Kaelen awoke to the sound of rustling leaves. The jungle was alive again, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and distant rain. Birds called from the canopy, and unseen creatures skittered through the undergrowth.
But something was different.
His body felt… lighter. Stronger. As if a dormant force had been stirred awake inside him. The mark left by the spirit still faintly glowed on his chest before fading into his skin. He pressed a hand over it, feeling the lingering warmth.
A test. A trial. And now, a change.
Kaelen pushed himself up, expecting the usual stiffness from a night spent on the jungle floor. Instead, he moved effortlessly, as though his body weighed nothing. His fingers flexed with newfound sharpness, his senses unusually alert. He could hear the wind weaving through the trees, smell the damp bark, feel the subtle vibrations in the earth beneath him.
This was not normal.
Then, something shifted in the air. A presence. Watching.
Kaelen spun around just as a dark blur lunged from the shadows.
The First Sign
His body reacted before his mind could. He ducked, twisting away from the attack with unnatural speed. The creature—a jungle panther, larger than any he had seen before—landed where he had just stood, its amber eyes locked onto him.
Kaelen barely had time to process what had happened before the beast lunged again. He stepped back, but this time his foot caught on a root. A mistake.
The panther's claws slashed toward him.
Instinct screamed at him. Something inside him snapped open.
The world slowed.
Kaelen could see everything in perfect clarity—the curve of the beast's claws, the tension in its muscles, the flicker of light in its eyes. He felt his own heartbeat, steady and strong. Time was not frozen, but stretched, as if he existed in a space beyond it.
He moved.
Without thinking, Kaelen twisted his body mid-fall, narrowly avoiding the panther's swipe. His hands caught the ground, and with a powerful push, he flipped back onto his feet—effortless, fluid.
The beast skidded to a stop, snarling in frustration. Kaelen stared at his own hands.
He had never moved like that before.
Power Unleashed
The panther circled him, its growl low and menacing. Kaelen's breath steadied. If this was a gift from the spirit, he had to learn how to use it.
The beast charged again. This time, Kaelen didn't run. He waited. Watched.
Then, at the last moment, he stepped aside with inhuman precision, his body flowing like water. The panther crashed into a tree, dazed. Kaelen's instincts screamed—attack now!
He leaped forward, faster than he thought possible. His fist connected with the beast's side, and to his shock, the force sent it tumbling across the ground. The impact vibrated through his arm, but there was no pain. Only power.
The panther groggily stood, its eyes wide with confusion. It had expected easy prey. Now, it hesitated.
Kaelen clenched his fists. Strength. Speed. Heightened awareness.
The spirit's mark had given him something far greater than survival. It had made him more.
The panther snarled one last time before retreating into the jungle. Kaelen exhaled, his pulse slowing.
He had won.
The Burden of Power
Kaelen flexed his fingers, the sensation still unfamiliar. His mind raced with questions. How far did this power go? Was it permanent? Could he control it?
He looked down at the mark on his chest. It was no longer glowing, but he knew it was still there, beneath his skin, bound to him.
Then, for the first time since the spirit's trial, a thought crossed his mind.
What if this power was not a gift—but a test of its own?
A shiver ran through him. The jungle no longer felt as familiar as it once had. Because now, he was something different. Something unknown.
And he had no idea what that would mean for his future.