AuthorSME

  The arena hummed with anticipation—thousands of spectators hovering in their suspended seats, their voices blending into a cacophony that prickled at Kari’s ears. Above her head, hung the number seven.

  Just my luck, she thought, rolling her shoulders to ease the tension building there. First up. And Sora’s giving me that worried look again… Perfect.

  Her hands absently tugged at the hem of her bck tank top, smoothing it over her gray running shorts. She hadn’t dressed for a show. Practical. Functional. Ready for anything. That was her style. But now she felt a tad uneasy with so many eyes on her.

  Her amber eyes scanned the living arena, taking in the floating ptforms that twisted and shifted in the air like leaves caught in an autumn breeze. Ethereal light caught their edges, illuminating transparent paths connecting them that seemed to bend and flex with the wind that shouldn’t exist inside the massive colosseum. At the edge of the stage floated a massive number seven, pulsing with golden energy—her designated starting position.

  I’ve never had performance issues at school competitions and state events… So why do I feel this way now?

  Her throat felt dry, Tiri’s face popping into her mind for a brief moment.

  How can I save my little sister… Should I? Why wouldn’t Mia tell me unless…maybe I shouldn’t? I don’t know…

  Anxiety bubbled up within her, twisting her gut sharply, but she refused to let it show on her face. Years of practice had taught her that—never let Eric see you flinch. Never let him know you’re scared… Not that that had helped her when facing him in person.

  “You ready?”

  Sora’s voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her attention away from the dizzying dispy above; it would be magically televised, she guessed.

  No, she internally growled, fingers tightening into a fist and pulling from her sessions with Mary. I’ve made mistakes, but mistakes make you strong! My sister is out there. And I swear, Mom, I’ll find her soon. I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone but myself.

  The fox stood beside her, copper hair pulled back in a practical ponytail that did nothing to tame the wildness of her spirit. Her eyes shimmered with nervous excitement—too bright, too eager—but there was something else there too she’d seen too often as of recent. Concern.

  It made Kari’s chest further tighten.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she muttered, rolling her shoulders again and stretched her tail out behind her. Her joints popped pleasantly, the sound familiar and grounding. “This is what I need…but I kind of wish I had more time.”

  More time to think about Tiri. More time to figure out what the hell I’m doing. But that’s life. Suck it up and step into the ring.

  Sora’s tail flicked with nervous energy, the tip brushing against the packed earth beneath their feet. “You’re going to do great. I know it. Just remember—”

  “I don’t need a pep talk, Mom.” The words came out sharper than Kari intended, slicing through whatever encouragement Sora had been about to offer. Kari exhaled slowly, forcing her muscles to rex as guilt instantly pricked at her conscience. “Sorry. I’m just…focused.”

  Why do I always do that? Push her away when she’s just trying to help… What is wrong with me? Mary’s right. Sora’s made amazing progress, not pushing boundaries, but I need to reciprocate so she doesn’t need to. Dammit…

  “I get it,” Sora replied, her smile never wavering. That was the thing about Sora—she always bounced back, always forgave. It was infuriating and comforting all at once. “I’ll be watching from the stands. If you need anything—”

  “I won’t.”

  Dammit! Again.

  She ran her fingers through her long, thick hair and shook it out before her gaze returned to the arena, to the shifting ptforms that would soon be her battlefield, not that it would be that challenging.

  “I don’t mean to snap,” she mumbled. “It’s just, this is something I have to do alone. This isn’t a sports match… Eyia gets it. I need to take this seriously.”

  Because this isn’t something anyone can fight for me, not even you, Sora… Even if you tried. Still, she thought, unable to suppress the needle from pricking her heart’s hardened exterior, thank you so much for giving me this time to breathe… For supporting me, when you shouldn’t. But this is how it’s always been. Me, alone against the world… Against Eric.

  “Mhm.” Sora nodded as if she could read her mind, which…she couldn’t. Not even with her magic when her guard was up. And yet, the way her tail swished once more before she stepped back and held up an encouraging fist instead of offering words this time hit her differently—she adapted too fast at times. “I’ll see you after, then.”

  Kari watched it for a moment from the corner of her eye as Sora waited.

  Just say thanks, idiot. Say something nice for once in your life to her… Shit, I’m such an asshole. What are you afraid of, you antisocial loser? You’re a wolf… Act like you want a pack, bitch! Just…say something!

  “Sure…”

  She briefly bumped it.

  With that, Sora fshed her teeth as if she had said ‘thank you’ and turned to leave, her bright copper hair catching the morning light. Something in her chest twinged, words of gratitude or reassurance catching in her throat before she could voice them.

  But before she could speak, movement caught her eye. A small figure approached from the contestants’ walkway up to the stage—Jin.

  The Korean woman barely reached Kari’s shoulder, her slight frame seemingly fragile compared to her towering height. But there was nothing fragile about this dragon’s presence that demanded attention as if she were the center of the universe.

  Her golden eyes held an ancient weight from her inherited knowledge, her movements effortlessly and casual, as if nothing could touch her. Everything about her screamed predator, despite her size. Her instincts screamed what she already knew—she’d lose.

  Behind her, Jian took center stage, directing nervous competitors into their preparation areas. His white and bck streaked hair gleamed under the arena lights as he patiently expined procedures to a trembling vulpes student whose silver tail was practically dragging on the ground with anxiety—a single tail.

  Jin…what are you doing putting me against a single-tailed vulpes? I’ll eat her alive, literally. Obviously, you don’t want a big show.

  “Wolf,” Jin said as she approached, no preamble, no greeting. Just that single word—a recognition of what she was, not who. “Walk with me.”

  It wasn’t a request. Kari followed, her muscles automatically tensing in the dragon’s presence. They moved toward the edge of the waiting area, where the roar of the crowd diminished slightly, though it still thrummed in Kari’s sensitive ears like an insistent heartbeat.

  “I don’t like beating around the bush,” Jin stated, her gaze fixed on the arena. “It’s something we have in common…for the most part,” she added with a knowing smirk directed at Sora’s swaying tail in her retreat.

  Subtle…

  Kari remained silent, waiting. Her heart thudded against her ribs, the steady rhythm quickening as Jin’s energy brushed against her senses—overwhelming, barely contained. Like standing next to a star that had somehow been compressed into human form. If Eric was terrifying, and Eyia was the purest form of efficiency, Jin was…power. Just, raw power.

  “Sora’s been too busy chasing her own tail,” Jin continued, her tone matter-of-fact, not unkind but utterly without sentimentality. “The girl’s practically a chicken instead of a fox now, her head chopped off and running around blind, trying to stop whatever fire pops up. So I decided to speed things along.” She gestured toward the arena with a slight nod. “You mentioned her the other day, right?”

  Following Jin’s gaze, Kari’s eyes widened.

  Sitting on a floating chair, seemingly oblivious to the spectacle around her, was Diane. The SCC representative looked bored, an old, leather-bound book open in her p. She flipped a page, ignoring the chaos of preparation surrounding her. Her sleek pantsuit seemed absurdly formal among the various cultural attire of the other competitors entering the stage.

  The thing was, above her head was a number—six.

  She was positioned right beside her.

  “What is she doing here?” Kari’s cws extended involuntarily, pricking the palms of her hands. The memory of Diane’s smug expression when they’d first met in the Foundation’s lunar base fshed through her mind, as short as it had been.

  The witch had been calcuting then, measuring Sora’s worth like she was a specimen under gss. Her manipution of Wendy put shivers through her. In part, this witch was the reason the bushy-tailed teen girl had utterly shattered and put a lot of that guilt on her… At least, that’s what Kari thought since she was already an easy target of her hate.

  Jin’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Being useful, for once.” Her golden eyes shifted to Kari, narrow and calcuting in a different kind of way. “It feels almost unfair, putting you against these other monsters. But they need to understand what it means to face a real Founder.”

  As she spoke, Jin’s eyes began to glow—molten gold giving way to searing yellow that seemed to burn from within. The air around her shimmered, heat distorting reality as draconic energy leaked from her controlled frame. The grass beneath her feet withered instantly, turning to ash that crumbled and blew away in an unseen wind she generated.

  “Your performance will set the bar for Sora and the others,” Jin continued, her voice taking on a resonant quality that made Kari’s bones vibrate.

  It wasn’t just sound—it was power, something she recalled in her blood somehow, like the whispering of mountain peaks and endless skies—probably Fenrir’s experience with Jin’s mother. It was the first time she’d felt it like this, and Jin seemed to be aware of it.

  “Make the crowd understand the unfair nature of reality. Isn’t that what you came to me to discover? There are those who are strong and those who are weak. Period. Bck and white. The difference with you is…unlike them, you have a choice as to what side you’ll be on. Choose now. Make a choice to not survive…but thrive.”

  She locked eyes with Kari, unblinking, unflinching. The weight of her gaze was almost physical, pressing against Kari’s skin.

  Why this very votile and dangerous woman had accepted to help her st week, she didn’t know. However, out of everyone, Kari instinctively knew Jin was the one who could pull her tail out of the mud—to start her transformation, as Mary called it.

  After all, Jin had been the one to utterly shove a fully empowered Eric’s face into the ground. Effortlessly.

  Is this what this is about? Some lesson in power dynamics? Kari’s jaw tightened, muscles bunching along her neck as she looked back at Diane. No. She’s giving me an opportunity. A stage.

  The realization hit her like a physical blow. Jin wasn’t just setting up a tournament—she was creating a ptform. A chance for what would be her st fight this tournament.

  “You want me to confront Diane,” Kari muttered, understanding dawning. “In front of everyone…to force her to act?”

  Jin’s energy receded slightly, her eyes dimming to their normal gold. The grass stopped disintegrating, though what had already turned to ash remained that way. “Oh, I don’t think the witch particurly cares about a crowd, but she will find your demand intriguing. You tried to get Sora to do it for you. This way…you get to stare down the barrel. Ask her to bring Eric to Avalon. To this tournament. We both know he’d thrive in this environment… He could be here tomorrow. Just in time to join.”

  Kari’s pulse quickened, memories of her brother's towering form, his cruel smile, fshing through her mind. Each time he’d rip an arm, leg, or her tail off in order to get her to back down. But it was his eyes that fixated in her brain—those arrogant eyes, filled with not anger, not joy…but disappointment.

  The pit of fear in her stomach twisted painfully, yet something else rose alongside it—determination, hard and sharp like a sharpened fang.

  She’s giving me a ptform—literally—to face my demons. To face Eric…so I can move past him… So I can find Tiri. If I tell him she’s alive… There’s no way he’d let me go after her if he thinks I’m just a pathetic wolf pup. No… I’d have to beat him.

  “…Why are you helping me?” she asked, unable to keep the suspicion from her voice. People like Jin didn’t do favors—they made investments. The dragon cared only about herself, which was Eyia’s biggest mistake. All Jin respected was power.

  The Korean woman scoffed, the sound sharp and dismissive. “I’m not. But you already figured that out. I’m helping myself to an interesting show…among other things that will come from this… I don’t want to wait years here, and I’ve already got the answers everyone is so desperate to find… That’s what you can do when you have real power, which is knowledge.”

  She tapped her head with a toothy grin and leaned forward with a conspiratorial gleam that made the air in Kari’s lungs lock in pce.

  “I know things even Mia, in all her glory, does not due to my protected knowledge, passed on by my mother. So, despite not being anywhere near her power in raw destruction…at least as of yet, I’m the one who actually holds all the cards.”

  It clicked in Kari like a puzzle piece sliding into pce. Has Jin been pying all of us all along? Why would she tell me this? It makes perfect sense, though… How did no one know? No, Mia would have. Ylva would have… Nilly would have. There’s something bigger going on here.

  “Don’t get distracted,” the dragon whispered with a sly smirk that turned her casual expression into something more mature and strategic. “There are secrets between Wendy and Sora, you and Sora…everyone has their secrets, Kari. Sora is focused on all of these other strings and is missing the bigger picture. School is nice, but I’m getting tired of zing around aimlessly… It’s time to set the fuse. And you’re going to light it.”

  With that, she gestured toward the arena entrance where Jian was organizing the contestants into their position and answering questions. “Okay, we’re done. Jian will expin anything else but it’s pretty straight forward. Kill or be killed…without being killed,” she added, rolling her eyes. “It takes the fun out of it, but it is what it is. Well, go on before I smack your tail, and after I said all of that…”

  Kari cleared her throat and gave her a suspicious frown before jogging forward to take her position. She released her pent-up air and let the shiver run through her on her path onto the stage. You may do everything for yourself, Jin…but what are you really after?

  As if on cue when she made it up the stairs, the white tiger approached, tablet in hand. His expression remained composed, professional, but Kari caught the subtle tension in his shoulders—he was wary of Jin as she looked at them from below.

  “Due to the number of contestants, these first two days will be whittling down competition in battle royal format,” the giant of a man expined, even taller than her, but his voice was smooth and measured.

  “Eight to ten contestants per round, st one standing advances. It should be quick matches, so try your hardest to finish things fast.”

  He gnced toward Jin, who had already begun walking away, possibly toward Sora—no, a gray-furred, nine-tailed Kumiho. “Jin also reserves the right to change anything she wants. At any time. Without warning.”

  A murmur rippled through the contestants who had come forward to get further instruction as the other contestants exchanged nervous gnces. Diane ignored all of them. A young dryad’s leaves actually wilted visibly at the announcement, probably stress. Everyone’s eyes were on them.

  Jian cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “Number seven, take your positions.”

  Kari’s muscles coiled as she moved across the rge, ft space. The suspended ptforms glowed brighter as parts of the floor vanished at random, showing a bck abyss below.

  Murmurs spread through the stands, hushed whispers wondering if it led to The Darkness, which many nervously ughed off. Kari wouldn’t put it past Jin, though.

  The magical barriers around the viewer areas shimmered with protective enchantments, designed to keep the contestants from falling to their deaths—or more likely, to keep the audience safe from what was about to unfold with some of the higher-tier fighters. The crowd’s roar intensified, washing over her in waves that made her ears twitch.

  This is it. No backing down now. Find your strength, find Tiri. Eric has answers I need—answers I need. He won’t tell me unless I beat him… So I need to rip his arms and legs off and force him to spill what really happened. Whatever Jin is plotting doesn’t matter. My little sister is what matters.

  She flexed her hands, feeling her cws extend and retract. Control. She had control. More than she’d had three months ago, more than she’d ever had in her life. She wasn’t just reacting anymore—she was choosing.

  The ptform beneath her feet hummed with energy as she stepped onto it without hesitating, magic tingling against her skin. It rose smoothly, carrying her into the arena’s inner proper. Around her, other ptforms ascended as well, each bearing a contestant—a muscur minotaur with rings through his nostrils, a slender elf with glowing sigils etched into his skin that pulsed with an eerie blue light, a nervous-looking fae with butterfly wings that fluttered anxiously, and several others she couldn’t immediately identify in the chaos of movement.

  In the end, it didn’t matter who they were.

  Is this…how Eric feels before getting into a fight?

  At the center floated Diane, still absorbed in her book, one slender leg crossed over the other, completely disinterested in the spectacle unfolding around her within her chair. Her ptform was moving to position near hers.

  Jian’s voice boomed across the arena, amplified by magic. “Welcome to the first round of the tournament! Our contestants today represent diverse traditions and abilities! This to be a real-life demonstration about where each of you stand. If The Darkness came tomorrow…could you fight back?”

  He began to introduce each of them in turn, his voice carrying easily over the excited murmurs of the crowd.

  “From the Fae Courts, Elindor of the Winter Line, master of ice magic!”

  The elf with the glowing sigils inclined his head slightly, his expression cool and composed, but his gaze was on her. At least he seemed to be somewhat competent. He wouldn’t go after her first.

  “From the Beast Kingdoms, Taurus the Unbroken, champion of Mint Labyrinth!”

  The minotaur bellowed, raising his massive axe above his head to the cheers of what must have been his supporters.

  Did Jin really pick champions and nobles to face me…and talked as if they were nothing but trash? I mean, to be fair, I’m not really…threatened by any of them.

  Jian continued through the introductions, but Kari’s focus narrowed to Diane, to the opportunity before her. Her heart pounded against her ribs, each beat a reminder of what was at stake. This wasn’t just about winning a tournament. This was about finding her sister. About facing her brother. About finally taking control of her own destiny.

  “And finally,” Jian’s voice cut through her thoughts, “Kari, the Third Generation Wolf Founder, granddaughter of Fenrir, daughter of Alva.”

  A hush fell over the crowd at her lineage. Kari’s ears twitched at the whispers that followed—hushed excmations of “Fenrir’s daughter” and questioned remarks about “second-generation wolf Founder.” They likely were thinking of the shadow of her grandfather that was cast throughout Existence upon his death. His influence. Her name didn’t mean much here, but her presence did.

  “Begin!” Jian’s command cut through the tension, snapping Kari back to the present.

  The other contestants hesitated, assessing each other, uncertain where to direct their attacks first. The minotaur pawed at the ground, his massive hooves scraping against the ptform. The elf’s hands wove intricate patterns in the air, ice crystals forming between his fingertips. The fae lifted slightly on her wings, eyes darting nervously from opponent to opponent.

  Kari didn’t wait. Didn’t pay any of them any mind. She leaped from her ptform, sailing through the air toward Diane’s position. The gasps from the crowd barely registered in her ears as she transformed mid-leap, her human form giving way to massive, dark fur and raw, primal power.

  Her clothes and possessions melded into her soul, absorbed into the magical transition that her mother had taught her as a pup. Her body expanded, muscles rippling beneath thick fur as she nded on Diane’s ptform with a thunderous impact before it melded into the arena floor.

  Ten feet tall at the shoulders, amber eyes bzing with pinpricks of reflected light, she towered over the seated woman like a mountain of fur and fang.

  Diane finally looked up from her book, mild annoyance flickering across her aristocratic features. Her slight French accent colored her words as she spoke, each sylble precise and clipped.

  “I was just getting to the good part,” she sighed, closing the book with deliberate care, one finger marking her pce. “You may tear my head off if you like. That would relieve me of this headache-inducing and pointless mess of a tournament. I have other pces I’d rather be right now.” She cast a disdainful gnce toward the audience. “Pces far quieter than this circus, but I must keep decorum.”

  Kari’s teeth glinted in the magical light, each fang longer than a dagger and sharp enough to tear through steel. Saliva dripped from her jaws, sizzling slightly where it hit the ptform as she projected her thoughts aloud. Something she hadn’t practiced in a long time.

  “I don’t want to kill you.”

  Not today, at least.

  “How refreshingly unusual for a wolf,” she hummed, tilting her head and pcing her book in her p. “And here I thought Sora would be cheering you on to rip out my throat. Aren’t you her loyal puppy now?”

  Control… Control.

  The woman’s lips twisted into slight surprise. “Mmm. I was almost positive that would have netted me a swift exit. Bravo. You certainly have become more emotionally stable.

  “So… What do you want, then? To make a spectacle? Consider it made.” Diane gestured vaguely to the audience, who had fallen silent at the confrontation unfolding before them. “They’re all suitably impressed by your…transformation. Your fellow contestants are keeping their distance, as well.”

  “That’s by design,” Kari snarled. “What I want is for you to bring Eric here.”

  Diane’s hand froze mid-gesture, her expression sharpening. For the first time, she looked truly at Kari, calcution repcing boredom in her eyes. The witch’s posture straightened almost imperceptibly, but Kari noticed the tension that suddenly gripped her slender frame.

  “Well… Color me surprised. Your brother?” she asked, caution edging her voice. “Now why would you want that after Sora freed you of him? Unless…ah. You aren’t yet free of him,” she chortled, making Kari cws dig into the ptform at her shaking frame. “You wish to invite him into this tournament? Fascinating development.”

  Because he has answers. Because I need to face him. Because I’m not the same scared pup anymore. Why do women like this always have to drag it out and have their fun? Maybe I should rip off a leg.

  “Because he’s mine to deal with,” Kari returned, her voice deepening with the wolf’s resonance until it seemed to reverberate from the very stones of the arena. “Can you have him brought here tomorrow? If you can, I’ll end your whole tournament arc here. Otherwise, if Eric isn’t here, I don’t want to be here, so you can keep going and wasting your time.”

  The ptforms around them had gone still, the other contestants watching the exchange with a mixture of confusion and wariness. They could sense the undercurrent of power and threat, even if they didn’t understand the context. The minotaur had lowered his axe slightly, his bull-like eyes fixed on her massive wolf frame with newfound respect—or perhaps fear.

  Diane studied her for a long moment, the subtle workings of her mind almost visible behind her eyes. Calcutions, possibilities, risks and rewards all weighed and measured in seconds. “Interesting proposition,” she finally said, her voice so quiet that only Kari’s enhanced hearing could catch it over the murmuring crowd. “And what if I wanted something…more?”

  “Then I’d say, don’t push your luck. Bad things can happen in Avalon. And you have a…distinctive scent.”

  A dry ugh escaped Diane’s lips, genuine amusement fshing in her eyes. “Lovely! You’ve been spending too much time with our vulpes friend. Speaking of whom, how is Sora adjusting to Avalon? Finding her pce in the hierarchy? Or is she still tripping over her own tail? I need to make a report after all. Why not…convince her to have short meetings so I can make my reports? My superiors are getting antsy.”

  Of course, she wants Sora’s ear. Probably for more than her reports…but Sora’s a big girl.

  “…I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Alors, marché conclu,” she cooed in French. “I look forward to doing future business with you. Your brother will be here tomorrow.”

  Kari didn’t answer. Instead, she lunged forward, cws extended. Her massive paw sliced through the air where the witch had been sitting a heartbeat before.

  Diane vanished in a rush of violet mist, her form dissolving an instant before impact. The magical dispcement sent ripples through the air, the scent of ozone stinging Kari’s sensitive nose. That was how contestants were saved…before death.

  Her disembodied voice drifted back on magical threads, carrying an edge of amusement. “I’ll send your invitation. This should make for an entertaining finale indeed. Eric will be thrilled to see you.”

  A lump formed in her throat that she swiftly swallowed down, forcing herself to focus. This is the only way… The only way.

  She turned her attention to the remaining contestants, who had been watching the exchange with varying degrees of confusion and fear. The minotaur had advanced toward her ptform, muscles tensed for combat, nostrils fring, though she could see his quivering muscles—fear.

  The elf hung back, ice crystals swirling around his hands in defensive patterns. The fae had retreated to the farthest ptform, clearly hoping to be overlooked. The others had already been taken care of by the three. The fae was more trickster than fighter, having deceived the poor single-tailed vulpes into falling into one of the pits. She hadn’t stood a chance…

  Neither would they.

  Time to show them what a real Founder can do… Time to show myself what I can do.

  She moved like lightning, her massive form belying her speed. The minotaur barely had time to raise his arms in defense before she was upon him, her jaws snapping at the air centimeters from his face. He stumbled backward, swinging his axe in a desperate arc that was deflected immediately by her fur.

  It was for show. In the next instant, she vanished from his sight, too fast to follow. When she struck, it was from behind—one massive paw catching him square between the shoulder bdes, sending him hurtling toward the barrier. He vanished in a fsh of light before he could hit the invisible wall—teleported safely out of the arena by the protective enchantments.

  The deep gash that had ripped through his spine would need to be healed.

  The crowd roared, the sound washing over Kari like a physical force. She ignored it, already turning her attention to her next opponent.

  The elf struck first this time, sending a barrage of ice spikes hurtling toward her. They shattered against her fur, harmless as gss against stone. They’d quickly learn that her Fenris Wolf bloodline carried immunity to most magics—even Founder magic.

  The elf’s eyes widened in shock as his most powerful attack dissipated without effect.

  Kari prowled forward. Slowly. Deliberately. Walking through the icy dispy as if it were still air. Then, once she was close enough, her form blurred as she closed the distance. The elf abandoned magic, drawing a slender bde from his belt—too te.

  Kari’s jaws closed around the sword, snapping it in half before she swept a paw across his chest. The impact sent him flying—blood flowing—and he disappeared into the barrier with a fsh of teleportation magic.

  Last on her list—the fae.

  She managed to keep her at bay, evading and crying high in the air before she decided it was enough of a show to get her dominance across—about thirty seconds.

  Kari simply leapt into the air and caught her mid-flight, pinning her wings without damaging them before returning to her human form. With a deliberate show, she grabbed a chunk of the woman’s hair and dragged her to the ptform’s edge, her magic and tricks useless against her.

  However, it did bring back a sad memory. A memory she now regretted… One she needed to address before the day was done… The memory of dragging Sora across the gym floor and into the bathroom, before allowing Lori to shave it off before school break. Then there was what came with the towel incident on the first day back.

  I’m sorry, Sora… I am.

  With the st contestant eliminated, everyone within a minute of her setting her sights on them, Kari stood alone on the central ptform. Returning to her wolf form, she threw back her head and howled, her massive form silhouetted against the magical lights.

  The crowd had fallen silent, stunned as she fully released her power for the first time since facing Eric, casting waves that pulsed like physical blows. The stone under her cracked, the barriers rippled and distorted with her anti-magic fields she now generated.

  Then, slowly, a cheer began to build—uncertain at first, then growing in confidence and volume until it thundered around the arena. Kari’s ears fttened against the noise, but something inside her stirred at the sound. Not pride. Not exactly. Something closer to resolution. To acceptance.

  I am a Fenris Wolf. And Eric… Eric, this is only the beginning. You’re next. And then…Tiri. Because I won’t stop fighting for them…and despite how messed up you are, Eric… I know you love me in that werewolf way, which is…ironic, with how much you hate that side of yourself.

  As the ptform began to descend, carrying her back to the ground area, Kari allowed her form to shrink, returning to human shape. Her clothes reappeared, slightly rumpled but intact. Her muscles ached pleasantly from the exertion of releasing her full energy, but her mind remained sharp, focused on what came next.

  The ptform touched down with a gentle hum, and Kari stepped off, ignoring the stares of the waiting contestants. Jin stood nearby, arms crossed, a satisfied gleam in her golden eyes.

  “Well done, wolf,” she said, the ghost of a smile pying at her lips. “You’ve set the stage. Now let’s see if you can handle the performance tomorrow.”

  Kari walked past her without responding, her gaze already fixed on the future—on the confrontation to come. Her heart beat steadily in her chest, fear still present but no longer controlling her. No longer defining her.

  She had someone to apologize to—no, two people.

  I’m ready, Eric. This time, I’m not running. This time, I’m hunting you. To make matters worse, Fen’s face popped up on the dispy next, the number one over her head. Great. Mom’s biggest fear is now in the tournament. What game are you pying, Jin?!

  AuthorSME