Fog crept low, hugging Kael's feet while silence pressed in from every side.
The air shoved into his chest, heavy and wet like cooled cinders. Beneath him, cracked rock spread out, stitched together with threads of dark crystal glowing low - almost like the place had a heartbeat. Sounds hung around longer than they should, dragged through the thick atmosphere like it was fighting to keep them quiet.
He looked over the broken city ahead. Some towers tilted wildly, their top levels bent inward, like pages crumpled by something hidden. Far off, he caught quick shifts in motion - twisted shapes crawling on way too many legs.
[Warning: Corruption Level Increasing]
[Remaining Stability: 46 Minutes]
Kael breathed slow. His wrist ached low, the dark swirl on his skin shimmering with a soft glow. This hurt never quit - kept time with each beat of his heart.
He clenched his fist, checking how tight he could hold. Not a single tool. Nothing to use. Just his power - mixed with what the Devourer made him become.
He wanted a place to stay - maybe a flame, or whatever worked.
A soft clink of metal bounced from his left side.
Kael stopped dead.
A figure emerged from behind a broken arch. It twitched forward, almost like it didn't know how to move itself.
For a second, it seemed like a person. But when it got to its feet, he noticed the changes the Domain had made inside.
The creature's frame was bound tight with ropey strands, while its hide turned into a glossy black shell that swallowed every bit of light. Instead of a face, it had an empty mask - slick, without eyes. Off its spine stretched slender threads of shadow-stuff, almost like ribs reaching out after something.
The machine sparked up.
[Domain Entity Detected]
[Designation: Wretch of the Undercroft]
[Tier: Feral Spawn]
[Core Fragment Potential: Low]
The Wretch jerked suddenly. After that, it shrieked - something like steel scraping against skeleton - and charged straight at him.
Kael didn't think - just reacted. Time spent hauling stone had built his power and quickness, yet this creature outpaced any man. He dropped under its initial slash, wind cutting close by his ear, then slammed his shoulder straight into its gut.
It felt just like slamming into rock.
He stumbled backward, just managing to stay upright. Then the beast struck once more, its claws tearing along his arm. Metal-like flashes burst out when they scraped the shimmering shield that lit up near his mark.
[Warning: Instinctive Defense Triggered]
[Aspect Stability Decreasing]
"Bad," he growled under his breath.
The Wretch charged forward once more. Kael slipped aside, seized its wrist - then wrenched it sharply. A sickening crack echoed as dark liquid seeped out, sizzling on contact. Yet the thing kept coming without pause. With the ruined arm, it swung wildly, crunching against his side.
Kael slammed into the dirt. A sharp ache flared in his ribs. He twisted away just before jagged talons smashed into the rock right where he'd lain.
[Suggestion: Engage Aspect Functionality - Devourer Field]
"I don't even know how—"
The sound hit his core - sharp, lifeless, like metal scraping bone.
[Activating Devourer Field]
The stain on his wrist flared up with dark fire.
Kael sensed the air twist. Out of nowhere, threads showed up - tangled lines of force tying each visible thing together. Its form was locked down by heaps of shadowy chains, squirming like pulsing blood vessels.
He grabbed a single one.
It jerked hard. Something pushed against it - an unseen force shoving back, wild like a cornered beast. The link twitched, squirming in his hold.
Kael clenched his jaw, lips peeling back. "Fine - just stay dead."
He tugged.
[Severing Connection...]
The Wretch jerked hard. Its frame locked while moving. After that, each dark vein inside it broke suddenly - over and over - spilling out thick red fumes.
It fell apart, shrieking but silent.
Kael sank onto his knees, breath ragged. As fresh information seared into his mind, his sight wavered.
[Bond Consumed: Corruption Vein]
[Energy Assimilated: +0.3 Core Value]
[Caution: Things are getting shaky. Keep a tight grip.]
Something got inside him - cold, thick, off. It crept under his flesh while murmuring.
Kael pounded the dirt again - then the whispers finally faded.
When he glanced up, the Wretch's body was already vanishing. Just one fragment stayed behind - a rough sliver of dark crystal glowing weakly.
He grabbed it slow. Yet the outside felt hot, almost breathing.
[Item Acquired: Lesser Core Fragment]
[Use: Temporary resistance to Domain Corruption]
Careful: too much could cause changes
Kael stared at it - light flickered in his blue eyes, almost like flames dancing. A hush settled around him, yet everything inside buzzed with quiet tension.
"Everything here wants me dead," he muttered. "Including whatever this is."
He tucked the piece away, then got to his feet.
The quiet broke faster than expected.
Out of the fog up front echoed footsteps - lots of them - scraping forward.
Kael pivoted gradually. Forms shifted through the shattered columns - more Wretches. Varying in scale. A few crept on hands and knees, while some hauled twisted tools that liquefied then reshaped mid-motion.
He figured there were a dozen, maybe more.
"Perfect."
He stepped back, eyes darting around for a way out. On his right side, a broken staircase climbed toward a fallen guard post. Not exactly stable, though at least it gave him an advantage in height. Off he dashed in that direction.
The Wretches cried out together then ran after.
The tower stood in the distance, a rough stone pillar partly hidden in darkness. Over rubble he jumped, snatched a splintered beam, then pulled up fast - the first Wretch touching the bottom just then.
It jumped, claws dragging across rock. Kael thrust his foot down, breaking its hold. The beast dropped away, yelling.
One pulled up next. After that, someone else did too.
Kael glanced up. Above, the tower's top levels had vanished, yet the core chute plunged farther down into shadow. With nothing left, he hauled through a gap in the wreckage and fell toward the void.
He slammed into the dirt, twisting mid-roll to soften the fall. Pain shot through his shoulder, yet he pushed forward anyway.
The space underneath felt odd - round, its edges marked by broken symbols that barely glowed. Black strands spread across the stone, almost like tendrils sucking life from rock. At the middle rested a huge dead figure, shaped like a person yet old beyond time, pinned by shimmering crystal lances.
He looked tiny next to it. Standing ten meters high. No eyes or mouth on its face. The front of its torso carved out like a shell.
[Analyzing...]
[Entity: Ancient Remnant]
[Status: Dormant / Partially Active]
[Warning: Core Contamination Detected]
Kael squinted slightly.
The air seemed denser, more dense somehow. Each breath stung.
After that, out of the dead body's empty ribcage, a lone red eye slowly lifted open.
It wasn't a person.
The symbols on the walls lit up suddenly - earth shook beneath feet while crystal lances cracked apart.
[Alert: Major Entity Awakening Detected]
The creature shifted.
Its voice filled the chamber - more force than noise.
"Who... dares... feed?"
Kael stumbled away, gripping his head - blood dripped from his nose.
The gaze stayed fixed on him.
[Target Identified: Foreign Aspect Holder - Devourer Class]
[Predation Protocol Initiated]
The body rose. Crystals spilled out - like stardust tumbling through air.
Kael took off.
The Remnant's arm lashed out, tearing through rock as if it were soft mud. A blast of force hurled him backward. He crashed into a column, agony erupting like fire along his side.
He pushed up on his own.
[Suggestion: Consume Loose Chains in Vicinity]
He didn't wait. Threads popped up once more - loads of thin lines tying together the symbols, the body, the weapons, even the earth below. Without picking carefully, he grabbed one and yanked hard.
Power surged through his body, stinging as if soaked in vinegar.
[Foreign Magic Absorbed: Stabilizing Partial Core]
[Temporary Enhancement: +20% Reflex, +10% Strength]
The world turned crisp. While his body seemed to weigh less.
The Remnant bellowed once more, surging ahead. Kael dodged sideways, snatching up a shattered crystal spear that landed near him. Shoving it into the beast's arm from below, he wrenched it sideways.
The spear drove in hard. Yet the eye lit up crimson.
"Get moving," he snapped, yanking a fresh chain through sheer thought.
[Severing Binding Thread...]
The blast burst out fast. As the Remnant swung, its arm broke apart - whole limb crumbling to dust. Its body jerked hard after.
Kael moved fast. With a quick yank, he snatched a second chain - hooking it from the beast's torso straight to the glowing symbols carved into stone.
"Break."
He tugged.
The runes burst apart. Light exploded out, harsh and sudden. The creature shrieked - its cry tore through everything.
Then, everything went quiet.
Kael stayed put, breathing hard. His sight blurred, borders jumping like broken signals. The body crumbled into powder, revealing a huge fragment, throbbing red.
[Core Fragment Acquired: Major Grade]
[Corruption Level: Rising Rapidly]
[Consume or Resist?]
Kael stared at the shard, his fingers shaking - this craving deep inside flared, hissing at him to grab hold.
He paused for a sec - right after, his hand tightened into a ball.
"Not yet."
He pulled away, the glow from the fragment flickering in his gaze.
Outside, the Wretches fell quiet - not a sound stirred. The whole Domain paused, like it was waiting.
Kael brushed the blood off his lips.
"Fine," he said quietly. "Let's see how long I can last in your hell."
He faced the stairs, while shadows throbbed nearby, moving like something alive.
[Objective Updated: Survive Until Core Stabilization]
[Time Remaining: 39 Minutes]
End of Chapter 2