The wind howled across the endless plains, rustling Ka'roth's jagged wings as he roamed. His presence alone had become enough to bring submission—beasts that once charged mindlessly now lowered their heads or slunk away into the shadows. His scent of dominance hung heavy in the air, marking him as something beyond prey, beyond predator.
Ka'roth moved with purpose, though he didn't yet understand it. Every step he took, every encounter, fed a strange hunger growing inside his mind—not for flesh, but for something deeper. Control. Knowledge. Ascendancy.
The wild was changing around him. Herds of tusked grazers stampeded at his distant roar, packs of hunters scattered rather than fight. The beasts of the First Era had no language, no thoughts as he did, but instinct told them the truth: this was not one of their own anymore.
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The First Challenger
It was at the edge of a dried riverbed that Ka'roth felt it—a presence unlike the others. His claws sank into cracked earth as he turned his gaze toward the rocky outcrop ahead.
From the shadows, a massive beast emerged. Its hide was plated with obsidian-like scales, its twin horns curling backward like blades. Its crimson eyes locked onto Ka'roth with primal fury, but beneath that fury… there was hesitation.
Ka'roth's lips curled into a snarl. This one doesn't bow.
The horned beast roared, shaking the ground, then charged.
Ka'roth met it head-on.
The collision split the earth beneath their feet, a deafening crack resounding through the plains. The horned beast swung its massive head, tusks slicing the air, but Ka'roth leapt above it, wings snapping wide as he landed atop its back. His claws tore through its plated armor, finding gaps at its joints.
The beast bucked and twisted violently, but Ka'roth clung tighter, driving his fangs into its neck. Black blood spurted across his maw. The creature roared one last time before its legs collapsed under its own weight.
Ka'roth stood victorious, chest heaving, towering over the corpse.
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The Surge of Evolution
Then it began.
The moment the beast's life faded, something unseen stirred. Energy—thick, raw, and ancient—poured out of the slain creature, spiraling into Ka'roth's body. His muscles tensed painfully as power flooded through him, his claws sharpening, his scales hardening with a faint metallic sheen.
But more than his body, his mind sharpened. Images not his own flickered in his vision: hunts, kills, even dark regions of the plains this beast had once prowled. He could feel it—the instinct and memories of his prey sinking into him, becoming his own.
For the first time in this primal world, Ka'roth understood fear. Not his own, but the fear of the beasts around him—how they sensed him and trembled. And he realized something terrifyingly simple:
Fear was power.
The air around him changed. His roar split the heavens, carrying across the plains like thunder. Dozens of beasts, hiding in the distance, dropped low, bowing instinctively to his call.
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A New Law
Ka'roth stood upon the corpse, his shadow stretching long beneath the moonlight.
He didn't need to speak for the message to be clear. The First Era had no rulers, no laws—until now. As his gaze swept over the plains, hundreds of eyes glowed faintly in the dark, watching him, waiting.
For the first time in history, submission was not just instinct. It was order.
And deep within his mind, the whispers returned—low, cryptic, yet undeniable:
"Consume to ascend. Rule to awaken."
Ka'roth didn't know where they came from, but they resonated with his very soul. He raised his wings high, and the beasts around him—predators and prey alike—lowered their heads.
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The First Mind had taken its next step.
Fear had been born.
And the world would never be the same.
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