Recap of Chapter 5:
In the last chapter, Ka'roth roamed the wilds, forcing beasts to submit by sheer presence. His dominance was challenged by a massive horned beast, but he slew it and absorbed its energy, evolving further. This marked the birth of fear in the First Era. Other beasts began to instinctively bow before him, establishing him as the first ruler among creatures.
The moon hung high in the ink-black sky, casting a pale glow over the plains. Ka'roth stood atop the corpse of the slain horned beast, its lifeless form sprawled beneath his claws. His roar still echoed faintly across the horizon, trembling in the air like a fading storm.
Below him, hundreds of eyes glimmered in the darkness. Predators, scavengers, and prey alike circled warily. None dared to approach, but none dared to flee. They watched, trembling, bound by an instinct they could not understand.
Ka'roth's wings stretched wide, each beat sending ripples of dust through the ground. His gaze swept over them all—beasts that once lived and died by nothing but hunger and instinct, now frozen in awe. His mind, sharp and calculating, finally grasped a truth that none in this world had yet known:
They will follow me.
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Ka'roth leapt down from the corpse, landing with a ground-shaking thud. His tail lashed like a whip as he strode toward the nearest creature—a fanged wolf-like predator with bone spikes along its spine. It lowered itself instantly, pressing its snout to the dirt.
Satisfied, Ka'roth's gaze moved to the next. One by one, they bowed. Even the larger ones—the tusked grazers, the winged raptors—cowered low. The energy within Ka'roth pulsed like a heartbeat, urging him forward.
"Submit, or be consumed."
The words weren't spoken aloud, but every beast felt them.
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The First Command
Ka'roth snarled and swung his head toward the horizon. In the far distance, faint roars and the sound of shattering trees rose from the shadowed forests. Something powerful dwelled there.
He turned back to the gathering horde and let out a deep, commanding roar. The sound rolled across the plains like thunder. Beasts flinched, but none moved away. They understood. They were to follow.
Ka'roth took the lead. With heavy steps, he began marching toward the forest, and like shadows clinging to a storm, the beasts followed. Dozens at first, then hundreds.
For the first time in the First Era, the wilds saw order—not natural, but enforced.
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The Forest of Bones
The deeper they ventured, the thicker the air became. The forest loomed ahead, its towering black trees clawing at the sky. Bones littered the ground—remnants of beasts that had dared enter before and never returned.
Ka'roth's nostrils flared. The stench of blood and old death was strong here, and at its center pulsed something ancient. His instincts sharpened. Whatever lay within this forest was no ordinary predator.
The horde hesitated. The trees unnerved them, their branches twisted like skeletal hands. But Ka'roth pressed on, forcing them to follow. The ground quaked beneath their steps.
Then it came.
From the shadows of the forest, a massive figure emerged. Its hide was pale, stretched tightly over a muscular frame. Its elongated skull bore no eyes—only a mouth full of needle-like teeth that opened far too wide. It crawled forward on four clawed limbs, moving with unsettling silence despite its size.
A Devourer.
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The Battle
The horde recoiled, growls and hisses filling the air, but Ka'roth's roar silenced them instantly. He stepped forward, wings flaring, challenging the abomination.
The Devourer let out a screech, its jaw unhinging unnaturally. Then it lunged.
Ka'roth met it mid-charge. Their collision shook the forest floor, splintering trees around them. The Devourer's claws raked across Ka'roth's flank, leaving deep gashes, but he answered with a savage bite to its throat. Blood sprayed, but the eyeless monster didn't slow—it twisted unnaturally, sinking its teeth into his wing joint.
Pain flared, but Ka'roth only roared louder. His tail lashed like a whip, striking the Devourer's side with bone-cracking force. He slammed it against a tree, pinning it down.
His claws glowed faintly—the same strange energy from before. With a final, brutal strike, he tore through its chest, ripping its heart free. The Devourer convulsed, then went limp.
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The Feast of Power
The horde howled in triumph, but Ka'roth ignored them. The energy surged again. The Devourer's essence flowed into him like fire, wracking his body with pain and growth. His frame thickened, his wings mended instantly, and his claws gleamed sharper than steel.
Visions flooded his mind: shadowed places where the Devourer once hunted, memories of ancient battles, and whispers from deep within the earth.
"You rise faster than those before… but the eyes are opening."
Ka'roth snarled, shaking off the voices. His gaze turned to his horde. The beasts waited, trembling, expectant.
For the first time, Ka'roth felt it fully: They are mine.
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The First Horde March
Ka'roth roared—a deep, rolling sound that made even the trees tremble. The horde responded as one, voices uniting in a deafening chorus.
Predators and prey no longer mattered. Under his will, they stood together, united in instinctual submission. He had forged the first beast horde.
As dawn broke, their march began again. The forest echoed with their footsteps, a tide of fur, scales, and wings moving as one under the First Mind's rule.
And far beyond, in the deepest abyss, something stirred awake at last.
The world had felt fear. Now it would learn domination.
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