If you’ve read ATOBAR and LoZ, then you already know that Lion’s character change is deeply internal. It’s about becoming aware of himself, and accepting himself as an individual in a world that has tried to strip him from having an identity.

One of the most heartbreaking—and revealing—aspects of his character is that for most of his life, he wasn’t allowed to own his own name.

In ATOBAR, he was called “Mutt.” Not a name, but a label. And even though he was technically named “Lion” on paper, he perceived himself as “Mutt” because that’s what he was in Badimar’s team.

At every stage in his life, Lion’s self-identity is defined by his owners and masters.

In LoZ, he becomes “Lion,” the King’s champion, a living weapon. It’s more dignified than “Mutt,” but still not his. He’s useful. Impressive. Feared. But not free.

You’ll notice, if you look closely, that while he’s recognizably the same man across the two books, his identity subtly shifts.

Because identity, when it’s not anchored, gets reshaped by people around us.

Then comes Olira. And on her farm, she doesn’t name him. She doesn’t redefine him. She just gives him space. No name. No role. Just quiet,  boring tasks.

And oddly, that nameless gap eventually forces Lion to do something about it.

By the time we reach Beast of Zarall, something powerful happens:

They called his name.

“Lion of Zarall.”

“No,” he whispered to the darkness. “That’s not my name anymore.”

I’ve shared an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Beast of Zarall a few weeks ago. If you haven’t read it yet, you might want to.

This is a very important turn in his character development. And that act, that moment when he starts regarding himself as Beast, says everything about where he is in his journey.

Lion of Zarall was about him accepting that he is a person. Beast of Zarall is about him telling the world who that person is.

And I cannot wait for you all to meet Beast.