Chapter 11 - The Shattered Howl
Rain kissed the bone-plated ground of the plateau, sizzling where it landed. Black clouds hung low like the breath of a sleeping god, and Kael stood between two beasts: Ravager, panting and bloodied, and Vyrmclaw, now crouched with its tail low and claws twitching.
[Codex Sync: 38%... Stabilizing link with Vyrmclaw. Ravager health: declining.]
The wind brought a shriek from afar.
JiRuun had vanished into the clouds.
But his presence hadn't.
Kael gritted his teeth. "We move. We need shelter."
They descended the plateau into a ravine choked by vines and fossilized roots. The Codex pulsed—guiding them.
[Signal detected: hybrid residue. Unknown origin. Alert: Aggression markers high.]
Too late.
The ground split open.
A massive hybrid erupted from the soil—Spino-Kentro mix, covered in iridescent bone-plated spikes. It snarled and charged. Vyrmclaw leapt forward without hesitation.
Ravager tried to follow—but stumbled.
Kael lunged, catching his companion. "No!"
But Ravager pushed forward, snarling with fury. One last time.
Vyrmclaw was holding its own, slashing in tight circles. But the Spino-Kentro's sheer mass made it overwhelming.
Then—
Ravager collided with the hybrid.
Bones cracked. Blood splattered Kael's cheek.
He saw it—Ravager, clamping down on the beast's throat. Buying time.
Kael screamed.
[Codex Alert: Bond termination imminent.]
The Spino-Kentro twisted.
There was a flash of claws. And then—
Silence.
Ravager fell.
Vyrmclaw screeched and delivered a final, savage blow—severing the enemy's skull.
It collapsed.
Kael rushed forward. Dropped to his knees beside Ravager.
The creature's chest rose. Once. Barely.
[Codex override initiated... Memory capture in process.]
Kael sobbed. "No, no, no... you idiot."
[Ravager legacy: stored. Fragment available for future integration.]
Kael felt a warmth in his palm. A shard of the Codex—pulsing softly.
"You're with me," he whispered.
Behind him, Vyrmclaw stood silent, watching. Not mourning—but understanding.
Scene Shift – Unknown Location
"Ravager has fallen," the figure in white said, sipping dark wine. "So the Bastard bleeds after all."
Another screen flared to life. JiRuun circling the clouds.
"Let the boy think he's won something. The real trial begins now."
Back to Kael
That night, he didn't sleep.
He buried Ravager beneath ancient soil, marked with a stone etched by claw.
Not a grave.
A promise.
And when he turned to Vyrmclaw, his eyes were no longer warm.
They burned.
[Codex Status: Host emotional override activated. Echo potential rising.]
Kael rose. One hybrid lost. One bonded.
War wasn't coming.
It had already begun.