Darkness shifted.
Not like a shadow.
Like a living organism breathing.
Owain braced himself, claws half-shifted, body bruised and bleeding from the Hunger's earlier strikes. The creature moved with fluid, impossible speed, its edges blurring like smoke.
Then—
It spoke again.
Soft.
Ancient.
Dead.
"You will fall, Wolf King."
Owain spat blood onto the stone.
"Not today."
The Hunger stepped forward.
"You break already."
Owain's jaw locked.
"Your bones fracture."
Owain growled.
"Your heart trembles."
Owain's pulse thudded painfully.
"And she begins to wake."
Owain lunged at it, snarling.
"DON'T—TALK—ABOUT—HER—!!"
The creature caught him midair and slammed him into the floor so hard the stone dented beneath him.
Owain coughed blood.
The creature crouched over him, head tilted unnervingly.
"She is becoming what she is meant to be."
Owain's eyes burned.
"No.
She's fighting it."
"Fighting?"
The creature leaned closer.
Its breath was cold enough to frost bone.
"She is craving."
Owain's stomach turned.
"…Craving…?"
The creature's teeth bared, a grin of hunger without joy.
"Devourers crave power first.
Then flesh.
Then…"
It paused.
Owain's breath stopped.
"…those they love."
Owain's vision blurred, rage and terror crashing together inside him.
"LIE—!!" he roared, slashing upward.
This time, the Hunger actually flinched.
Owain's claws tore through its shoulder—
and instead of blood, black vapor poured out.
Owain staggered to his feet.
"She. Will. NEVER. Hurt me."
The Hunger smiled.
"She will try."
Owain lunged again—
But the creature dissolved into mist, reforming behind him.
It whispered at his ear.
"And you will let her."
Owain spun, punching through the air—
But his fist met nothing.
The creature reappeared in front of him.
"Because you love her."
Owain's chest clenched, breath cracking.
"Love isn't weakness."
"No."
Something shifted behind the creature.
Something huge.
Something monstrous.
Something waking.
The creature stepped aside to reveal—
A door.
No—
Not a door.
A memory.
Owain froze.
It wasn't his memory.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't beast.
It was Kanah's.
Inside the image—
She was on the floor, screaming—
one hand clutching her head,
the other reaching toward something unseen.
Her eye—
the left one—
glowed black-gold.
Her face twisted with agony.
The room around her blurred.
"KANAH—!!" Owain lunged at the vision—
But the Hunger grabbed him by the collar and threw him aside.
The vision broke.
Owain roared, slamming his fists into the ground.
"KANA—!!"
The Hunger's voice was soft.
"She calls for you."
Owain froze.
Heart trembling.
"W-what?"
"She calls your name."
Owain's chest tightened.
"She calls you to ground her.
She calls you to stop her.
She calls you…"
The Hunger leaned forward—
"…to save her from what she is becoming."
Owain swallowed hard.
"Then let me reach her."
The Hunger tilted its head.
"Prove you deserve to."
Owain growled.
"What do I have to do?"
The creature stepped back.
The pit walls shifted again—
Revealing a long, circular arena.
Impossible stone.
Impossible height.
Impossible darkness beyond.
Shapes crawled in the walls.
Eyes opened in the shadows.
Something ancient whispered:
hungry… hungry… hungry…
Owain exhaled shakily.
"…shit."
The Hunger smiled.
"Face what she will become.
Or drown."
Owain wiped blood from his lip, chest heaving.
"Good.
I'll face anything for her."
The shadows started crawling out of the walls.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Forms with slit eyes and long claws and teeth like obsidian shards.
Owain cracked his neck.
"…come on, then."
The first one lunged.
Owain punched it in the skull so hard it burst into black smoke.
Another grabbed his arm—
He ripped its head off.
Another sank fangs into his leg—
He slammed it into the stone until it dissolved.
Blood dripped down his arms.
His breath grew ragged.
His ribs burned.
His vision blurred.
But he kept fighting.
Over and over.
For her.
KANAH — THE CRACK IN HER SOUL
Her father's footsteps echoed down the hall.
Slow.
Soft.
Thick with ancient power.
Ilai grabbed Kanah's arm desperately.
"My lady—you must hide your eye—!!"
Kanah shook violently.
"I—I can't—Ilai I—"
Her voice cut off in a scream.
Her spine arched.
Her fingernails gouged the stone.
Her heart pounded like a drum too fast to survive.
Ilai grabbed her head, forcing her to look at her.
"Kanah! Listen to me—LISTEN—!!"
Kanah sobbed.
"Ilai—Ilai—please—I'm so scared—"
Ilai pressed her forehead against Kanah's.
"You are not your father's hunger.
You're more than that.
You're human too."
Kanah shook her head violently.
"It's too strong—!! I can feel it—!! I can feel EVERYTHING—!!"
Her Devourer eye flickered again.
Her heartbeat sounded like thunder.
Her bones creaked.
Her father's voice moved closer.
"Kanara."
Kanah stiffened.
Ilai's breath hitched.
"N-no… not now… Kanah—please—fight—!!"
Kanah pressed both hands against her chest.
"I'm trying—I'm trying— I—Owain—OWAIN—!!!"
Her scream tore through the walls.
Ilai froze.
"You're calling him?"
Kanah nodded through tears.
"I can—feel him—he's hurting—I want to—protect him—I want to—eat—NO—NO—NO—!!"
She slammed her head against the wall.
Ilai yanked her back.
"Stop—stop—stop—!! You're hurting yourself—!!"
Kanah sobbed uncontrollably.
"Ilai—Ilai—I don't want this—I don't want this—!!"
Ilai hugged her hard.
"I'm here.
I'm not leaving you."
Kanah's claws dug into Ilai's robe.
Her breath shook.
Her chest seared.
Her eye—
Changed again.
This time for longer.
Black-gold.
Slitted.
Glowing like a dying star.
Ilai whispered:
"Kanah…
your eye is fully Devourer."
Kanah screamed into her palms.
"No—NO—OWAIN—HELP ME—!! HELP ME—!! PLEASE—!!"
The bond pulsed—
Faint.
Weak.
But there.
Kanah gasped.
"Owain…
I can… feel you…"
Her father's footsteps stopped outside the door.
The chains on the door rattled.
Ilai grabbed Kanah's face.
"Call him again."
Kanah whispered:
"Owain…
please…
please find me…"
The bond flickered.
Then surged—
A spark of gold threading through the black.
Kanah gasped—
"Owain—!!!"
OWAIN — ON THE EDGE OF DEATH
Owain collapsed to one knee, panting hard.
The shadows closed in.
His knuckles dripped blood.
His breath rasped.
He'd killed dozens—
maybe hundreds—
but they kept coming.
The Hunger creature watched silently.
"Give up, Wolf King."
Owain spat blood.
"Never."
"You will die here."
Owain wiped sweat from his brow.
"Then I'll die fighting."
"Foolish."
Owain smirked grimly.
"Love makes you stupid."
The Hunger paused.
Owain pushed himself to his feet.
"Come on," he growled. "Throw more. I'm not done."
The ground shook.
A massive shadow rose from the pit floor.
Twice his height.
Four times his width.
Eyes burning black-gold.
Owain's mouth dried.
"Okay," he muttered. "That might be a problem."
The giant creature lunged.
Owain braced—
but the impact knocked him through a stone pillar.
His ribs cracked.
His breath vanished.
Blood filled his mouth.
He tried to rise—
His legs buckled.
The Hunger creature stepped closer.
"You cannot beat what she will become."
Owain groaned—
but forced himself onto his elbows.
"Yes…
I… can…"
"No."
Owain's vision blurred.
"No matter what she becomes…"
he whispered, choking on blood,
"I'll love her anyway."
The Hunger froze.
Owain spat red onto the stone and forced himself up again.
"I don't care if she changes.
If her blood wakes.
If her power kills me."
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"She's Kanah.
My Kanah.
And I'm not letting her face this alone."
The Hunger took a step back.
Owain advanced.
"You hear me?!
I'm not LEAVING her."
He roared—
And the shadows recoiled.
But the massive creature behind him didn't.
It struck.
Hard.
Owain flew backward and hit the ground, unmoving.
The Hunger approached him slowly.
"You fought well."
Owain coughed blood again.
"Not… done…"
"Yes, you are."
Owain's vision dimmed.
His limbs refused to move.
He whispered Kanah's name through cracked lips.
"Kana… please…"
And then—
A golden spark flared on his chest.
Owain's eyes opened wide.
A pulse.
Then another.
Kanah's voice echoed through the pit.
Owain…
don't go…
don't leave me…
please—
don't die—
Owain gasped hard.
His body shook as the bond surged with fire.
He felt her pain.
Her fear.
Her awakening.
"No—
NO—
KANA—!!"
He forced himself up, screaming.
The golden pulse spread across his chest.
His veins glowed faintly.
His claws extended fully.
His wolf eyes blazed white-gold.
The Hunger froze.
"…Impossible."
Owain stood, trembling but alive.
Fueled by her.
By their bond.
He growled:
"I'm coming, Kana."
He stepped forward.
The pit shook.
The giant creature roared.
Owain roared back—
And sprinted toward it.
KANAH — BREAKING POINT
Her father opened the chamber door.
Ilai shoved Kanah behind her.
"Stay back—please—she's not stable—!!"
Kanah's father looked at her with cold interest.
"She awakens faster than expected."
Kanah screamed.
"NO—!! LEAVE ME ALONE—!!"
Her father stepped closer.
"Kneel, Kanara."
Kanah's entire body arched.
The word kneel triggered something deep in her bones—
Devourer instinct—
command magic—
ancient bloodline obedience—
Her legs shook.
She almost fell—
"No—!!"
She forced herself upright—
Ilai gasped.
"She resisted—?! My lord—she—!"
Kanah's father's eyes narrowed.
"So. The wolf's bond anchors you."
Kanah trembled.
"Don't—don't touch me—!! Don't—!!"
Her father smiled faintly.
"You cannot escape your blood."
Kanah screamed.
"OWAIN—!!!"