Five winters had passed. Lucen was now thirteen—old enough to train with the monks, young enough to still dream with open eyes.
The temple was home, but the mountains around it were his world. And in that world, he had one true companion—Raa, a snow-colored ram with a broken horn and one blind eye.
Lucen found him as a lamb, caught in thorns during a storm. He carried him home, fed him herbs, sang to him. Everyone else saw a sick animal. Lucen saw a brother.
They were both born in snow. Both raised by monks.
Both a little broken.
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The Quiet Morning
Raa followed Lucen everywhere—up rocky trails, through echoing halls, into the quiet spaces where Lucen would lie on the roof and ask the sky if he was normal.
> "If I was made for good… why does it feel so easy to imagine the bad?"
The monks smiled when they saw Lucen talk to Raa.
Eshun said, "A soul that loves an animal is a soul still growing."
But one morning, Raa didn't come when called.
Lucen searched the whole day—through trees, cliffs, snow paths. The sun began to fall when he saw it:
blood on the stone near the cliffside.
And near it—Raa. Lifeless. Torn.
The blind eye still open.
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The Devil in Him Woke
Lucen's breath became heavy. His fingers clenched so tight the stone cracked under them.
He felt it—the flame. Inside his chest. Inside his bones.
Something ancient wanted out.
He turned, and in the distance, saw three hunters from a nearby village—laughing. One of them held Raa's horn as a trophy.
Lucen's eyes burned silver. The snow around him melted.
He didn't think—he just moved.
He reached them before they even knew he was there.
---
The Moment Before the Monster
His fist pulled back—flames dancing around it. One hunter screamed. Another pulled a knife.
Lucen didn't care.
His voice changed when he spoke.
> "You took the only thing that made me feel human."
He would've killed them. All three.
But suddenly—a hand grabbed his wrist.
Eshun.
The monk's eyes didn't blink.
He stood between Lucen and murder like a stone wall.
> "If you kill with rage, the beast will learn to love the taste."
Lucen growled, "They deserve it."
> "Maybe they do. But do you want to be what they fear you are?"
Silence.
Lucen stepped back. The fire vanished. He dropped to his knees in the snow beside Raa's body.
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The Lie and the Seed
That night, the monks gathered around Lucen. They burned incense. They spoke of letting go.
Lucen listened. Silent. Still.
When Eshun asked, "Do you understand why we stopped you?"
Lucen forced a smile.
> "Yeah… sure. I get it. Be better, don't kill, inner peace. Got it. Can I go now?"
He left before Eshun could respond.
Behind the stone walls of his room, Lucen stared at the moon through the frost-covered window.
He wasn't crying. But he didn't feel strong either.
And in his heart, a small truth whispered:
> "They don't know how much I wanted to kill them."
But he didn't.
And that—was the beginning.
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END OF CHAPTER 2
Next Chapter:- CHAPTER 3: THE FIRE BENEATH CALM 🔥