The dust settled.
Leon's body ached, his muscles burning from the intense battle. But he stood victorious.
Across from him, the beastman warrior—Rhun—grinned despite his bruises.
"You fight well, human."
Leon exhaled. "You're not bad yourself."
Rhun laughed, a deep, rumbling sound. He rolled his shoulders, his golden eyes gleaming with approval.
"You have earned the right to walk the Trial Plains," he declared. "And my respect."
Kaelen nodded, his tail flicking slightly. "Then we may proceed without further challenges?"
Rhun's grin widened. "For now."
Leon caught the underlying meaning. More battles would come.
The Trial Plains weren't just a battlefield—they were a proving ground.
And he had only just begun.
---
A Change in Company
As they prepared to move, Rhun stepped forward.
"I will guide you."
Jarek blinked. "Wait. Hold on. You just tried to pummel him into the ground, and now you want to help us?"
Rhun smirked. "That is the way of our kind. Strength is respected. He has earned my trust."
Jarek groaned. "Of course, it's the 'beat each other up and become best friends' logic."
Leon ignored him. He studied Rhun. "Why help us?"
Rhun's expression turned serious. "Because you bear a mark. And marks carry destiny."
Leon's fingers twitched. He knows.
Kaelen's gaze sharpened. "You recognize it?"
Rhun nodded. "I do. And if you seek answers, there is only one place to go."
Leon met his gaze. "Where?"
Rhun turned, pointing toward the horizon.
"The Stone Maw."
Leon had heard of it before. A sacred place, where the ancestors of the beastmen had once gathered in times of great change.
A place of trial. Of visions.
And of truth.
---
The Journey Continues
With Rhun as their guide, they moved deeper into the Trial Plains.
The land stretched wide before them—untamed, wild, and alive.
Leon felt it in his bones.
The whispers of something greater.
He had passed his first trial.
But his true test?
It was still ahead.
---