When the Beast Broke Free

The dim candlelight flickered as Melite rubbed her temple, her headache a dull throb against the strain in her limbs.

Training had been relentless, over and over, she had pushed herself, refining her bloodline ability, honing what had once seemed impossible.

She had achieved much. Yet, the weight on her shoulders remained.

Fedlimid had been slipping away. His presence, once a steady anchor, had been shrinking for the past week, a shadow retreating into silence. He was avoiding them all. Even the sound of his steps had become scarce, his presence in the halls a mere whisper of what it had been.

That time, his name stood first on the board, next to the training room.

Surely, he was inside.