"Calen!" Roxanna cried out in panic, coughing as the dust filled the air. "Calen! You’re alright, right?!"

Calen didn’t answer her question right away, but the moment Roxanna heard the sound of clothes tearing apart, she immediately realized he had shifted into his animal form.

However, what neither Roxanna nor Zeir expected was that Calen did not turn into just a giant dog.

He transformed into the same creature Roxanna had once seen in his dream: a Fenrir, the mystical beast that had haunted his nightmares before.

[Is that Mr. Fenrir?!] Roxanna shouted in her mind. [Is he trying to take over Calen’s mind?]

[Calen can control Mr. Fenrir now, Host,] the system quickly reassured her. [He can even choose when to transform into a Fenrir and when to return to his normal dog form.]

Though honestly, even Calen’s "normal" dog form was far from normal.

"Should we help him?" Roxanna asked nervously.

Zeir watched Calen quietly for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I think he’ll be alright." He gently pulled Roxanna behind a large rock nearby. "Let’s watch from here first. If it looks like he’s about to die, I’ll step in."

Roxanna was about to tell Zeir not to wait until Calen was almost dead, but then she decided to stay quiet because Calen in his Fenrir form truly did not look like someone who would die so easily.

ROAR!

The giant Fenrir opened his jaws wide, revealing rows of sharp fangs that looked terrifying enough to crush bones. The moment the massive snake tried to coil around him, Calen lunged forward and sank his teeth deep into its body.

The giant snake let out a loud screech and thrashed violently across the ground, its massive tail smashing rocks apart as it struggled to escape Calen’s bite, but he refused to let go.

His black fur stood on end while his glowing eyes locked onto the creature like a wild predator that had finally found worthy prey. Even Roxanna could feel the terrifying pressure coming from him.

For a moment, the Fenrir no longer looked like the playful Calen she knew.

He looked ancient, dangerous, like a monster born to rule over other beasts.

The snake suddenly twisted its huge body and slammed Calen against the cliff wall.

BOOM!

Dust exploded into the air again.

"Calen!" Roxanna shouted instinctively, taking a step forward, but Zeir quickly held her back before she could run toward him.

"Wait," Zeir said calmly, though his eyes never left the battle.

A low growl echoed from within the dust cloud. Then, slowly, a massive shadow stepped out from the smoke.

Calen was still standing and alive.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, though it was unclear whether it belonged to him or the snake. His chest rose heavily as steam escaped from his body in the cold air.

But then, something unexpected happened: the Fenrir grinned.

It was not a human smile at all. It was the grin of a wild beast that was genuinely enjoying the fight.

It seemed like Calen was having a little too much fun.

"Oh no," Roxanna whispered under her breath.

For some reason, she suddenly started feeling sorry for the giant snake instead.

"Oh, look," Zeir suddenly said, making Roxanna turn toward him in confusion. She thought he was about to say something important about the battle.

Instead, he casually pointed toward the sky. "There’s a constellation up there."

Above them, countless stars sparkled brightly across the dark sky. Among them was a constellation glowing more clearly than the others. Its shape vaguely resembled a crown made of stars.

"In the past," Zeir began, "some people believed that whenever this constellation appeared, it meant something good was about to happen."

"Something good?" Roxanna repeated.

Zeir nodded. "A safe journey. A successful hunt. The birth of healthy children." He glanced toward the giant Fenrir fighting in the distance before adding calmly, "Or perhaps... the rise of a king."

The moment those words left his mouth, Calen let out a loud howl toward the sky.

AWOOOOOO!

The glowing constellation suddenly shined even brighter. For a brief second, Roxanna could almost swear the stars themselves were responding to him.

The Fenrir kept slamming the giant snake against the ground, even stomping on it repeatedly until the creature let out loud hissing sounds that almost sounded like screams.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each impact shook the surrounding area hard enough to make small rocks tumble down the cliff.

Roxanna could only stare blankly at the scene. "Calen is terrifying."

"Very," Zeir agreed calmly.

The giant snake desperately tried to fight back. It twisted its massive body and attempted to wrap itself around the Fenrir once more, but Calen was simply too fast.

The Fenrir suddenly lunged forward and bit down hard on the snake’s neck.

CRACK!

A horrifying sound echoed through the area. The snake’s body immediately froze before it started thrashing violently across the ground.

On the other hand, Calen looked completely unbothered.

In fact, the more the snake struggled, the more excited he seemed to become.

His golden eyes glowed brightly under the moonlight while his massive tail swept across the ground behind him.

Moments later, he could no longer hold back his excitement. With a fierce growl, the Fenrir suddenly sank its fangs deeper into the snake’s neck before violently tearing its head away from the rest of its body.

RIP!

Dark blood splattered across the ground as the giant snake’s body crashed heavily onto the rocks.

For a moment, everything fell silent, even the wind seemed to stop moving.

The enormous black Fenrir stood proudly above the defeated creature, blood dripping from its sharp fangs while steam rose from its body in the cold night air.

Roxanna unconsciously started clapping her hands. It began with a few soft claps, but soon she was applauding loudly as she stood up from behind the rock.

A bright smile spread across her face as she proudly shouted, "Calen, you’re the best!"