Night was descending fast, and Kael needed refuge. The idea of sheltering in one of the many caves dotting the landscape made his skin crawl—who knew what beasts claimed those dark hollows as their dens?
Then he saw it—a massive willow tree, its long, trailing branches forming a natural curtain. As he approached, he noted the absence of any beast markings. Perfect.
Climbing up, he discovered an abandoned bird's nest nestled in the crook of the trunk—large enough to hold him, lined with faded blue feathers and dried grass. It was weathered but intact. Shelter.
His stomach growled violently. The willow bore clusters of small, yellow berries—plump and abundant. He didn't know if they were safe, but hunger overruled caution. He plucked a handful and ate.
Sweet. Almost too sweet, with a faint herbal aftertaste. Before he realized it, he had stripped the branches clean.
Now fed and sheltered, Kael turned his focus inward. He needed to assess the changes in his body—and interrogate the silent orb still hovering nearby.
Kael exhaled—and cut off the flow of mana.
Instantly, his world shattered.
Fire erupted in his veins. His blood vessels ruptured, spiderwebbing beneath his skin in grotesque, blackened trails. His heart seized, a fist of molten iron squeezing it to pulp.
He vomited—a torrent of crimson, thick and hot, splattering across the nest. His vision swam, his eyes bursting with blood, the world painted in scarlet haze.
He was burning alive from the inside.
Mana, once docile, now raged through him like a wildfire, devouring muscle, searing bone. His screams were raw, animal things, torn from a throat lined with razors.
Eva's voice cut through the agony—calm. Detached.
"You're in grave danger, Kael. The overuse of Burning Blood is killing you."
"HELP ME!" he gurgled, blood frothing at his lips.
"I cannot."
Then—a new sensation.
From his stomach, a cooling presence unfurled—the berries. Their energy slithered through him, knitting flesh, soothing the inferno. But it wasn't gentle.
It was reconstruction amidst ruin.
His bones cracked as they reset. Muscles twisted like living rope. His nerves screamed as they regrew, each second a fresh hell.
He convulsed, spine arching, teeth grinding to powder.
Then he passed out
Morning light was a betrayal.
Kael woke in a cocoon of his own filth—blood, sweat, and bile crusted over his skin like a second layer of flesh. Every breath was a knife to the ribs. Every twitch of his fingers sent lightning up his arms.
Eva hovered nearby, unmoved.
"What... happened?" Kael rasped, his voice a ruined thing.
"You tore yourself apart," Eva replied. "The berries repaired the damage, but your body is still recovering."
Kael exhaled shakily. "That wasn't just backlash. That was... something else."
"You forced mana into your bloodstream without proper pathways. Burning Blood is a skill meant for those with reinforced vessels. You are not ready."
Kael's jaw tightened. "You could have warned me."
"You didn't ask."
A beat of silence. Then—
"From now on, your name is Eva," Kael gritted out. "And you will advise me before I do something that stupid again."
Eva pulsed faintly. "Understood."
Then came the realization—Eva had mentioned skills.
"You said you have knowledge of techniques," Kael pressed. "Teach me."
"The skills I possess are beyond your current tier. The weakest requires Warlord-level mastery."
Kael's hope flared—then dimmed. Power was there, but out of reach.
For now.
"Then what can I learn?"
"Rest first. Your body is still fragile. Move too soon, and you'll undo the healing."
Kael leaned back, staring at the canopy.
He had survived.