Kaz's first priority was food—he needed to secure it while he still had the chance. The cave was small, with a single opening at the back. Nothing was special about it; the walls were rough, damp, and covered in moss. Mushrooms grew in patches, but they didn't look edible—the eerie red glow surrounding them made them seem downright deadly.
He walked around and stumbled upon the sharp scorpion bone—he had thought it was lost in the current. Yet, by some twisted fate, it had followed him all the way to this cave. Wasting no time, he quickly picked it up and made his way to the lone opening. With the scorpion bone blade in hand, he stepped into the darkness.
It wasn't completely dark. Kaz picked up a few of the mushrooms as he moved toward the opening—not to eat them, of course. That would be suicide. In just one day of surviving this cursed desert, he had already come close to death twice. A third time would be his last. He had to think that way if he wanted to survive… if he wanted to leave this world.
Kaz had been walking for what felt like hours when he suddenly heard scurrying. "What was that?" he thought.
Without hesitation, he activated his Eyeless Sense, reaching out with something beyond sight. Almost instantly, he sensed eight legs skittering closer. The movements weren't as loud as the massive scorpion from before, but the creature was still large enough to make a sound.
Probably another Regent Scorpion—one of the Desert Queen's offspring.
by now Kaz had a bit of experience with these regent scorpions so he just needed to wait for the lunge and strike it down he waited patiently for the lunge but it never came instead he could sense a stinger coming right for his head Kaz stepped back slightly the stinger was an inch away from his face
What the hell?! The other Regent Scorpions were mindless beasts—the only one with any real intelligence was the Desert Queen.
But this one… it wasn't just a beast. It moved like an experienced warrior, poised to strike, ready to kill him in an instant.
Kaz had no choice. He had to run.
But if he ran, the creature's enormous stinger would strike him down in an instant. That would be the end.
His scream would be a Fallen Song.
So, he stood his ground and fought.
The scorpion struck with its tail, but Kaz sensed every attack thanks to his Eyeless Sense Talisman. However, he wasn't an experienced warrior—sooner or later, he was bound to slip up. And he did.
A misstep. His foot caught on uneven ground, sending him tumbling.
The scorpion seized the opening, launching itself at him with terrifying precision—like it had done this countless times before. A perfect strategy. A perfect kill.
But it had forgotten one thing.
Kaz was a survivor—more so than the scorpion. He couldn't die here. He wouldn't.
Keeping his composure, he braced his weapon—the sharpened bone of a scorpion's corpse—and held it steady. He wasn't strong, but at the speed the creature was lunging, strength didn't matter.
With a sickening crunch, the scorpion impaled itself on the jagged tip, killing itself instantly.
"The sinister mechanical voice of the curse—an unnatural sound that could drive anyone to the edge of madness—announced the kill: 'You have slain a Regent Scorpion of the Aberration rank.'"
This creature was just another Regent Scorpion—smart and agile. Did that mean the scorpions in the cave were even more intelligent?
If so, he was in far greater danger than he had thought.
Kaz had to be careful. Every step, every breath had to be deliberate. Keeping his Eyeless Sense active, he quickened his pace.
But the danger only escalated.
He sensed movement ahead—eight creatures. No… sixteen. The number of legs multiplied.
They were clustered around a single point, circling something.
But one of them was different.
It didn't have eight legs.
It had two.
**"Kaz's blood ran cold. In an instant, seven out of the eight creatures were dead. Whatever was out there was more dangerous than almost anything he had encountered before—something capable of effortlessly taking down these scorpions. That wasn't easy. Kaz knew firsthand how tough just one of them was; fighting a single Regent Scorpion as a complete novice had been a struggle. But eight? That was insane.
He didn't hesitate—he ran. His lungs burned, but he didn't care. His breath came in ragged gasps, his chest tightening as exhaustion crept in. By the time he reached the small cave, he collapsed, struggling to catch his breath. The narrow passageway had felt endless, every step draining what little strength he had left. But he made it. And, more importantly, whatever had massacred those scorpions hadn't noticed him."**
**"He thought he was safe. He wasn't.
The creature was near. Its bloodlust was so overwhelming, so suffocating, that it could make anyone cower in fear. Kaz's grip tightened around his bone weapon as he readied himself. He wasn't experienced—maybe… maybe he could—no, who was he kidding? This thing was probably intelligent, just like the rest of the damn creatures in this Rift.
Why him? It was always him. These monsters always found him.
He had barely a second to rest."**
**"Kaz prepared himself as best as he could, but whatever was lurking in the darkness had to emerge eventually.
Slowly, but inevitably, it stepped into the light. The bloodlust that radiated from it was overwhelming... and it came from a human.
The figure moved, and Kaz's eyes sharpened. This was no ordinary person. His age was hard to determine, but his eyes—they were the eyes of a predator. Cold-blooded, ruthless. His hair was white and spiky, a strand falling across his face, with a red patch on the right side of his head. His skin was ivory, and his green eyes burned with the unmistakable hunger of a killer.
He wore a black jacket, draped over his shoulders, with dark jeans that looked worn from battle. The sword sheath at his side clinked softly as he shifted, his gaze sharp enough to make even the devil pause. This was no man. This was something far more dangerous."**