Kaelen stood by the tall, arched window, gaze fixed on the courtyard below. He watched in silence as the guards wrestled Alitzel's monstrous form into submission, the scene brutal and raw. She thrashed and snapped, her roars echoing through the stone walls of the castle like a thunderstorm. Even from this distance, the fury in her eyes was unmistakable—a primal, ravenous need to break free, to destroy. But there was something else there too, a flicker of desperation that made his breath catch. It wasn't just rage driving her—it was hunger.
A hunger to survive.
His fingers drummed lightly against the windowsill as the guards finally subdued her, chains and nets dragging her to the ground. He watched as Duncan bent over her, pressing something to her lips, and within moments, she went limp. The behemoth receded, her body shrinking back to its human form, and the courtyard fell silent. The guards hauled her unconscious form onto a stretcher and began the trek back to the facility.
Kaelen's jaw tightened. He should be pleased—the beast had been contained, and she would live to fight another day. But the sight of her broken and helpless, her strength leashed by chains and sedatives, stirred something unpleasant in his chest.
"Not bad for the first round, girl," he murmured softly. "But how long until you lose control completely?"
He turned away from the window and strode back to his desk, mind churning. The room was dimly lit, shadows clinging to the corners. Stacks of documents lay scattered across the polished wood, each one detailing a different aspect of the Games: combat records, participant statistics, strategic analyses. But it was Alitzel's file that drew his attention. He picked it up, flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
**Subject: Alitzel Vaerin**
**Status: Active. Participant Candidate**
**Behemoth Variant: Class IV (Unstable)**
**Note: Extreme caution advised during all combat scenarios. Potential for uncontrolled transformation high under stress or emotional duress.**
Kaelen's brow furrowed as he read the last line again. Potential for uncontrolled transformation. That was putting it mildly. What he had just witnessed was a complete loss of control, the beast unleashed with nothing to hold it back. If this was how she fought in the practice rounds, what would happen when the real Games began?
The door swung open behind him, and Duncan strode in, his face as grim as ever. He didn't bother with formalities, just stopped in front of the desk and fixed Kaelen with a hard stare.
"She's dangerous," Duncan said bluntly, crossing his arms. "If you keep pushing her like this, it's only a matter of time before the behemoth consumes her."
Kaelen leaned back in his chair, tapping the file thoughtfully. "She needs to be pushed. If we don't test her limits, we won't know what she's truly capable of."
"And if she snaps? What then?" Duncan demanded. "What you saw out there—that was just the beginning. The more she's forced to transform without proper control, the less of Alitzel will be left. You know what happens to those who let the beast take over completely."
"Which is why you're here," Kaelen replied calmly. "You're the one who understands these transformations better than anyone else. Help her control it."
Duncan's eyes narrowed. "You think it's that simple? She's a Class IV, Kaelen. One wrong move, one more slip, and she won't come back. There's a reason they're called 'unstable'."
Kaelen's gaze didn't waver. "That's why we need you to help her stabilize. You did it before—with Duncan Marlowe. He was a Bellaxir too, and he learned to master it."
"Duncan Marlowe was different," Duncan snapped, his voice tight. "He was disciplined, focused. Alitzel… she's still a raw nerve. She's all anger and pain, and if we don't deal with that first, no amount of training will save her."
"Then deal with it," Kaelen said quietly, leaning forward. "Do whatever it takes. She's our best chance against Bellaxir. But if she's going to survive, she needs to master the behemoth. And you're the only one who can teach her how."
Duncan stared at him for a long moment, then let out a harsh sigh. "I'll do what I can. But if she doesn't learn to control it—"
"She will," Kaelen cut in, his tone firm. "She has to."
Duncan didn't look convinced. He shook his head slowly, a trace of doubt flickering in his eyes. "Just be careful, Kaelen. Pushing her too hard could break her. Or worse… turn her into something none of us can control."
With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, the door closing with a soft click behind him. Kaelen watched him go, fingers still drumming against the edge of the file.
"Control or chaos," he murmured to himself, gaze drifting back to the window where Alitzel's unconscious form had disappeared moments before. "It's up to you now, Alitzel."
The room seemed to darken around him, the silence pressing in. And in that silence, Kaelen couldn't shake the feeling that he had just set something dangerous in motion—something that, once unleashed, could never be put back in its cage.
****************
The stone corridors of the secure facility were cold and foreboding, the silence broken only by the echo of Kaelen's boots against the hard floor. A lone guard trailed behind him, his face tense and pale. Kaelen didn't look back, his focus fixed on the thick, iron door at the end of the hallway.
He stopped in front of it, glancing sideways at the guard. "Unlock it."
The guard hesitated, eyes flicking nervously to the heavy steel chains woven through the iron bars. "Sir, are you sure? After what happened—"
"Unlock it," Kaelen repeated calmly, his gaze unwavering.
Swallowing hard, the guard fumbled for the keys at his belt. There was a metallic clank as he slid the key into the lock and twisted. The chains rattled, the bolts ground open, and the door swung inward, revealing the cell beyond.
Alitzel sat in the far corner, back against the wall, her arms bound in thick iron manacles. Her hair was a tangled mess around her face, and her clothes were torn and stained with blood. But she wasn't the wild, thrashing creature Kaelen had seen on the training grounds. Now, she was calm, eerily so. Her eyes followed him as he stepped inside, but she made no move to rise.
"Leave us," Kaelen ordered, his voice soft but firm.
The guard looked like he wanted to protest, but one glance at Kaelen's face and he quickly backed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him. The soft click of the lock echoed in the stillness.
Kaelen turned his attention back to Alitzel. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. He could see the tension coiled beneath her composed exterior, the way her fingers twitched restlessly against the chains. There was no rage now, no outward sign of the behemoth lurking beneath her skin. But he knew better than to be fooled.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.
Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. "How do you think?"
Kaelen took a step closer, watching her intently. "What happened out there—that wasn't you. That was the beast."
She snorted softly. "The beast? You mean the monster you're trying to turn me into?"
"No." He shook his head slowly, crouching down so he was at eye level with her. "I'm not trying to turn you into anything, Alitzel. I'm trying to help you see what you already are."
Her gaze narrowed. "And what am I, exactly? A weapon? A tool for your little games?"
"A warrior," Kaelen said softly. "A survivor. You have a strength that most people only dream of. But until you learn to control it, it will destroy you."
Alitzel's eyes darkened, a dangerous light flickering behind them. "Control it?" she repeated, voice tight. "You mean tame it, don't you? Like I'm some kind of animal?"
"That's not what I mean," Kaelen said sharply. "You're not an animal, Alitzel. You're more than the beast inside you."
She laughed then, a harsh, broken sound. "Tell that to the people I've killed. To the blood on my hands."
"They weren't your people," he murmured. "They were enemies. You fought to survive."
"Is that what you tell yourself when you send us to the arena? That we're just fighting enemies?" Her voice rose, eyes blazing with sudden fury. "You're using me to fight my own pack! They're—" She broke off, trembling. The chains rattled as her shoulders hunched, teeth bared in a snarl. "They're my pack," she hissed. "And you want me to kill them."
Kaelen's heart pounded as he saw the shift, the way her muscles bunched, skin rippling as the behemoth began to surface. He could feel the air around her grow thick, the temperature dropping as her rage took hold.
"Easy, Alitzel," he said softly, holding out his hands. "Listen to me. I know you're angry. I know it feels like you're trapped."
"Feels like?" she snarled, her voice deepening, distorting. Her eyes flashed, the pupils thinning to dark slits. "I am trapped! Chained up like a beast—made to fight my own people—!"
The transformation rippled through her, bones cracking audibly as her body began to shift. The guard outside let out a strangled cry and took off down the hallway, the clatter of his boots fading rapidly. Kaelen didn't flinch, didn't move an inch. He kept his gaze locked on hers, his voice low and calm.
"Alitzel," he murmured. "Look at me. *Look* at me."
She bared her teeth, breath coming in harsh, ragged gasps. "Why should I?" she spat. "You're just like the rest of them. Using me, breaking me—"
"Because I'm not here to break you," he cut in quietly. "I'm here to free you."
The words seemed to hang in the air, impossibly soft, impossibly loud. For a moment, Alitzel froze, the behemoth's snarl caught in her throat. She blinked, gaze wavering, and the rage flickered, uncertain.
"Free me?" she whispered, voice small and raw. "You're lying."
"No," Kaelen said softly. "I'm not. But you have to take the first step. You have to fight the behemoth, Alitzel. Don't let it take control."
She stared at him, breath hitching, the transformation wavering at the edges. Slowly, painfully, her muscles began to relax, the claws receding, the dark sheen of her skin fading back to human. She slumped forward, gasping, tears streaming down her face.
"I don't—" she choked out, trembling violently. "I don't want to be this—this thing—"
"You're not," Kaelen murmured. He reached out slowly, brushing his fingers lightly against the chains binding her wrists. "You're more than that."
With a swift movement, he unlocked the manacles. The chains fell away, clattering to the floor. Alitzel stared at them, then up at him, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Why?" she whispered.
"Because I believe in you," he said simply. He straightened, stepping back as she crumpled to the ground, sobs wracking her body.
"Stay strong, Alitzel. Control the beast, and one day, you'll understand your purpose."
He turned and strode out of the cell, leaving her kneeling there, unbound and weeping, the chains lying broken at her feet.
For the first time in a long time, Alitzel felt something other than rage and despair. She felt hope—a fragile, flickering thing—but hope nonetheless.