The sacred flames sputtered as the ceremony ended, the final verses of the Tamer's Oath still echoing in the bones of the beast-god cathedral.
But Kaden… wasn't moving.
Kaela's hand was on his shoulder, and Hunter circled him like a wolf sensing prey—but unsure whether it was friend or foe.
"Say something," Kaela murmured.
Kaden blinked.
"I heard a voice," he said finally. "But it wasn't Hunter."
A pause. A breathless kind of stillness.
Kaela's throat went dry. "Then who?"
Kaden looked up.
And his eyes weren't glowing with lightning anymore.
They were glowing with amber flame—something ancient.
The Beast Within
Later that night, Kaden stood alone near the cliff's edge, headset buzzing with scrambled static.
Hunter sat beside him but didn't make a sound.
The air was cold, but Kaden was sweating.
He remembered flashes from the Oathfire… not memories. Visions.
A throne of bones.
A crown made of beast teeth.
A cage with his name carved into it, over and over and over again.
And in the center of it all—a creature.
Massive. Antlered. Shadow-wrapped.
Him.
Not wearing armor. Not holding weapons.
But snarling. Glowing. Waiting.
"You opened the gate, little king," the voice whispered in his head. "Now let me out."
The Trial Begins
At dawn, the Crimson Pact departed for Hollowgate.
Kaden, Kaela, Vex, and a squad of elite tamers led the charge.
Hollowgate wasn't a fortress—it was a broken city. Once a stronghold of ancient beast-tamers, now a hunting ground overrun with rogue monstrosities and Order experiments gone feral.
As they approached, Kaela rode beside Kaden.
"You sure you're stable?"
"No," Kaden said honestly. "But that's never stopped me."
Kaela smirked. "Good. Because I think we're about to need the unstable version of you."
The Ruins Speak
Hollowgate's ruins breathed like lungs—full of fog and magic.
They crept through the city's core, where wild glyphs glowed along the walls.
Kaden stopped in front of one.
He reached out and touched the sigil.
It pulsed—and suddenly, visions flooded his mind.
Beasts worshipped here.
Not tools.
Not weapons.
Gods.
The tamers didn't command them—they bargained.
Kaela gasped beside him. "These weren't just ruins. This was a temple."
Hunter snarled.
Something moved.
The ground shook.
The Bone King Awakens
From the center of the ruins, something massive rose from the earth.
A titan.
Beast-flesh woven with bone, fire curling from its ribs. Antlers wide as tree branches. Eyes glowing with the same amber flame now flickering in Kaden.
It looked at Kaden—
—and bowed.
Kaela's mouth dropped open. "Why the hell is it bowing to you?!"
Kaden didn't answer.
Because in his mind, the voice returned.
"We remember you, Warden of Beasts.Your throne still waits."