Kaya stood outside the training ground an hour later, hidden behind a rock outcropping where she could hear but not be seen.

The twenty warriors had gathered in a tight circle, voices low but urgent. She’d told them to take the rest of the day off, but instead of leaving, they’d stayed to talk. About her.

"Did you see how high she went? That’s not normal. That’s not... anything." One of the younger ones—Dren, she thought his name was—sounded shaken.

"She has no wings. No beast form. How does someone fly without wings?" another added.

"Maybe she’s been hiding it. Maybe she’s part bird beastman or—"

"She’s not," the warrior whose hand she’d slashed weeks ago interrupted. His name was Kael. "I’ve fought her up close. Trained with her every day. She has no beast scent. No transformation." He paused. "But she’s stronger than any of us. Faster. Better."

Silence.

"So what is she?" Dren asked.

"Does it matter?" Kael’s voice came out firm. "She’s made us better warriors. Stronger. More disciplined. We were lazy before she came. Now look at us."

"But she could be dangerous," another voice argued. "What if she loses control? What if she—"

"Then we help her," Kael said. "The way she’s helped us."

"You’re insane," Dren muttered. "She’s not one of us. She’s... something else. And I don’t want to be around when that something else decides we’re enemies."

"Then leave," Kael said coldly.

More silence.

"I’m staying," one warrior said.

"Me too," another added.

One by one, voices joined in. Fifteen warriors. Then sixteen. Seventeen.

When the count stopped, only three had stayed silent.

"Fine," Dren said finally. "But if she kills one of us, it’s on your heads."

Footsteps retreated—three sets, walking away from the group.

Kaya leaned back against the rock, something tight in her chest loosening. Seventeen stayed. Seventeen chose her even after seeing what she was.

She waited until the remaining warriors dispersed before stepping out.

Kael was the last to leave. He saw her immediately and stopped.

"Instructor," he said, inclining his head.

"You didn’t have to do that," Kaya said quietly.

"Yes, I did." Kael met her eyes steadily. "You saved my life when you could’ve let me bleed out after I tried to kill you. You made me stronger when you could’ve broken me for revenge." He paused. "Whatever you are, you’re not our enemy. And I’ll make sure the others remember that."

Kaya’s throat tightened. "Thank you."

Kael nodded once and walked away.

And Kaya stood alone on the training ground, feeling the weight of seventeen warriors’ loyalty settle on her shoulders.

....

## First Training Session

From the next day on, Kaya’s training changed completely.

Before, she’d practiced in her room—a closed space where she couldn’t fly far even if she wanted to. The ceiling stopped her. The walls contained her. And when she fell, the soft bed caught her, the Malaysian magical herbs healing bruises from the inside before they could fully form.

But now? Now the training ground was open sky and endless distance, with nothing to stop her from shooting off in any direction or plummeting straight into rock.

"Ready?" Veer called from above, already in his full vulture form, wings spread wide and powerful, circling lazily overhead.

Kaya took a breath, focused on the heat in her chest, and let herself rise.

One meter. Two. Three.

She was doing it. Steady. Controlled.

Then her concentration slipped for half a second—and she shot forward violently, covering five meters in a blink before gravity remembered her and she dropped like a stone.

Veer dove, wings tucking in tight, reaching for her—

But she’d already hit the ground, rolling across dirt and rocks with a painful grunt.

"Damn it," Kaya hissed, pushing herself up.

Cutie was beside her instantly, hands checking for injuries. "Anything broken?"

"No." Kaya spat out dirt. "Again."

She rose. Focused. Lifted off.

This time she managed twenty centimeters before falling straight down.

"What the hell?" she muttered, frustrated.

"You’re overthinking it," Veer said, landing beside her in human form. "Stop trying to control every movement. Just... feel it."

"Feel it," Kaya repeated flatly. "That’s your advice?"

"It works for flying," Veer said with a shrug.

Kaya closed her eyes, ignoring him, and thought about gravity instead. About balance. About how her body needed to counteract the pull downward with whatever force was building in her chest.

She lifted again—smoother this time, rising steadily to about four meters.

Then she tried to move forward.

Her body shot backward instead, slamming into a tree trunk so hard the impact knocked the air from her lungs.

She fell.

Cutie caught her this time, arms wrapping tight. "Careful!"

"I’m trying," Kaya gasped.

What shocked everyone—what even surprised Veer—was her speed.

Vultures were known for their fast flight, for diving and striking with precision. But Kaya’s movements when she lost control were faster. Erratic. Unpredictable.

She’d shoot left when trying to go right. Rocket upward when trying to descend. And Veer, even in his full beast form with wings built for speed, sometimes couldn’t reach her in time before she collided with something.

"How are you so fast?" Veer panted after the fifth near-miss, hovering above her as she picked herself up from another rock collision.

"I don’t know!" Kaya shouted back, frustrated and aching. "I’m not trying to be!"

But that was the problem. She wasn’t trying—her body just *was*. And without proper control, speed became a weapon against herself.

Cutie and Veer worked together after that, positioning themselves on opposite sides so at least one could catch her when she inevitably lost control.

By midday, Kaya’s shoulders were bruised, her back scraped from sliding down rock faces, and her pride thoroughly battered.

"That’s enough," she said after the third hard collision in a row.

"You sure?" Veer asked. "You were getting better—"

"I’m sure." Kaya sat down heavily on the ground. "Pushing too hard will just make me collapse. I need to pace myself."

Veer looked like he wanted to argue, but Cutie nodded approvingly. "Smart. Rest. Recover. Train again tomorrow."

And that became Kaya’s method.

Three attempts. Three falls or collisions. Then rest.

It was slow. Frustrating. Every fiber of her wanted to push harder, train longer, master it faster.

But she’d learned long ago that breaking yourself to prove a point only left you weaker when it mattered.

So she trained carefully. Methodically.

And slowly—painfully slowly—she started to improve. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

By the end of the week, she could hover for ten minutes without falling.

By the end of two weeks, she could move forward in a straight line for twenty meters before losing control.

It wasn’t flying. Not really. Not like Veer’s graceful aerial maneuvers or the ease with which the vultures soared.

But it was progress.

And progress, Kaya reminded herself as she crashed into yet another tree, was all that mattered.

Liam was already in the custody of the vultures, locked back in that wooden box where he belonged.

And Kaya had to admit—grudgingly—that these beastmen really worshipped power. Just because Veer was strong, just because he was tribe leader, her secret hadn’t spread beyond the tribe’s borders.

Like literally nothing went out.