Ethan felt the raw energy move through his body. It started in his chest and spread down both arms. The power felt strong and new.
He could sense it building fast. His arms began to glow with white and blue light. The glow was bright enough to light up the area around him even in the dim forest light.
A system message appeared in his vision.
[Lightning energy: 2%]
Only two percent, yet the force running through his muscles made his hands shake with strength. He tested it by clenching his fists. Small sparks jumped between his fingers.
The air around his hands smelled like ozone after a storm. This was the first time he had used the power consciously. It felt like he could keep going and increase the output if he wanted.
He already wondered how much stronger it would get at ten percent or higher. Part of him wanted to push it further right away, but he stayed focused on the immediate threat.
The beast charged again. It was a large creature, taller than a man at the shoulder, with thick muscles under dark, scaled hide. Its mouth hung open, showing rows of sharp teeth still dripping from the earlier attack. Claws dug into the wet ground as it closed the distance.
Ethan did not hesitate. He stepped forward and thrust both hands straight at the beast's face. The lightning followed his command and shot out in a concentrated stream.
The white-blue current hit the beast directly in the mouth and spread across its face. The energy burned through skin and muscle. The smell of cooked flesh filled the air immediately as the beast's eyes widened.
RAaaaar
It let out a loud growl that turned into a high-pitched whine of pain. Parts of its face started to melt and blister where the lightning had struck hardest.
The beast backed away quickly. It shook its head from side to side, trying to clear the pain. Its movements looked scared now, not aggressive. Blood and burned tissue dripped from its lower jaw onto the muddy ground.
From the back of the clearing, Marcus watched the whole thing. He stood thirty meters away, partly hidden by thick tree trunks. His face showed clear surprise mixed with fear. His mouth hung slightly open as he stared at Ethan's glowing arms.
"You beast, get him!...NOW!!" Marcus shouted.
He raised the small black device in his right hand and pressed a button hard. A sharp electronic beep sounded. The metal collar around the beast's neck activated.
Electricity surged through the collar and into the beast's spine. The creature's body jerked violently. Its legs stiffened and it let out another pained roar. The shock forced it to turn back toward Ethan despite the damage to its face.
Ethan saw the collar and the way the beast was being controlled. He shook his head once.
"No. I don't like animal cruelty," he simply said.
He lifted his right hand and sent a small, controlled spark toward Marcus. The spark traveled fast, covering the distance in less than a second.
It hit Marcus square in the chest. The electricity entered his body and spread through his nerves. Marcus's muscles locked up instantly. His back arched and his mouth opened in a loud scream.
"Haaa!!"
His fingers lost control of the remote. The device started to spark and heat up from the overload. Plastic and metal fused together in seconds.
Then the remote exploded in a small burst of flame and smoke. Pieces of it flew in different directions.
The collar around the beast's neck lost power at the same moment. The constant shocks stopped. The beast felt the change right away. It stood still for two full seconds, breathing hard, testing whether the pain from the collar would return.
When nothing happened, it looked at Marcus's body lying on the ground, then turned its head toward Ethan.
Ethan met the beast's eyes. The creature looked confused. Its burned face still smoked slightly.
"Go now," Ethan said. He kept his voice calm and even. "I don't hold grudges against beasts like you."
He wiped the blood from the claw mark on his own chest with the back of his hand and licked it off. The taste was metallic and warm. The wound had already stopped bleeding heavily, which surprised him. The new power seemed to be helping his body recover faster than normal.
The beast gave one last look at the two men, then turned and ran. It moved faster than Ethan had seen any creature of its size move before. Its legs pumped hard, claws tearing up mud and leaves as it disappeared into the thick trees.
Within ten seconds, the only sign it had been there was the trail of broken branches and the smell of burned flesh fading in the air.
Ethan stood still for a moment, watching the direction the beast had gone. His breathing was steady.
The lightning energy in his arms had dropped to 1.8% according to the system, but he could feel it slowly regenerating even now. He turned his attention to Marcus.
Marcus lay face down in the mud, unconscious. His uniform was wet from the rain that had started falling lightly.
Ethan walked over, grabbed the back of Marcus's collar with one hand, and lifted him off the ground without much effort as Marcus's body hung limp.
"You, on the other hand," Ethan said quietly, "we have some business to handle."
***
Marcus had been his partner since the early days of officer training. They joined the program on the same day. Both were assigned to the same squad.
They trained together every morning—running obstacle courses, practicing weapon drills, studying monster behavior patterns, and learning how to use divine weapons.
At first they got along well. They shared meals in the mess hall and talked about their goals after graduation.
Marcus was good at many things. He handled divine weapons with high accuracy. He rarely missed a target during live hunts.
When they were sent into beast zones, Marcus always brought down his assigned monsters cleanly.
In the classroom he scored straight A's on every test about monster anatomy, weapon maintenance, and tactical planning. Instructors often pointed to him as an example of steady, reliable performance.
But Ethan was always better.
In shooting drills, Ethan's scores were higher. In hand-to-hand combat, he won more sparring matches. In academics, his test results were perfect or near perfect.
The other trainees started calling Ethan the child genius within the first six months. Instructors praised him openly. Even the senior officers mentioned his name when they talked about promising new talent.
Marcus smiled and congratulated him each time, but the pattern repeated month after month.
Ethan never rubbed it in. He treated Marcus as an equal and often helped him review difficult material the night before exams. Marcus told himself the jealousy was small and that their friendship mattered more.
He believed he could live with being second best as long as they stayed close. They had each other's backs during dangerous missions. That trust felt real.
Or at least Marcus himself had believed it was real.
The change happened one night three weeks earlier. Marcus received a sealed message from a senior officer. It was marked for his eyes only.
When he opened the briefing document, Ethan's photo appeared on the first page, dark hair, pale eyes, the same face Marcus had seen every day for years. Below the photo were three lines in clear capital letters:
ELIMINATION
POSSIBLE THREAT
INDICATION OF OLYMPIC BLOODLINE
Marcus read the lines multiple times. He felt a mix of emotions. Part of him was shocked. Another part felt something close to relief. For the first time, there was an official reason why Ethan was different, why he always came out on top.
The Olympic bloodline explanation made sense to Marcus. It explained the unnatural talent, the way Ethan improved faster than anyone else, the quiet confidence that never seemed forced.
He went to the senior officer and asked many questions. His voice sounded worried, but inside he did not feel genuine concern. He asked for proof. He asked why this order had come now.
The senior officer gave short answers. In this world, power decided everything. If someone showed signs of a dangerous bloodline, the organization removed the threat before it grew too large. No exceptions. Friendship did not override protocol.
Marcus stood at attention and gave the standard reply.
"I will not fail you."
He saluted and left the room. A small smile appeared on his face once he was alone in the corridor. Jealousy had finally won. The years of coming in second no longer had to continue. This mission gave him permission to end it. End it for good.
He planned the operation carefully. He arranged for the controlled beast to be released in the sector where Ethan was assigned. He made sure the two of them would be alone.
The remote collar was supposed to keep the beast focused on Ethan until the job was finished. Marcus would report back that the beast had gone rogue and killed Ethan during a routine patrol. The story was clean and believable.
It had not worked out that way.
Now Marcus lay unconscious against the tree while rain fell on his face. His body still twitched occasionally from the aftereffects of the electric shock. The exploded remote left small burns on his right palm.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. The rain grew heavier.
"Aaaaaa" He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Mud covered the left side of his face. His muscles ached and his nerves still felt raw.
He looked around. The beast was gone. The clearing was empty except for Ethan, who sat calmly against a tree a short distance away, watching him.
Ethan spoke first.
"Finally you woke up, huh."
Marcus tried to sit up straighter. Pain shot through his back and arms. He managed a weak reply.
"Yeah…" His voice came out strained. "Yeah…"