The forest had grown quiet.
Too quiet.
Kahel moved through the underbrush with slow, cautious steps. His body was numb from hunger and exhaustion, his mind fogged by pain. Every breath burned in his lungs. His vision swam, but he forced himself forward, one step at a time.
The ember pulsed weakly in his chest, offering no warmth. Just a dull reminder that something powerful lay within him, still asleep.
He had eaten nothing in nearly three days. The berries had made him sick. The water kept him alive, but barely. He had found no shelter, no safety. Only trees, shadows, and the feeling that something was watching him.
Then he heard it.
A low growl.
Kahel froze.
From the shadows ahead, a pair of yellow eyes glowed. A creature stepped into the fading light, a massive, muscular beast with thick black fur, claws as long as Kahel's fingers, and jagged teeth bared in a hungry snarl. It looked like a wolf, but far larger, its body marked with faint scars and glowing veins pulsing with a strange energy.
A spirit beast.
Kahel backed up instinctively, but the creature followed, slow and deliberate. It was not in a hurry. It could smell his weakness.
His heart pounded. The ember flickered.
The beast lunged.
Kahel dove aside, but not fast enough. A claw raked across his shoulder, tearing through fabric and flesh. Pain exploded down his side, and he crashed to the ground, gasping.
He rolled, narrowly avoiding another swipe, then scrambled to his feet, adrenaline burning through his veins. His legs trembled. His body screamed.
The wolf-beast circled, growling low.
Kahel grabbed a thick branch from the forest floor. It was barely more than a stick, but it was all he had.
The beast charged again.
Kahel swung.
The branch cracked against its shoulder. The creature barely flinched. Its paw slammed into Kahel's side, sending him flying. He hit the ground hard, stars bursting behind his eyes.
Blood filled his mouth.
He couldn't move. Could barely breathe.
The beast stalked closer.
The ember pulsed once.
Then again.
Kahel blinked up at the sky. Everything was blurry. His body was broken, too weak to run, too slow to fight. He thought of his mother. Of Mara's smile. Of her death.
He thought of the promise he made to Velka.
His hand clenched into the dirt.
"No," he whispered.
The ember surged.
It was no longer a flicker. It was fire.
Heat exploded in his chest, racing through his limbs like lightning. His body arched, breath tearing from his throat as the ember ignited.
Flames licked across his skin, not burning, but alive.
The beast lunged.
Kahel moved without thinking.
His arm, once heavy, now felt light. He ducked under the beast's strike and drove the broken branch into its throat. The ember flared. The stick burst into flame as it struck.
The beast howled in pain, staggering back, fire spreading across its fur. Kahel rose to his feet, eyes glowing faintly, breath steady.
The creature lunged again, but Kahel was faster now. He dodged and slammed his fist into its chest. Flame erupted from his palm, punching through flesh and bone.
The beast collapsed.
Dead.
Kahel stood over the body, his breath ragged. The flames around him died slowly, fading into smoke. His skin was scorched, his clothes torn and bloodied, but he was alive.
And something inside him had changed.
He could feel it.
The ember no longer pulsed weakly. It now thrummed in rhythm with his heartbeat, steady and strong.
He had touched the edge of death, and broken through.
The first gate had opened.
Kahel dropped to his knees, gasping, every muscle shaking. He looked at his hands. They were trembling, raw, but no longer empty.
He had killed a spirit beast.
He had survived.
He had begun.