Kai and Umbra walked slowly through the tunnels and cavernous chambers, the silence broken only by their footsteps. Eventually, a breeze carrying the scent of fresh air reached them; the entrance was near. Moonlight spilled into the cave, and Kai’s tattoo responded instantly, glowing faintly as it absorbed the light. Moonlight mana split: part of it flowed into his core, the rest fed the tattoo directly.

  Umbra inhaled deeply. The sense of freedom, long absent in the caves, eased the tension in her chest.

  Suddenly, both turned. Something massive was flying toward them at high speed. Kai sharpened his spirit sense and saw it clearly, a giant beetle, its back cloaked in gray mana, air twisting violently around it. On the ground below, a wave of spiders surged forward, leading the charge.

  “You were right,” Kai said, eyes narrowing. “Those spiders were suspicious. Another group is guiding that beetle straight at us. We’ll have to fight.”

  Umbra’s voice was cold. “This time, I’ll be the one fighting. You stay put. My blood is aching for a good fight.” Mana twisted around her, responding to her rising emotions.

  Kai sat on a nearby rock, continuing to absorb moonlight as he watched Umbra prepare. He smiled, sensing her hunger for battle.

  ***

  Far away, the Violet Spider Queen observed the spiderlings approaching the caverns. Her many eyes focused on a dark feline form with a hawk-like head and two shadowy protrusions on its back.

  “It resembles an Abyssal Tigerhawk from the mountains,” she murmured, “but this one is different. Fully black, faint tiger stripes barely visible, and its mana… It’s not the same.”

  “I knew of a Tier 4 abyssal in the wolves’ territory,” said the Mammoth, “but this can’t be the same one.”

  “It might be a leader from the mountain packs,” the Gorilla added, “trying to carve out territory in the jungle.”

  “There’s someone else,” the Spider hissed. “An ape-like figure, but hairless… wearing something over its body.”

  “It’s not one of mine,” the Gorilla confirmed.

  “It can’t be!” gasped the Turtle. “That must be a human. But how?”

  “If it is,” the Mammoth said gravely, “then we have a problem. The last human here was five hundred years ago, a mage, stronger than even me.”

  “He killed half my generals,” the Mammoth continued, lost in thought. “We were powerless.”

  Silence fell.

  “I remember,” the Turtle said sorrowfully. “I had barely reached Tier 7, and he treated me like a mere beast.”

  “But how is one here now?” asked the Jaguar.

  “It didn’t come from outside,” said the Mammoth. “I checked.”

  “Very interesting,” hissed the Snake.

  “I want to kill it,” growled the Jaguar, flames flickering around him.

  “Everyone, stop,” the Spider Queen commanded. “The Tigerhawk is at least Tier 7, I think; its mana even rivals the wolves. But the human… I can’t read him. He feels deep. My children’s senses cannot scan him at all.”

  “There’s one possibility,” the Mammoth said. “Maybe that human never died. Maybe he’s been gathering strength all this time. We were forbidden from entering his territory in the first place.”

  “If it’s the same one,” the Turtle whispered, “we’re doomed.”

  The Gorilla’s mana flared, wild and restless. He wanted to fight the hairless ape; to prove he was the true ruler of all apes.

  “Violet, what is the human doing?” asked the Python.

  “Nothing,” she replied. “He’s sitting and resting. The abyssal is preparing to fight the beetle.”

  “Maybe it’s another human who somehow snuck in,” the Mammoth said. “Or a mutated ape. We can’t be sure.”

  “Violet, observe everything,” the mammoth ordered. “Report what happens.”

  ***

  The Beetle hovered above Umbra, its shadow stretching across the moonlit ground.

  “So, you killed the old centipede,” it rasped. “I was sent here to investigate. Let’s see what you are made of.”

  With a roar, the Beetle dove like a meteor, crashing into the earth where Umbra had stood.

  But she was gone, melted into the shadows.

  “Ho ho ho… the kitty has some nice tricks,” the Beetle chuckled. A shadowy clone of Umbra lunged from the darkness, claws aimed at his chest.

  Bang! The strike landed, and the clone dissolved.

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  Arg ore had one major advantage: it deflected mana. Anything less than the Beetle’s full power couldn’t even scratch him.

  He rose into the air, pincers twitching in the moonlight. A magic circle formed around him, and torrents of wind mana swirled, birthing a massive dark grey hurricane. It tore through the terrain, destroying everything, erasing every shadow.

  Umbra leapt from the shadows just in time, launching her counterattack. Above her, a ball of dark mana formed, layered with two magic circles, a spell she awakened upon reaching Tier 7. Darkfire Nova.

  Shadowy flames danced around the condensed sphere, lightning crackling through it. The ball shot forward, colliding with the hurricane and the Beetle.

  The explosion dispersed the storm, carving a massive crater. The shockwave slammed into the Beetle, pushing him back and leaving scratches on his armor. He felt it. If that attack had landed directly, it might have injured him.

  What the hell is this cat? The Beetle thought, rising higher. Wind mana surged around him, forming a second layer of armor. His body doubled in size as he charged, horns scissoring through the air.

  Kai watched from his perch, calm and focused. He trusted that Umbra could win.

  Umbra saw the incoming death charge and summoned another spell. Three magic circles spun around her head, mana converging in each. The air grew heavy.

  Three darkfire beams, laced with lightning, spiraled together and struck the Beetle head-on. His wind armor shattered, and he was hurled into the rubble.

  The Beetle groaned, body aching, armor crackling with lightning but still intact. As he looked up, he saw something unexpected.

  Umbra had taken to the sky, dark wings spread wide. She was performing a ritual.

  Dark clouds gathered wherever she flew, lightning crackling within.

  “It can’t be… the Thunderhead Dance,” the Beetle whispered. He’d heard legends, lightning beasts summoning storms that could shatter regions.

  He had no time to flee. Wind mana spiraled around him, reinforcing his armor. He braced himself.

  Then the clouds converged. A column of dark lightning, thick as a human thigh, descended with a deafening crack.

  It struck the Beetle directly, tearing through his defenses, slicing off part of his horn, and cracking the armor on his back. He was driven deep into the earth, carving a tunnel with his body.

  “I give up! Please spare me,” his voice echoed from below.

  But Umbra wasn’t done. Another Darkfire Nova formed above her, ready to launch.

  Kai’s voice rang out. “Umbra! That’s enough. He surrendered. I don’t sense any bloodlust from him.”

  “Don’t be soft, Kai! He’s the enemy. We need to kill him!” Umbra roared, diving for the final blow.

  “I said stop!” Kai’s voice boomed. “We are not bloodthirsty monsters. We fight when we must, but if someone begs for mercy, we grant it. If I’m wrong, you can finish him. But for now, trust me.”

  Umbra slowed. Her mana calmed. Reason returned. She had nearly lost herself to the power, the very thing she craved.

  The Beetle crawled from the tunnel, battered and broken. “You’re one strong kitty,” he wheezed. “Stronger than most generals, even.”

  Umbra twitched.

  “Thank you, young human, for sparing me,” the Beetle said, bowing.

  Kai approached, smiling. “Why did you attack us? Are you one of the generals?”

  “No. It was a favor to an old friend. You killed their comrade, so they sent me to test you. I doubt they expected this level of strength. I felt the kitty’s power on my body… but yours? I can’t even sense it.”

  “There shouldn’t be humans in Beastworld. How did you get here?” the Beetle asked.

  “One day, I just woke up here,” Kai replied. It was mostly true.

  “Interesting. Your friend is powerful; she did serious damage to this old body of mine. I’ll need to eat a whole mine of ore to recover. Might have to train for a few hundred years more to catch up.”

  Kai liked this Beetle. Honest. Straightforward.

  “The centipede attacked us first. We defended ourselves. Tell the other generals and tell the spiders to back off. Or I might get angry.”

  Umbra roared in agreement.

  “Don’t worry,” the Beetle said. “After this, I doubt they’ll try anything. I’ll deliver your message. And kitty, once I recover, I’d like a rematch. There’s no one strong enough to spar with around here who isn’t a murderous beast.” He chuckled and flew off toward the spiders hiding in the distance.

  His words echoed in Umbra’s mind. Kai was right. He really was not a bad guy. And she had almost killed him.

  Maybe the world wasn’t so black and white after all.

  ***

  Within the shadowed halls of the castle, Violet stood before the gathered beasts, her voice trembling as she recounted what she had seen and the message from the human.

  “Impossible. They nearly killed the old Beetle,” Jaguar muttered, trembling at the thought. “And she wanted to go fight the human?”

  “I’ve felt the Tigerhawks’ power through my children,” the Spider said, her voice low and defeated. “The human stopped it before killing the Beetle. For that, I am grateful. I will no longer interfere.”

  “I agree,” hissed the Python, its tail twitching. “I never liked the Centipede anyway.”

  “They only seem to kill when necessary,” the Turtle said slowly. “I doubt the old Centipede gave them much choice. We should make them our allies and not enemies.”

  “I’d like to spar with the human someday,” the Gorilla added, his tone heavy. “But I must shamefully admit, we’re no match for them.”

  “I agree,” said Tusk. “I won’t risk any of you. If they’re that strong, we must tread carefully. But I support the Turtle’s idea. Let’s try to make them our allies.”

  Turtles face darkened.

  “But we may have a bigger problem. Wolf won’t agree with this. If he senses someone worth killing, he won’t stop.”

  “I’ll contact him,” said the Mammoth, weariness in his voice. “I’ll forbid him from doing anything. Let’s hope that will be enough.”

  ***

  Thunderfire Lupus lay in his cave, crunching on the core of a Magma Slug he’d slain earlier. Its charred body still burned with fire mana in the corner, a snack for later.

  I should be able to evolve again soon. Just a few more meals, the wolf thought, absorbing the fire mana from his kill.

  A message pulsed through his mind. The Tusk had sent a command via their soul binding:

  “A human and an Abyssal Tigerhawk are living in the jungle. You are forbidden from approaching or attacking them. They are very dangerous.”

  The message faded.

  What? A human and a Tigerhawk? He remembered a weak Tigerhawk he had once spared, left alive until it became worthy of being his food. Could it be the same one? Tigerhawks were rare, especially in this jungle. If it were the same creature, it must have stumbled upon some lucky opportunities… grown strong enough to make the old mammoth react.

  And a human? That brought back memories. He remembered being a Tier 3 cub when a fire mage wiped out half the generals who dared to attack him. That moment had burned itself into his mind. It was the catalyst, the reason he evolved into a Thunderfire beast. He needed power. Pure, destructive power. Power to never lose like they did. Power to slaughter at will. To feast on anything he desired.

  But in the end, he became a slave to the Tusk. He wasn’t strong enough to kill it.

  His canine jaw curled into a smirk. Soon. His power was nearly enough. He would rule this jungle.

  He wanted to eat the little kitty. And the human. He imagined the surge of strength he’d gain from devouring a human’s core. Drool dripped from his fangs.

  He needed more time. His plans were almost ready.

  He would kill them all. An evil laughter echoed from the wolf’s lair.