Book 2: Chapter 27 – Ancestral Beast

'Is Patriarch Darnell Campbell also a member of my fam-'

"Focus, Jabari! Now's not the time to lose concentration!" Nala's sharp voice cut through his spiralling thoughts as she noticed his breathing begin to falter.

'That's right, focus! There's no point worrying about the things out of my control right now; I just need to focus on becoming a Beast-Warrior.'

With that renewed clarity, Jabari brought his breathing back in line. Each inhale and exhale pulsed with lightning energy, the rhythm flawless once more. Then, like a bolt striking the ground, a revelation struck him.

'If the determining factor for which physical attribute is tempered depends on the breathing technique...

Then, by using the [Empyrean Breathing Technique] – could I continue tempering all aspects of my body equally, even after becoming a Beast-Warrior?'

The more he considered the possibility, the stronger the temptation grew. But the problem was obvious – he couldn't reveal the [Empyrean Breathing Technique] to anyone. That technique was one of his greatest secrets, a legacy too dangerous to expose.

"Focus, Jabari! You can't afford to lose concentration when you ingest the beast blood later," Nala warned, noting how his breathing had gone uneven once again.

"Sorry," he murmured, scratching his head with a sheepish smile. "I think I'm just feeling nervous doing it in front of both of you. Is there any chance I could go through the ingesting process alone?"

"Definitely not," Nala said instantly, leaving no room for negotiation. "I need to be nearby in case something goes wrong."

She hadn't thought of Jabari as the shy type – not after the way he'd performed during the assessment yesterday before a crowd of over a hundred – but his tone was sincere, his hesitance genuine. It softened her stance, if only slightly.

"At most, August and I can turn around and face away," she offered. "That's the best I can agree to."

If it had been anyone else, she would've shut the idea down without a second thought. But Jabari wasn't just anyone. His talent was undeniable, and more importantly, his willpower was extraordinary – unshakeable, even.

Every Beast-Warrior knew the most critical part of the process was the ingestion. The pain was not just physical – it was a searing trial of the spirit, an agony so intense it bordered on madness. But the longer one could endure it, the more thorough the tempering would be.

Though younger candidates fused more completely with the beast essence, everyone acknowledged that before the age of sixteen, the differences were minimal. What truly set someone apart was their willpower.

That was why every instructor, elder, and even those who questioned Jabari's choices or his defiance of Supreme Elder Diallo, awaited his results with barely concealed anticipation. If Jabari succeeded, it would be a shining feather in the Western Branch's cap – something to boast of before the other branches.

So if looking away meant giving Jabari the mental space he needed to push further, endure longer, and emerge stronger… Nala would give him that much.

"That's perfect, thank you!" Jabari replied, relief washing over him.

As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter where they were – as long as they weren't watching, he could do what he needed to do.

"Fine," Nala said, folding her arms. "But you need to prove to me that you've truly mastered the breathing. For the next two minutes, we'll turn our backs, but you must perform the Lightning Breaths without missing a single beat. Deal?"

"Deal!" Jabari grinned, energy buzzing beneath his skin.

Though her eyes were averted, Nala could hear the steady rhythm of Jabari's breaths – each inhale sharp, each exhale controlled, perfectly timed with the technique. Given his performance earlier, she could reasonably assume the form and execution were correct, and for the first time, she entertained the notion that perhaps Jabari truly did suffer from performance anxiety.

Two minutes passed.

When she and August turned back around, Jabari remained motionless, his body locked in the iconic lightning bolt pose, his breathing unwavering.

"Alright," Nala said, stepping forward and handing over a vial filled with deep crimson liquid. "We'll do it your way. Just make sure you don't lose concentration."

"Here. When you're ready, drink this and immediately begin using [Lightning Breathing]. Remember – enduring the pain is everything. The longer you can take it, the more complete your transformation as a Beast-Warrior will be."

"I understand," Jabari replied, accepting the vial. He waited for them to turn around again, and only when their backs were fully to him did he act.

He popped off the lid – and froze.

He had expected a pungent, metallic scent to hit his nose. But instead, it was his ears that were assaulted – a roar, thunderous and majestic, echoed through his mind like the cry of a divine beast. It wasn't just loud. It was alive.

Eyes wide, Jabari stared into the vial. The blood shimmered unnaturally. It was mostly crimson, yes – but there was a glint of gold, faint and elusive, like sunlight flickering beneath the surface of a still lake.

'Just what kind of beast did this blood come from exactly?!'

He shook his head, forcing his thoughts to settle. No time for distractions. A quick glance confirmed Nala and August were still turned away.

"Here goes nothing," he whispered, and with a swift motion, downed the vial in one gulp.

The effect was immediate.

The blood surged through his veins, searing toward his heart like a fiery serpent. Yet Jabari didn't flinch – he sprang into action, activating the [Empyrean Breathing] without hesitation.

But fate had other plans.

"AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!"

The scream tore from his throat before he could even complete a single breath. His body collapsed, wracked with agony, hands clawing at his chest as he writhed on the floor.

Jabari had endured more than most in his fifteen years – bone-crushing fatigue, pain that would have broken grown men, and trials that tested his very spirit. But nothing…

Nothing compared to this.

It was as though molten steel had been poured into his chest, like his heart had become the anvil of the heavens, bearing the full weight of a divine punishment. Every nerve blazed. Every breath was a curse. Death, it seemed, waited only a moment away.

The room erupted into chaos.

Nala and August spun around in alarm – at the same time, the doors slammed open, and Aziz stormed in, eyes ablaze with urgency.

The moment he laid eyes on his disciple's agonised form, Aziz vanished in a blur of motion, reappearing at Jabari's side with a speed that shattered the air.

Nala didn't flinch. Like him, her focus was solely on Jabari. But her mind reeled. How could this be?

"That's impossible!" she muttered. "Even those who barely reached the 50th step can last more than a second…"

August said nothing, but his eyes were wide with disbelief, the colour drained from his face.

Aziz's expression darkened. Crimson light glowed from his irises as he placed a hand over Jabari's chest, trying to stabilise the storm of energies raging within him.

"The blood…

It's trying to…" Aziz's voice trailed into a growl.

Without hesitation, he flicked his hand. A razor-sharp knife materialised from his storage ring, its edge gleaming with menace.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Nala snapped, intercepting his hand.

"Saving his life," Aziz said coldly, his eyes never leaving hers.

Their gazes locked, fierce and unyielding.

"Now, if you don't remove your hand," he said, voice like ice, "I'll take it from you."

Under ordinary circumstances, Nala would've bristled with anger at anyone speaking to her like that. But now? Now, all she felt was fear.

As a seasoned Beast-Warrior – one who had long since earned her place among Ulo's elite – Nala possessed a honed sixth sense, a warrior's instinct that warned her of imminent danger. And in this moment, that instinct screamed louder than it ever had before.

Aziz's eyes, still glowing a deep, hellish crimson, bore into her like twin furnaces. Looking into them felt like staring into the abyss – no, worse. Like staring into the eyes of a devil masquerading as a man.

Her body reacted before her mind could. She loosened her grip and stumbled a step back. By the time she realised what she'd done, Aziz had already made a precise incision in Jabari's chest, just over his heart.

The knife clattered to the ground, forgotten.

Aziz pressed both palms over the wound and shut his eyes, his face taut with focus.

Despite everything, Nala's responsibility loomed large. She had been entrusted with overseeing the ingestion process, and more importantly, as the Great Elder of the Western Branch, she was duty-bound to protect the students under her watch – no matter who threatened them.

She moved forward, preparing to intervene – only for a firm hand to land on her shoulder.

"What are you doing? Get-"

"Just wait," August said calmly, his eyes locked on Aziz.

There was no hesitation in his voice, no fear. Only certainty.

He didn't understand what Aziz was doing, but his instincts whispered that this wasn't betrayal. It was desperation. And whatever was happening, Jabari's only chance of surviving it lay in Aziz's hands.

Nala's jaw tightened, but just as she braced herself to shove August aside, Jabari's screams ceased.

She spun toward him, breath caught in her throat.

Jabari had gone still. Unconscious.

Aziz was hunched over him, his shoulders trembling with exertion. Sweat poured from his brow, but his hands remained firmly planted on his disciple's chest. Above them hovered a single droplet of blood, suspended in the air – crimson in body, but laced with a haunting golden glow.

"Imamu's blood?!" Nala gasped. "How? What's going-"

Her words caught in her throat.

The droplet shimmered... then moved.

It twisted unnaturally in mid-air as if alive, then darted toward Aziz's palm like a serpent returning to its master.

Aziz's eyes flew open, alarmed. He recoiled instinctively, but he was spent – caught off-guard and drained by the ritual he had just performed. The blood struck his hand, vanishing into his skin before he could even mount a proper defence.

Nala's patience shattered.

"You... What did you do? Was this your plan all alo-"

Her accusation was cut short as Aziz lurched forward, coughing a mouthful of blood that splattered across her face.

Stunned, she didn't even wipe it away. She could only stare as his skin paled drastically within moments, as though something inside him was devouring his life force.

Even with suspicion burning in her chest, she released him. Whatever he had done, he was barely clinging to consciousness. Pushing him further could provoke something... catastrophic.

Aziz dropped to the ground, forcing himself into a meditative posture. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, doing all he could to suppress the alien force wreaking havoc inside him – the volatile blood of a being far beyond mortal comprehension.

For a long, tense hour, silence reigned.

August held Jabari on his back, standing behind Nala, both of them unmoving as they watched the man who had become the epicentre of this chaos.

Gradually, colour returned to Aziz's cheeks. His breathing evened out. His aura, once wild and jagged, settled into something calmer, though still unstable.

Finally, Aziz opened his eyes with a weak groan and muttered, "This disciple of mine just might end up being the death of me..."

He blinked – and found himself staring at August, who still carried Jabari, and Nala, who now stood before him… axe in hand.

A weary sigh escaped his lips as the full weight of the moment settled on his shoulders.

"Can you put the axe down already?" he muttered. "I'm suffering enough as it is. The blood of an Ancestral Beast is no joke, after all."

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