"This isn't training," Mia groaned, sweat dripping down her nose. "This is state-sponsored bullying."
Sia smirked from the shade, sipping what suspiciously looked like pineapple juice. "You call it bullying, I call it character development."
The werewolf settlement had carved out a training field in the dense forest, a clearing surrounded by ancient trees and howling wind. The ground was littered with claw marks and charred grass. Clearly, someone had exploded here before.
Alex looked around. "So… who are we paired with?"
"You're with me," Sia said, tossing a blood bag at Liana and pointing a dagger at Alex. "You two get the fun stuff."
Liana caught the blood bag mid-air. "This is... real human blood."
"You wanted your vampire side awakened," Sia said. "It's either that or drain Zack."
"Hey!" Zack objected, dodging a fireball Lily accidentally launched sideways.
Liana stared at the packet. "Bottoms up?" She gulped it down with a grimace. A second later, her pupils turned crimson, her canines sharpened, and her body trembled with a surge of raw power. "Okay. That was gross. But also… amazing."
Alex laughed. "Guess it's my turn." Sia didn't hesitate—she plunged the dagger into his chest.
"—Wait, what the—" Alex collapsed.
Liana screamed. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"He needed to die. Wolf DNA's weird like that," Sia said cheerfully. "Give it two minutes."
True to her word, Alex gasped and jolted up, golden eyes wide, nails lengthened into claws. His muscles were tighter, leaner, and his nose wrinkled at the smell of wet fur.
"I… died," he said, stunned.
"And you got hotter," Mia quipped.
Zack nodded solemnly. "Confirmed. He glows now."
Meanwhile, Lily was making flaming birds in the air, giggling as one dive-bombed a tree. "I'm literally fire!"
Mia zipped across the field with a new confidence, her speed blurring her outline. "Okay, not gonna lie—this is fun."
Zack stood in place, blinking as he dodged a flying rock before it was thrown.
"Wait," Mia said. "Did you just—"
"I get two seconds," Zack said. "Two whole seconds into the future."
"Why do you get the cool one?" Lily whined.
"Because I'm mysterious," he replied, stone-faced.
Ciara clapped from the sidelines. "Alright, kids. You're not completely useless anymore."
Sia smiled as the group gathered. "This is just the beginning. You're going to need all the strength you can muster for what's coming."
"What is coming?" Alex asked.
Sia's gaze darkened. "The gods made an ultimatum a thousand years ago. Humanity never answered. Time's up."
"So… apocalypse?" Lily asked.
"Maybe," Ciara said. "But you get a say in it."
Sia's voice turned solemn. "This war will need monsters, leaders, and sacrifices. But the choice—who you become—is yours."
They stood in silence for a beat.
Then Zack raised his hand. "So, when's lunch?"