The scream came at dusk.
Kai was inside the warehouse, sorting through scavenged supplies, when Warden's presence flared in his mind. Alarm. Danger. Something at the walls.
He was running before he thought. Tik was at his heels. The other goblins scattered, their threads pulsing with fear.
"Threat Detection active," Red said. "Multiple signatures. Small. Fast. Hostile."
Kai reached the eastern wall. Warden was there, crouched behind a collapsed pillar, its yellow eyes fixed on something beyond.
Kai looked.
A pack of creatures moved through the ruins outside the city. Small. Sleek. Grey skin that blended with the rubble. Red eyes that glowed in the fading light. They moved like wolves—coordinated, patient, hungry.
"Scavengers," Riya said, appearing beside him. "They hunt in packs. They've been following the goblins for days."
"They waited until night," Kai said.
"They're smart. And they're hungry."
The pack circled. Ten. Maybe twelve. They moved closer to the wall, testing, probing, looking for weakness.
Kai's Will Resonance stirred in his chest. The thread pulsed. His hands clenched.
"You cannot fight them all," Red said. "Your Cognitive Load is 55%. Your Will Resonance is at 10%. You are not ready for direct combat."
"Then we don't fight," Kai said.
He stepped forward. Into the open. The goblins chirped in alarm, but he raised a hand. They stopped.
The pack saw him. Red eyes fixed on his face. The leader—larger than the others, scarred across its muzzle—growled low.
Kai looked at it.
And pushed.
"Will Resonance: Awakening," he whispered.
The pressure built in his chest. His head pounded. The threads in his mind pulsed—twelve goblins, twelve presences, twelve sources of strength feeding into him.
He pushed outward.
Not the full force of his will. He didn't have that. Not yet. Just a flicker. A taste. A warning.
The pack leader froze.
Its growl cut off. Its legs locked. For a moment, its red eyes met Kai's, and something passed between them. Recognition. Fear.
Kai took a step forward.
The pack broke.
They scattered into the darkness, howling, scrambling, fleeing. The leader was the last to go—it stared at Kai for one long moment, then turned and vanished into the ruins.
Silence.
Kai's legs gave out. He dropped to his knees, gasping, his head splitting open. The threads in his mind screamed—twelve goblins, twelve surges of fear and relief and wonder.
"Cognitive Load spiked to 70%," Red said. "Will Resonance output: 10%. You pushed beyond your limits."
"You did what you had to do," Blue said softly.
Riya was beside him, her hand on his shoulder. The goblins gathered around, chirping, pressing against him.
"You scared them," she said.
Kai laughed. It was weak. But it was real.
"I scared myself."