Chapter 4 — The Beast That Should Not Exist
For a moment, no one in the shrine breathed.
The light pouring from the altar slowly faded, but the shadow behind Zarek remained.
It towered above him.
A massive lion formed entirely of darkness and faint shimmering energy. Its mane moved like drifting smoke, flowing slowly around its head as if the shadows themselves were alive.
Two enormous golden eyes burned within that darkness.
Watching.
Judging.
The nobles were the first to react.
"What… is that?"
"That beast—"
"I've never seen anything like it."
Several of them instinctively stepped backward.
Even the experienced Beast Lords among the royal guards looked uneasy.
Because something about the creature felt wrong.
Not evil.
But ancient.
Old enough that the air itself seemed to tremble in its presence.
Zarek felt it too.
The power radiating from the creature behind him pressed against his back like a rising storm.
Inside his mind, the lion's voice rumbled with quiet satisfaction.
At last.
Zarek swallowed.
So… that's you?
One fragment of me, the creature replied calmly.
Zarek blinked slightly.
Fragment?
But before he could ask more, a sharp voice cut through the chamber.
"This is impossible."
All eyes turned toward the speaker.
Lord Makoro, one of Valhara's most powerful nobles, stepped forward from the crowd. The large man wore heavy bronze armor marked with the symbol of a War Rhino, the beast bonded to his bloodline.
His eyes were locked on the shadow lion.
"There is no such beast in the royal records," Makoro continued. "Every known Beast Bond has been documented for centuries."
The nobles murmured in agreement.
He turned toward the king.
"Your Majesty, this could be a trick. An illusion."
King Rael said nothing.
His sharp gaze remained fixed on the shadow towering behind his son.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Step closer."
Makoro frowned.
"To the prince?"
"To the beast," the king corrected.
The noble hesitated for only a moment before walking forward.
The massive shadow lion did not move.
But its glowing eyes slowly shifted toward him.
Makoro stopped several steps away from Zarek.
The air around them felt strangely heavy.
"This proves nothing," the noble said.
Then he activated his bond.
A deep rumbling sound shook the shrine floor.
A massive War Rhino spirit appeared behind Makoro, its enormous horn glowing with earthy energy.
Gasps spread through the chamber.
The rhino spirit snorted aggressively.
Makoro smirked slightly.
"Let us see if this shadow beast is real."
The rhino charged.
Zarek's eyes widened.
"Wait—"
But the shadow lion moved faster.
There was no roar.
No warning.
Only a blur of darkness.
The lion's massive paw struck the charging rhino.
The impact exploded through the chamber like thunder.
The rhino spirit shattered instantly, dissolving into fading particles of light.
Makoro was thrown backward across the floor.
He slammed into one of the shrine pillars with a painful grunt.
Silence fell over the chamber.
Absolute silence.
The nobles stared in shock.
A War Rhino spirit—one of the strongest defensive beasts in Valhara—had been destroyed with a single strike.
The shadow lion slowly lowered its paw.
Its golden eyes swept across the stunned crowd.
Inside Zarek's mind, the lion's voice was calm.
Weak.
Zarek exhaled slowly.
You didn't have to destroy him.
He attacked my heir.
Somehow, the creature sounded almost offended.
Makoro groaned as he pushed himself up from the floor, his face pale.
"That beast…" he muttered.
King Rael finally stepped forward.
His voice carried quiet authority.
"That is enough."
The shadow lion immediately stilled.
Its massive form began fading slightly, the darkness dissolving into drifting mist.
But its eyes remained visible.
Watching.
King Rael stopped a few steps in front of Zarek.
For a long moment, the father studied his son.
"This beast," the king said slowly.
"What is its name?"
Zarek hesitated.
Inside his mind, the lion answered.
They once called me many things.
But the name your kind feared most was this…
Zarek raised his head.
"The Shadow Lion."
The name echoed across the chamber.
A few of the older nobles stiffened.
Because some of them had heard that name before.
In stories.
Ancient stories.
Legends whispered by historians and scholars.
Stories about the beasts that existed before the five kingdoms were founded.
One of the nobles spoke quietly.
"That creature… belongs to myth."
King Rael's eyes darkened slightly.
He turned toward the altar, studying the fading runes carved into its ancient stone.
Then he looked back at his son.
"You were once called the weakest prince in Valhara."
His voice carried across the silent shrine.
"But today…"
The king paused.
"…you awakened a beast that should not exist."
Zarek felt every eye in the chamber fall on him.
Some filled with fear.
Others with curiosity.
But one pair of eyes burned with something far darker.
Lord Makoro stared at him from across the room.
Hatred simmered beneath the noble's expression.
Inside Zarek's mind, the shadow lion chuckled softly.
Yes…
Now the hunt truly begins.