Chapter 9 Fractured Trust

"Stay back! Don’t get near him yet!"

I staggered forward, massive clawed hands raised, trying to show I was still in control. The legendary beast lay dead behind me, its blood soaking into the dirt. My body felt wrong, too heavy, too strong, patches of coarse fur rippling across my shoulders with every breath. The group stood frozen twenty paces away, eyes wide with that mix of awe and raw terror.

"Ren... you killed it. Alone," Dak said, spear still half-raised. His voice carried respect, but his stance screamed caution.

Lysa broke from the line first. "Let me through. He’s bleeding." She hurried over, pouch already open, no fear in her step even as she took in my changed form up close. Her hands pressed against a deep gash on my chest, steady and warm. "Breathe slow. This one’s bad, but the medicine will help close it."

I winced as she poured the vial directly on the wound. The liquid burned, but the pain dulled fast. Too fast. "It feels different this time," I muttered. "Like the power’s eating pieces of me. Look at my hands, Lysa. I can barely close them right."

She looked up, eyes soft. Her fingers lingered on my scaled and furred arm longer than needed, tracing one of the new patches. "You saved us all again. Without you charging that thing... we wouldn’t have made it. I’ve never seen strength like that. It’s... incredible. And terrifying." Her voice dropped. "I’m here, Ren. Whatever this is, I’m not running."

Karg pushed forward from the group, face twisted. "Incredible? He’s turning into a damn legend himself! Look at the fur, the size. We should split while we still can. Half of us head north, away from whatever he’s becoming. Following him means we all end up monsters or dead."

Murmurs rippled through the eighteen. A few heads nodded. One older slave clutched his pack tighter. "He’s right. The hybrid’s power is drawing worse things. Or worse…he is the worse thing now."

"Enough," I growled. My voice came out like gravel. The golden Codex pulsed in my chest, but something new stirred beneath it. Fainter. Older. A whisper of pure rage. [Humans. Betrayers. Weak chains.]

I shook my head hard. "Nobody’s splitting. We stay together. The Wilds will pick you off one by one if you go alone. You saw those marks. You saw that beast. I can protect this group. I will protect it."

Dak stepped up beside Lysa, looking me over. "Give us a minute with him," he told the others. Then quieter to me, "Walk with me, Ren. Away from the ears."

We moved a short distance, out of easy hearing. My heavier steps left deep prints in the soft ground. Dak kept his spear loose but ready.

"What’s really happening to you?" he asked, eyes locked on my new golden gaze. "One day you’re the arena hybrid. Next you’re ripping legends apart and growing fur. The others are scared shitless. I need to know if I’m standing next to my brother or something that’s gonna turn on us."

I flexed my massive hands, watching the claws extend. "The Codex... it’s making me stronger. Every kill feeds it. But it costs. I feel parts of me slipping. The rage gets louder. Whispers about humans deserving what’s coming. I fight it, Dak. For Mira. For all of you. But I don’t know how long I can."

Dak rubbed his jaw. "That healer keeps dosing you. You trust her?"

"Lysa’s the only one who hasn’t looked at me like I’m already gone." I glanced back. She was watching us, concern clear on her face.

We walked back. The group had clustered tighter. Karg was still talking. "I say we vote. Stay with the changing freak or take our chances."

I stepped into the center, towering over most of them now. My shadow fell long. "You want to vote? Fine. But think hard. I just dropped a monster that would’ve eaten all of you. Supplies are low. The Wilds don’t care about votes. You leave, you die slower. Stay, and I keep you breathing. I’m not asking to be followed blindly. But right now, I’m your best shot at seeing another sunrise."

Mira pushed through the adults and stood right in front of me. "I’m staying with Ren. He carried me. He fights for us. You all saw it."

A few faces softened. Lysa nodded firmly. "He’s right. Splitting now is suicide. I’m staying."

One by one, grudging agreements came. Even Karg backed down, muttering curses but falling in line. The group held. For now.

"Pack up," I ordered. "We move in ten. Stay close."

As the others scattered to gather things, I slipped away behind a cluster of broken rocks, needing a moment alone. My body ached from the integration. I sat heavy against stone, massive frame making it hard to get comfortable. The whisper came again. [Betrayers. All of them.]

Then the flood hit.

My vision blurred. Not the Wilds anymore. Ancient trees, taller than Sanctuary Peaks. Beast Gods walking among early humans, protectors, teachers. Then chains. Spears. Humans turning on their gods, shattering them for power, for control. The pain of betrayal burned hot, like it was my own memory. Faces that looked too much like the guards from the arena. Like the purebloods who jeered. The rage wasn’t alien. It felt earned. Too familiar.

I gasped, claws digging into my own thighs. "No... that’s not me. I’m not... them."

Sweat poured down my furred neck. The memory faded slow, leaving me shaking.

"Ren?" Lysa’s soft voice broke through.

I opened my eyes. She stood there, watching me with tears glistening before she quickly wiped them away, hiding them behind a calm mask. "I came to check on you. The others are ready. Are you...?"

I stared at her, chest tight. Her concern felt real. The way she looked at me now, like I was still worth saving. "Just memories. Bad ones. Not mine. Or maybe they are now."

She stepped closer, hand resting on my broad shoulder. "Whatever they are, you’re still fighting them. That matters." Her fingers squeezed gently, eyes holding mine a beat too long. "I won’t let you face this alone."

The group called from the path. Time to move.

I pushed up, the weight of my new body and those old betrayals pressing down. Lysa walked beside me as we rejoined the others. Dak gave me a nod, but his grip on the spear stayed tight. Whispers still floated among the caravan.

The Wilds stretched ahead, but the real fracture felt closer. Inside me. And maybe in the eyes of the people I was trying to save.

A low rumble echoed in the distance. Another threat already stirring.