Lord Of Beasts

’Why do all the people around me seem to have some sort of demon inside them?’

Ethan almost laughed at the thought.

’What’s next? I have a beast inside me I can’t control, and Kaela has some sort of ancient warrior.’

Considering how things had been going lately, it actually sounded pretty feasible.

’I fucking hope not.’

He pushed the thought aside.

There were more important things to worry about.

The distorted version of Mark stood across from them in the endless darkness, completely at ease. Unlike Mark, it showed no fear or hesitation. It had been born from the darkest instincts inside his brother and had spent weeks feeding off of him.

Now it had its own consciousness.

And that wasn’t good for Mark, who clearly felt it too.

He took a cautious step backwards, staring at the dark-green version of himself with an expression Ethan had rarely seen on his face.

Fear.

The entity smiled.

Ethan stepped forward.

Mark might have been afraid, but he wasn’t alone.

’Let’s do this, guys.’

Ethan summoned his beasts again, who had been a big part of resisting the collapse of Mark’s memories.

A giant Fenrir appeared beside him, its eyes locked onto the enemy. Spark erupted into a flaming Ember Wraith, its body surrounded by roaring orange flames. Talon appeared overhead, its green feathers spreading proudly as it stared down at the enemy. Storm materialised above them, its razor-thin wings crackling with electricity.

For a moment, Ethan thought they might actually have a chance.

Then the distorted Mark moved.

The darkness itself seemed to bend around it as it crossed the distance between them almost instantly. Its first strike sent Wolfy flying, while its second somehow managed to hit Spark despite it being formed of flames. Talon barely had time to take flight before a wave of dark-green energy smashed it out of the air, and Storm was swatted aside moments later.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

He immediately unsummoned all four.

’It’s just like the Blood Demon.’

This was the creature’s domain, and the darkness itself responded to its will.

It made it so that anything it willed became reality.

Ethan was already an anomaly for being able to exist here at all, thanks to Beast Resistance, but that didn’t mean he could overpower something that had complete control over its own mental realm.

There was only one person who could fight it on equal terms.

”Mark!”

Ethan turned toward his brother.

”This is your mind too! You need to-”

”Quiet!”

The distorted Mark didn’t even move, yet the command alone shook the darkness. Ethan’s body suddenly seized before he was thrown backwards as if he’d been struck by an invisible force.

He gritted his teeth.

’Damn it.’

Mark stared at the entity.

He was afraid.

It was clear as day.

But he also understood what would happen if he kept backing away.

If he allowed this thing to take control, there would be nothing left of him. His memories were already being consumed, and now something with his face had developed its own will inside his mind.

Mark clenched his fists.

’This is my mind.’

The darkness trembled, and the distorted Mark looked around in confusion.

”What are you doing?”

Mark’s eyes hardened.

’My mind.’

He thought about his memories: his childhood, family, and experiences that shaped him into who he was.

The darkness responded.

The endless void began to change.

Walls appeared around them, and a floor formed beneath their feet as lights flickered overhead.

Slowly, the blackness disappeared.

Ethan blinked.

Suddenly, he was standing inside an old boxing gym.

He looked down and realised he was wearing a black-and-white referee’s outfit. A worn boxing ring stood in the centre of the gym, with two Marks standing in opposite corners.

One wore blue gloves, and the other green.

Ethan stared at them.

’This is his old boxing gym.’

He looked down at himself again.

’And apparently I’m the referee.’

Mark raised his gloves.

”We’ll settle this the good old-fashioned way.”

Ethan couldn’t help laughing.

’Boxing?!’

After everything they’d just been through, it was almost normal.

And somehow, that made it even crazier.

The distorted Mark smiled.

”Sure.”

Ethan raised his hand.

”Ready?”

Both Marks nodded.

After speaking without willing it, Ethan then lowered his hand.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The bell rang, and the fight began.

Ethan’s body moved around the ring almost automatically, circling the fighters and watching their movements.

’I hate this feeling.’

He hated having his body controlled and knowing that, inside someone else’s mental domain, he wasn’t entirely in charge of his own movements. It made sense, but understanding it didn’t make the feeling any less unsettling.

The two Marks collided in the centre of the ring.

The first exchange was brutal.

Mark threw a jab, but evil Mark slipped beneath it and fired a hook.

He blocked before countering with a straight right.

The distorted version absorbed the hit and immediately answered with a vicious combination. Neither had supernatural abilities in this ring. There was no dark-green energy and no monstrous transformations, only fists, technique, and raw physical power.

And both were terrifying.

Mark had spent years boxing.

Even before his mutation, he had possessed frightening strength and an impressive ability to read his opponents.

But the thing standing across from him had something else.

Instinct.

Pure predatory instinct.

It didn’t hesitate, it didn’t think about pain, and it didn’t care about taking a hit if it meant landing three in return. Mark’s blue gloves slammed into its face, but the green gloves answered against his ribs.

The ring shook beneath their feet as they continued exchanging blows.

Ethan watched as Mark slowly began to lose ground. His breathing became heavier, and his movements slowed as the evil Mark pressed forward relentlessly.

A right hand slammed into Mark’s jaw.

Mark staggered.

Another punch drove into his stomach, forcing him to double over.

The distorted Mark raised its fist.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

’No!’

Something inside him resisted.

The invisible control over his body weakened, and Ethan clenched his fists as Beast Resistance surged through his mind.

’I can move now.’

He stepped between them.

The distorted Mark stopped in confusion.

Ethan cracked his neck.

”You can’t leave me out of this.”

Mark stared at him.

”Ethan?”

He grinned as he stepped beside his brother.

The distorted Mark’s expression twisted.

Ethan raised his fists.

”Two against one sounds fair enough.”

Mark smiled.

Then the two brothers attacked.

Mark came from the front while Ethan moved from the side.

The distorted Mark blocked Mark’s punch, only for Ethan’s fist to crash into its ribs.

It staggered.

Mark followed with a heavy combination, and Ethan struck again.

For the first time, the monster was forced backwards.

The three of them moved around the ring in a blur of fists. Mark’s technique, Ethan’s unpredictability, and the monster’s instincts collided in a brutal exchange as the balance slowly began to shift.

Mark landed a clean hook.

Ethan followed with a punch to the body.

The distorted Mark stumbled.

Mark stepped forward and slammed his glove into its jaw, sending the monster crashing against the ropes. Ethan and Mark pressed their advantage, refusing to give it a chance to recover.

The green gloves remained lifted to protect its face.

It was losing.

For the first time, the monster looked afraid.

Then its expression changed.

A smile slowly spread across its face.

Ethan stopped.

’What’s that look for?’

The darkness around the gym suddenly began to tremble. The lights flickered, and the walls warped as the distorted Mark’s body began cracking. Dark-green energy poured from beneath its skin.

Mark’s expression changed.

”What the hell?”

The monster laughed.

”If I cannot have this body...”

Its smile widened.

”Then neither will you.”

Ethan’s eyes widened.

’It’s going to self-destruct.’

The dark-green energy erupted outward, and the entire mental realm began collapsing.

And this time, there was nowhere left to run...