was also the man who had died on Earth…
And the boy who had been born in this world.
Perhaps before Kael could truly understand four Beast Souls…
He first needed to understand one human soul.
His own.
End of Chapter 25