Zyair sank to the frozen riverbank, breathing in ragged gasps. The snow around him was tinged with crimson, steam curling from the frost where his power had burned the ground. His tails coiled protectively around him, still pulsing faintly with absorbed energy.
He closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. One week had passed since the last flashback—the last surge of uncontrollable hunger—and he had thought he was safe. But now, after devouring the two hunters, he realized the truth: every flashback risked triggering the Hydra Apex Drive.
A faint ache lingered in his chest, the remnant echo of the energy that had consumed everything around him. His hands trembled as he brushed a gloved palm against the snow. The Chaos Oros still hummed faintly along his arms, mingling with a strange, icy tingle he hadn't noticed before.
Curious despite himself, he focused. His mind called to the lingering energy, and a shard of frost formed in his palm, delicate but sharp. Ice Oros.
I… can control it?
The thought made him shiver, half from relief and half from fear. He could feel the potential, the synergy with his tails, but it was raw, unstable. If he misused it—or if a flashback came—he could lose control again.
Zyair stood, brushing snow from his shoulders. The riverbank stretched ahead, silent and desolate, but he couldn't shake the sense that he was not alone. Something—or someone—was watching. Not scavengers, not wild beasts… something subtler, quieter.
He scanned the trees, the ruined buildings, even the frozen river, but there was no sign. Still, the feeling persisted. A faint shift in the wind, the sound of snow crunching in a rhythm that didn't match the river's natural hiss.
They know I'm here.
He didn't know who. He didn't know what. Only that someone—or something—was tracking him. And the name Leviathan had barely begun to echo in the shadows of his life.
Zyair's tails twitched again, sensing the residue of his own power. Chaos Oros and Ice Oros lingered, a reminder of what he could do—and what he might destroy if he lost control. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the cold seep into him, grounding him.
I can't… I can't let it happen again.
He took a deep breath, forcing his mind to focus. The Hydra Apex Drive had saved him once, but it could kill everything if he wasn't careful. He needed to keep moving, to get to the Academy. Somewhere safe, somewhere he could learn to control this, to understand the monster inside him.
And as the wind picked up, carrying the distant howl of something unnatural across the frozen plains, Zyair realized that the shadows weren't just watching—they were patient. They would wait. And when the time was right… they would strike.
With renewed resolve, he pressed forward along the frozen river, tails coiled but ready, mind alert, instincts on edge. Every step was a step closer to the Academy. Every step a step deeper into the storm that was coming.