Mirabelle hadn’t expected to actually fall asleep.

But the moment her head touched the cloud-soft pillow, every light inside her went out.

She dreamed.

Though what exactly she dreamed of... the Beast Goddess refuses to reveal to us just yet.

Only five hundred meters away, inside an arena illuminated solely by torchlight, two Beast males stood facing each other.

The structure resembled an ancient colosseum carved directly into the earth itself.

This Arena laid far beneath the roots of the Ancient Tree, hidden deep beneath Rotwald’s palace. It was older than most nobles remembered.

Massive circular walls of pale stone descended in layered rings around a central fighting ground, each level lined with towering columns whose surfaces had long since been worn smooth by time.

Cracks ran through parts of the architecture where gigantic roots had forced their way through the stone centuries ago, twisting around pillars and disappearing into the darkness overhead like the limbs of sleeping gods.

Unlike the bright elegance of the palace above, this place felt raw.

Primal.

The air underground carried a permanent chill mixed with the scent of damp stone, ash, sweat, and old blood soaked deep into the arena floor after generations of combat.

Only torches illuminated the vast space.

Hundreds of them burned in iron brackets along the walls and between the columns, their flames flickering violently whenever cold drafts wandered through the underground corridors.

The moving firelight caused shadows to stretch unnaturally across the arena, making the enormous roots overhead appear almost alive as they crawled across the ceiling like black veins.

Every sound echoed here.

The crackling of fire.

The shifting of loose gravel.

The distant dripping of water somewhere deep underground.

Even breathing seemed louder within these walls.

The fighting ground itself formed a wide circle of dark sand and pale stone scarred by countless battles. Deep claw marks had carved grooves into parts of the floor, while sections of broken stone hinted at impacts strong enough to shake the arena itself.

Above the arena rose row after row of empty seating carved directly into the surrounding stone.

Now abandoned.

Only the gods were silent watching.

In the darkness between the upper arches and pillars, enormous roots from the Ancient Tree pushed through the walls and ceiling, some thick enough to resemble entire tree trunks. Faint traces of glowing moss clung to them, casting dim bluish-green shimmers beneath the orange torch flames.

The entire underground structure felt less like something built by civilization and more like an ancient beast had hollowed out part of the world itself to create a place for violence.

Silas and Lucien stood facing each other in the center of the underground arena.

The panther male’s face was almost entirely swallowed by shadows. Despite the countless torches burning around them, the light never seemed to properly reach him.

Darkness clung to his body like living smoke, twisting slowly around his shoulders and arms.

Opposite him, Lucien looked almost unreal beneath the torchlight.

With the pale color of his fur and hair against the warm orange glow, he looked like some young god freshly risen from a battlefield drenched in blood.

Silas hated how composed he looked.

With lazy elegance, Lucien shrugged out of his long formal coat and tossed it aside without taking his eyes off the panther.

Then he rolled one shoulder before slowly flexing his fingers. Several quiet cracks echoed through the arena as his knuckles loosened.

The fox male tilted his chin upward slightly.

A silent invitation.

Then he threw the next words at Silas like a dueling glove.

"You should stop acting like she already belongs to you."

The shadows around Silas immediately thickened.

"You involve yourself in matters that don’t concern you, fox pup."

Lucien merely laughed softly.

"You really think insults are going to get you anywhere?"

"No..."

For a split second, the shadows around Silas distorted strangely.

Then he disappeared.

A violent gust tore through the arena as the panther emerged directly behind the fox male inside one of the darker sections between the pillars. His fist shot toward the bruise already forming along Lucien’s jaw.

"...but this will."

Except—

instead of impact, Silas’ hand passed directly through him.

The illusion shattered into drifting particles of pale light.

Another mocking laugh echoed through the arena.

"You should learn your opponent before attacking him."

Silas slowly straightened.

For the first time that night, irritation mixed with his anger.

The shadows around his feet hissed violently against the stone floor like living flames.

"Stop playing games and fight me properly."

Not far away, the real Lucien leaned casually against one of the pillars, watching him with obvious amusement.

"Games?" he repeated lightly. "You’re allowed to use your abilities but I’m not? Typical Zasar arrogance."

His green eyes sharpened slightly.

"Though I suppose expecting fairness from your kind was ambitious of me."

A low growl rumbled from Silas’ chest.

The sound echoed between the massive columns before vanishing somewhere high among the gigantic roots twisting across the ceiling.

The panthers pupils had narrowed into slits now.More beast than man.

Lucien noticed it immediately.

And suddenly realized something important.

Silas wasn’t simply angry anymore.

He was becoming emotional.

Silas: "You’re playing games while I’m trying not to lose control."

Lucien’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly.

Interesting.

So the mighty Zasar crown prince was unraveling this quickly over one female.

"Stop flattering yourself."

The fox male vanished mid-sentence.

A heartbeat later, his fist collided hard with Silas’ face.

The crack echoed through the arena.

Silas staggered half a step before immediately turning with a snarl. Shadows exploded outward from beneath him, lashing through the air. One wrapped sharply around Lucien’s ankle and violently ripped the fox male off his feet.

Lucien hit the stone hard enough to crack part of the floor beneath him.

Yet before the shadows could tighten further, several illusion copies burst outward across the arena all attacking the panther.

Silas’ instincts reacted instantly—

wrong target.

Lucien tore free and regained his footing with surprising speed despite the obvious pain shooting through his leg.

"Careful," Lucien hissed coldly.

"Or what?"

"She’d be upset if I killed you."

To Lucien’s surprise, Silas laughed darkly.

"I don’t think the same applies to you."

Then they collided again.

This time without restraint.

The exchange became too fast for normal eyes to properly follow. Shadows ripped through pillars while illusion copies flickered across the arena like ghosts.

Stone cracked beneath their feet. Sparks burst through the darkness whenever claws met magic.

And slowly—

Silas realized something deeply irritating.

Lucien was not merely beautiful and manipulative.

The fox male was genuinely dangerous.

Panting heavily, the two males faced each other once more across the ruined arena.

Silas had developed a dark bruise beneath one eye while several bleeding scratches marked his torso.

Lucien favored one leg now. Blood coated part of his mouth where Silas had split his lip open.

Still grinning, the fox male spat blood onto the arena floor.

"You should know when to step back," Silas warned darkly.

Lucien wiped his mouth with the back of his hand:

"You keep trying to overpower situations that require intelligence."

The shadows around Silas shivered.

"Stay away from her."

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly:

"Stop acting like a prince."

Silas’ jaw tightened.

"I am one."

"Exactly."

For the first time during the fight, uncertainty flickered briefly through the panther’s expression.

Lucien immediately noticed.

And struck deeper.

"You honestly think Mirabelle wants a Zasar prince at her side?"

"That’s not your decision to make!"

The fox male gave a sharp humorless laugh.

"Unlike you, I’m not the one trying to decide things for her." Then Lucien tilted his head slightly. "You know what fascinates me?"

Silas: "..."

"For someone raised to rule..." Lucien’s green eyes locked onto him with almost surgical precision. "...you still doesn’t know how to make a female feel safe."

Silas’ shadows slowly calmed.

His ears lay flat against his head.

"She looked terrified of me earlier."

That had genuinely affected him.

For some reason, Lucien suddenly no longer felt like verbally tearing into the panther any further.

He limped over to his discarded coat and picked it up.

"Learn from it." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

A/N: One extra Chapter today for Nimyra and Ushi1111 ♡

The Beast Goddess looks favorably upon the Power Stones and Golden Tickets you’ve sacrificed to her altar. ✧( ˆᗜˆ )✧