Chapter 10 –Chapter 10 – Birth of the Fang
The Wyrmveil Forest watched.
Thick mists crawled through gnarled roots and gaping shadows, cloaking the world in an eerie silence broken only by the crunch of Kael's footsteps. Black moss curled around his boots. The trees groaned like ancient bones. It had been days since Elenore's burial, and still, he carried her dagger. Still, her ghost refused to fade.
The Ashen Sigil remained dormant, but it was there—behind his eye, behind every heartbeat.
Kael didn't weep. Not anymore.
He hunted.
From the fog came a growl—low, guttural, close.
A Tier III Hollowfang stepped into view. The beast's body was wrapped in blackened bone plating, eyes dripping with corrupted mana. Its jaw unhinged as it hissed, sharp fangs twitching in the gloom.
Kael didn't hesitate.
The Ashen Sigil flared in his right eye—one crimson ring igniting with heatless light. In a breath, Kael ducked the lunge and slashed across its leg, rolling beneath its claws.
The Hollowfang howled.
Kael responded by raising his arm.
A black mist erupted as his Onyx Armor materialized—each plate clicking into place in synchronized command. A gauntlet blocked the creature's next blow, and in the same motion, Kael thrust Elenore's dagger into its throat.
Blood sprayed. The beast collapsed.
The armor pulsed.
A ghostly Soul Echo shimmered briefly before dissolving into the plates. Kael felt the echo enter him—its terror, its death. A haunting warmth pressed against his spine.
Ashuru stirred.
"Better. But this forest isn't done with you yet."
Kael didn't reply. He walked on, deeper into Wyrmveil.
---
Duskmoor — Outskirts
The village grew quiet as three figures emerged from the southern path.
Lady Seraphine Duskmoor, of one of the Four Great Noble Houses, walked ahead—her long silver braid coiled over one shoulder, robes of midnight blue marked with her family crest. Her eyes were still, yet piercing. A Red Mana Core pulsed faintly beneath her cloak.
Beside her was Vaenric Draeven, scion of House Draeven. His coat swayed like a duelist's cape, eyes gleaming with a predator's focus. Orange Peak Core. Arrogant, dangerous.
Last came Professor Rhendon of the Obsidian Spire Academy, quiet and cold, face half-hidden by a scholar's hood. His satchel bristled with relics, scrolls, and containment runes.
They stood before the village head, who looked as though sleep and time had both abandoned him.
"A girl died here?" Seraphine asked.
"Aye," the man rasped. "Elenore. She died protecting a boy—quiet lad. Strange eyes. Like fire, but not fire."
Vaenric crossed his arms. "Name?"
"No one knew it," the man said. "But when she died… something shifted. The trees screamed. The sky cracked."
Professor Rhendon released a glowing crystal into the air. It hovered briefly, flickering.
"Residuals confirmed," he said grimly. "Not mana. Not corrupted. Something... unaligned."
Seraphine's jaw tightened. "We'll see the grave."
---
Wyrmveil Forest
Kael's body ached. His thoughts were dull, like steel dulled by stone.
Then the forest shifted.
The ground trembled.
A roar echoed through the trees, shaking branches loose. The mist parted like curtains as a monstrosity emerged.
A Wyrmspike Chimera—twisted by ancient curses. Insect limbs. Three glowing red eyes. Fused armor plating. Its back bore glowing runes that screamed in Kael's bones.
He stared up at it. No fear.
The Ashen Sigil ignited fully.
The second ring activated.
Time slowed. The beast's energy mapped itself before him. Each breath, each twitch, each vulnerable node—laid bare.
The Chimera lunged.
Kael moved.
A sidestep. A slash. A deflection. Blood burst in ribbons, but the creature healed.
It struck again, launching him into a tree.
Ashuru's voice boomed.
"You hesitate. You still fight with sorrow. That will get you killed."
Kael spat blood.
Then he stood.
He ran toward the Chimera—right into its maw.
He dodged at the last instant, dove beneath its chest, and jammed the dagger into its underside. The blade cracked, but held.
Then he climbed—scaling the beast's side like a shadow.
With a roar, Kael drove the dagger deep into its skull.
The Chimera let out a final, shrieking cry.
It collapsed.
Ashuru laughed.
But Kael remained silent, even as his armor absorbed the Soul Echo—a heavier one this time. He knelt beside the beast, body shaking.
Then a chime echoed in his mind.
> [System Alert: Combat Threshold Surpassed.]
[Victory against Tier IV Entity: Confirmed.]
Initializing Weapon Manifestation Protocol...
Forging Source: Absorbed Soul Echoes…
Kael staggered to his feet.
From the corpse, a mist rose. Not mana. Not fire. A dense, dark smoke curled upward like mourning.
It formed a blade.
A katana—elegant, curved, obsidian-dark with glowing crimson threads winding through its surface. Runes flickered faintly across the hilt. The aura around it was cold, foreign.
The system flickered again.
> [New Weapon Created.]
Name: _________
Rank: ???
Awaiting User Input…
Kael stepped closer. Ashuru was quiet. Watching. Unknowing.
Even he didn't recognize it.
Kael reached out, grasped the hilt.
The blade shimmered.
He felt it—rage, sorrow, silence. The echo of every step he'd taken since Elenore fell. This wasn't just a weapon.
It was a reminder.
His voice came out hoarse, but certain.
"Ebonfang."
The system responded.
> [Name Registered: Ebonfang]
[Rank: ???]
Bound to: Kael. Evolves through Soul Echo resonance.
The katana pulsed, responding like it had always belonged to him.
Kael slid it across his back, where it fit as if made for that exact spot. The Onyx Armor adjusted to accommodate it.
And with that, he turned and walked deeper into the forest—dagger sheathed, Ebonfang gripped tight.
He didn't look back.
The Wyrmveil Forest watched.
Thick mists crawled through gnarled roots and gaping shadows, cloaking the world in an eerie silence broken only by the crunch of Kael's footsteps. Black moss curled around his boots. The trees groaned like ancient bones. It had been days since Elenore's burial, and still, he carried her dagger. Still, her ghost refused to fade.
The Ashen Sigil remained dormant, but it was there—behind his eye, behind every heartbeat.
Kael didn't weep. Not anymore.
He hunted.
From the fog came a growl—low, guttural, close.
A Tier III Hollowfang stepped into view. The beast's body was wrapped in blackened bone plating, eyes dripping with corrupted mana. Its jaw unhinged as it hissed, sharp fangs twitching in the gloom.
Kael didn't hesitate.
The Ashen Sigil flared in his right eye—one crimson ring igniting with heatless light. In a breath, Kael ducked the lunge and slashed across its leg, rolling beneath its claws.
The Hollowfang howled.
Kael responded by raising his arm.
A black mist erupted as his Onyx Armor materialized—each plate clicking into place in synchronized command. A gauntlet blocked the creature's next blow, and in the same motion, Kael thrust Elenore's dagger into its throat.
Blood sprayed. The beast collapsed.
The armor pulsed.
A ghostly Soul Echo shimmered briefly before dissolving into the plates. Kael felt the echo enter him—its terror, its death. A haunting warmth pressed against his spine.
Ashuru stirred.
"Better. But this forest isn't done with you yet."
Kael didn't reply. He walked on, deeper into Wyrmveil.
---
Duskmoor — Outskirts
The village grew quiet as three figures emerged from the southern path.
Lady Seraphine Duskmoor, of one of the Four Great Noble Houses, walked ahead—her long silver braid coiled over one shoulder, robes of midnight blue marked with her family crest. Her eyes were still, yet piercing. A Red Mana Core pulsed faintly beneath her cloak.
Beside her was Vaenric Draeven, scion of House Draeven. His coat swayed like a duelist's cape, eyes gleaming with a predator's focus. Orange Peak Core. Arrogant, dangerous.
Last came Professor Rhendon of the Obsidian Spire Academy, quiet and cold, face half-hidden by a scholar's hood. His satchel bristled with relics, scrolls, and containment runes.
They stood before the village head, who looked as though sleep and time had both abandoned him.
"A girl died here?" Seraphine asked.
"Aye," the man rasped. "Elenore. She died protecting a boy—quiet lad. Strange eyes. Like fire, but not fire."
Vaenric crossed his arms. "Name?"
"No one knew it," the man said. "But when she died… something shifted. The trees screamed. The sky cracked."
Professor Rhendon released a glowing crystal into the air. It hovered briefly, flickering.
"Residuals confirmed," he said grimly. "Not mana. Not corrupted. Something... unaligned."
Seraphine's jaw tightened. "We'll see the grave."
---
Wyrmveil Forest
Kael's body ached. His thoughts were dull, like steel dulled by stone.
Then the forest shifted.
The ground trembled.
A roar echoed through the trees, shaking branches loose. The mist parted like curtains as a monstrosity emerged.
A Wyrmspike Chimera—twisted by ancient curses. Insect limbs. Three glowing red eyes. Fused armor plating. Its back bore glowing runes that screamed in Kael's bones.
He stared up at it. No fear.
The Ashen Sigil ignited fully.
The second ring activated.
Time slowed. The beast's energy mapped itself before him. Each breath, each twitch, each vulnerable node—laid bare.
The Chimera lunged.
Kael moved.
A sidestep. A slash. A deflection. Blood burst in ribbons, but the creature healed.
It struck again, launching him into a tree.
Ashuru's voice boomed.
"You hesitate. You still fight with sorrow. That will get you killed."
Kael spat blood.
Then he stood.
He ran toward the Chimera—right into its maw.
He dodged at the last instant, dove beneath its chest, and jammed the dagger into its underside. The blade cracked, but held.
Then he climbed—scaling the beast's side like a shadow.
With a roar, Kael drove the dagger deep into its skull.
The Chimera let out a final, shrieking cry.
It collapsed.
Ashuru laughed.
But Kael remained silent, even as his armor absorbed the Soul Echo—a heavier one this time. He knelt beside the beast, body shaking.
Then a chime echoed in his mind.
> [System Alert: Combat Threshold Surpassed.]
[Victory against Tier IV Entity: Confirmed.]
Initializing Weapon Manifestation Protocol...
Forging Source: Absorbed Soul Echoes…
Kael staggered to his feet.
From the corpse, a mist rose. Not mana. Not fire. A dense, dark smoke curled upward like mourning.
It formed a blade.
A katana—elegant, curved, obsidian-dark with glowing crimson threads winding through its surface. Runes flickered faintly across the hilt. The aura around it was cold, foreign.
The system flickered again.
> [New Weapon Created.]
Name: _________
Rank: ???
Awaiting User Input…
Kael stepped closer. Ashuru was quiet. Watching. Unknowing.
Even he didn't recognize it.
Kael reached out, grasped the hilt.
The blade shimmered.
He felt it—rage, sorrow, silence. The echo of every step he'd taken since Elenore fell. This wasn't just a weapon.
It was a reminder.
His voice came out hoarse, but certain.
"Ebonfang."
The system responded.
> [Name Registered: Ebonfang]
[Rank: ???]
Bound to: Kael. Evolves through Soul Echo resonance.
The katana pulsed, responding like it had always belonged to him.
Kael slid it across his back, where it fit as if made for that exact spot. The Onyx Armor adjusted to accommodate it.
And with that, he turned and walked deeper into the forest—dagger sheathed, Ebonfang gripped tight.
He didn't look back.
Rc