The trees grew wrong here.
Aelric could feel it in the marrow of his bones—the way the trunks twisted like skeletal fingers, the way the shadows stretched unnaturally, clinging like hungry mist.
The Frost Hollow wasn't just cursed. It was alive.
And it hated them.
Lyra's tracks were clearer now. Blood droplets darkened the snow at irregular intervals. Scratches along the undergrowth. A discarded piece of her cloak snagged on a low branch.
"She's close," Rhea whispered, eyes darting nervously across the landscape.
Aelric nodded, but his expression was grim. The air stank of rot and something fouler—void energy. The Hollow's influence.
The System pulsed softly, overlaying his vision:
[Environmental Hazard: Rift-Tainted Zone][Hostile Entity Approaching — Classification: Hollowborn Aberration][Threat Level: Moderate-High]
The snow shifted ahead. A low, wet snarl rumbled through the undergrowth.
Aelric raised his hand, halting Rhea behind him. The shadows bulged—then tore apart as the creature lunged.
It was once human. Probably.
But now? Its flesh pulsed with sickly grey veins, limbs warped and stretched. Its eyes were hollow pits leaking black ichor, fangs protruding unnaturally from its twisted jaw.
A Hollowborn Aberration. A product of exposure to rift energy, corrupted beyond saving.
It was fast. Brutally so.
But Aelric was ready.
[Skill: Predatory Sense — Active][Skill: Predator's Insight — Active]
The world slowed around him. He saw the aberration's movements before it made them—the shifting of muscle, the gathering of its warped limbs.
Aelric ducked low, sidestepping the first lunge. His blade—still a simple steel short sword—sliced upward in a precise arc.
The aberration screeched as ichor splattered the snow, sizzling where it landed.
But it wasn't dead. Not yet.
"Rhea, hold!" Aelric barked as the creature wheeled around.
It charged again, claws outstretched.
This time, Aelric didn't dodge.
He stepped into the strike, blade reversing in his grip—driving it into the creature's exposed side. The aberration's momentum carried it onto the steel, impaling itself.
But its claws raked across Aelric's side, shredding his cloak and leaving shallow gashes across his ribs. Pain flared—but he gritted his teeth, yanking the blade free.
The creature staggered, leaking ichor and snarling—but weakening.
The System chimed:
[Weak Point Identified: Spinal Core Node]
Perfect.
Aelric surged forward, ducking another swipe, driving his blade into the base of the creature's neck. A sickening crack echoed as the corrupted spine snapped.
The aberration collapsed, twitching—then fell still, dissolving into black sludge that hissed and smoked against the snow.
Silence returned.
Aelric exhaled slowly, blood trickling from his side. His expression remained cold. Calculating. Already, he was scanning the terrain, eyes sharp.
Rhea approached cautiously. "You're hurt."
"Superficial," he replied, wiping the blade clean.
His gaze shifted to the deeper woods. Lyra's trail continued—fresher now, frantic. But something gnawed at his instincts.
The Hollowborn… that one was alone. Sloppy. Corrupted. But the true predators? The ones lurking deeper in the Hollow? They would be smarter. Organized. Watching.
This had been a test.
And they were running out of time.
The System pulsed again:
[Fragment Assimilation Progress: 14%][New Trait Acquired: Ruthless Calculation — In critical situations, emotional hesitation suppressed. Decision-making optimized for survival.]
Aelric's jaw tightened. He didn't need the System to tell him what he already was.
Caring for those under his wing? Absolutely.
But mercy?
That was a luxury this world couldn't afford.
"Let's move," Aelric commanded, already following the trail. "Before the real monsters show up."
The Hollow whispered around them. Watching. Waiting.
And Aelric?
He welcomed it.
Because with every step… his strength grew.
...
They found her in a shallow ravine, half-buried beneath frost-crusted underbrush.
Lyra's breathing was ragged, her cloak torn, skin pallid with cold and fear. Blood stained her leg—an ugly gash along her thigh—and dark bruises bloomed beneath her eyes.
But she was alive.
"Lyra," Rhea called, rushing forward, relief and panic in her voice.
The girl stirred weakly, eyes fluttering open. Recognition flickered—followed by a sob of relief as Rhea knelt beside her.
Aelric, however, didn't relax. His eyes swept the treeline. The snow was… wrong again. Too still. The forest holding its breath.
The System whispered urgently:
[Immediate Threat Detected: Apex Predator Presence Confirmed][Classification: Hollow Alpha — Moonborn Variant][Caution: Extreme Hostility Likely]
Aelric's stomach tightened. A Hollow Alpha. Not just a corrupted creature, but one of the dominant predators warped by the Hollow's influence—something intelligent. Something dangerous.
A low, guttural growl rippled across the ravine, carrying through the frozen air like a death knell.
The snow shifted, and from the treeline emerged the beast.
It was lupine in shape, towering over a man, fur black as pitch, marred by twisting, glowing veins of void energy. Its eyes burned with feral hunger, and its fangs glistened like ice-carved daggers.
A corrupted Moonborn.
Aelric's mind raced, already calculating. A standard Moonborn—the werewolf clans—were powerful but bound by tribal honor. This creature? It was stripped of restraint. A perfect killer, infused with Hollow corruption.
Rhea froze, clutching Lyra protectively.
Aelric stepped forward, voice low. "Don't run. It'll trigger its hunt reflex."
The beast prowled along the ravine's edge, intelligent eyes gleaming. It wasn't rushing in. It was gauging them. Testing.
His System pulsed again:
[System Adaptation Triggered][Skill Fragment Available: Predator's Gambit (Uncommon)][Effect: Temporarily enhances cognitive speed and battle analysis during lethal encounters. Success boosts System evolution.]
Aelric accepted immediately. A cold clarity settled over him as information flooded his mind—the beast's gait, the exposed muscles along its flank, the faint hesitation in its left hind leg.
It had fought recently. It wasn't at peak condition. But it was still stronger, faster, deadlier.
Aelric couldn't win through brute force.
But through cunning? Through ruthlessness? That was his arena.
"Rhea," he said quietly, never taking his eyes off the beast. "When I move, get Lyra to the ridge behind us. Don't stop. Don't look back."
"But—"
"Do it."
The beast tensed, its claws digging into the snow.
Aelric acted first.
He flung his sword to the left, deliberately clattering it against a frozen boulder. The sharp noise echoed, the beast's head snapping toward the sound—instinct overriding its patience.
In that heartbeat, Aelric surged right, snatching a jagged shard of ice from the ground. His System-fed awareness guided him—not aiming for the kill, but for advantage.
The shard arced through the air—striking the beast's exposed flank, embedding shallowly in the weak muscle.
It roared, more in frustration than pain—but that hesitation was enough.
Rhea bolted, dragging Lyra toward the ridge.
The beast lunged after them—only to find Aelric already intercepting its path, retrieving his sword mid-sprint.
Steel met corrupted hide. Aelric's strike wasn't meant to kill—it was to enrage, to distract. He slashed across its face, drawing ichor and blood.
The Hollow Alpha snarled, spinning toward him with feral fury.
"Come on then," Aelric whispered coldly, eyes hard. "Chase me."
And it did.
He led it in a wide arc away from Rhea and Lyra, the System feeding him angles, timing, terrain. His breath burned in his lungs, muscles screaming—but his mind? Sharp. Focused.
The ravine narrowed. Jagged rocks jutted like spearheads. A perfect bottleneck.
The beast gained on him, claws slashing through snow and ice.
Aelric feinted left, then dropped low, sliding beneath a fallen tree trunk as the creature leapt—momentum carrying it into the narrow gap.
Its bulk jammed between the rocks for a split second. Enough.
Aelric spun, driving his blade upward—piercing the beast's exposed underside. Not deep enough to kill—but debilitating.
The Hollow Alpha howled, thrashing wildly—but stuck, disoriented.
The System chimed softly:
[Critical Strike Executed][System Evolution: Fragment Assimilation Progress — 19%][Skill Upgrade: Predator's Gambit → Predator's Strategem (Rare)]
Aelric didn't wait for further confirmation. He sprinted, blood pounding in his ears, reaching the ridge where Rhea and Lyra scrambled over the rocks.
"We go. Now."
Behind them, the Hollow Alpha ripped free, its roar echoing across the Frost Hollow. But it wasn't pursuing—wounded, furious… cautious now.
They had survived. For now.
As they fled deeper into the Hollow's embrace, Aelric's lips curled into a thin, cold smile.
The System was evolving. His enemies revealed themselves.
And with every ruthless, calculated choice…
His rise began.