Chapter 3 - First Bond, First Blood
The hybrid moved beside Kael like a shadow—silent, heavy, alive. Its clawed feet pressed into the ash, steam rising from each step. Kael didn't know if it was the heat from the scorched earth or the hybrid's body temperature that caused it, but the effect was primal. Like walking beside a volcano with a heartbeat.
His head pounded.
The neural tether was still unstable. He felt surges of foreign emotion—tension, hunger, pain. Brief flashes of memory not his own. A jungle burning. Metal walls. Cold needles. Screams.
The creature's trauma.
Kael grit his teeth. "Focus."
The Codex flickered inside his skull.
[Stabilization at 63%. Neural cross-feedback intensifying. Suggest rest. Risk: cognitive bleed.]
He ignored it. He had no time to rest. No safe place to recover. They needed to move. The jungle had been silent too long. Silence meant something bigger was watching.
Suddenly, the hybrid growled low.
Kael stopped.
The air shifted. No birds. No bugs. Just the wind through bone-dry trees.
Then he heard it—a rustle. A thud.
Out of the haze, a shape lunged.
Teeth. Feathers. Claws.
A raptor. But not natural.
It was smaller than JiRuun, but faster. Leaner. Spines ran down its back like serrated blades. Its eyes glowed faintly orange, and its jaw split unnaturally wide. Kael barely ducked in time, the beast's claws raking the air above his head.
His hybrid roared and intercepted, slamming the raptor hybrid sideways. The two creatures rolled into the ash, tearing at each other.
Kael scrambled back, breathing hard.
[Enemy hybrid genome: Velociraptor + Panthera Pardus. Code designation: Raptor-Leo. Behavior: Ambush predator. Status: Hostile.]
The Codex flashed warnings across his vision. Vital signs for his bonded hybrid dipped. It was strong, but the raptor was faster, more agile. It darted under slashes, struck with precision. Blood splattered the black soil.
Kael grabbed a jagged metal shard from the rubble—a broken panel, maybe part of a solar tower. He ran.
The Therizino-Croc hybrid let out a strangled screech as the raptor latched onto its neck.
Kael leapt.
He drove the shard down.
The metal punched through flesh. The raptor shrieked and flailed, claws slashing wildly. Kael didn't stop. He stabbed again. Again.
Blood sprayed his face.
The raptor collapsed, spasming once. Then it stopped moving.
Silence returned.
Kael stood panting over the body, shard trembling in his grip. His hands were slick with blood.
The hybrid watched him, chest heaving.
Kael dropped the shard.
"You okay?" he asked.
It chuffed.
He stepped closer and placed his hand on its shoulder. It flinched, then relaxed.
Their bond pulsed.
[Synchronization increased. Emotional channels stabilizing. Cognitive bleed reduced. Risk: moderate.]
Kael exhaled, slowly.
"You fought well. You saved me."
The creature blinked.
"You need a name."
He looked at its scars. The way it had fought, brutal but defensive, like a cornered animal protecting its only ally. Its claws were absurdly long, but it hadn't tried to run. It had bled for him.
"I'll call you... Ravager."
A low growl rumbled in response.
The Codex pulsed.
[Designation accepted. Codex entry: Ravager - bonded hybrid #1. Loyalty threshold: 42%.]
Kael smirked faintly.
"Guess we're stuck with each other now."
The sun bled weakly through the clouded sky. Ash drifted down like gray snow. Somewhere far behind them, something massive let out a guttural roar. JiRuun? Another warden?
Kael didn't look back.
He stepped forward, Ravager at his side.
And left his first corpse behind.
End of Chapter 3
Next: A ghost in the ArkHive whispers Kael's name… and the first map fragment reveals a buried truth.