The night in Abyssia was eerily calm, a rare moment of peace in a land ravaged by endless war. Caelum stepped out from the ruins he had taken shelter in, inhaling the cold, dry air. The wasteland stretched endlessly before him, illuminated only by the faint glow of distant embers still smoldering from past battles. He found comfort in the silence, a stark contrast to the chaos that erupted every time the war horns blared.

  He moved carefully across the barren land, arriving at an open clearing some distance from his hideout. In his hand, he carried the bodies of three Emberfang Hares, creatures he had hunted the previous night. Their small, lean bodies were barely enough to sustain him, but they were the easiest prey to catch.

  The Emberfang Hare—a nocturnal creature with jet-black fur and crimson eyes—was known for the faint ember-like glow emanating from its fangs. They weren’t particularly strong, but their bites contained a mild burning venom that could cause searing pain. Hunting them was relatively simple: stay out of their line of sight and strike swiftly before they could react.

  But tonight, Caelum sought something more substantial.

  He placed the three hares on the ground and knelt beside them. The trick to drawing out his real target wasn’t scent but sound. The beast he was after relied more on vibrations than smell. Clenching his fist, he slammed it against the ground.

  One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

  Just as he was about to strike the sixth time, he stopped—his senses sharpened as a subtle tremor rippled beneath him. A smirk crept onto his face. It worked.

  "There you are".

  He stood up and stepped away from the bait, summoning his Umbracraft blade from the surrounding shadows. The ground quivered. The tremors grew stronger. Then, with a burst of sand and dust, a massive beast lunged out of the earth, landing directly onto the hares.

  The Dreadfang Stalker—a reptilian predator with pitch-black scales and piercing yellow eyes. Its elongated snout was lined with jagged, venomous fangs, and its muscular body was built for both speed and stealth. It was a master ambusher, striking its prey in a blink before dragging them into the sand to suffocate.

  The beast lowered its head, greedily snapping up one of the hares in its maw. That was Caelum’s chance.

  Without hesitation, he lunged forward, his Umbracraft blade slicing through the air. The Stalker barely reacted as his weapon severed its head cleanly from its body. Its form collapsed instantly, blood pooling beneath it.

  Caelum exhaled, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "Well, that was easier than last time."

  Just as he let his guard down, a second tremor shot through the ground.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  His instincts screamed at him, but before he could react, another Dreadfang Stalker burst from the earth behind him. It moved faster than the first, its powerful legs propelling it forward as it lunged straight for his back.

  "Shit—!"

  Caelum barely twisted in time to dodge, but the beast’s claws raked across his side, sending him rolling across the dirt. The impact knocked the wind out of him, but he forced himself back to his feet just as the Stalker circled him, its glowing yellow eyes locked onto him with primal hunger.

  The beast struck first, lunging at him with jaws wide open. Caelum ducked, rolling to the side as its fangs snapped mere inches from his head. He retaliated, slashing upward with his Umbracraft blade, but the Stalker twisted its body mid-air, evading the strike with terrifying agility.

  The two began circling each other, testing for weaknesses.

  Then, the Stalker made its move.

  It feinted left before abruptly shifting right, its tail whipping toward him like a club. Caelum barely managed to raise his arms in time, but the impact sent him skidding back. The moment he regained his footing, the Stalker pounced again. This time, he had no time to dodge.

  Instead, he met it head-on.

  Summoning additional Umbracraft into his free hand, he crafted a jagged spear of darkness and drove it straight into the beast’s open maw. The Stalker let out a guttural shriek as the spear impaled through the roof of its mouth, piercing into its skull. It thrashed violently, but Caelum held firm, twisting the weapon deeper until its struggles finally ceased.

  The beast collapsed with a final wheeze, its glowing eyes fading into nothingness.

  Caelum remained still for a moment, his breath heavy. His body ached from the brief but intense battle, but compared to the first time he had fought these creatures, this was nothing. He looked down at his wounds—already starting to close. He had fought countless battles, but no matter how severe his injuries, his body always healed.

  His smirk faded as a familiar resentment surfaced.

  Shaking off the thoughts, he turned to the two fallen beasts. He reached down and removed their heads, severing them from their bodies. Dreadfang Stalkers carried a lethal venom in their skulls, something his father had once taught him long ago. The memory made him pause.

  “That sure brings back memories…,” he muttered before shaking his head.

  Dragging the carcasses back to his camp, he skinned them with practiced efficiency. Using a rock and dry twigs he had gathered earlier, he started a small fire, the flames casting flickering shadows against the ruin’s walls. Soon, the scent of roasting meat filled the air. He took a bite, chewing in silence as his thoughts wandered.

  Lucielle and Varithra.

  Two of the most persistent people he had ever encountered. He had met Lucielle first—several months ago—before Varithra appeared as a new thorn in his side. Lucielle was arrogant, proud, and overconfident in her abilities. Varithra, on the other hand, was quiet but deadly, her Entropic Flames making her a far more dangerous foe.

  Then there was the boy he had seen after the second horn.

  That child had called him something he had heard countless times before.

  Cursed Child.

  He had been called many names: Cursed Child, Blasphemous One, Cycle Ender. The list went on, and he had long since stopped caring.

  But as he chewed on his meal, another thought crept into his mind—his parents.

  His expression darkened as his grip on the cooked meat tightened. He resented them. Their love had given birth to a life of suffering. He had never asked to exist, to be hunted for eternity in an endless war. He had never understood their choice.

  And yet, there was one thing he could never forget.

  His mother’s final words before her execution.

  “Break the cycle.”

  Caelum clenched his teeth.

  “…What the hell did you mean by that?”