The ground still pulsed beneath Kael's boots.
The shockwave he unleashed had not faded—it seeped into the trees, into the soil, into the very bones of the floor itself.
The crimson fog rolled like a living thing, pulling back from him as if in fear.
Even the bone-trees went still, their clawed branches no longer swaying.
Kael breathed hard.
Each inhale felt cold, sharp, like glass sliding through his lungs.
His veins glowed faint blue for moments at a time.
Riven stared at him with a mixture of awe and horror.
Her predator's eyes were wide, the pupils thin slits.
"You really did it," she whispered.
"You absorbed the Echo directly."
Kael wiped blood from beneath his nose. His voice was low.
"I didn't have a choice."
Riven stepped closer, inspecting him like a dangerous animal.
"You have no idea what that fragment did to you."
Kael tilted his head. "I know enough."
"No. You don't."
Her voice dropped into a tense whisper.
"Every Monarch Echo carries a piece of a dead ruler's Will. You didn't just gain power. You took on a burden that breaks most people."
Kael felt the weight.
The memory of the drowned throne still clawed at the edges of his mind.
But he pushed it back.
He stood straighter.
His gaze sharpened.
"I'm still here."
Riven exhaled slowly, shaking her head in something like disbelief.
"You should not be."
She glanced at the unconscious Mr. Han lying by the bone-tree.
"Help him. Quickly. We can't stay here."
Kael moved to check Mr. Han's pulse, relieved to feel it steady and strong.
He lifted the old man carefully.
The shards swirling around him faded into thin sparks.
Riven stepped back with a grim expression.
"Kael. Listen very carefully. Your little synchronized explosion did more than scare off the Apex."
Kael's jaw tightened. "What did it do?"
Riven raised a finger, pointing past him.
Kael turned.
And felt his stomach sink.
The forest was moving.
Not swaying.
Not shifting from wind.
It was crawling.
Bone-trees uprooted themselves with the sound of snapping joints.
Their clawed branches bent backward like legs.
They skittered across the red soil with unnatural speed.
Dozens of them.
Hundreds.
And each one was coming toward him.
Text flickered.
[Forest Spinalith]
Tier: E+
Behavior: Predator Swarm
Target Priority: Monarch Signature
Riven drew her fracture-blade.
"This floor reacts to Monarchs. It's not a metaphor. It's literal. You made it mad. And now the entire forest is a hunting pack."
Kael tightened his grip on Mr. Han.
"Then we run."
"For once," Riven said, "that's the right answer."
She grabbed Kael's arm with surprising strength.
"This way."
They sprinted through the crimson fog.
The ground cracked beneath Kael's feet with every step, responding to the surging power inside him.
Each breath felt like shards forming in his lungs, ready to burst out.
Behind them, the forest roared.
A deafening, bone-splitting howl.
Trees crawled over each other, forming walls, spiraling around, trying to cut them off.
Kael jumped over a fallen trunk as Riven slashed at a tree-leg that tried to impale them.
Her blade cut it cleanly.
The creature shrieked, collapsing into a pile of brittle bones.
"Move!" she shouted.
Kael adjusted Mr. Han in his arms and pushed forward.
The fog cleared.
A clearing appeared ahead—a wide circular space carved out naturally by something enormous.
At the center stood a stone altar glowing faint blue.
The Heart Shrine.
Text flickered instantly.
[Objective Location Found]
Reach the Heart Shrine to complete Predator's Run
Warning
Apex Guardian Approaching
Riven cursed under her breath.
"Of course the Guardian is awake. Why wouldn't it be."
Kael ran into the clearing.
The trees stopped at the edge, forming a living wall.
Riven landed beside him, blade drawn.
Kael set Mr. Han gently against the altar's base.
"Stay down. Don't move."
Mr. Han groaned weakly.
"You two… are insane…"
Riven spread her stance.
"You're about to see something worse than insane."
The ground trembled.
From the far end of the clearing, something vast emerged from the fog.
Its many legs dug trenches into the soil.
Its skin writhed with glowing runes.
Its ribcage opened and closed like a second mouth.
The Apex Hungerkin Devourer had returned.
But now—
Something else radiated from it.
Fear.
Confusion.
Submission.
Riven's eyes widened.
"No… that's not right…"
Kael felt it.
The monster wasn't looking at them.
It wasn't hunting.
It was kneeling.
The floor shook as the Devourer lowered its massive head—
Not toward Kael.
Toward the shards drifting unconsciously around him.
Riven staggered back.
"It… it's bowing."
Kael blinked.
"Bowing?"
Riven's voice cracked.
"You absorbed a Monarch Echo—
And the Apex is recognizing the Shard Dominion inside you."
Kael stared at the giant creature.
Its throats trembled.
Violet blood dripped.
Its body lowered further, almost touching the soil.
The fog around them rippled as if terrified.
The system chimed.
New Trait Unlock
Echo Dominance: Lesser
Low-tier Apex entities may submit
Control not guaranteed
Riven raised a trembling hand to her forehead.
"You just did the impossible, Kael."
Kael stepped forward slightly.
The Devourer lowered its head more.
A question formed in Kael's mind.
He wasn't sure if it was his question—
or the whisper of the Echo inside him.
"Are you mine now…?"
The Devourer exhaled a deep rumble that shook the altar.
Riven's breath hitched.
"Do not command it!" she snapped.
"Your body will break before your Will can control something that strong."
Kael stopped.
The Devourer remained bowed.
The system flashed a new warning.
Command Attempt Denied
User Authority insufficient
Risk of catastrophic backlash
The Devourer slowly lifted its head—
But did not attack.
It backed away, entering the wall of bone-trees.
The forest parted for it.
Then sealed shut.
The entire clearing went silent.
Kael exhaled.
His whole body trembled from the overload.
Riven stared at him like he was both a miracle and a disaster.
"Congratulations," she said quietly.
"You're alive."
Kael's gaze shifted to the altar.
The Heart Shrine pulsed with cool blue light.
"Let's finish this floor."
Riven nodded.
"Place your hand on it."
Kael reached forward.
The moment his fingers touched the stone, the floor cracked.
Light burst upward.
The fog spiraled into the sky.
The ground trembled like the world was resetting itself.
Mr. Han shielded his face.
Riven covered her eyes.
And the system voice spoke.
Floor Cleared
Reward Processing
Choose Your Trait
Three glowing symbols appeared before Kael:
Pulse of Shards
Fracture Step
Predator's Instinct
Riven stepped closer, sweat beading on her brow.
"Choose carefully, Kael.
This decision will shape your entire path as a Monarch."