The rain fell harder now, washing blood into the earth as Kiel stared out from the cliff's edge. The whisper of the Core still echoed in his mind, faint and seductive.
Consume. Evolve. Reign.
He clenched his jaw. The Hunters were just the beginning. Now that the Dominion knew he had fused with the First Predator's Core, they wouldn't stop. He had become a threat — or worse, a target of prophecy.
The forest behind him rustled. He turned, ready to strike.
But it wasn't another squad.
It was a girl — barely eighteen, soaked and shivering. Her clothes were scorched, her arm bleeding, and her eyes wide with recognition.
"You're... Kiel," she breathed. "The one from the outpost massacre."
Kiel narrowed his eyes. "And who are you?"
"I'm Seris. I... I used to be a Dominion medical tech. I escaped after they started experimenting on survivors."
He didn't lower his guard. "And why are you here?"
"To warn you," she said. "They've issued a Black Protocol. You're listed as an Alpha-Class Aberration now. They'll send Warden-class Reapers next."
Kiel remembered those.
They weren't soldiers.
They were weapons dressed in skin.
"They think I've lost control," he muttered.
"Haven't you?" Seris asked quietly.
Kiel's eyes flashed.
But instead of attacking, he turned away. "Not yet."
They camped under a cave that night. The fire crackled weakly while Seris dressed her wounds. Kiel sat opposite, watching the flames like they owed him answers.
"So," Seris said, trying to break the silence. "You really fused with the Core."
He didn't answer immediately.
Then: "I didn't choose this. But now that it's part of me, I'll use it."
"To do what?"
"To hunt," he said. "To destroy the Dominion. To burn their lies and tear down the system that breeds monsters like them."
Seris swallowed. "Even if you become one yourself?"
Kiel looked at her, something hollow in his eyes. "I already am."
[System Notification: Alignment Shift Detected]
[New Perk Gained: Predator's Veil – Conceals Presence from Tracking Systems]
The next morning, they moved quickly. The jungle seemed to avoid Kiel's presence now, animals slinking away without confrontation. Even apex beasts sensed what he had become.
Seris kept stealing glances at him. He looked human — mostly — but there was something in his movement, his posture, his stillness that screamed predator. Not a man. Not anymore.
When they reached the river crossing, a strange silence blanketed the air.
Kiel froze.
He sniffed.
Mana. Blood. Fear.
[Threat Detected: Warden-Class Entity Approaching – Designation: Reaper X-09 "Harrow"]
It emerged from the trees like a nightmare — nine feet tall, humanoid but wrong. Its face was a blank metallic mask, limbs elongated, armored with obsidian plates. A Dominion insignia burned red on its chest.
"Target acquired," the machine intoned. "Excessive force authorized."
Kiel shoved Seris aside. "Run."
"But—"
"I SAID RUN!"
The Reaper charged with inhuman speed. Kiel met it halfway, claws clashing against reinforced steel. The shockwave shattered nearby trees.
The Reaper's fist slammed into Kiel's ribs — bones cracked. But Kiel grabbed the arm mid-blow and twisted.
[Core Devour: Reaper Sub-Core Detected – Sync Probability: 31%]
Kiel roared. Not with rage.
With hunger.
He buried his hand into the Reaper's chest, fingers glowing with the Core's power. The machine screeched, struggling as Kiel began absorbing its energy.
[Assimilation Incomplete – Trait Unstable: Synthetic Predation]
The Reaper exploded in a pulse of mana backlash. Kiel was thrown back, smoke rising from his body.
Seris found him lying in the crater, half-conscious and twitching.
"Kiel!"
He opened one eye, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Did I win?"
"You're insane," she whispered.
He grinned.
"Insane... but alive."