The silence after Vrylok's death was unnatural.
Not peaceful—pregnant. Like the world was holding its breath, waiting to see what the apex predator would do next.
Kiel stood amid the Rift beast's corpse, his body drenched in Rift ichor. His breathing was shallow but even, his eyes glowing silver with faint red veins creeping into the whites.
[APEX ALPHA FORM: Tier 1 Activated]
New Trait: Dominion Howl
– Unleashes a primal command across a wide radius
– Forces submission or obedience from beasts and hybrids beneath your tier
– Can suppress wild mutations in unstable subjects
Cooldown: 12 hours
His fingertips tingled. He could feel it—power crawling just under the skin like static lightning. A voice in the back of his mind, more instinct than words, whispered:
"Claim. Conquer. Control."
The others cautiously approached the fallen beast.
Sylah, licking her wounds. Drexx, scanning the remains for system salvage. Lyra, eyes flicking from Kiel to the bloody battlefield.
"You're changing again," Lyra said, ears twitching.
Kiel gave a faint smile. "So I've noticed."
Then the tremor came.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of mutated creatures emerged from the Rift-zone's deeper trenches. Rift-hounds, horned lizards, half-metal scorpions, and twisted dire-wolves with glowing veins.
Normally, they'd swarm.
But they didn't.
They stopped.
Dozens of hostile creatures... stood still. Breathing heavily. Tensed. Watching.
Waiting.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: You are the dominant lifeform in this zone.]
[Would you like to issue a command?]
[Dominion Howl Available – Y/N?]
Kiel didn't hesitate.
He let the power rise from within, pulling deep from the new trait's core. His lungs expanded unnaturally wide, and his voice deepened into something no longer entirely human.
He howled.
It was not just a sound—it was a command carved into existence.
A shockwave of energy burst from him in all directions. The Rift-beasts froze. Their bodies twitched. Some collapsed, groveling. Others roared in submission.
Then—silence.
[Dominion Howl successful. 96% of creatures have submitted.]
[You now control: 47 Rift-beasts under temporary Apex Contract.]
Duration: 24 hours (extendable by dominance actions)
Merren's jaw dropped. "He… he just alpha'd the entire Rift."
Drexx chuckled darkly. "Remind me never to piss him off."
Kiel turned slowly, his silver-red eyes glowing with unnatural calm.
"We're not alone in this world anymore," he said. "But now, we're not just survivors."
He looked at the tamed Rift creatures now circling him like loyal soldiers.
"We're predators."
Back at the edge of the Rift-zone, high above on a floating ridge cloaked in visual distortion, a cloaked figure stood watching through a scope.
Delta-13. His system readouts glowing faintly.
"Subject Kiel Veil… has now achieved command-level status over Tier-1 Rift-beasts," he said to no one. "Projected growth: Unstable. Dangerous. But… promising."
He turned to the hidden comms unit behind him.
"Notify The Ascended Council. The Apex Protocol is live."
Then, vanishing in a flicker of code, he left.
Later that night, as the pack rested and the beasts patrolled in eerie silence, Kiel sat alone at the edge of the Rift crater.
The stars above shimmered strangely, as if the dimension was bleeding into the sky.
He opened his system panel.
[Mutation Drift: Stable]
[Next Evolution Milestone: ???]
[Optional Quest: Establish Apex Territory]
Reward: Permanent Dominion Zone | Trait Upgrade Token
He clenched his fist. He could feel the hunger for more—more power, more control. It wasn't just the system anymore. It was him.
But a quiet voice inside whispered:
"At what cost?"
He didn't answer it.
Instead, he stood, facing the deep Rift beyond.
"Let's see what's on the other side."