The forest at dawn was different the deeper Aiden went.
Here, the air was heavier, as though the trees themselves leaned in to listen. Light barely pierced the dense canopy, leaving the ground in a constant twilight. The silence wasn't peace — it was warning. Every step echoed too loudly. Every breath stirred unseen things in the shadows.
Aiden's body still carried wounds from the Moonfang battle. Scabs pulled tight against his skin, his muscles throbbed with dull pain, but there was no hesitation in his steps. The fight had left him hungry — not for food, not for rest, but for more.
His wooden sword, reinforced with crude iron plating Bran had once discarded, hung loosely in his hand. It was battered, chipped at the edges, but it was enough. For now.
He crouched low, brushing his fingers against the damp soil. Tracks. Large. Deep. Heavy.
This isn't Rank 3 anymore.
The forest floor carried the faint stench of blood and sulfur. The claw marks gouged into the trees reached above his head.
Aiden's lips pressed into a thin line. His instincts screamed at him to turn back. Yet he followed the trail anyway.
---
Hours later, he found it.
The beast stood in a clearing where moonlight broke through the canopy. Its hide was thick and crimson, scales overlapping like armor. Twin horns curled from its skull, and its eyes burned a deep, unnatural red.
A Crimson Horned Lizard. Rank 4.
The ground cracked beneath its weight as it shifted, nostrils flaring. A low hiss rumbled from its throat, the sound vibrating in Aiden's bones.
His heart pounded. His hands trembled.
This wasn't like the Moonfang. This thing radiated malice, a crushing presence that made his knees want to buckle. His breath grew shallow, but his eyes remained steady.
He raised his blade.
"…Let's see if I'm ready."
---
The lizard struck first.
Its tail whipped through the air with a sound like a battering ram. Aiden ducked, the wind of the blow sending leaves spiraling. He rolled forward, slashing at its foreleg, but the blade barely scratched the scales.
The beast roared, jaws opening wide to reveal rows of jagged teeth. Heat surged in its throat — flames gathering.
Aiden's instincts screamed. He dove to the side as fire erupted, scorching the earth where he'd stood.
His lungs burned. His vision blurred. He could feel his body straining to its limit already, but he forced his legs to move. Forced himself to push.
If I hesitate, I die.
---
The battle dragged on.
Each clash drove him further into exhaustion. His sword chipped more with every strike. The lizard's movements were relentless, a storm of fire and steel-like scales.
Aiden's body was failing — but the whispers weren't.
Devour… devour it… take its strength…
He bit down hard, teeth grinding as he staggered back from a near-fatal swipe. His vision pulsed, dark veins creeping up his arms again. The hunger clawed at him, screaming to be unleashed.
"No…" he growled under his breath, chest heaving. "Not yet."
But as the beast lunged again, flame burning in its maw, he knew choice was an illusion.
He let go.
---
The world shifted.
Colors sharpened. Time slowed. His muscles surged with borrowed strength, every nerve alight with unnatural energy. The whispers filled him, guiding his movements with ruthless clarity.
He darted beneath the lizard's flaming breath, his body moving faster than it should. His blade carved into a joint at the beast's leg, sinking deeper this time. The lizard roared, stumbling, its blood spilling black and hot.
Aiden's lips curled into a grim smile. His heart raced. His body screamed.
He pressed forward, slashing, dodging, striking with precision that wasn't his alone.
The whispers screamed with him.
Yes… devour it… finish it…
The lizard thrashed, its tail whipping, fire spewing wild. Trees collapsed in the chaos, flames spreading through the clearing. But Aiden did not stop. He climbed its back, drove his blade down with both hands, and felt it pierce through flesh into bone.
The monster writhed, bellowing one final roar before collapsing, the ground shaking beneath its fall.
Aiden stood over it, drenched in blood, his body trembling with exhaustion. His veins glowed faintly, the whispers still clawing inside him.
For a moment, he swayed. His vision blurred.
Then he collapsed to his knees.
The clearing went silent except for the crackle of burning trees.
---
When he woke, dawn light pierced the smoke. The corpse of the Crimson Lizard lay beside him, still bleeding, its scales dull. His sword was broken in two.
But his body… his body felt stronger. His wounds had stopped bleeding. His breathing was steady.
Something inside him had changed.
Rank 3 no longer described him. He could feel it — raw, undeniable. He had crossed into something more.
Rank 4.
Aiden clenched his fists, staring at the rising sun.
"…This is only the beginning."
---
Far beyond the forest, whispers traveled through shadowed halls.
"The seal weakens still," the cloaked woman murmured. Her eyes glowed faintly as she gazed into the distance.
Her companion smiled. "And the boy grows bolder. Good. Let him hunt. The more he feeds, the sooner the demon stirs."
The sound of rattling chains echoed faintly in their ears.
---