CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 75: DEFENDING THE CUB

Location: Mid Ring, Dark Forest - Kameko’s dying place | Doha (Lower Realm)

Time: Day 460, Late Afternoon

The forest shifted.

Jayde’s head snapped up, tactical instincts screaming a warning. Heat Sense flared automatically, painting the world in thermal signatures even through her exhaustion.

Five shapes. Moving through the undergrowth. Large. Inferno-tempered minimum.

(No. Not now. Please not now.)

Tactical assessment: Five hostiles, superior cultivation tier. Current condition: critical. Defensive options: limited. Survival probability: negligible.

Reiko pressed against her, his massive form trembling. Through their bond, she felt his fear spike—raw and visceral and completely justified.

The pride emerged from the tree line like living shadows.

Five shadowbeasts, each one massive and deadly. Obsidian fur rippled with essence that made the air shimmer. Silver eyes fixed on Kameko’s corpse with clinical detachment, then shifted to Reiko with predatory focus.

The one in front—larger than the others, with scars etching his muzzle and shoulders—had to be the alpha. His presence carried weight that pressed against Jayde’s skin like physical force.

Early Blazecrowned tier, her instincts whispered. Maybe higher.

Target assessment complete. Alpha: Blazecrowned minimum. Pack members: Inferno-tempered mid to late. Combined threat level: catastrophic. Recommendation: immediate retreat.

(Can’t run. Won’t run.)

The alpha’s gaze swept over the scene. Kameko’s body. Reiko pressed against Jayde. The fading glow of contract glyphs still visible on their foreheads.

Understanding flickered in those ancient silver eyes.

[The outcast is dead,] the alpha’s mental voice rumbled through the clearing, cold and final. [Good. Her punishment is complete.]

He took a step forward, focused entirely on Reiko now.

[The cub is ours by right. Pride blood. He comes with us.]

"No." Jayde’s voice came out hoarse but steady.

She stood—legs shaking, ribs screaming, everything hurting—and moved between the pride and Reiko. One hand dropped to her blade’s hilt. The other spread protectively in front of the cub.

The alpha’s silver eyes narrowed. [Human. You wear our contract mark. That does not make you pack. Step aside.]

"He’s under my protection now." Jayde met that ancient gaze without flinching, even though her heart hammered against her broken ribs. "You want him, you go through me."

Analysis: Bluff detected. Current combat effectiveness: twelve percent. Probability of successful defense: point-zero-three percent. This is suicide.

(I know. Don’t care.)

The alpha tilted his head, something like amusement flickering through his mental presence. [Bold. Foolish. You’ll die.]

"Maybe." Jayde’s fingers tightened on her blade. "But I promised his mother I’d protect him. And I keep my promises."

Behind her, Reiko whimpered. [Jayde, no. They’ll kill you. Just... just let me go. I don’t want you to die for me.]

[The cub speaks sense,] one of the other shadowbeasts rumbled. [Accept reality, human. You cannot win this.]

Jayde’s Crucible Core pulsed, Inferno essence responding to her will despite her exhaustion. Heat shimmered around her blade as she drew it—the runeinfused steel catching the fading sunlight.

"Try me."

The alpha’s amusement deepened. [Admirable spirit. Wasted on impossible odds.] He took another step forward. [Last chance, human. Step aside, or we take the cub over your corpse.]

Threat assessment confirmed. Hostile intent: maximum. Time to engagement: seconds. Final recommendation: surrender.

(Never.)

Jayde settled into a combat stance—Federation training overriding her body’s screams of protest. Blade ready. Essence coiling. Everything hurting, but everything focused.

"Come on then."

The alpha’s muscles bunched—

And the forest moved.

Not metaphorically. Actually moved.

Roots erupted from the ground like striking serpents, weaving a wall between the pride and their prey. Trees bent—ancient trunks groaning as they curved at impossible angles, branches interlacing to form a barrier.

The alpha skidded to a halt, silver eyes widening. [What—]

The air thickened. Pressure built—not threatening, but old. So old it made Jayde’s bones ache with the weight of centuries. The temperature dropped ten degrees in a heartbeat.

Energy signature detected. Classification: unknown. Power level: extreme. Origin: environmental. Assessment: this is beyond our understanding.

Green light flickered through the undergrowth. Faint at first, then growing stronger. The trees’ leaves began to glow with soft luminescence that had nothing to do with sunlight.

[The forest,] one of the pride breathed, and there was fear in that mental voice. [The forest claims them?]

Something manifested in the air above Kameko’s corpse.

Not quite solid. Not quite real. A presence more than a form—vaguely humanoid but composed of shifting emerald light and shadow. Ancient eyes, older than mountains, gazed down at the scene.

When it spoke, the voice resonated through the clearing like distant thunder.

"The Voidforge child bears the Divine Tome. She is Chosen. The cub is hers. Leave."

The pride alpha’s fur bristled. [The forest has no right to interfere with pride matters—]

"The forest has every right." The presence grew more solid, more threatening. "This ground is sacred. These creatures are protected. You will not touch them."

The trees tightened their barrier. Roots writhed, creating an impenetrable wall of wood and earth. The green light intensified until it hurt to look at directly.

[This is not over,] the alpha snarled, but he backed away. [Outside the forest, they’re fair game. No protection then.]

"Then see that you remain outside."

The pride hesitated—predators unused to being thwarted. But the forest’s power was undeniable. Ancient. Absolute.

One by one, they melted back into the shadows.

The alpha lingered longest, silver eyes locked on Reiko with promise and threat combined.

[You chose a human over your own kind,] he sent directly to the cub. [That choice has consequences. Remember that.]

Then he too vanished into the undergrowth.

The forest spirit remained for a long moment, those ancient eyes studying Jayde with an intensity that made her skin prickle.

"Interesting," it murmured. "The Divine Tome recognizes what others cannot see. Your path will not be easy, Chosen. But the forest will remember this day."

Then it dissolved—light fading, presence withdrawing, until only the normal sounds of the forest remained.

The barrier of roots and branches unraveled, returning to their natural positions as if they’d never moved.

Jayde stood frozen, blade still raised, not quite believing what had just happened.

(The forest... protected us? Why? How?)

Insufficient data for analysis. The phenomenon appears magical in nature but is unlike any documented essence manipulation. Hypothesis: Divine Tome connection triggered the automated defense system? Probability: unknown.

"Jayde?"

Reiko’s mental voice—small and scared and confused—cut through her shocked haze.

"I... I don’t know what just happened." Jayde lowered her blade with trembling hands. "But we’re safe. For now."

[They’ll come back. The alpha said—]

"I heard." Jayde turned to face the cub, seeing the fear in those silver eyes. "Outside the forest, we’re on our own. But we’re not leaving the forest anytime soon, so—"

Pain exploded through her chest.

Not new pain. Old injuries finally catching up. The adrenaline that had been keeping her upright, keeping her functional, suddenly drained away like water through cracks.

Her legs buckled.

"Ah, hell—"

She hit the ground hard, vision swimming. Everything hurt. Everything. Broken ribs grinding, bruised organs protesting, muscles screaming from overexertion.

Physical condition critical. Adrenaline crash detected. Blood loss is significant. Immediate medical intervention is required.

(Can’t... can’t pass out. Reiko needs...)

But darkness crept in at the edges of her vision anyway.

[Jayde!] Reiko’s massive form pressed against her, trying to support her. [No, no, no—stay awake! Please!]

"M’okay," she mumbled, even though she very much wasn’t. "Just... need a minute..."

[You’re not okay! You’re bleeding! Your breathing is wrong!]

Yeah. That tracked. Probably punctured lung or something. White would be so disappointed.

Medical assessment: two broken ribs, internal hemorrhaging likely, severe contusions across torso and back, minor lacerations, extreme exhaustion. Prognosis without immediate treatment: poor.

(Emergency beacon. Need to... summon...)

Jayde fumbled for her spatial ring with numb fingers. The world tilted sideways. Colors bled together in ways that definitely weren’t normal.

Focus. Come on.

Her Crucible Core pulsed weakly as she accessed the ring’s contents. There—the emergency extraction beacon Isha had given her months ago.

Warning: Emergency beacon activation cost: 500 Merits. Current balance: 4,330.1. Confirm expenditure?

Five hundred Merits. A fortune. But what else could she do?

(Confirm.)

She pulled the small crystal sphere from her ring and crushed it in her palm.

The beacon shattered with a sound like breaking glass, essence exploding outward in a pulse of pure white light that lit up the clearing like a miniature sun.

Then everything went sideways.

Reality twisted. Space folded. The forest lurched—

And Isha materialized three feet away, expression already shifting from neutral to concerned as he took in the scene.

"Really pushed it this time," he said, moving immediately to her side. His hands glowed with diagnostic essence as he scanned her injuries. "Broken ribs, internal bleeding, severe exhaustion. What happened?"

[Pride came,] Reiko snarled, pressing protectively against Jayde. [They tried to take me. She stood between us. Forest protected us. Alpha threatened us. She collapsed.]

Isha’s eyebrows rose slightly as he processed that rapid-fire explanation. His gaze shifted to the shadowbeast cub, then to Kameko’s corpse, then to the fading contract glyphs still visible on Jayde’s forehead.

"You contracted a shadowbeast." Not a question. Just a statement delivered with the same tone someone might use to comment on the weather. "Level 2 Contractor minimum for beast contracts. You just made it. Barely."

"Kameko... asked me to..." Jayde’s words came out slurred. "Her last... wish..."

"Mm." Isha lifted her effortlessly, cradling her like she weighed nothing. His essence wrapped around her injuries, stabilizing them. "Well. This complicates things. White’s going to be furious."

[If anyone tries to hurt her—]

"No one’s hurting anyone," Isha interrupted calmly. "She’s my contractor. Under my protection. The trainers will heal her, not harm her." He paused, studying Reiko with clinical interest. "Though explaining you will be... interesting."

The world started dissolving again as Isha activated extraction.

The last thing Jayde heard before unconsciousness claimed her was Reiko’s panicked mental voice:

[Where are you taking her?! I’m coming with her! Don’t you dare leave me!]

"Obviously," Isha said, and there might have been the faintest hint of amusement in his tone. "Can’t separate bonded pairs. Basic contract law."

Then everything went black.

Consciousness returned in pieces.

First: softness. A bed. Real bed, not forest floor.

Second: warmth. Blankets. Temperature-controlled environment.

Third: voices. Familiar but arguing.

"—complete idiot," White’s voice, dripping with disgusted disbelief. "Stood against five Inferno-tempered shadowbeasts and a Blazecrowned alpha with broken ribs and depleted Qi reserves. What part of ’assess threat level before engaging’ didn’t penetrate that thick skull?"

"The part where a dying mother asked her to protect a cub?" Green’s voice, calmer but with an edge. "She made a contract, White. Soul bond. That’s not something you break just because the odds are bad."

"The odds weren’t bad. They were impossible. She should’ve died."

"But she didn’t." Green again. "The forest intervened. That’s... unusual."

"Unusual?" White snorted. "That’s unprecedented. The Dark Forest doesn’t interfere with predator-prey dynamics. It’s neutral ground. Always has been."

"Except this time it wasn’t." Isha’s voice joined the discussion. "Forest spirit manifested. Called her ’Chosen.’ Referenced the Divine Tome specifically."

A pause.

"That’s problematic," White said finally.

"That’s fascinating," Green corrected. "The Tome recognizes something. Triggers defensive protocols we didn’t know existed. What does that mean?"

"It means she’s attracting attention," White said flatly. "Dangerous attention."

Jayde cracked her eyes open.

The Pavilion’s medical chamber. White walls, soft lighting, medical formation glowing beneath her. All three trainers stood near the bed, their expressions ranging from furious (White) to intrigued (Green) to professionally neutral (Isha).

And curled at the foot of her bed, obsidian fur gleaming, silver eyes fixed on the trainers with unmistakable suspicion: Reiko.

[You’re awake,] he sent immediately, relief flooding their bond. [They fixed you. They said you’d be okay, but I wanted to make sure they weren’t lying—]

"M’fine," Jayde croaked. Her throat felt like sandpaper. "How long?"

"Six hours," Isha supplied. "Green handled the internal injuries. White set your ribs. You’ll need a week minimum before you’re combat-ready again."

White crossed her arms. "You cost yourself five hundred Merits with that beacon. Could’ve bought three months of supplies. Instead, you burned it because you couldn’t assess a simple threat level."

"Wasn’t... simple..." Jayde managed.

"No," Green agreed softly. "It wasn’t." Her gaze shifted to Reiko, genuine interest flickering in her eyes. "A shadowbeast cub. Equal contract, if I’m reading the bond correctly. That’s... rare. Very rare."

[She saved me,] Reiko said, though only Jayde could hear through their bond. [When everyone else wanted me dead, she stood between them and me. She’s my pack now.]

"He’s loyal," Green observed, picking up on the cub’s body language even without hearing his thoughts. "Protective. Good qualities in a companion."

"He’s a complication," White corrected. "Shadowbeasts require massive amounts of food. Specialized training. Space to grow. She can barely handle herself, and now she’s responsible for feeding and training a beast that’ll be seven feet tall at maturity?"

"Eight feet," Green murmured. "He’s got good bone structure. Might hit eight and a half if he develops properly."

Jayde tried to sit up. Her ribs immediately protested, forcing her back down with a wince.

"Easy," Isha said. "Green’s healing is thorough, but you still need rest. No sudden movements for at least forty-eight hours."

"Reiko—"

"Is fine," Green assured her. "Fed him myself. He’s quite intelligent for his age. Already understands basic commands through your bond." She smiled slightly. "He refused to leave your side during treatment. Had to promise he could stay in the room."

[Didn’t trust them,] Reiko admitted. [Still don’t. But they healed you so... maybe they’re okay.]

White shook her head. "This changes everything. You have a companion now. That means different training protocols. Different expenses. Different mission parameters."

"Different opportunities," Green countered. "Bonded pairs are formidable once properly trained. The synchronization potential is enormous."

"If she survives long enough to develop it," White said darkly. "Which, given today’s performance, is questionable."

Jayde met White’s furious gaze. "I know. I screwed up. Went too deep, got in over my head, nearly died. Again."

"And?"

"And..." Jayde glanced at Reiko, seeing those silver eyes watching her. Feeling the bond between them—still new, still settling, but already strong. "And I’d do it again. Kameko saved my life first. Asked me to protect her son. That’s not something I can refuse."

White’s expression didn’t soften. "Honor’s worthless if you’re dead."

"Maybe." Jayde held her trainer’s gaze. "But it’s all I’ve got."

Silence stretched for a long moment.

Finally, Isha spoke. "Recovery protocol: one week minimum before any physical training resumes. Green will monitor your healing progression. White will design modified training routines that incorporate companion dynamics."

He looked directly at Jayde, something unreadable in his eyes.

"You have a companion now. That changes everything. Time to learn to fight together. Because next time, the forest might not intervene."

White snorted. "Next time, she’ll be dead before the forest has a chance."

But despite the harsh words, she was already pulling out a training manual from her spatial ring.

Green smiled. "Welcome to the next phase, Jayde. You wanted a challenge? You got one."

Reiko pressed closer, warm and solid and loyal.

[We’ll face it together,] he promised through their bond. [Whatever comes. Pack doesn’t abandon pack.]

(Pack doesn’t abandon pack,) Jayde echoed silently.

Through the exhaustion and pain, she felt something warm bloom in her chest. Not just the bond. Something deeper.

Hope.

For the first time since Lawrence’s betrayal, since the fighting pits, since all the darkness and death—

She wasn’t alone anymore.