The moment Ryan lunged, the world shrank to a single point — the rogue's glowing eyes.
Everything else blurred. The sounds of shouting students in the corridor, the pounding of hurried footsteps, even the acrid tang of burning metal from some lab experiment down the hall — all of it dissolved into the background. There was only predator and prey. And Ryan wasn't sure which one he was. The rogue shoved his hostage aside with terrifying ease and pivoted, claws slashing through the air with a hiss like tearing fabric. Ryan ducked instinctively, feeling the wind of the strike whip past his hair. The blow tore through the steel cabinet behind him, shearing it open like paper and sending shards of metal screaming across the floor. Ryan's heart thundered in his chest, but his muscles moved with a precision that didn't feel entirely his own. It was the mark — hot, alive, whispering inside his mind. Move now. Dodge left. Strike there. He didn't hear words so much as feel them. The rogue lunged again. Ryan sidestepped, grabbed the creature's arm in a fluid motion, and shoved him toward a workstation. The desk collapsed under the force, spilling glass beakers and a tangle of wires across the tiles. The rogue snarled and lashed out backward. This time, Ryan wasn't fast enough. The claws raked across his side, tearing through his shirt and skin. Heat and pain exploded through him, white-hot and electric, and for a split second his vision flickered — darkening at the edges.[Warning: Vital signs destabilizing.]
[Suggestion: Tap into partial shift.]
The words flashed across his vision, almost blending with the rogue's next attack. Ryan barely understood them, but their meaning hit like a hammer. "No—" he gritted his teeth. "I'm not—"Another strike came, forcing him to roll across the floor. His claws — he realized with a shock — scraped against the tile, sending up a metallic screech. The scent of his own blood filled his nose, sharp and coppery, and something deep inside him stirred at it. The rogue circled him, hunched low, teeth bared.
"You're new," the creature spoke, "Unclaimed. Weak ."Ryan's lips curled into something between a snarl and a smirk. "Try me. "They collided again. This time, Ryan didn't fight the shift entirely. He let it creep into his arms, swelling the muscles, strengthening his grip, sharpening his claws into hooked blades. His breathing deepened, and his vision honed until he could see the twitch of every muscle in the rogue's body before it moved. Claw met claw. Strength locked with strength. The rogue was faster, but Ryan was adapting, his counters and dodges growing sharper with every exchange. Then the rogue's tactics changed. He grabbed a heavy oxygen cylinder from a corner and hurled it toward Ryan's head with bone-crushing force. Ryan ducked, but the cylinder smashed into the wall, cracking tiles and sending dust snowing through the air. The impact shook loose a shelf — glass bottles tumbled and shattered, releasing sharp chemical smells. Flames leapt up almost instantly, curling greedily along the lab benches. The fire spread with terrifying speed. Outside, students screamed and scrambled away from the doorway. Ryan coughed, the smoke burning his throat and lungs. The rogue, seemingly unfazed, used the chaos as cover, darting in and slamming Ryan back against a table. The edge bit cruelly into his spine, knocking the breath from his lungs. The rogue leaned in, hot breath against Ryan's ear.
"Your mark doesn't belong to you," he hissed. "They'll take it. And they'll take you with it. "Images from the trial flashed in Ryan's mind — Kael's mural, the prophecy, the elder's warning. But above it all burned another memory: Darik's words. Power isn't given — it's taken. Ryan's claws flexed involuntarily. "Then come take it. "He shoved upward with everything he had, throwing the rogue off balance. His gaze darted around the room through the haze of smoke. The fire was growing, climbing up curtains and licking the ceiling. Then he saw it — a half-melted steel pipe lying on the floor near the flames. The rogue recovered quickly, snarling as he lunged again. Ryan snatched the pipe, spinning to meet the attack. The first blow caught the rogue across the jaw with a sickening crack, sending him staggering sideways. The second swing came harder — the clang of metal against bone echoed through the room as the pipe smashed into his ribs. The rogue roared in fury and charged, eyes blazing. Ryan sidestepped at the last moment, letting the rogue's momentum carry him straight into the fire. The flames roared to life around his fur, catching and clinging. He howled — a wild, animal sound — thrashing desperately. Ryan didn't give him a chance to recover. He slammed the pipe into the rogue's back, forcing him deeper into the blaze. With one last ear-splitting howl, the rogue burst through the flames, diving headfirst through the window in a spray of shattered glass. Ryan staggered forward, chest heaving, the pipe still clenched in his grip. The fire hissed and popped behind him, sprinklers finally activating overhead. Water rained down, mixing with smoke and turning the air into thick steam. The mark on his arm dimmed slowly, the searing heat fading to a dull throb. His claws retracted, leaving only trembling fingers behind.
[Threat Neutralized: Partial Success.]
[Note: Target escaped. Future encounter likely.]
He let out a long, shuddering breath. "Future encounters… great. "Shouts and footsteps pounded toward the door — students, faculty, maybe security. Ryan didn't wait to find out. He slipped out the side entrance before anyone could trap him in questions. By the time he reached his dorm, his adrenaline was fading, replaced by a hollow exhaustion. He locked the door, stripping off his torn shirt and standing in front of the mirror. The cut on his side was gone — not just healed, but erased entirely, as though it had never happened. The boy in the mirror looked human again… except for the faint golden glow pulsing under his skin, like embers in a dying fire. He turned the faucet on, splashing cold water onto his face, trying to ground himself. But then, the screen returned.
[Quest Complete: Initiation.]
Reward: Access to Alpha Protocol – Tier 1.]
A new icon flickered into view — a wolf's head, its eyes lit with that same molten gold. Beneath it, new text scrolled slowly:
[Next Objective: Learn the limits of your strength before the next Blood Moon.]
[Timeframe: 21 Days.]
Ryan's stomach tightened. Twenty-one days. Three weeks to figure out what he had become, and what that mark really meant.He sat heavily on the bed, staring at his arm. The faint glow from the crest made the room feel smaller, tighter."What the hell did I just get dragged into?" he muttered.Outside, somewhere far beyond the campus, a howl rose into the night — low, mournful, and not entirely… human.Ryan shivered, unable to shake the certainty that this was only the beginning.