Book 1: Chapter 9 – Beast-Warrior

Without another word, Jabari bolted from the treatment room, his feet pounding against the floor as he tore down the corridor, his fury driving him toward the exit.

Hearing his enraged roar and seeing him flee, Heba's guard, Lateef, sprang into action. With practiced ease, he tackled Jabari to the ground, pinning him effortlessly. Meanwhile, his partner, Aten, rushed into the treatment room.

"Your Highness, are you hurt?" Aten asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm fine," the Princess assured him, her hand moving in slow, soothing circles on the back of the visibly shaken Inayah. "Have Lateef bring Jabari back – but don't hurt him."

Lateef dragged Jabari into the room, the young man struggling fiercely at first. But the moment his eyes met Inayah's frightened gaze, he forced himself to still, though the fire in his eyes refused to fade.

"You weren't planning to go after Oluwa Umeme – the young master of the Umeme Tribe – were you?" Heba's voice was soft, but the question hung heavy in the air. Not that she needed his answer. His outburst and the rigid set of his jaw spoke louder than words.

"First of all," she continued evenly, "Oluwa's not inside the confines of the Tribe at the moment."

"Second, any guard serving the Umeme family could kill you with little more than a flick of their wrist.

"Third – and perhaps most importantly – thanks to his so-called talent, Oluwa was accepted into the Kamara Tribe, another of the Six Major Tribes of Ulo. His status now surpasses even my own."

"I don't care about any of that!" Jabari snapped. "If I sit back and do nothing, Inayah's condition will only get worse. But if I act – no matter how small the chance – at least there's still a chance!"

Heba exhaled a slow, measured sigh as she studied him. She could see the unshakable determination in his eyes. "Let me be absolutely clear," she said. "If you so much as breathe in Oluwa's direction, you'll be dead before you can blink."

"What do you expect me to do then?" Jabari growled. "Sit here and watch while my little sister dies?"

Heba rose from her seat and began pacing the room, her movements unhurried but purposeful. "As things stand, Inayah has about eighteen months left," she said bluntly.

Jabari's chest tightened, his breathing growing uneven.

"But with my help, I could extend that to two – perhaps even three years," she added.

Jabari clenched his fists. "What good are a few extra months if she's still going to die young? I want her to live – to have a full and happy life!"

He didn't understand why Heba was offering her help, and truthfully, he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was saving the only family he had left.

"Calm down and listen," Heba instructed, her voice steady. She waited as Jabari took a breath, his muscles coiled with tension, before she continued. "I'll ensure your sister receives the best treatment available for as long as possible. That gives you time – time to find a real solution."

Jabari's eyes narrowed. "You just said Oluwa is too powerful for me to even think about challenging. So what's your point?"

"He is – right now," Heba acknowledged. "But if you play your cards right... who knows what the future holds?"

That caught his full attention.

"The way I see it, you have two options," she said, holding up a single finger. "First, you can search for a method to stabilise Inayah's condition without having to confront Oluwa.

I don't know of a method personally, but it's not impossible that one exists – at least not in theory – but the chances of success?" She shook her head. "They're almost non-existent."

Jabari swallowed hard. "And the second option?"

Heba's lips curved slightly. "Simple. Get strong enough to defeat Oluwa, reclaim Inayah's Vassal, and most importantly – find a backer powerful enough to withstand the Kamara Tribe's inevitable retaliation."

"Jari, please don't worry about me," Inayah said softly, her voice trembling yet filled with warmth. "I've been happy just living by your side. That's enough for me. I just want you to be-"

"I wasn't asking you!" Jabari snapped, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Inayah flinched, her gaze dropping to the floor. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, not when she knew how much she had hurt him by keeping such a monumental secret for so long. The guilt weighed heavily on her, but even so, she had no regrets.

For as long as she could remember, it had always been Jabari protecting her, shielding her from the world's cruelty. If accepting his anger meant ensuring that he kept living – even if it was without her – then she would bear it without complaint.

Jabari exhaled sharply before turning his full attention to the princess standing before him. His dark eyes locked onto her brilliant emerald ones. "People don't help others for nothing," he said coldly. "So tell me, what do you want?"

He wasn't a fool. As much as he appreciated Heba exposing the truth, he had no intention of blindly trusting her. He had already learned, in the harshest way possible, the price of misplaced trust – and this time, Inayah's life was on the line.

Heba met his gaze without flinching. "I can't tell you everything right now," she admitted. "It's personal – it concerns my family. But what I can tell you is that helping you costs me nothing. And if you somehow manage to succeed, I gain the favour of someone with limitless potential."

Jabari's mind churned at her words.

Oluwa had stolen Inayah's Vassal and then gained entry into one of the Six Major Tribes solely based on 'his' talent – talent that had earned him a status rivalling that of a royal. And yet, that talent wasn't even his to begin with.

If Inayah were to reclaim what was rightfully hers…

Calling her potential limitless wasn't an exaggeration.

He studied Heba carefully, trying to discern any deception in her striking green eyes. He didn't trust her – not completely, not after everything Oluwa had done. But he wasn't blind to reality, either. If he wanted to save Inayah, this was his best and only chance.

"I accept your terms," he said at last, his voice firm. "You focus on keeping Inayah alive, and I'll find a way to save her."

He didn't know what Heba's true motivations were. Maybe she was telling the truth, and all she wanted was the favour of a future powerhouse. But even if she was hiding something, none of it changed the fact that he had no other options.

Heba's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Then tell me, how do you plan to catch up to Ulo's most talented Mage when he's already had a five-year head start?"

Jabari didn't hesitate. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I'm guessing you do."

"I do." Heba's expression turned serious. "But understand this – if you walk down this path and fail, your fate could be far worse than death."

Before Jabari could respond, Inayah suddenly grabbed his hand, her grip desperate. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head.

"Jari, please..." she whispered. "I'm begging you…

Don't…

Don't throw your life away because of-"

Jabari wrenched his hand free, his voice erupting like thunder.

"ENOUGH!"

The room fell into stunned silence. His breath came heavy and ragged, his entire body trembling – not with fear, but with blazing wrath and unyielding resolve.

"I don't care who I have to step on," he snarled. "Be it Oluwa, the Chief of the Kamara Tribe, or even the devil himself – I will return your Vassal to you!"

Turning back to Heba, his eyes burned with raw determination.

"Now tell me what I have to do."

A mysterious smile curved Heba's lips. "You have to become a Beast-Warrior."

Jabari frowned. "A Beast-Warrior? What's that?"

"In Ulo, there are two recognised paths to power," Heba began, her voice slow and deliberate. "The first is the path of a Mage, which you've heard plenty about by now. The second..." her eyes gleamed, "... Is the path of a Beast-Warrior."

Jabari leaned forward. "And which is stronger?"

"There's no definitive answer to that," Heba admitted. "Both are incredibly powerful in their own right.

Mages wield the elements to unleash devastating attacks, usually from a distance. Beast-Warriors, on the other hand, rely on the raw strength of their bodies to overwhelm opponents in close combat.

If two fighters of equal strength clashed – one a Mage, the other a Beast-Warrior – the victor would depend entirely on their individual skill."

Jabari absorbed her words in silence. The image of a certain lion-looking young man appeared in his mind before asking the only question that truly mattered:

"What do I need to do to become one? How do I know if I was born with the right qualities?"

He knew how brutal the path of a Mage was – how strict the requirements were, how rare it was to even qualify, let alone excel. If becoming a Beast-Warrior was anything like that, then this so-called opportunity might be nothing more than another false hope.

But still…

For the third time that day, he felt it. Hope.

A foreign, fragile thing. But it was there, flickering in his chest like a lone ember in the dark.

Heba's smile widened. "That's the beauty of it," she said. "Unlike Mages, Beast-Warriors aren't bound by birthright. There are no biological limitations – no inborn talent required. It all comes down to your own ability."

Jabari's heart thudded against his ribs. No limitations. No noble lineage. No predetermined fate. Just ability.

His excitement surged, but he forced himself to tamp it down. Not yet. Don't get ahead of yourself.

"But what about training?" he pressed. "I've never had formal training in anything. Won't that put me at a disadvantage?"

In the slums, enforcers trained their children from a young age to prepare them for survival. If that was the standard for them, then what about the noble-born heirs of the main settlements? How many years had they already spent honing their bodies, preparing for something like this?

Heba's eyes flickered with amusement. "Some training would certainly help improve your results," she admitted. "But when it comes to passing the assessment, only one thing truly matters."

She let the sentence hang, causing Jabari's body to stiffen.

A few seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity before she finally spoke.

"The real test is that of willpower," she revealed. "As long as your will is strong enough, becoming a Beast-Warrior is all but guaranteed."

Jabari froze. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face.

If there was one thing he had in abundance, it was will. His entire life had been spent clawing for survival, refusing to break, refusing to bend. If sheer will was all it took – then this path was practically tailor-made for him.

"Alright," he said, doing his best to keep his anticipation in check. "So how do I do it? How do I become a Beast-Warrior?"

"The only way," Heba said, "is to pass the Beast-Warrior Trials and gain entry into one of the four common branches of the Beast-Warrior Institute."

She paused, then added, "Lucky for you, the Western Branch – the closest branch to here – is holding its assessment next week. If you're serious about this, we'll need to leave in the next few days to make it in time."

Jabari exhaled sharply, his pulse hammering with adrenaline.

A path had opened. A real one. And this time, he wasn't going to let it slip through his fingers.