Two carriages rolled steadily along the winding road back to the Noble House of Kaizer, wheels creaking in the afternoon air. Laughter and casual conversation inside had settled into comfortable silence, until suddenly...
ROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!
A monstrous, bone-rattling roar tore through the sky, cutting through trees, air, and sanity alike. It wasn't just loud, it was unnatural. The kind of sound that made your blood run cold and your soul question what it just heard.
The carriages jolted as the horses neighed and stomped in fright. The ladies gasped, clutching at their seats. Even the hardened men reached for their swords on instinct.
Merlin's eyes widened. "What... what was that horrible sound?" she asked, heart pounding. "It came from the Noble House, didn't it?"
"I hope everything is okay," Julia whispered, her hand pressed tightly over her chest.
Meanwhile, within the grand halls and corridors of the Kaizer estate, the same roar froze everyone in their place. Queen Juliet dropped her teacup. The King set down his scroll, eyes narrowing. Knights paused in training. Maids dropped linens. Witches, alarmed, turned their glowing eyes toward the training grounds.
And then they moved, all of them, toward the source of the sound.
At the center of the chaos, the training ground had turned into a battlefield.
Joshua was fully unrecognizable, no longer boy, no longer knight. He was a rabid, berserk beast, blood-soaked and roaring, eyes glowing green with savage madness.
He leapt at Captain Percival, mouth foaming, claws stretched forward. Percival reacted in an instant, driving a brutal kick into Joshua's abdomen, launching him into the air. Joshua flipped midair, landed on all fours, and charged again.
This time, he feinted a pounce. Percival instinctively kicked, but Joshua vanished from sight, only to reappear behind him. He swiped at Percival's back, claws sharp and fast, but Percival flipped backward, spinning mid-air, and threw a heavy right straight. Joshua barely dodged, sliding back across the dirt, and Percival's fist hit the ground with a boom, sending a shockwave that carved a crater.
Then, witnesses arrived.
The King. The Queen. Knights. Nobles. Maids. Witches.
All surrounded the battlefield in tense silence.
Knights drew swords. Witches' eyes lit with golden fire. The Queen looked satisfied, the King disturbed.
Joshua stood at the center, growling like a cornered predator. Percival wrenched his hand from the dirt, eyes locked on the beast before him.
This is bad, Percival thought. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.
King William stepped forward. "What is going on here, Percival?"
Queen Juliet's eyes gleamed with cruelty. "I told you he's a beast. He should've been put down long ago."
Percival forced a tight smile. "Just a training exercise, Your Majesty. I pushed him too far. Call off the troops, I'll handle this."
The King hesitated, then nodded. "So be it. Stand down, all of you."
Weapons were sheathed. Glows faded. But the fear in their eyes didn't vanish.
Percival clenched his fists. No more slow and steady. I have to end this now. Before they see him as an irredeemable threat. His eyes began to glow bright gold. The sheer pressure of his aura caused nearby nobles to collapse and vomit.
Joshua saw it and charged.
Percival responded in kind. They clashed mid-field.
Joshua pounced, claws slashing. Percival swung a right kick but Joshua latched onto his leg, claws sinking in, drawing blood. Then he flipped over Percival's body, rising higher into the air.
Percival looked up, calm, calculated.
As Joshua descended with a double spinning slash, Percival caught both his wrists in his left hand. Joshua's claws dug deep into flesh. Percival winced, then responded with a brutal uppercut but Joshua blocked with both feet, landing on Percival's fist and launching himself high into the sky. The motion ripped a chunk of Percival's flesh from his hand.
Blood splattered across the ground.
At that moment, the two carriages arrived.
Blanchette, Lancelot, Merlin, and the others leapt out, racing toward the chaos. They skidded to a stop just in time to see Joshua, monstrous, flying through the air and Captain Percival bleeding heavily from both leg and hand.
"FATHER!!!" Lancelot shouted, his voice breaking as he ran toward the scene.
Merlin's face fell when she saw his expression.
Captain Percival met his son's gaze. Then he looked around, the nobles, the guards, the witches, the King, the Queen. Their expressions were the same...
Disgust. Fear. Mistrust. Hatred.
This isn't good, Percival thought. At this rate, they'll turn on him. I have to end it... now.
Joshua's feet hit the ground.
Before his hands could land, Percival appeared in front of him in a golden flash, seized his face and smashed the back of his head into the earth. The impact created a crater, sending dust flying.
Blood pooled beneath Joshua's skull.
Queen Juliet smiled coldly, pleased by the sight.
Merlin and Lancelot both stood frozen, concern etched in their features. The crowd, meanwhile, let out quiet sighs of relief.
Percival lifted his bloodied hand from Joshua's face. His golden glow began to fade. He stared down at the broken boy beneath him with sorrow.
Then, Joshua's eyes opened. Still glowing. Still snarling. Still fighting.
With blood and foam pouring from his mouth, he tried to rise.
The onlookers gasped.
Before he could, Percival drove a monstrous right hand into Joshua's abdomen. The sound was sickening, a brutal thud, followed by an eruption of dust and debris as a massive crater bloomed beneath them.
Joshua's eyes rolled white. His body slumped.
"JOSHUA!!!" Merlin screamed, breaking into a run toward him.
Captain Percival stood over Joshua, panting. His golden aura vanished. His eyes dulled. His fists trembled.
Lancelot took a step forward but stopped.
He saw the crowd's faces.
They weren't shocked anymore.
They weren't relieved.
They looked upon Joshua with disgust, hatred, fear, as though the beast had already devoured their faith.
Even the King.
Even the Queen.
And Percival saw it too.
The boy he had tried to protect... was now alone.