Betrayed

Midnight felt as if his body was being torn apart, his skin peeled away, his insides twisted and crushed. The pain was unbearable, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. But this physical agony didn't cause any pain, it was the sense of betrayal that made his heart torn apart.

As far back as he could remember, he had never seen another of his kind. Was he lost as a child? Or had his parents abandoned him for some reason? Perhaps they were dead before he even had a chance to know them. All he knew was loneliness… surrounded by humans and other horses but never truly belonging. His first memories were of cold and hunger.

By some stroke of luck, he had ended up at this ranch. The long, brutal days of starvation and shivering in the cold had finally come to an end. But even here, humans only saw him as a wild beast to be tamed. None of them had ever treated him as family. He had longed for a family, someone to call as his own.

Then, the young man came. Unlike the others, he had never tried to break his will or force him into submission. Midnight had recognized something different in him… something familiar he had felt from this young man. After countless failed attempts by men to tame him, that young man had been the first human he had acknowledged as family.

And now, that very person had become the cause of his suffering.

But it wasn't death that frightened Midnight. He didn't fear the end; in fact, he had always thought of death as an escape, a release from this world that had never truly accepted him. What shattered his heart was not the idea of dying, but the way it was happening. The pain was excruciating, far beyond what he had imagined. If he had to die, he would have preferred it to be swift and merciful, not like this… this endless torment.

Darkness consumed his vision. Sounds faded into silence. His senses dulled.

"Is this the afterlife?" he wondered.

But then, he felt something strange. He was still moving, floating forward through an abyss of endless black. Thin streaks of dark energy swirled around him, slithering past like silent whispers. And ahead, a light… small at first, then growing larger, brighter, consuming everything in its path.

Before he could react, the light engulfed him.

His vision adjusted, blinking away the blinding brightness. And there, standing a short distance away, was the same young man.

"Damn it," Midnight thought. "Am I not dead?"

He tried to move… but the world suddenly collapsed into darkness again. Everything disappeared.

This time, he was sure.

He was truly dead.

Time became meaningless. He didn't know how long he had been in the void… minutes, hours, days?

Then, warmth. A gentle touch. A soothing presence.

Someone was stroking his head, fingers gliding through his mane with comforting ease. It felt... nice. He wanted to stay like this forever, lost in the sensation.

But something in his mind suddenly clicked.

He remembered… remembered the pain, the feeling of his body being torn apart, the moment he lost all sense of himself. He had died!

Panic surged through him.

His senses sharpened. The numbness faded. He blinked, forcing his eyes open.

The first thing he saw was the same young man… the one he had thought had betrayed him. He sat on the ground, Midnight's head resting on his lap. The warmth of his touch was real.

"I'm... alive?" Midnight thought. The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

The words Ranav had spoken before feeding him that strange blue grass suddenly resurfaced in his mind. Everything began to connect, and the truth dawned on him.

"I am now... a magical beast."

No one had betrayed him.

He was alive!

Midnight tried to lift his head, eager to look into Ranav's eyes, but a firm yet gentle hand stopped him.

"Don't move. You're exhausted. You need to eat first," Ranav said in a soothing voice.

Midnight let out a quiet sigh. He was still weak, but he could feel strength slowly returning to his limbs.

"Grandpa Khan, bring the bowl of salt water here, please," Ranav instructed.

"Okay, Young Master," Grandpa Khan replied.

Ranav carefully held the bowl to Midnight's lips and began feeding him small sips. Some of the water spilled onto the ground, but Midnight didn't care. His throat was parched, and the water tasted like the best thing he had ever drunk.

"Don't try to stand yet," Ranav warned. "Turn yourself so you can eat comfortably."

Midnight obeyed, shifting into a better position. Ranav stood up and placed a bowl filled with finely cut grass before him. Midnight wasted no time… he devoured the food, bowl after bowl, as if he hadn't eaten in a lifetime.

As he ate, he felt his body changing… growing stronger, steadier. His limbs no longer trembled, and energy surged through him like never before.

Finally, he stood up and shook his body to adjust. The simple movement sent a powerful ripple through the air, overturning several empty bowls.

"Careful," Ranav cautioned. "You're not used to your new strength yet. Move slowly, or you might accidentally hurt someone."

Midnight stilled, taking in his surroundings.

Paramita and Grandpa Khan were staring at him in awe.

Midnight had changed.

He had grown several inches taller, his frame now more muscular yet elegant. His coat was no longer a simple black… it gleamed with an almost otherworldly sheen. His mane and forelock flowed like golden silk, while his tail and ankle feathers shimmered in a silvery ash color. His eyes, once an ordinary black, were now a striking deep violet, glowing faintly under the sunlight.

A majestic aura radiated from him, powerful and untamed.

"Paramita, Grandpa Khan," Ranav spoke, snapping them out of their trance. "Let's go back to the ranch. Midnight needs more food."

Grandpa Khan quickly took Midnight to the back of the ranch, where he could be fed properly. Meanwhile, Ranav and Paramita sat on a nearby bench to rest.

After a moment of silence, Paramita asked, "Can Lucky evolve into a magical beast too?"

Ranav pondered the question. "I don't know. Lucky is a Starbind horse. From what I've learned, Starbinds are celestial breeds. It should be possible to awaken his bloodline somehow. But I need to study more before giving you a definite answer."

He paused, then added, "For now, I can help Lucky become slightly stronger. But you have to promise me to keep it a secret."

"I promise," Paramita said immediately.

Ranav stood up. "Then let's go to Lucky."

The two of them walked to where Lucky was resting under the shade of a tree. Ranav placed a hand on the horse and used Regenesis to examine its body.

Jessica's voice echoed in his mind, "Lucky's body is filled with impurities. You won't be able to remove everything at once. Start small… clear the impurities around the heart, lungs, and mana core first. It'll boost his vitality significantly."

"Understood," Ranav responded.

Applying Regenesis, he carefully cleansed the targeted areas.

Lucky suddenly let out a loud snort and, to Paramita's horror, immediately pooped and vomited.

Ranav grimaced but quickly summoned dark tendrils to clear away the mess before the stench could spread.

After a final check, Ranav nodded in satisfaction. "His condition has improved, but we should take it slow. If I try to cleanse everything in one go, it might put too much strain on his body."

Paramita nodded in understanding.

"Lucky, you should drink a lot of water," Ranav advised. "You'll feel better soon."

He then turned to Paramita. "Stay with Lucky. If anything changes, let me know. I'm going to help Midnight control his newfound power."

With that, Ranav headed toward the back of the ranch.

Grandpa Khan was nearby, talking with an assistant, while Midnight rested after his enormous feast.

"I think Midnight's meal is over," Ranav said. "Grandpa Khan, I'm taking him to the racecourse for training."

"Understood, Young Master. I'll bring a saddle and foot holder for you," Grandpa Khan replied.

Moments later, with everything set, Ranav mounted Midnight.

"Let's see what you can really do now," he murmured as they made their way to the racecourse.