The man pointed at Kael, eyes burning with intensity.
"I am Scarborn. And I'm here for you."
Kael instinctively stepped back, voice trembling.
"W-What… why?"
Scarborn sneered. "Is that fear I smell?" He stepped forward, scanning Kael with contempt. "They said you'd put up a fight. I don't sense an ounce of power."
He scoffed. "No matter. I'll kill them later."
In a flash, Scarborn vanished—then reappeared in front of Kael, fist raised to strike—
Boom!
A smaller hand intercepted his, unleashing a shockwave that hurled Kael backward and forced Scarborn two steps back.
Scarborn blinked, then chuckled darkly.
"Not bad. You actually pushed me." His grin widened revealing jagged teeth. "Maybe this won't be as boring as I thought."
Across from him, Nyric stood calmly, palm still glowing faint red.
"Shame I can't say the same," Nyric said, casting a quick glance at Kael. "Go."
Kael scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward the house on the hill.
Scarborn flexed his hand, staring at it like it had betrayed him.
"Why fight it? You'll bleed just the same." He cracked his neck. "I'll deal with you, then hunt him down."
Nyric tilted his head, unreadable.
"See, that's the problem. You're not leaving this courtyard."
Scarborn raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"
Nyric smirked and beckoned him forward.
"Because you ran into me."
With a snarl, Scarborn lunged. The wind pressure from his dash cracked the stone beneath his feet, snuffing out the last flickers of fire in the courtyard. His fist, massive and swift, came down like a meteor, blotting out Nyric's silhouette.
Thwack!
Nyric wasn't there.
Scarborn's eyes widened—just before a crimson-glowing foot smashed into the back of his neck like a hammer.
The impact drove him to one knee. Stone tiles cracked beneath him.
Above, Nyric twisted midair, coat billowing. Crimson light pulsed along his forearms. For an instant, a roaring lion's silhouette flashed behind him—fangs bared, mane ablaze.
Boom!
Both fists slammed into Scarborn's chest, launching the larger man like a cannonball. He crashed through a thick pillar, shattering it into rubble.
Nyric landed in a crouch. The red glow around him flickered out.
That should do it. He exhaled and turned to leave.
Crack.
A wet, unnatural sound—like muscle tearing, bone twisting into something it was never meant to be.
"Hhhhaaaaaaah…"
Nyric froze mid-step.
From beneath the rubble came a guttural laugh. No longer human—deeper, layered with something primal. Hungry.
Stone exploded outward in a violent shockwave. A roar split the air.
Scarborn rose from the dust—but he was no longer the man Nyric had struck.
His body had doubled in size. Muscles bulged grotesquely, veins glowing faintly red. Fur spread across his arms and chest like wildfire. His hands had become claws—curved and glinting like steel. His face twisted into something monstrous: part bear, part man, with burning amber eyes and jagged fangs.
Power radiated from him like heat from a furnace.
Nyric took a step back and shrugged off his coat, letting it fall to the stone.
"Oh great. A crimson beast. As if your attitude wasn't feral enough."
The creature snarled, saliva dripping from its fangs.
"Yessss... This is what I crave."
Nyric's fists reignited, the red glow sharpening into sword-like edges of energy.
He sank into a stance.
"This might get messy."
---
Kael sprinted away from the courtyard, eyes locked on the house. The ground shook with a thunderous shockwave behind him.
Hang on, Nyric. I'll get Mother soon.
He reached the backdoor and shoved it open—then froze.
A gaping hole pierced the left side of his mother's chest. Part of her heart was shredded. What remained clung to life, just like she did.
Five battered martial artists stood across from her.
Kael barely registered them. His world shrank to her—and the blood.
"No, no, no…" he muttered, clutching his head.
"Mum!" he screamed, lunging to catch her as her body crumpled.