"What is that?" Alaric asked.Kieran pushed his broken body off the melted stone. The painful sensation of his own body repairing itself was agonizing, his fractured ribs snapped back into proper alignment. Torn tendons knitted themselves together under his bruised skin. He did not bleed but his body radiated so much heat that the puddles surrounding him on the marble boiled into steam.No scales or claws manifested on his flesh, but an invisible weight descended upon the grand hall. Alaric noticed it, the mages noticed it, they couldn't believe their eyesKieran looked up. The radiant gold in his eyes shifted. The bright color darkened into a violent, bloodshot red. The ancient rage of a betrayed bloodline eclipsed his mind."You talk too much." Kieran spoke.His voice carried a dual resonance. It sounded like two separate beings speaking at the same time. The deep vibration rattled the glass in the ornate chandeliers above them.Alaric took a step backward. The sneer vanished from h

Kieran rubbed his scalp and glared up at the older physician.The dull ache from the strike grounded him. The sting cut through the lingering haze of supernatural adrenaline that still clouded his thoughts. Kieran rested his elbows on his knees and took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart."Why did you hit me?" Kieran asked.He looked at his own hands again. The sword shards had faded into his pores, leaving only skin and old scars from the slums. "I hit you because you almost signed your own death warrant." Garry remained standing by the locked oak door. The physician did not move toward the cot. He stared at Kieran with unmasked terror. "I need you awake. I need you anchored to reality. Tell me exactly what happened in the grand hall."Kieran swallowed hard. "I do not know." Kieran admitted. He kept his voice low so the sound would not carry past the thick wooden door. "When Alaric ordered his guards to kill me, the pain in my broken ribs stopped. I suddenly felt a pr

"Look at the garbage the Citadel allows onto the field."A young noble pointed his polished steel gauntlet toward the edge of the training grounds. The aristocratic boy stood surrounded by a dozen other highborn recruits. The biting morning chill gnawed at the exposed skin of the commoners gathered on the field, yet the nobles remained warm under thick fur cloaks and enchanted armor."He does not even own a rusted dagger." Another noble chimed in. He drew a gilded longsword from his scabbard and rested the flat of the blade against his shoulder to show off the craftsmanship. " Are you planning to kick the demons to death, street rat?"Kieran ignored the bait. He stood near the dark treeline of the outer woods and focused on his own breathing.Forty applicants stood on the frost covered grass. The gathering highlighted the stark divide of the kingdom. Half the crowd consisted of wealthy aristocrats carrying expensive forged weapons, heavy iron shields, and specialized hunting bows. The

The Razorback charged .The beast lowered its head and aimed its serrated tusks directly at Kieran's chest. Kieran pushed the power of his sealed bloodline into his legs, launching himself backward just as the monster obliterated the damp earth where he had stood. The resulting impact splintered a towering oak tree into jagged wooden shrapnel.Kieran landed on his feet a dozen yards away. His heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He needed to find a vulnerability.The Razorback did not pause to recover. It spun its bulk around with surprising agility and kicked up a cloud of wet soil. The demonic boar squealed, a deafening sound that rattled the bones in Kieran's jaw. It charged again.Kieran planted his boots in the mud, twisting his torso to dodge the horns. As the beast barreled past him, he drove his bare fist directly into its flank. He expected the strike to cave the ribs inward. Instead, his knuckles slammed against thick iron plating hidden beneath the coarse fur.