Chapter 8 – Fractures
POV: Kai
Three days.
That's how long it had been since we claimed the goblin den and made it our temporary home.
But if you looked at us now, we weren't a party—we were a scattered wreck.
Nyla had barely come near me. She still hunted, brought back water, did her part. But something fundamental had cracked. Her scent lingered faintly when she passed through, but it carried no warmth. Our bond—once a living thing between us—felt frayed. Distant.
My chest still throbbed from the wound. Every shift on the makeshift cot sent dull pain through my side. It wasn't just the injury that hurt—it was the memory. The truth of what happened. The fear I hadn't meant to show.
She'd lashed out twice now. Once in the heat of battle. Once in something closer to instinct. Both times accidental, sure. But that didn't change what I felt.
She wasn't just a jealous companion anymore.
She was a weapon with its edge turned inward.
Toward me.
I rolled to my side, biting back a groan, and pulled up her status screen. I hadn't looked in days—maybe I was afraid of what I'd see.
[Status – Nyla]
Species: Beowyr Pup
Level: 15
HP: 400/500
Strength: 40
Defense: 35
Agility: 50
Intellect: 120
MP: 70/70
Luck: 40
Affection: 100%
Status: Depressed, Confused, Frustrated, Longing
"She's grown so damn much," I muttered.
Level 15 already. Skills maxed out. Easily our strongest fighter.
Affection still at 100%. Even now. Even after everything.
She loved me more fiercely than anyone I'd ever known. More than anyone back on Earth, where most people just used each other until it wasn't convenient anymore. With her, we'd been partners.
And now?
I didn't know what we were.
Flashes of her rampage through the goblin nest surged through my mind. The blood. The screams. The way she'd turned on Shyara. The way I'd been forced to act. The way I struck her.
My hand trembled just remembering it.
"I deserve these scars," I whispered, almost bitterly.
I believed that.
I'd rejected her in that moment—not her violence, but the part of her it came from. The part that wanted to protect me at all costs. The part that came from love. Twisted, sure. But real.
And I'd been terrified.
Not just of her.
Of what it meant to care about something so wild. So dangerous.
I tapped into the evolution menu. Just to check. Just to feel like I was doing something.
The Beowyrdraco option was still there. Still dumb. I skipped it.
Another path remained locked—just question marks.
Great. Hidden requirements. Because this world apparently loved being vague as hell.
But then I saw something new.
Chosen's Lupine (Humanoid)
Rank: C
Evolution Ready: Add to approved list?
I blinked. It hadn't been ready before.
No locked conditions. Just a button.
Rank C was the highest I'd seen so far.
Still, I hesitated.
Giving her more power? Now?
Was that smart?
But… something about the name felt right. Chosen's Lupine. That word again. It followed me everywhere. Like it meant something bigger than I understood yet.
"Que sera, sera," I muttered, and hit 'Yes.'
What would become of her after this? I didn't know.
But maybe this was the first step toward fixing what broke between us.
Or maybe it'd make things worse.
Still, I'd made my call.
I flopped back onto the cot, wincing as pain flared down my ribs.
"Next status check."
I sighed.
"Let's see how Ice Queen's holding up."
I opened Yuki's profile.
[Status – Yuki]
Species: Frostborn Elf
Level: 12
HP: 320/320
Strength: 28
Defense: 20
Agility: 42
Intellect: 150
MP: 160/160
Affection: 72%
Status: Protective, Insecure, Hopeful
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
She'd been holding it together while I was laid up. Barely slept. Guarded the cave like a soldier.
I owed her.
Not just for keeping me alive—but for trying to keep us all from unraveling.
She was growing fast too. Frost spells had leveled up. Combat awareness sharpened. Her stat curve looked promising.
I didn't miss the "hopeful" tag either.
Still, she hadn't said much since that night. Not about what happened between us. Not about what might happen next.
And that was fine.
I didn't have the answers either.
"Gotta fix this mess," I whispered.
I looked around at the broken camp. The dark corners of the goblin den. The quiet void Nyla left behind.
I was supposed to be the leader.
But I felt more like a bandage trying to hold together a body already bleeding out.
Still… I had a skill no one else had. One no one in this world understood.
Chosen.
And it was time I figured out what that really meant.
I opened Yuki's evolution menu.
[1 Available Option]
Name: Chosen's Cryoborn
Type: Humanoid
Rank: C
Requirements Met:
• Emotional bond with a Chosen
• Ice Affinity ≥ 150
• Protective Trait Unlocked
• Intimacy Milestone Achieved
Ready to evolve – Add to approved list?
Note: This path is rare and only available to monsters influenced by the CHOSEN bloodline. Cryoborn act as emotional anchors and elemental amplifiers for their Chosen partners. They gain resistance to fire and emotion-based magic.
There it was again—Chosen.
An evolutionary path born from my presence. My influence.
The weight of it all was getting heavy.
But I could take it.
I had to.
And Yuki—she was committed to being a supporting pillar for me. This evolution wasn't just some system gift handed down from my cheat skill. It was the result of us. Our bond. Our struggles.
We'd fought, bled, nearly died together—twice.
She had risked everything for me. And this was her reward.
Her growth. Our growth.
I selected Yes.
Across the camp, Yuki turned her head slightly. A faint smile played on her lips—nothing like the mask she used to wear. No more pretending to be carved from ice.
Just an awkward girl, trying to figure out how to be close to someone.
She didn't know how to express herself, so she defaulted to silence and control. That made sense now. But I could feel it—how my gaze flustered her. How new that feeling was.
To her, it felt special.
Maybe it was.
Me—just some guy from Earth. A guy afraid of cuddling a wolf days ago.
And yet… here I was.
Two of my companions were now ready to evolve.
But the choice was theirs.
I wouldn't interfere.
In my world, God had always been hands-off.
Letting us make our own choices, even if those choices broke us. Sure, maybe He gave us nudges here and there—but the final step?
Always ours.
Maybe that's what I was becoming.
Not a god.
But something god-like.
This skill. This gift. This curse.
I preferred life one action at a time. Simple. But nothing about this was simple anymore. The consequences for being unprepared? Colossal.
I let out a long breath and stood from my cot, slipping quietly out of the cave. The night air hit like a wave of clarity. Cool. Crisp. Comforting.
Three moons hovered above.
Three moons.
Each one a different color—blue, violet, and gold. Casting the night in a dreamy glow, like a starlit festival hanging in the heavens.
I'd never noticed them before.
I hadn't had the time.
My first night in this world, I'd been unconscious after my fight with Yuki. The next day, I stumbled into this cave and nearly died again—this time by Nyla's fangs.
A pang of emotion hit me through the link.
Nyla.
She was taking my injuries hard. Maybe harder than I was.
"I get it," I said softly, projecting my thoughts across our bond. "I've done things I regret too. Some recent. Some distant. But we'll recover. We have to."
"You've been my Day One, Nyla. You didn't give me time to fall apart when I landed in this world. You challenged me. Forced me to act. Taming you gave me purpose. Gave me focus."
"I'm your master, sure. But I'm also your friend."
A pause. I hesitated.
"I'm scared of you. I admit it now. You're a monster. But… I see you. The you under the claws and growls. We'll find a new normal. Whatever that looks like."
"My heart is your heart."
Silence.
I waited, staring off in the direction I could feel her presence. Not far. But it felt far. Like a chasm had opened between us.
Then—just one word came through the link.
"Master…"
It was all I needed.
I turned back toward the cave.
Time to move forward. To rebuild.
I passed by the resting forms of my party. Shyara still lay near the fire, bandaged and unmoving. Her breath was shallow, but steady.
She'd nearly died protecting Yuki.
And now Yuki was ready to evolve.
We were a mess—scattered, scarred, and barely hanging on.
But maybe… just maybe, we were healing too.
I knelt beside Shyara.
She was still unconscious. Bandaged up, covered in furs, breathing slow but steady. The glow from the fire cast soft shadows across her features, highlighting the unnatural stillness in her wings.
She hadn't stirred once since the attack.
I checked her vitals again—nothing had changed.
She was alive, but healing slow.
Too slow.
Her body had taken the brunt of it shielding Yuki. The blow should've crushed her. The fact that she was still breathing meant something inside her refused to quit.
Whether that was survival instinct, loyalty… or something more, I didn't know.
But I'd protect her.
She'd earned that much.
A soft chime echoed in my ear.
[Yuki has accepted the evolution: CHOSEN'S CRYOBORN.]
I turned.
She was standing barefoot in the dirt, surrounded by a gentle swirl of snow and stardust. Her eyes met mine—nervous, excited, but unwavering.
She reached out with one hand, almost as if inviting me to witness it with her.
I nodded once.
"Yes," I whispered.
And then the world around her froze.
The wind held its breath. The cave fell silent.
A blinding pulse of light burst outward, swallowing her form. Her silhouette stretched, shifted. Her childlike frame matured, hair lengthened, her icy aura deepening into something both serene and dangerous.
Ice crystals bloomed like flowers at her feet, curling around her legs like silver vines.
When the light faded, a new figure stood where Yuki had been.
Graceful. Cold. Ethereal.
Not a monster.
Not a girl.
Something entirely new.
Cryoborn.
She opened her eyes—deeper now, glacier blue with swirling patterns like frost tracing a windowpane.
Her lips parted slightly, as if speaking would break the spell.
But she didn't have to say anything.
I felt it.
The bond between us had deepened—woven tighter, like threads of frostglass spun into steel.
She was mine.
And I was hers.
And this…
was just the beginning.