Colorado's highways were shrouded in night and smoke. Elias gripped the steering wheel of a dilapidated off-road vehicle, racing frantically along the snow-covered pavement. Behind him, the dark red aurora loomed like a hunter's eyes, dyeing the sky an eerie crimson. Scattered pitch-black creatures—later he heard soldiers on the communicator call them "Shadow Devourers"—darted across the wilderness at breathtaking speed, leaving twisted trails of darkness in their wake.
The off-roader's engine roared under the strain, and the fuel gauge needle had long since dipped below the warning line. Cold sweat mixed with dust trickled down Elias's forehead as he fixed his gaze on the blurred road ahead. The bronze shard pressed against his chest remained warm, the scorching energy within him flowing slowly, replenishing the strength he'd spent fighting the Shadow Devourers earlier.
"Thirty kilometers remaining to the outer checkpoint of Colorado Fortress," Major Coulson's voice crackled over the communicator, laced with static. "Avoid the abandoned town on the right side of the highway—satellite surveillance shows at least twenty Shadow Devourers have gathered there."
Elias nodded, yanking the steering wheel sharply. The off-roader swerved off the main road and crashed into a dense coniferous forest. Wheels crunched over snow and dead branches, startling a flock of birds into flight. He could feel the energy within him forging a faint connection with the surrounding trees and soil, as if he could vaguely sense life signs within a hundred-meter radius—a new, sharpened sense that draped the world in a translucent veil.
Suddenly, the bronze shard in his chest trembled violently, more intensely than ever before. A surge of unease shot through Elias, and he slammed on the brakes instinctively. The off-roader skidded to a halt after a few meters. He glanced down at his chest, where the shard's patterns blazed with frantic light, golden-red hues seeping through his clothes to form swirling streams of radiance.
"What's happening?"
He raised his hand to touch the shard, but a crushing sense of dread clamped down on his heart. Acting on pure instinct, Elias threw open the car door and lunged toward a nearby tree. The moment he vacated the seat, a dark blur streaked out of the forest like lightning, its sharp claws slamming into the off-roader with a deafening crunch. The metal body caved in instantly, letting out a shrill groan of twisted metal.
It was a Shadow Devourer far larger than the one he'd faced earlier! Over three meters in length, its body was covered in fine scales that glinted with an eerie blue sheen in the dim light. A pair of bony horns protruded faintly from its head, exuding a suffocating aura of menace.
"A high-rank Shadow Devourer?" Elias's pupils contracted. The communicator had mentioned that Shadow Devourers grew in size and power as they consumed more energy—this one was clearly far more dangerous than the juvenile he'd encountered before.
The high-rank Shadow Devourer turned, its eyeless head locking onto Elias as if sensing him through some otherworldly means. It let out a low, guttural snarl, filled with ravenous hunger, and tensed its muscles, preparing to strike again.
Elias clenched his fists, trying to channel the energy within him. But this time, the energy flowed sluggishly, as if blocked by an invisible barrier. He glanced down at his chest—the shard's glow was fading, the golden-red light in its grooves dimming as if being siphoned away.
"Why is this happening?" Elias's mind raced. Could the shard's energy be limited?
In that instant, the high-rank Shadow Devourer pounced, moving several times faster than before. The gale from its claws stung Elias's cheeks. He had no time to think, rolling sideways on pure reflex to dodge the fatal strike. The claws grazed his shoulder, tearing three deep gashes into the tree behind him and sending wood splinters flying.
Elias scrambled to his feet, his shoulder throbbing with searing pain as blood soaked through his clothes. He could feel his energy draining rapidly, and the bronze shard's trembling grew weaker, like a dying flame.
"I can't die like this!"
In his desperate predicament, the image projected by the bronze shard flashed through his mind—the colossal figures draped in stars, the radiant glow of laws swirling in their hands, and the word "Primal" echoing repeatedly in his consciousness. He closed his eyes instinctively, abandoning his attempts to control the energy and instead focusing on sensing the true nature of the scorching power within him.
He realized that this energy originated from the bronze shard, yet it had formed a strange resonance with his blood. It was like a slumbering dragon, waiting for a key to awaken it. And that key, he suddenly understood, was not forceful manipulation—but complete harmony between his will and the essence of the energy itself.
Elias took a shaky breath, letting go of all fear and hesitation. He visualized the golden-red energy as an extension of his own body, flowing through his veins, merging with his breath, and resonating with the pulse of life around him. The bronze shard in his chest trembled once more, but this time, the vibration matched the rhythm of his heartbeat—as if the shard and his blood had become one.
A warm current surged from his chest, spreading through his limbs and bones in an instant. The stagnant energy broke free of its invisible chains, roaring like a river bursting its banks. His shoulder wound tingled as the energy accelerated his healing, the bleeding slowing dramatically. Golden-red light emanated from his skin, forming a faint aura around his body.
The high-rank Shadow Devourer let out a confused snarl, as if sensing the sudden change in its prey. It pounced again, claws outstretched to tear Elias apart. But this time, Elias did not dodge. His eyes snapped open, glowing with a faint golden-red light. He raised his right hand, and the surging energy concentrated in his palm, forming a condensed beam of light—far more powerful than the one he'd unleashed earlier.
"Primal Force!" he roared, swinging his arm forward.
The golden-red beam shot out, tearing through the air with a sharp whistle. It struck the high-rank Shadow Devourer dead center in its chest, piercing through its scaly hide and erupting from its back in a burst of black smoke. The creature let out a ear-splitting shriek, its body convulsing violently as the Primal Force burned through its shadowy essence. Within seconds, its massive form dissolved into a cloud of black mist, which was quickly dispersed by the wind.
Elias collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. The golden-red aura around him faded, and the bronze shard in his chest dimmed to a gentle glow. But he could feel a profound change within himself—the Primal Force was no longer a foreign energy he struggled to control, but an integral part of his being, responding to his thoughts and emotions.
As he regained his composure, a faint hum echoed from the bronze shard. A new pattern lit up on its surface, one he hadn't seen before—this one resembling a stylized star cluster, twinkling softly. At the same time, a fragment of information appeared in his mind, as if etched directly into his soul: "First resonance achieved. Primal Bloodline awakened. Initial mastery of Space Law—Phase 1."
"Space Law?" Elias muttered, flexing his fingers. He focused his will, and a faint ripple of energy spread from his fingertips, distorting the air slightly. It was a crude application, but he could feel the potential—the ability to bend space, to shorten distances, to create barriers. This was the power of the laws mentioned in the shard's projection.
Just then, his communicator crackled to life. "Elias, do you copy? We've lost your position on the satellite. What's your status?" Major Coulson's voice was filled with concern.
"I'm okay," Elias replied, climbing back into the damaged off-roader. "I... I awakened the Primal Force. And I just took down a high-rank Shadow Devourer."
There was a brief silence on the other end. "You've awakened it already?" Major Coulson's voice sounded shocked. "Professor Alan's research suggested that full awakening would take months of training. You're far beyond our expectations."
Elias glanced down at the bronze shard, which now pulsed in sync with his heartbeat. "The shard... it's communicating with me. It showed me a new pattern, and I suddenly understood how to use the energy."
"We'll debrief you fully when you arrive," Major Coulson said. "But there's something else—satellite imagery shows that the Shadow Devourers are converging on your location. It's like they're being drawn to the Primal Force's energy signature. You need to get here as soon as possible. The fortress's energy shield will block their tracking."
Elias's expression turned serious. He started the off-roader—miraculously, the engine still worked—and pulled back onto the forest path. As he drove, he couldn't help but wonder: Why was he able to awaken the Primal Bloodline so quickly? What was the connection between the Shadow Devourers and the Primal Force? And what other secrets did the bronze shard hold?
He glanced up at the dark red aurora, which seemed to grow brighter as he approached the fortress. Somewhere in the depths of the universe, those colossal figures from the shard's projection had fought against the shadowy forces. Now, it seemed, that battle had come to Earth—and he was standing on the front lines.
As the off-roader raced toward the horizon, the bronze shard in his chest glowed softly, the star cluster pattern flickering like a beacon. Little did Elias know, this awakening had not gone unnoticed. Across the galaxy, ancient civilizations monitored the surge of Primal Force from Earth, and in the darkest corners of the cosmos, the masters of the Shadow Devourers let out a roar of hunger—for the Primal Force, the essence of creation itself, was the one thing that could satisfy their eternal hunger. And Elias, the newly awakened heir to this power, had become their most coveted prey.