POV: Violet

To be honest, I didn't know what to think when I first laid eyes upon the giant woman in the courtyard who would become the year's rider. She was powerfully built, her muscles rippling beneath tanned skin. Even Xaden Riarison, a warrior known for his bravery, looked a bit apprehensive in her presence.

That's when I witnessed her startling transformation for the first time. One moment she was a statuesque female figure, towering over the rest of us. The next, she had shifted into the form of a chiseled man with bulging muscles and flowing hair that trailed down onto his iron-clad chest.

I couldn't decide which visage was more unsettling - the imposing woman or the godlike man. Their physical dominance was undeniable and profound. I had never seen abilities like these before. Part of me felt awed, while another part quailed in primal fear before something so remarkably unknown.

Right then, however, I had to focus on not screaming as the pink-haired girl known as Imogen savagely shredded into my shoulder with her claws. I knew the formidable woman called Starflesh was somewhere in this hall, watching us, watching me. And somehow I could feel the air growing heavier, thicker with an unseen tension.

Then suddenly, the weight on my back was gone, Imogen's feral scent disappearing. I heard a harsh, choking sound and turned around, my vision swimming with pain. That's when I saw it - Starflesh holding Imogen aloft by her throat as easily as if she were no more than helpless prey.

There were no words coming from Starflesh's mouth, only a terrible, blazing anger that seemed to flare around us. Her face was contorted into a mask of fury, muscles taut as steel cables beneath flushed skin. Imogen clawed uselessly at the unstoppable grip, her kicks weak and ineffectual against Starflesh's immense strength.

The air crackled and shimmered, as if the force of Starflesh's rage was causing reality itself to distort and warp. I could taste ozone on my tongue and my hair stood on end from the buildup of static electricity. Somehow I knew that if I didn't intervene quickly, Starflesh's wrath would be Imogen's demise.

"Drop her," shouted Professor Emmiter, his voice ringing out commandingly. The towering female figure slowly turned her gaze upon him, all the while still holding Imogen loosely by the throat. The pink-haired girl didn't struggle quite as much, though she continued gasping for air.

The professor took an involuntary step back, fear evident in his eyes, as if he had just seen a ghost. Then Imogen thumped to the ground, coughing and clutching at her abused throat. Starflesh turned her back on the gasping girl, instead fixing her haunting silver eyes upon me, staring intently. I could hear her voice echoing softly in my mind, Are you alright?

Oh gods, her mental voice was gentle, at stark contrast with the overwhelming power she had just displayed. I was struck by how deceptively soothing it sounded despite the metaphysical might behind it. Starflesh waited patiently for my response, her gaze unwavering.

Somehow I found my voice. "I...I'll be okay," I managed to rasp out. The wound on my shoulder burned fiercely, but I knew it could have been far worse had Starflesh not intervened.

She took a few steps toward me, her powerful gait steady and purposeful. Starflesh grasped my shoulders gently, being careful with the one that was diagonally slashed open from Imogen's vicious attack.

Through the haze of pain, I saw the blurry figure of Dain approaching us. I could vaguely hear him saying something, but my world was growing too dazy for me to make out the words. I felt Starflesh pull me closer against her chest - and by the gods, she was soft and warm despite her immense strength.

Then darkness clamped around me like a bear trap, the world fading away into blessed oblivion. The last thing I sensed was the reassuring solidness of Starflesh's embrace as unconsciousness claimed me. I knew I would be safe within her protection while the healers tended to my wounds.

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POV: Starflesh

I looked over at Violet lying in the medic bed while the healer, Nolon, fretted around her. I was towering over him as well, and I knew he was a bit disturbed by my imposing presence. "Tell me again," he asked Dain, who had come with us.

And let's just say that boy was handsome, not my usual type, but still someone I could fleetingly picture taking to bed if I wanted a casual dalliance. His sandy hair and bright eyes gave him a roguish charm, though I tried not to openly leer.

Dain recounted what had happened, his voice level and professional despite the bizarre circumstances. 

"Conscription Day happened. The match happened. And her," he pointed at me and I cocked my head slightly under my hood, acknowledging his gesture. "She tore Imogen off Violet like she was a haybale or something. I thought she killed her unconscious," Dain rubbed his face wearily. "I don't know what happened, just the next moment Violet was getting her shoulder raked open and then Imogen was unconscious beside her. And now we're here."

Nolon paled at Dain's retelling of the violent events. I could see the healer's hands trembling as he tended to Violet's injuries with deft movements, despite his obvious shaken state. The mere implications of what I was capable of seemed to unnerve him deeply.

"She is scary," Nolon said, looking at me, though he didn't meet my eyes directly. But I knew he could feel their piercing gaze. "Who may you be then? You're no human, that's for sure."

I let out a derisive snort, dropping my usual feminine lilt in favor of a deeper, more masculine timbre - the kind of voice that could make men swoon, even if I certainly held no interest in bewitching the male pursuasion.

"I saved her sorry ass, that's what happened," I rumbled, my words carrying an undeniable power behind them.

Nolon blinked owlishly at my blunt admission. "And you did this why? She is no one to you," he questioned, sounding almost accusatory.

Another disdainful snort escaped me as my eyes flared with an ethereal inner light. "She is all that I thought she would be - she's not weak, she's not some toy to be squandered. Moreover, I don't care if she is General Sorren's daughter," I leaned forward slightly, my hips cocking to the side. "That she is human is enough for me."

My words hung heavy in the air, layered with conviction and meaning that seemed to make the healer's breath catch in his throat. I knew he could sense the power thrumming beneath my seemingly human exterior. Nolon gave a slow nod of what seemed like grudging respect.

"Whatever your reasons, you have my gratitude for interceding," he murmured at last. "Violet could have been gravely injured or worse without your intervention."

I offered a regal incline of my head in acknowledgment of his thanks, though my penetrating stare never wavered from his face. Let him feel unnerved in my presence - it would ensure he treated Violet with the utmost care and deference.