The forest was silent after the roar.Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Zander turned slowly, blades still drawn, heart hammering in his chest. Leaves trembled at his feet. His eyes scanned the fog—nothing but the faint shimmer of dew through the fractured beams of light filtering from the dome ceiling. And then, out of the mist, two massive amber eyes opened.
Aethros stepped forward.
The ground seemed to bend under his weight—two and a half meters tall at the shoulder, more than three meters long. His fur gleamed like burnished metal beneath the artificial sun, a pattern of black and silver stripes that seemed to flow with every subtle motion. When he moved, his outline rippled, fading momentarily into the background—his camouflage shimmering as if refusing to decide whether to reveal or conceal him.
Zander froze. He had imagined this moment so many times, yet none of those imaginings captured the intensity of seeing him again.Aethros, the apex hybrid of three feline titans: Smilodon, Xenosmilus, and the ancient Siberian tiger. The living echo of nature's forgotten savagery.
The creature's golden eyes locked on him.They didn't carry hostility—only recognition, the quiet electricity of something ancient rekindled.
For a heartbeat, neither moved.Then Aethros emitted a deep, guttural rumble, like thunder trapped in a chest of stone.It wasn't speech—but Zander understood.
"You've grown… stronger."
Zander exhaled a faint laugh, though his voice trembled slightly."Guess I had to. You didn't exactly leave me much of a choice back then."
The massive beast prowled closer, lowering his head until his breath brushed across Zander's skin—hot, steady, assessing. His claws flexed against the dirt, carving shallow trenches."Still smaller," Aethros seemed to hum, amusement glinting faintly in his eyes. "But not weak."
For a second, Zander thought he might attack. His muscles tensed automatically, ready to spring. But Aethros halted mid-step, then snorted and turned his head toward the distant ridges of the biodome.
"Not here," Zander murmured, picking up the signal instinctively.
The air shifted as Aethros looked back at him, the bond between them vibrating faintly in Zander's chest where the imprint pulsed."Follow," came the intent, heavy and clear.
Without another word, Aethros began to move.
They trekked through the dense vegetation, the biome alive with the faint hum of energy and life. Mechanical insects buzzed overhead, collecting data streams. The artificial canopy above shimmered faintly as if alive with unseen current.
Zander moved quietly behind Aethros, the faint rhythm of his steps syncing with the creature's heavy stride. He watched how the hybrid's fur seemed to adjust with every passing light—absorbing and refracting as if it were liquid shadow. His camouflage wasn't just an adaptation; it was mastery.
Aethros spoke again, though not with words. His voice reverberated through the imprint in Zander's chest—an echo that felt both foreign and familiar."Another human. Entered when you did. Not you. Not right."
Zander frowned. "Another human? You're sure?"
Aethros's growl deepened, low and certain. "Smell wrong. Intent wrong."
A flicker of unease ran down Zander's spine. If another person had managed to enter the biodome unnoticed, it meant whoever it was either had access—or skills dangerous enough to bypass every security measure Terra Vallis had.
Still, Aethros didn't stop. The hybrid pushed through the undergrowth with deliberate force, parting massive ferns until they reached a steep incline of stone and vines. The air was cooler here, touched with the faint metallic scent of blood.
Zander looked up.The "lair" of Aethros revealed itself slowly—a cavern carved into the mountain wall, its entrance framed by twisted roots and the bones of colossal beasts. Inside, a deep crimson light flickered faintly, as though the air itself pulsed with the residue of life and death.
Aethros turned his head toward him."Eat."
Zander blinked. "What?"
The hybrid motioned toward the inner cavern, where enormous slabs of meat lay stacked on stone platforms. Some still steamed faintly—fresh kills. The air was thick with the scent of iron and something wilder, something alive.
"I'm not… you know, a carnivore like you," Zander muttered, hesitating near the threshold.
Aethros growled softly, the sound laced with annoyance. His voice echoed inside Zander's chest, resonant and clear."Stop whining, little flame. You've always had the blood of the wild. Eat. You'll need it."
Zander exhaled sharply. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
The hybrid tilted his head, an unmistakable glint of challenge in his eyes. "Then prove it."
For a moment, silence filled the air. Then Zander gave in. He set his pack aside, sat near the lowest slab, and carved off a piece. The meat was faintly warm, oddly tender. As soon as he bit into it, something surged through him—heat, raw and powerful.
He paused, eyes widening.
Aethros's low rumble almost sounded like laughter."See? Blood remembers blood."
Zander continued to eat. Each bite burned through his veins, awakening something deep within—the dormant resonance of the Aurion Serum mingling with the primal essence of the creatures Aethros had slain. His body felt heavier and lighter at once, like his own energy was shifting into alignment with the biodome itself.
When he finally stopped, he leaned back, breath uneven, eyes half-lidded."Okay… I think I'm done," he muttered, exhaling deeply.
Aethros huffed. "Weak stomach."
Zander smiled faintly, head lolling against the cavern wall. "Yeah, well, I wasn't made to eat a mammoth, okay?"
The hybrid's gaze softened. His tail flicked lazily as he settled nearby, the faint rumble of his breathing echoing through the cave.
Zander tried to stay awake, but the warmth spreading through his body was intoxicating. His eyelids grew heavy. The last thing he saw before slipping into sleep was Aethros's silhouette, resting in the dark like a living shadow keeping watch.
The world opened in flame.
Zander stood in a vast wilderness—no walls, no ceiling, just open skies torn apart by storms and stars. The earth trembled beneath him as titans of flesh and bone clashed. Sabertooths and wolves fought beside winged reptiles that shrieked into the endless dark. Lightning carved through the horizon, and in the distance, a colossal feline figure roared—a sound that shook the very ground.
Zander felt the roar resonate in his chest, as if his heart was answering it. His skin prickled, his veins pulsing gold. The beasts turned toward him, their eyes glowing in the stormlight.
And then, from somewhere deep within the chaos, he heard a voice—Aethros's, but older, echoing through time.
"In the wild, there are no kings… only those who dare to rise."
Zander's breath caught.The words echoed until the world dissolved into gold and shadow.
When he finally stirred, hours—or maybe days—had passed. The glow of the biodome's artificial dawn spilled faintly into the cavern.Aethros was still there, waiting. Watching.
Zander's hand tightened into a fist. He didn't know exactly what had changed in him… but something had. Something deeper, older, awake.
And for the first time since entering the biodome, Zander didn't just feel the call.He understood it.