The Bloodfang charged, its massive frame barreling through the forest like a living avalanche. Each step thundered against the earth, shaking the ground beneath Rynar's feet. Its glowing red eyes burned with rage, fixed on its lone opponent.
Rynar stood motionless, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Behind him, Kael and the hunters shouted for him to move, their voices distant and muffled in his ears. He wasn't running. He couldn't—not when the village's safety hung in the balance.
The beast closed the distance with terrifying speed, its claws tearing through the underbrush as it roared. The sound was deafening, a raw expression of power that sent birds scattering from the treetops. But Rynar didn't flinch.
Instead, he exhaled slowly, his breath fogging in the cool spring air. "Alright," he muttered to himself, his voice low and calm. "Time to see what I can really do."
---
As the Bloodfang lunged, Rynar's body began to change.
First came the steam. Thin wisps rose from his skin, curling into the air like smoke from a fire. His muscles tensed, and the heat radiating from his body became palpable. The ground beneath him darkened as the moisture evaporated, leaving a dry, cracked patch of earth.
Then came the creaks. A deep, unsettling sound echoed from within him, like the groaning of a ship's hull under immense pressure. His bones, already denser and stronger than any human's, seemed to brace themselves for what was to come.
His veins began to glow faintly, tracing a network of light beneath his skin. The glow wasn't harsh or unnatural—it was subtle, a soft gold that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. It spread across his forearms, his neck, and even his temples, a visible manifestation of the raw, untethered power surging through him.
The Bloodfang was only feet away now, its jaws snapping open to reveal rows of jagged teeth. Rynar's green eyes locked onto its chest, calculating his strike. He could feel the tension in his muscles coiling like springs, every fiber of his being prepared for this one moment.\
The Bloodfang lunged, its massive claws slashing through the air. But before it could reach him, Rynar moved.
With a single step, he closed the distance between them instantly, his fist driving forward with all the strength his body could muster. The air around his knuckles seemed to warp, a concentrated force of raw power trailing behind his strike.
When his fist connected with the Bloodfang's chest, the impact was catastrophic.
A shockwave exploded outward, flattening the grass and sending a cloud of dirt and leaves into the air. The force of the punch rippled through the beast's massive frame, its ribs shattering with a sickening crack. The sound of the impact echoed through the forest like a thunderclap, silencing the hunters and scattering the smaller creatures in the area.
The Bloodfang's body was launched backward, crashing through trees with the force of a boulder rolling down a mountainside. Splinters flew in every direction as its massive form carved a path of destruction through the forest. It finally came to rest several yards away, its chest heaving once before it collapsed, unmoving.
---
Rynar remained standing, his fist still extended. His chest rose and fell in deep, rhythmic breaths, steam curling from his skin in thick waves. The faint golden glow of his veins flickered and dimmed as his body began to cool.
For a moment, there was silence. Then came the distant creak of branches as the hunters emerged from their hiding places, their faces pale with shock. Kael was the first to approach, his movements cautious as if he were approaching a wild animal.
"Rynar..." Kael's voice was quiet, almost disbelieving. "What did you just do?"
Rynar turned to face his father, his green eyes steady but weary. "I stopped it," he said simply.
Kael looked past him to the trail of destruction, his expression a mix of awe and fear. The other hunters murmured amongst themselves, their voices tinged with the same unease. They had seen Rynar's strength before, but never like this.
---
Kael stepped closer, lowering his voice so only Rynar could hear. "You can't keep doing this. People are going to notice. This... this isn't normal."
Rynar glanced down at his hands, the faint marks of glowing veins still visible beneath his skin. "I didn't have a choice," he said quietly. "If I held back, it would've killed us all."
Kael exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. "We'll figure this out. But for now, we keep this between us. Do you understand?"
Rynar nodded, his expression unreadable. He turned back to the fallen Bloodfang, its massive form a reminder of the power he had unleashed. The devastation around them spoke volumes, the broken trees and scorched earth bearing witness to a strength that even he was beginning to fear.
As the hunters began to regroup, Kael placed a hand on Rynar's shoulder. "Let's get back to the village. We'll deal with the rest later."
Rynar nodded again, his green eyes flicking to the horizon. For now, the forest was silent, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.