The cavern didn't sleep.
The red veins in the stone pulsed slowly, like a massive heart buried beneath the world. Every throb sent a dull ache through Kael's skull as he moved cautiously through the shadows.
He wasn't alone.
He felt it.
The Abyssal Brand pulsed faintly, reacting to something nearby—something alive.
Kael slowed his steps, lowering his breathing. His senses felt sharper than before, as if the darkness itself whispered warnings into his ears.
A sound echoed ahead.
Metal scraping stone.
Kael crouched behind a jagged rock formation just as a figure stumbled into view.
A girl.
She looked about his age, her clothes torn and blood-stained. A broken spear was clutched tightly in her hands, its tip shaking as she scanned the cavern in panic.
Another Chosen.
Kael's first instinct was relief.
His second was suspicion.
Survivors didn't last long in places like this.
"Don't come any closer!" she shouted when she spotted him, raising her spear.
Kael slowly raised his hands.
"I'm not here to kill you," he said calmly. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be bleeding."
Her grip tightened, but her eyes flicked briefly to his empty hands.
"You're cursed," she said suddenly.
Kael's stomach dropped.
"What?"
She swallowed. "Your chest. It's… wrong. My blessing lets me sense corrupted mana."
So she had power already.
Figures.
"Congratulations," Kael said dryly. "You're very observant."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "People like you attract monsters."
Almost on cue, a screech echoed through the cavern.
Multiple.
The girl's face drained of color.
"They're coming," she whispered.
Kael cursed under his breath.
"How good are you with that spear?"
"Good enough," she said, though her trembling hands betrayed her.
The creatures burst from the darkness—three of them this time, crawling on all fours, mouths split too wide to be human.
Kael moved first.
[Abyssal Borrowing — Limited Activation]
Power surged, restrained this time—controlled.
He ducked beneath a swipe of claws, grabbed a loose shard of stone, and slammed it into a creature's skull. It collapsed instantly.
The girl screamed and thrust her spear forward, impaling another monster through the throat. Blue light flared from the weapon, disintegrating the corpse.
The third creature leapt toward Kael.
Pain lanced through his chest as the Abyss answered eagerly.
Kael caught the creature mid-air and crushed its neck with a sickening snap.
Silence fell.
Kael staggered back, breathing hard.
Synchronization increased: 7%.
Warning: Emotional stimuli accelerate corruption.
The girl stared at him like he was something unnatural.
"…What are you?" she asked.
Kael wiped blood from his cheek.
"Someone trying to survive."
She hesitated, then lowered her spear slightly. "My name's Lira."
"Kael."
For a brief moment, something almost like trust formed between them.
Then Lira's eyes flickered past him.
Her expression changed.
"Behind you!"
Kael spun—
Too late.
Pain exploded in the back of his head as something struck him hard. His vision blurred as he collapsed to the ground.
The last thing he saw was Lira standing over him, spear raised, her face pale and conflicted.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't take the risk."
Darkness swallowed him whole.
[Warning:]
Host life signs unstable.