Gilded Ashes: When Shadows Reign

The beast did not look away.

Its pale blue eyes stayed locked on Raizen like there was no one else left in Ukai.

Hot air washed over the platform with every breath it took.

Beside him, Atman laughed softly, not being able to hold it back.

"How flattering."

Raizen didn't feel flattered.

He curled his fingers around his sword hilt, feeling the familiar grip under his palm.

Someone ran past behind them. An instructor, sleeve marked with some kind of rank, face drawn tight.

"Professor Atman!" he shouted. "Zone C is compromised, we are evacuating the north platforms. Command wants containment fields online."

Atman turned his head just enough to answer.

"I heard the bell" he replied, calm. "Go. Do what you must. I will take care of this one."

The instructor blinked at Raizen, then back at Atman.

"Alone?"

Atman smiled.

"I'm an instructor, after all, my friend. Trust me."

The man hesitated only a heartbeat, then nodded and sprinted away. Two more students followed him, glancing over their shoulders at the beast but not stopping.

In seconds, the nearest platforms were empty. A few students remained farther off, herded back behind barriers, eyes wide. Drones drifted in an uncertain ring, their lenses flickering between emergency readouts.

The winged lizard shifted its weight.

Its claws sank deeper into the wood, making small cracking sounds. The pale lines between its scaled plates brightened in pulses, like slow heartbeats.

Raizen realized his own heart was beating in time with them.

"Alright" he said. "What is the plan?"

Atman clasped his hands behind his back, like they were about to start a lesson.

"Plan?" he repeated. "Simple. Go!"

Raizen turned his head slowly.

"Excuse me?"

Atman gestured toward the beast with his chin.

"You wanted to know more about our mastery" he said. "This is the fastest way to learn."

"I thought you were going to handle it" Raizen said. "You told that guy you would take care of it."

"I am taking care of it" Atman answered. "By giving the task to the person more suited for it!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Unless you would prefer I let it run loose until Mina returns?"

Raizen looked back at the lizard.

Its wings twitched restlessly, sending dust and scraps of leaf swirling. Its jaw clenched once, the muscles in its throat glowing faintly with inner fire.

Every instinct he owned screamed that this thing didn't belong here. Not like this. Severed link, broken bond, still moving.

The bell rang again.

Atman lowered his voice, just enough for Raizen to hear.

"You want to protect people" he whispered. "Here's a problem, Raizen. One clear target. No politics. No council. No speeches. Just you, a beast, and a very simple question."

Raizen swallowed.

"What question?"

Atman smiled.

"Can you kill it?"

The word sat there between them.

Kill.

Raizen exhaled slowly.

His ribs twinged, but not enough to matter. But his grip did not shake.

He stepped forward.

"You stay back" he said. "If it jumps off platforms and into something worse, you throw your tricks. Until then, it is me and it."

Atman gave him a small, elegant bow.

"Superb" he said. "I will cheer."

Raizen didn't want cheering. Especially not from Atman

He walked out anyway.

The main walkway opened into a wider ring of wood that wrapped around one of the larger platforms. Here, the floor was broken into staggered levels - a big central space with several smaller raised platforms around.

The lizard stood across that mess, wings half spread, claws dug into a central block of wood that looked like it had been meant for heavy drills.

It watched him approach.

Not wild.

Not mindless.

Watching.

Raizen stopped at the edge of the outer ring.

The beast tilted its head, just a fraction. Its eyes did not blink.

Raizen drew his right sword.

Steel answered with a clean sound, the same soft hiss that had filled Atman's office moments before. Gold threads of Eon hummed under the surface, waiting.

He kept them quiet.

No sparks. No display. Just enough power to move how he had to.

"Wonderful posture" Atman called from behind, voice mild. "Now don't try to pet it."

The lizard moved.

It did not roar. It did not charge straight in a straight line like the wolf had.

It took one heavy step down from its block. Then another. Claws cracked wood, but each placement was precise.

The head stayed level, eyes never leaving him.

Raizen drew a breath, raised his blade and waited.

The beast closed the distance until they were only a few body lengths apart.

It suddenly stopped, chest expanding.

The blue lines in its throat brightened, light swimming under the scales.

Raizen moved.

Eon kicked through his legs in a small, contained pulse. The world blurred for a blink as he dashed sideways, crossing the gap between two platforms in a golden streak.

Flame poured past where he had been.

Blue-white fire shot out of the lizard's mouth in a thick cone, carving the air. Heat slammed into Raizen even from the side, dry and sharp, like opening an oven door too close - multiplied by ten.

The boards under the flame darkened slightly, but nothing ignited. The fire vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the wood steaming.

Raizen's skin stung along his cheek.

He touched it and felt heat, but no blisters.

So… Raizen thought, raising a brow.

It burns only what it wants.

He did not have time to think more.

The lizard pivoted faster than it should have been able to, wings dragging along the vines above for balance. Its tail swept low, a thick cable of muscle and armor.

The tail passed under Raizen's boots as he jumped, slamming into the pillar behind him instead. Wood split with a loud crack, chunks flying. The force of the impact made the whole little platform shudder.

He landed in a crouch, boots skidding.

Before he could fully steady his balance, the beast lunged.

Not a full-body tackle.

Just the head.

The neck shot forward, jaws snapping at him like a trap.