Within the walls of Iolcos, Phel had issued orders to his guards, repurposing them into a hunting squad to exterminate the beast that had suddenly appeared and run rampant inside the castle.
Phel, recognizing the gravity of the situation the moment the black-furred creature showed itself, dispatched the two fastest men as messengers. They were to warn the city beyond the walls, evacuate the populace, and then fetch Jason and Iskios. Meanwhile, everyone else rallied around Phel to buy time.
As the guards stalled the beast within the castle, he and the remaining guards on his side held their ground—but it was almost impossible, because...
Aaaah!!!
"Reform the line! If you break formation, we'll be annihilated!"
No matter how tightly they encircled it, the beast toyed with them, its incredible agility outpacing both their eyes and legs. And Phel knew exactly who this creature was.
Though tufts of black hair sprouted from its body to hide its vital areas and a boar's visage loomed atop its shoulders, it was still a beast in human form. Its eyes glowed gold in the pitch-black night, locking onto Phel, and the human face he'd once known on that black beast haunted his memory.
"What on earth happened… Lady Atalanta…"
Roooaarrr!!!
Emitting a feral roar that left no trace of humanity, Phel bit his lip, unable to grasp the situation.
Phel hadn't been particularly close to Atalanta, but he'd often seen her studying with Iskios every evening. Though married, their relationship was more akin to comrades or friends than husband and wife.
There had been no fiery passion between them, but he'd sensed her earnest desire to learn what Iskios called "humanity." Now, however—what remained of her?
Roooaarrr!!!
"It's charging head-on! Brace for impact!"
Phel tensed and ordered his men to prepare as the Atalanta-beast lunged. But the moment it ran in, it halted and retreated.
Phel and his guards exchanged puzzled looks—until they heard hurried footsteps behind them. Cheers erupted among most of the guards, though a few wore conflicted expressions.
The reason was obvious: the figure advancing calmly toward them was their only hope for ending this nightmare.
"I-Iskios… Sir…! Over there—"
"I heard from the messenger. That's Atalanta, right? Stand down."
Phel could only stammer before saluting and ordering the wounded to fall back. The black beast did not move as they retreated.
In its gaze, only Iskios existed. All the soldiers it had faced before were merely "prey," weak and insignificant. But the masked figure now standing before it was different.
Though he always hid and avoided confrontation, it was clear this was someone formidable. As he watched the others withdraw one by one, Iskios removed the stone mask concealing his face.
"I'm sorry, Atalanta. Because of me, things ended up like this…"
Sadness and guilt filled Iskios's expression. He had failed to prepare for Selene's interference, and as a result, Atalanta had been reduced from human to beast.
He remembered how, not long ago, Atalanta—once content with the law of the jungle—had begged to learn humanity to transcend that instinct. Seeing her now, Iskios felt only sorrow.
Her yellow-green hair had faded to dull silver, and her once-green eyes had become the feral, golden gaze of a predator. All that issued from her lips was a beastly growl; not a trace of humanity remained.
"I will not die, Atalanta. And I will not kill you."
Resolved, the grief vanished from Iskios's face as he faced the beast Atalanta had become. He threw aside his mask and cloak, rolling the cloak into a thick rope and gripping it with both hands.
Mask removed and cloak wielded, Iskios advanced. Atalanta roared and gave chase as they fled toward the forest behind the palace.
In the darkness of night, Atalanta pursued Iskios through the trees, but when he vanished, she lost him. She looked around in confusion, unaware that Iskios had circled behind her—until he grabbed her from behind.
Grrr!!!
"Calm down! I said calm down!!!"
Holding Atalanta from behind, Iskios wrapped the cloak around her neck. She thrashed wildly, but his urgency drove him to subdue her.
As he struggled to hold her down and cinch the cloak tighter, Atalanta's body began to swell. Fur sprouted across her skin, and Iskios cursed under his breath.
"Damn it, this is insane…!"
Grrr…
Her body grew monstrous, black fur covering every inch as she drifted further from humanity. The giant beast thrashed, but Iskios spared no effort to restrain her.
He had brought this suffering upon her through his own failure. He vowed she would not die—he refused to give up anything.
-Giving something up is easy, but refusing to give up is the hardest thing of all.-
***
When Iskios first entered Iolcos, Jason and Medea followed close behind, guiding the soldiers evacuating the wounded toward the palace.
As they approached the palace, Jason spotted Phel commanding the guards tending to the injured, with Absyrtus treating the wounded and several healthy soldiers standing by.
"Phel! Where's Iskios?"
"I-Iskios is—he's with Lady Atalanta… in that forest!"
"Damn it! We have to circle around!!!"
As another roar echoed from the woods, Jason grabbed some weapons from the injured guards and, with Medea on his back, charged into the forest.
Jason's mind raced with worry for Iskios and Atalanta. He carried Medea over his shoulder, pushing deeper until they reached the source of the monstrous roar. There, his feet froze.
Roaaaaarrr!!!
"Atalanta…! Please, calm down!!!"
In the clearing stood the massive black lion; behind its mane, Jason saw Iskios. Seeing his unmasked face and bare chest was startling—but that wonder and beauty meant nothing to Jason in this moment.
What mattered was that Iskios had called the black lion "Atalanta." If the monster truly was Atalanta, the situation had grown far more dire. Jason had no idea what was happening, but he knew they had to pacify the beast if they even hoped to save her.
Lowering Medea to the ground, Jason prepared to act—but Medea, her expression urgent, pulled a small vial from her pocket.
"Jason! Throw this at Atalanta…!"
It was a bottle of roughly fist-sized proportions—tiny in Jason's hand.
"I'm not sure what it is…but we have no choice!!!"
Killing Atalanta would be madness. If this creature were a nameless monster, Iskios would have slain it instantly. But this was Atalanta, and Iskios refused to give up on her. Whatever this potion was, Jason knew it was their best shot.
Summoning the same arm strength he'd used on Colchis to fling stones at the dragon's army, Jason hurled the vial toward the lion's face.
Grrr…!!!
The bottle shattered on impact. The beast roared in fury, glaring at Jason—then its eyes slowly closed, and it collapsed to the ground.
With a thud, the black lion fell. Its massive form then began to shrink, its fur receding until it returned to human shape. Iskios dropped the cloak he'd used to cover her, draping it over Atalanta's body as she transformed.
Though her hair and eyes remained the muted silver and gold, she was undeniably human once more. Iskios allowed himself a brief, relieved smile as he watched her return.
Amid the whirlwind of events, Jason turned to Medea, demanding an explanation.
"Medea…? What was in that vial?"
"Oh, that's a soporific~! One proper gulp and even a dragon would fall asleep~!"
The substance Medea had thrown was a specially concocted knockout potion. Jason was grateful—but even he hadn't expected it to be so potent…
As an added effect, it also soothed the mind. Jason pressed her for why she carried such a powerful drug, and Medea replied with a mischievous grin.
"Well… I wanted to stay up all night with you, Jason… hehe~"
Jason trembled at Medea's wide-eyed confession, and Iskios, seeing her cheerful innocence, felt the last shred of tension dissolve into hesitant amusement.