Arian hit the ground hard, his palms scraping against warm, cracked earth. The air here shimmered like heat rising from a desert, though no sun hung in the sky. All around him stretched a forest unlike any he had ever seen — trees with leaves like shards of gold, rivers flowing in molten light, and shadows that moved against the wind.
He pushed himself to his feet, chest heaving. The world felt… wrong. The colors were too sharp, the sounds too close. Even his own heartbeat was a thunder in his ears.
Then he saw it.
Across the glowing river stood a figure — his figure.It had his face, his stance… but its eyes blazed like a predator's, and its mouth curled into a snarl that showed gleaming fangs. Stripes of black and gold marked its skin, running down its arms like living fire.
It tilted its head, studying him like prey.
A voice rumbled through the strange forest, the same voice that had greeted him in the pool."Before you can wield the stripes, you must defeat the beast within."
The other Arian bared his claws.And then — it moved.
It was faster than thought, a blur of gold and black crashing toward him. Arian barely had time to roll aside before the earth where he had stood split open under the beast's strike.
He staggered back, his breath ragged. This wasn't like fighting the hunters. This thing knew every move he could make — because it was him.
The beast circled him, smiling with cruel patience."You can't kill me," it hissed in a voice that was his own, but twisted. "I am you. I am every rage you've buried, every hunger you've denied. Without me… you are nothing."
Arian clenched his fists, feeling the heat rise in his veins.Maybe… it was right.
The beast lunged again, this time its claws grazing Arian's shoulder. A burst of pain shot through him, but instead of blood, golden light spilled from the wound, sizzling as it touched the ground. The scent of burning leaves filled the air.
The creature grinned. "Feel it? That's the truth under your skin."
Arian staggered back, his pulse pounding. He could hear his own breath — no, their breath — syncing in rhythm, like predator and prey locked in one heartbeat.
Memories began to flash in his mind.His father's voice warning him about losing control.The night he first felt the wild power surge in his bones.The hunters dragging away his childhood friend.
Each memory stoked the heat in his chest, until he could barely tell where his anger ended and the beast's began.
The golden-striped double struck again, but this time Arian caught its wrist. The force rattled his bones, yet he held on. "You're not me," he growled through clenched teeth. "You're what they made me."
The beast's smile faltered — just for a heartbeat.
Arian drove his knee into its chest, forcing it back a step. Golden dust sprayed from the impact, dissolving into the shimmering air. But instead of weakening, the beast laughed — a deep, feral sound.
"Good… now stop fighting me. Become me."
The world tilted. The trees bent inward, their golden leaves spiraling toward the two of them. The ground itself pulsed like a heartbeat. Arian felt his own body shift — bones stretching, muscles tightening, claws pressing against his fingertips.
He could win if he let go.But if he did… would there be anything human left?
Arian's breath came in ragged bursts. The heat in his veins roared like wildfire, urging him to give in, to let the claws and fangs finish what the rage had started. The beast's golden eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"One step," it whispered, circling him. "One heartbeat… and we will never be prey again."
The air thickened. Even the molten river seemed to slow, as if the entire forest was watching.
Arian felt the transformation crawling through him — fur sprouting along his arms, his teeth sharpening with each breath. His vision shifted, colors deepening, the beast's every movement as clear as if time had slowed.
One strike, and it would be over.One strike… and he wouldn't be Arian anymore.
He tightened his grip on the beast's throat. Their faces were inches apart, mirror and monster, human and predator."I won't be your prisoner," he growled.
The beast's smile widened, fangs glinting."You already are."
The ground shattered beneath them, golden light erupting upward, swallowing them both in a blinding flash.
And then — silence.
When the light faded, Arian was no longer standing on the cracked golden earth. He was kneeling in a vast, silent plain under a black sky scattered with red stars. His chest heaved, every breath tasting of iron and smoke.
In front of him lay the beast — or what was left of it. Its body was dissolving into golden mist, each wisp drawn toward him, seeping into his skin like embers into dry wood.
Its voice was softer now, almost human."You cannot destroy me… only carry me."
The last tendrils of light sank into his chest. For a moment, Arian felt nothing. Then a surge of raw power flooded through his veins, sharp and wild, like the heartbeat of a predator echoing inside his skull.
He looked down at his hands. No claws. No fur. Just skin — trembling, but his.
Yet deep inside, he could feel it — the beast, waiting.Not defeated. Not gone.Just… part of him now.
From the darkness beyond the plain, the deep, ancient voice of the Macan Emas rumbled again:"The first trial is complete. But with every gift comes a price… and yours will be claimed sooner than you think."
The black sky tore open in a cascade of golden light, pulling Arian upward.When he opened his eyes, he was back in the chamber beneath the forest — but nothing, not even the air, felt the same.