As the two guards pointed their arrows at Thomas, Steven, and Sophie, the trio threw their hands in the air. One guard demanded, "State your reason for coming here."
Sophie, calm and confident, replied, "Relax, we just want to see your leader."
The guard raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you can see the leader?"
Sophie smirked. "Because the beasts are out again."
The guards exchanged skeptical glances, eyeing Sophie's spectacle. "Fine, don't believe me," Sophie said with a shrug, pretending to walk away with Thomas and Steven. "But don't blame me when the beasts show up here."
The guards hesitated, fear flickering in their eyes. One called out, "Wait! Fine, you can see the leader."
As they followed the guards, Sophie muttered under her breath, "I can't believe that actually worked."
Steven grinned and high-fived her. "Classic!"
The guards led them into the village, where a wrestling event was underway. Steven glanced around, wrinkling his nose. "This place feels so… uncivilized."
"Keep your voice down!" Sophie hissed. "Insulting their ways will get you killed."
Steven quickly clamped his mouth shut. Meanwhile, Thomas walked silently, observing their surroundings. The guards stopped and instructed them to wait. One stayed behind while the other approached the leader.
The king was engrossed in the match, seething as his men lost to his brother's fighters. When the guard bowed and whispered, "My king, we have visitors," the king frowned.
"Visitors? You allowed outsiders in?" The king's voice was low but dangerous.
"They claim the beasts we sealed long ago are loose again," the guard explained.
The king narrowed his eyes. "Do they have proof?"
The guard faltered. "No, my king…"
The king let out an exasperated sigh. "For years, outsiders have used this excuse to infiltrate our village. Bring them here, but search them for weapons first. I want no surprises."
The guard nodded and returned. He ordered the trio to be searched, but Thomas hesitated as they neared his right arm. Despite this, they were cleared of weapons and brought before the king.
The guards forced them to kneel as the king regarded them with disdain. "Why are you here?" he demanded.
Sophie stepped forward. "Our city is under attack by the beasts—"
"Do you have proof?" the king interrupted.
"No…" Sophie admitted.
The king's eyes glinted with suspicion. "If the beasts were truly attacking, how did three children like you manage to escape unharmed? And how did you travel a hundred miles without rest?"
Sophie froze, knowing she couldn't reveal the truth about Thomas being the alpha or Steven's driver. "I… I don't know," she stammered.
The king raised his hand, and the guards pointed their weapons at them. "State your true motive, or die."
Thomas, seeing Sophie falter, stood abruptly. The guards tensed, their weapons trained on him.
"Listen here, 'king,' or whatever you call yourself," Thomas snapped. "I don't have time for this crap. My sister is going to die if we don't hurry. So, hand over whatever you used to seal the beasts!"
The king chuckled coldly. "And why would I trust such a thing to you?"
"Because if you don't," Thomas growled, "we're not leaving."
The king's smile faded. "Then you won't leave at all."
The trio was thrown into a cell. Steven glared at Thomas. "Thanks a lot, dude."
Thomas leaned back, looking pale. Sophie glanced at him with concern. "If Thomas has only two days left, and today is almost over, tomorrow might be his last…"
Steven asked nervously, "So what do we do now?"
Sophie thought for a moment before her gaze landed on Thomas's beast arm. "Hey, can I borrow your claws?"
Thomas hesitated but extended his arm. Sophie guided his clawed hand to the steel bars. "Beast claws can break steel, right? Try it."
With one strike, Thomas crushed the bars. Sophie beamed as they stepped out. Steven tripped over a loose bar, making a loud clatter. Before they could escape, guards surrounded them again.
The king, visibly annoyed, approached. "You interrupted my wrestling match again." He gestured to the guards. "Take one of them down as punishment."
A guard drew his bow, aiming at Steven. As the arrow flew, Thomas's beast instincts kicked in. He caught the arrow mid-air with his beast hand, crushing it effortlessly. Gasps echoed around them as Thomas threw back his hood, fully exposing his beast arm.
Sophie groaned. "Idiot…" she muttered under her breath.
The king, however, began laughing. "Now I understand!" he declared. "You didn't tell me because he—" he pointed at Thomas "—jas the alpha stuck in him! The beasts can't attack without their master."
Thomas snarled. "It's not funny!"
The king smirked. "Your time is short, boy. Soon, the alpha will take over, and you'll die. Unless…" He turned to Sophie. "young girl Tell me why I should use the fluid syrup to seal the alpha inside him when I could rather seal all the beast and save millions."
Sophie stepped forward. "If you seal the other beasts, Thomas will die. And so will the person performing the seal. But if you give him the syrup to drink, he can harness the alpha's power to defeat the beasts by sealing the alpha I'm him."
The king stroked his chin. "Interesting… I'll help you, but only if Thomas fights in my wrestling tournament tomorrow."
The trio huddled. "I can't fight," Thomas protested.
Steven rolled his eyes. "Stop whining. This is our only chance."
Reluctantly, Thomas agreed. The king handed him the syrup. Thomas drank it, collapsing as his veins bulged. His friends watched in alarm, but soon, his right arm transformed back to normal, and he stood, stronger than ever.
The king grinned. "Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, you fight Tunda my brothers best worrior and unbeaten." The king smiles.