Page 39 of Beyond the Treaty

The beast snarled, its presence surging to the forefront. My body tensed, my claws raising instinctively.

“Elara,” I said, my voice shaking. “Step back. I can’t... I can’t halt it.”

“You can,” she said, her voice resolute. “You have always been stronger than you realise. And you are not alone in this. I’m withyou, Kaelen. Always.”

Her words pierced through the fog of rage and hunger, and for a fleeting moment, I sensed a flicker of control. The beast roared in protest, its power thrumming through my veins, yet I clung to that flicker as if it were a lifeline.

“Elara,” I whispered, my monstrous figure quivering.

But the beast was not finished. With a guttural roar, it surged forward, its hunger overwhelming my fragile control.

“Elara, run!” I shouted, my voice cracking.

She held her ground, her eyes fixed on mine. “You’re stronger than this, Kaelen. I believe in you.”

I lunge at her, and darkness enveloped everything.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself on my knees, the taste of blood lingering on my tongue and the weight of the beast’s power bearing down on me.

Elara stood before me, her hand resting softly on my monstrous claw.

“You’re still there,” she said, her tone unwavering. “And I shan’t give up on you.”

Elara’s touch, her very presence, was a force that the beast could not endure.

And in that moment, I realised that perhaps, just perhaps, I could fight this after all.

The weight of Elara’s hand on mine was grounding; her voice a lifeline in the storm. Her presence steadied me, even as the beast’s power surged like a tidal wave, threatening to drown me in its boundless rage and hunger.

But something felt rather... unusual.

“I’m here,” she interrupted gently, her gaze sharp yet warm. “You don’t have to face this alone, Kaelen.”

Her words carried the strength of conviction, yet they res- onated discordantly within me. The air around her shimmered faintly, almost imperceptibly, like the heat haze rising from sun-baked stone.

“Elara,” I said once more, my voice faltering. My clawquivered beneath her touch, and for a brief moment, I felt like the man I used to be. “I can feel you. But... how?”

She tilted her head, her expression softening. “Does it matter? I’m here, Kaelen. I shall always be here.”

Her smile, a blend of sorrow and reassurance, imprinted itself in my mind. Yet the shimmer intensified, her form wavering like a reflection on undulating water.

“No,” I muttered, shaking my head. The beast stirred once more, its power surging back to the forefront of my consciousness. “No, this isn’t real. You can’t be real.”

Her brow knitted in concern as she knelt closer, her hand pressing against my monstrous chest. “Kaelen, listen to me. What you’re feeling right now, the chaos, the pain, it’s real. But that doesn’t mean it has to define you. You can still fight this.”

I wished to believe her, to lose myself in the comfort of her words. Yet the shimmer had spread, distorting her edges, her voice carrying an ethereal echo that chilled me to the bone.

“Elara,” I whispered, my voice quaking. “You’re not here, are you?”

She hesitated, her expression wavering for the first time. “I’m with you, Kaelen,” she said, her voice softer now, almost pleading. “Isn’t that what truly matters?”

The beast growled, its laughter a dark and mocking sound

echoing through my mind. “You’re slipping, Kaelen. Clinging to phantoms won’t save you.”

“Elara,” I said again, more insistently this time. “If you’re real, if you’re genuinely here, prove it.”

She stared at me, her figure shimmering, and for a moment, her expression was inscrutable. Then, slowly, she got to her feet, her eyes brimming with sorrow.

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