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The spiritling had vanished.
One moment it led him between the crystalline trees of Shroudveil Hollow. The next, it dissolved into a whisper of mist, leaving Yuki alone beneath a pale, moonlike glow seeping from the branches above.
And that's when the forest exhaled.
The ground trembled—not violently, but rhythmically. Like a heartbeat. Slow. Deep. Ancient.
A scent unlike anything Yuki had encountered before reached his snout—moss and sorrow, decay and memory. It wasn't natural. It was **spiritual rot**.
> **Warning: High-Concentration Soul Entity Detected.**
>
> **Identified: Gloomhorn Revenant – Aberrant Class Beast**
>
> **Type**: Soul-Tethered Guardian Beast
> **Threat Level**: S-Rank Equivalent (Spirit-bound Classification)
> **Nature**: Defensive Entity – Attacks Those Without Spirit Pact or Anchoring Skill
It emerged not from the forest, but *through* it—like peeling back a layer of the world itself.
A horned quadruped, twice the size of Yuki's current form, with a body composed of decayed bark, bone, and flickering soul-light. Its head was crowned by a jagged halo of antlers, each one filled with etchings that *moved* like words written in liquid smoke.
Its eyes were hollow.
And yet, they *saw* everything.
The moment Yuki's presence registered, the creature's mouth opened—not to roar, but to *weep*. A soundless, spiritual cry that reverberated through the forest like a dirge.
Yuki flared his wings and ignited **Flame Clad** without hesitation, burning a protective glow around his body. He didn't wait. The beast's sorrow turned instantly to aggression, charging at him with terrifying speed.
*THUD!*
He narrowly dodged, spiraling upward with **Flight Mastery**, and countered with **Flame Sovereign's Breath**, a wave of crimson fire crashing into the Revenant's flank.
The flame hissed uselessly against its hide.
> **Target resists standard elemental damage. Soul-imbued attacks recommended.**
Tch.
So brute force wouldn't cut it. The beast wasn't a creature of flesh—it was a memory. A will. A spirit entwined with wrath and duty.
Yuki dove down to test a different approach. He slammed his claws into the Revenant's back, attempting to pierce with sheer kinetic force. The beast didn't flinch. Instead, it twisted unnaturally, sending a glowing antler slashing toward him.
*CLANG!*
Pain arced through his body as the hit connected with his wing. He spiraled, crashing through glowing bramble that tore at his scales.
> **Minor injury sustained. Warding Flame Reconstituted.**
Yuki's breathing steadied, despite the dull ache in his limbs.
"Then let's try something new," he growled.
He activated **Draconic Roar**—not the instinctual burst of pride and fury he had used before, but one fueled by his presence, his will. The air warped with the sound, bending trees and spiritlight alike.
The Revenant paused. Its frame trembled as if the roar *touched something inside it*.
Yuki's instincts sharpened.
*That's it. It's not just a beast. It's bound by a memory it can't escape.*
As the Revenant lunged again, Yuki gathered fire and mana—but this time, he shaped it differently. **Phoenix Pulse** ignited in his chest, blending his flame with raw spirit resonance. The air shimmered gold as he launched the attack.
The blast struck true.
The Revenant screamed—not in pain, but release. Its antlers cracked, soullight bursting like scattered fireflies. The flames *lingered* this time, dancing across its body like golden threads.
And then…
The beast slowed.
It stood still.
A glow pulsed from its core as a jagged chain of blue light emerged from its chest, binding it to something unseen in the forest. It stared at Yuki, no longer in rage, but *recognition*.
> **Soul Tether Severed. Spirit Beast Pacified.**
> **You have gained Insight: Spirit Chains**
> **You have earned: Title – \[Soul-Tempter]**
>
> **Effect**: Slight resistance to spirit-binding effects; +10% resonance with soul beasts or spirits. Increases comprehension of tether-based skills.
Yuki hovered in the air, the shimmering heat of Phoenix Pulse fading around him.
The Revenant bowed once… then dissolved into drifting spirit motes, leaving behind no corpse, only a memory.
He landed gently. Around him, the forest shifted—less oppressive, more curious. As if the soul of the Hollow had acknowledged him.
And deep within, something awakened.
> **\[Mindforge Core] has begun refining your internal soulspace.**
The next trial would not be physical.
It would be *within*.
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