THE VOID BEAST

CHAPTER 11: THE RULES

The roar echoed through the darkness, vibrating through the stone walls like a living thing.

I stood frozen, my heart hammering. The rabbit didn't move. She only stared at the window, her cloudy eyes fixed on the distant mountains.

Then the sound faded. Silence returned.

I waited. Nothing else came.

"Just a wild beast," I whispered. "Probably far away. Probably nothing to worry about."

The rabbit didn't look at me.

I closed the book and lay back on the bed, my mind racing. Evolution. Emberbloom. The mountains. The roar.

I read a few more chapters, but my eyes kept drifting shut. The words blurred together. The candle flickered low.

Finally, sleep took me.

---

Morning light streamed through the narrow window.

A hand shook my shoulder. I groaned, rolling over.

"Wake up, Darian."

Jace's face swam into view. His fox sat beside him, watching me with curious eyes.

"We need to get ready. They're gathering everyone in the hall soon."

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. The book was still in my lap. I'd fallen asleep with it open.

The rabbit was curled beside me, still sleeping.

Jace looked at the book's cover. "How to Train a Rabbit? You really were up late."

"Couldn't sleep," I said.

"Clearly." He grinned. "Come on. Let's get cleaned up. I'll introduce you to the others."

The other two students in the dorm were already awake. One was a thin boy with nervous eyes and a small lizard perched on his shoulder. The other was a stocky girl with a mole that peeked out from her sleeve.

"This is Finn and Orla," Jace said. "Finn's beast is a Stone Lizard, D-rank. Orla's is a Burrow Mole, D-rank."

Finn nodded nervously. Orla gave a short wave.

"Darian," I said. "And this is..." I looked down at the rabbit, still asleep. "I haven't named her yet."

"Smart," Orla said. "A name should mean something."

I remembered Jace saying the same thing. "Yeah," I said. "I'm waiting for the right one."

We exchanged small talk for a few minutes, but it was clear everyone was nervous. First day. First assembly. Everything was new.

"We should go," Jace said. "Don't want to be late."

---

The bathhouse was crowded.

Students of all ranks moved through the steam, washing away the dust of travel. I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact. Jace stayed close.

"So," he said, soaping his arms, "what were you actually reading last night? I saw the cover, but you looked really absorbed."

I hesitated. He'd been kind. He'd called me his friend. Could I trust him?

But I had no one else.

"There was a passage about evolution," I said quietly.

Jace paused. "Evolution? That's rare. Most beasts don't even have the potential."

"I know. But..." I lowered my voice. "It said some beasts can evolve if they find the right trigger."

"And your rabbit?"

I looked at him. "It said ordinary rabbits can't. But the way it was written—it made me think. Maybe she's not ordinary."

Jace studied me for a long moment. Then he sighed.

"Darian, what are you planning?"

I told him. About the Emberbloom. About the mountains. About the roar in the night.

When I finished, Jace stared at me.

"You can't be serious," he said.

"I am."

"That's suicide." His voice was sharp. "The mountains aren't like the forests around town. They're filled with wild beasts. Predators that see humans as prey. You and your rabbit wouldn't last a day."

"I have to try—"

"No, you don't." Jace grabbed my arm. "Listen to me. You're not thinking clearly. You've been hungry, tired, and bullied for days. But rushing into the mountains isn't courage—it's reckless. You'll die. And for what? A chance that your rabbit might evolve?"

I opened my mouth to argue. He cut me off.

"Staying alive is the first step," he said. "Then you can figure out a way to get stronger. But you can't do anything if you're dead."

I looked at him. His eyes were earnest, worried.

"He's right," I said quietly. "I know he's right."

Jace relaxed. "Good. Now come on. Let's get dressed."

---

The great hall was massive.

Thousands of students packed the space, their beasts at their sides. Wolves, snakes, hawks, horses, lizards, moles—every kind of creature imaginable.

I felt small. Insignificant.

Jace stayed close. "Don't worry," he said. "Everyone's nervous."

At the center of the hall, a raised podium stood. A tall man with silver hair and a stern face stepped forward. His voice carried across the crowd without effort.

"Welcome to Aurelian Spire," he said. "For those of you who do not know me, I am Headmaster Varen."

The crowd went quiet.

"Your training will officially begin in five days. During that time, you will be assigned to your classes, receive your uniforms, and familiarize yourselves with the academy grounds."

He paused, scanning the crowd.

"But before we proceed, there are rules you will obey, whether you like them or not."

The hall fell silent.

"First: No student may attack another student outside a sanctioned duel. Violations will be punished when formally reported and investigated."

I blinked. When formally reported and investigated. That was the catch. If no one reported it, nothing happened.

"Second: Every student is responsible for maintaining their beast. Food, health, training, and living conditions are your duty. Neglect is a punishable offense."

I looked at my rabbit. She was thin, her fur patchy. Had I been neglecting her? I thought about the bread. The way she'd pushed it toward me when she was starving.

I had to do better.

"Third: Beast contracts are permanent once registered. You cannot abandon, sell, transfer, or intentionally harm your contracted beast. Attempting to break a contract without authorization is a serious offense. Punishment: Expulsion and possible imprisonment."

I felt my rabbit press closer to me.

"Fourth: No student may attempt unauthorized evolution using plants, potions, artifacts, blood, or other catalysts. Students are forbidden from forcing evolution through unknown methods. Punishment: Immediate suspension or expulsion."

Jace shot me a pointed look. The Emberbloom was exactly the kind of thing the academy forbade.

I looked away.

"Fifth: No student may enter the Forbidden Forest or the Northern Mountains without authorization. These areas contain dangerous wild beasts. Violators will face severe discipline."

The mountains were forbidden. Of course they were.

"Sixth: No student may leave academy grounds after curfew. Anyone caught outside without authorization will be disciplined."

Varen's voice hardened. "Finally, the most important rule: Never form a contract with a beast you cannot control. An unstable contract can result in mana backlash, injury, or death. Our instructors will train you, but the bond between you and your beast is yours alone."

He stepped back. "You are dismissed."

---

The crowd surged toward the exits. Jace and I walked together, weaving through the press of bodies.

The hall had been vast and full of noise, but as we moved into the corridor, the air became cooler, quieter. The walls were lined with torches and tapestries, and students clustered in groups, their beasts sticking close to their sides.

Jace shook his head. "Did you hear that? Unauthorized evolution experiments are punishable by suspension. The Emberbloom is exactly the kind of thing they're talking about. You'd be expelled before you even found the flower."

"That's if they catch me." I kept my voice low.

"There's no way you're still considering—"

"Look."

I nodded toward a corner up ahead.

A cluster of students had gathered. I saw a flash of movement—a fist. Then another. A low sound of impact, and a figure crumpled to the ground. Someone was being beaten.

My stomach turned. The low-ranked kid had a small beast—what looked like a field mouse—cowering behind him.

The bullies were laughing.

"Stop, please," the boy on the ground pleaded.

The taller boy—a wolf at his side—lifted his foot.

I moved before I could stop myself.

"What are you doing?" Jace hissed.

But I was already pushing through the crowd.

"Hey! Stop it!"

The tall boy turned. His wolf growled, low and menacing.

"Who's this?" He looked me up and down. "Oh, I recognize you. The rabbit boy. The bastard with the 5% affinity."

"I said stop."

"Or what?" The tall boy laughed. "You'll set your rabbit on me?"

His friends joined in. The laughter was loud, cruel.

I should have walked away. I knew I should have walked away.

But the kid on the ground was still bleeding.

"Get your hands off him," I said.

The tall boy's smile vanished. "You're going to regret that."

I swung.

My fist connected with his jaw.

For a split second, his head snapped to the side. I saw the shock in his eyes—he hadn't expected me to actually hit him.

Then his wolf lunged.

I didn't see the punch that followed. Just the pain. His fist caught me in the ribs, and I went down hard. The world blurred. Someone was shouting. Then Jace was there, trying to pull me up—

It didn't help.

Within seconds, we were both on the ground. They kicked, laughed, and called us names. Rabbit boy. Friend of rabbit boy. Worthless. Nothing.

I curled my body around the rabbit, shielding her. Her body was trembling, but she wasn't crying out. She was quiet, still, trying not to draw attention.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

I looked up through blurred vision.

An older student—perhaps an instructor—walked past. His eyes fell on the scene. He slowed for half a second.

Then he looked away and kept walking.

He didn't stop.

No one stopped.

The bullies laughed.

"Look at that," one of them said. "No one cares about you, rabbit boy. No one's going to save you."

They walked away.

I pushed myself up slowly, wincing. My face was throbbing. My ribs ached.

Jace was beside me, his lip split, his fox whining softly. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," I muttered.

He helped me to my feet. We limped back toward the dorm in silence.

---

Inside, I collapsed onto my cot. My body screamed with pain. Finn and Orla were gone—probably still exploring the grounds.

The rabbit was trembling. Her cloudy eyes were fixed on the door, as if she expected them to come back.

Jace sat across from me, his fox in his lap. He was quiet for a long moment.

"That was reckless," he finally said.

"I know."

"You should have walked away."

"I know."

He sighed. "What were you thinking?"

I didn't answer. I didn't know what to say.

I lay back, staring at the ceiling. The bruises throbbed. The cuts stung. My whole body ached.

"See?" I said, my voice raw. "This is what they do. They walk past. They don't stop. They don't care."

Jace said nothing.

“I need power. The academy isn't going to give it to me fast enough. The rabbit may have a path to evolution. Therefore, I need to find a way to access that path.”

"Darian—"

"I'm going." I met his eyes. "I'm going to find that flower. I'm going to evolve her. And when I do, they'll never touch me again."

"What about the rules?"

I turned away. "To hell with the rules."

Jace stared at me. His fox whined again.

"Please, Darian. I'm your friend. I don't want to see you die in some mountain."

"And I don't want to stay here and be nothing."

"Darian, you're not hearing me." His voice cracked. "I watched you get beaten today. I watched an instructor walk past us and do nothing. And now you're telling me you're going to walk into the mountains where beasts stronger than either of us hunt for sport?"

He shook his head.

"I'm not losing another friend."

The words hit me like a blow. Another friend. Someone else. Someone he'd lost.

"Jace—"

He held up a hand. "Just... think about it. Please. Don't make a decision you can't take back."

Silence stretched between them.

I sat up, wincing. My ribs were definitely bruised. But I forced myself to move, to show him I was serious.

"I'm going to sneak out," I said. "Tonight. Tomorrow. Sooner or later, I'll find a way."

Jace opened his mouth to argue.

Then the rabbit lifted her head. Her cloudy eyes fixed on me. She hopped closer and pressed her head against my chest—the same gesture she'd made before.

I looked down at her.

Her ears remained upright. For some reason, I felt as though she understood me.

The mountains were forbidden.

The flower was dangerous.

And the academy had made one thing very clear.

If I wanted to change our fate, I would have to break the rules.

I tightened my arms around her.

Whatever happened next, I wasn't going to leave her behind.