The factory smelled of smoke, burnt oil, and blood. The walls creaked as the cold morning wind slipped through cracks, carrying with it a haunting whistle that seemed to echo the cries from the night before. The initiates sat huddled around scattered fires, whispering to each other in tones so low they seemed afraid of their own voices. None of them looked directly at Reid for long. When they did, it was with a mix of suspicion and unease.
Reid sat near the embers, his knife resting across his knees. He turned the blade slowly, the dim light catching on its edge. His chest still felt heavy, not just from exhaustion but from the weight of all the eyes that avoided meeting his. They suspected something. They were right to.
When no one was looking, a faint red glow crawled along the veins in his hands, pulsing softly like a heartbeat under the skin. Reid clenched his fists, forcing it down. The glow faded slowly, leaving behind a searing ache. He muttered under his breath, "Not here… not now."
The Bond chuckled deep in his skull, the sound like smoke slipping through cracks. "You hide me well, little hunter. Secrets taste better when they're kept."
Mara sat down beside him, close enough to feel her warmth through the cold. She placed a hand gently on his arm. "You're pale," she said softly. "You should rest."
He forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Guess almost dying does that to a person."
Across the fire, Jorik sneered, his voice cutting through the murmurs. "Or maybe you're not dying because something unnatural is keeping you alive. Maybe that's what's drawing these monsters to us."
Reid didn't rise to the bait. He just stared at the fire. The Bond's voice purred with delight. "He's right to fear you. You should let him see why."
When dawn came, the light was weak and gray, barely pushing back the shadows of the factory. Holt stood at the center of the yard, visor gleaming faintly. The air was so cold it stung to breathe. One by one, the initiates gathered, forming a rough semicircle.
"We've had reports of corrupted activity near the northern ridge," Holt said, her voice steady, cold. "Scouts saw tracks—large ones. The kind we can't ignore. We move at first light." Her gaze moved slowly across the group before settling on Reid. "Reid, Mara, Jorik—you'll move ahead. Quietly. You find it, you mark it, and you hold until backup arrives."
Jorik grunted under his breath, "Hold until we're dead, more like."
Holt's head tilted slightly. "Do you have a problem, Jorik?"
"No, ma'am," he said through gritted teeth.
Reid adjusted his gear, checking every strap, every buckle, anything to avoid Holt's stare. She lingered on him longer than the others, and he felt it like a weight pressing on his back. The Bond whispered, amused. "She suspects. Good. Suspicion makes them cautious. Fear makes them weak."
They left under a sky painted with ash. The fog was denser than the day before, clinging to the ground and coiling around their boots. Every sound was swallowed—footsteps, breathing, the rustle of gear. Even their voices felt muffled, as if the fog wanted to keep their words for itself.
The path wound through the remains of an old industrial zone. Rusted drone carcasses lay scattered, their lenses cracked and staring upward like blind eyes. Collapsed scaffolding groaned when the wind passed through. The earth was scorched in places where corrupted essence had burned deep scars.
Mara hummed faintly as they walked, a nervous habit she likely didn't notice. She offered Reid a small smile. "You look like you're about to puke."
He smirked weakly. "Thanks for noticing."
The Bond hissed. "She thinks you're harmless. Let her believe it. It will make her eventual fear so much sweeter."
Reid drifted slightly ahead, letting the fog swallow his outline. Each time the heat flared in his veins, threatening to glow, he held his breath, forcing it to dim. The effort made his hands shake.
The ridge rose like a scar against the horizon, shrouded in mist that curled in ghostly tendrils. The air here smelled different—metallic and burnt. Every step made the ground crunch underfoot, a brittle mix of ash and frost.
Tracks appeared as they climbed—deep clawed impressions in the earth, edges glowing faintly with corruption. Reid crouched to inspect one while the others kept watch. The Bond murmured. "It's close. You feel it, don't you? The thrill of the hunt."
The tracks led them to a clearing ringed by boulders. The fog thickened, curling low. It was silent, too silent. Even the wind had stilled. Mara's hand tightened on her spear. "I don't like this," she whispered.
Reid's grip tightened on his knife. "Stay alert."
The Bond laughed softly. "It's already here."
The predator struck without warning. It burst from the fog, a massive shape of armor and molten cracks, glowing faintly from within. Its roar shook the rocks, sending vibrations through the ground. The first swipe of its claws shattered stone where Reid had stood an instant before.
Mara screamed, lunging forward with her spear. Jorik fired in bursts, the rounds sparking uselessly against the beast's hardened hide.
Reid moved, the Bond's whispers sharpening his senses. "Now. Left. Duck." He obeyed instinctively, rolling under a strike. He used Veil Step in short bursts, slipping out of sight just long enough to appear behind the creature, his movements fast but not so fast the others could see the truth. To them, it would look like luck.
His blade found the seams in the armor, cutting deep. Black ichor sprayed, sizzling on the rocks. The essence inside the beast called to him, burning in his veins even before it died.
"Take it. Feed. Hide it from them, but take it all."
Pain burned through his chest as he fought to keep the glow hidden. He bit down on the scream building in his throat. Mara drove her spear into a joint, forcing the beast to stumble. Reid seized the moment, driving his knife into the crack in its chest. The monster shrieked, collapsing into pieces of charred armor and ash.
While the others regrouped, Reid knelt by the corpse, back turned. Ash rose like smoke, spiraling into his hand unseen. It burned as it entered his body, veins lighting faintly before the Bond smothered the glow.
[Essence Absorbed: Hidden]
[Core Status: Red – Surge Contained]
[Ability Unlock: Veil Step (Tier I)]
Mara rushed over, worry etched across her face. "Reid! Are you okay?"
He forced a shaky smile. "Just… winded."
Jorik's eyes narrowed, suspicion clear, but he stayed silent.
They carried the beast's fang back down the ridge as dawn began to break. The fog thinned, but the air stayed heavy. Mara kept close to Reid, occasionally glancing at him like she wanted to ask something but didn't. Jorik stayed behind them, eyes sharp, watching every move he made.
Back at the factory, Holt stood waiting. The sun painted the sky in pale orange, but her visor reflected nothing but cold calculation. "You got it?" she asked.
Reid held out the fang. "Yeah."
She studied him in silence for a long moment. "Impressive," she said finally, though her tone held something unspoken. Her gaze lingered on him as the others walked away.
The Bond's voice curled smugly in his mind. "They'll never see what you're hiding. Not until I want them to."
Far on the ridge, in the thinning fog, shadows shifted. Something larger moved, watching, waiting.