The deeper they moved, the colder the air became, sharp, unnatural. None of them noticed they'd already crossed into the Second Core.
Before them stood a crumbling stone gate, half-buried beneath tangled roots and vines. Weathered runes, long faded, etched across its surface.
Ancient.
Forgotten.
But not abandoned.
Isaac stepped forward, each footfall sinking into damp, moss-covered ground. With every step, a knot twisted deeper in his gut.
No birds.
No insects.
Not even wind.
Only silence.
"This might be it…" Aiah whispered behind him, her voice barely more than breath.
She ran her fingers across the stone wall, tracing the worn carvings.
Isaac crouched low, brushing dust from strange symbols. Dried blood stained the cracks, not fresh, but not old, either.
"We're not alone," he murmured.
And as they stepped beyond the broken gate, it hit them, not a sound, but a presence.
Heavy.
Unseen.
Watching.
Inside the Ruins…
The deeper they went, the thicker the air became. The stench of rot clung to the stone corridors, mixed with something old something wrong.
Then they saw them.
Five massive cocoons hung from the ceiling like eerie lanterns, glowing with a sickly green light. Their faint pulsing matched the strange rhythm of Belga's twisted hive.
In the corner of the chamber, thirty prisoners lay in heaps. Pale. Motionless. Breathing shallowly.
Mona rushed forward, dropping to her knees. She recognized the faces, but not one stirred.
Aiah clenched her fists. "Not again…"
Then came the footsteps.
Uneven. Too heavy to be human.
Something approached.
From the shadows, it emerged.
A towering creature, twelve feet tall, stepped into the light. Its lower half was lupine, four massive legs covered in sinew and fur.
Its upper body retained a human shape, but patches of golden fur clung to its broad shoulders, twitching with unnatural energy.
Two curved horns jutted from the upper back. Its yellow eyes glowed beneath a twisted face… one that had once been human.
It smiled. And the skin at the edge of its mouth tore slightly, as if smiling wasn't something it was built for anymore.
"Just as I expected," it rumbled.
Aiah froze, horror in her eyes. "General… Harper?"
The creature grinned wider.
"I was the first," it said, voice warped, layered like two beings speaking at once.
"The king's Mutated Hybrid. His perfect soldier. I was strong enough to survive the merging."
Aiah stumbled back, disbelief flashing to rage.
"Your king is a monster! These people…" she pointed to the prisoners, "they're innocent!"
Harper let out a low chuckle. "No. He's a visionary. He's building a kingdom that the world will fear. Not like your soft, pathetic father."
Aiah's hands sparked with flame. "Because my father believed in protecting people, not turning them into beasts."
Harper's smile faded. His voice darkened. "Then your father was a threat."
She stiffened. "What are you saying?"
Claws tapped against stone as he stepped forward.
"You're all going to die here, so I'll give you the truth."
Isaac's muscles tensed.
Harper's voice dropped into something cold and cruel. "Your father knew. He rejected the king's plan. Called it an abomination. Said it would damn the kingdom. He threatened to expose it."
A pause.
"He was arrogant. Thought the throne would be his after the old king passed. So…"
Harper grinned again.
"He was silenced. Poisoned. Like a rat."
Aiah's flames roared to life. Her arms blazed as grief twisted into fury.
"You helped him? You killed him!?"
Harper raised his head, proud. "I serve the future. Your uncle isn't building a kingdom of mortals. He's building a pantheon. A nation of gods. No place for weakness. No place… for people like you."
Isaac narrowed his eyes, activating Appraisal.
[Name: Harper Ron
Type: Beast - Hybrid
Rank: S+
Status: Stable
Abilities: Unknown – Authority too low
Weakness: Unknown – Authority too low]
His jaw tightened.
'I can't see much... but S+? I didn't even know that was possible.'
Beside him, Aiah stood frozen, fists clenched. The weight of Harper's words crushed her. The truth about her father… her uncle's betrayal, it burned hotter than her flames.
Suddenly…
[Fire Burst!]
A wave of fire exploded from her hands, surging toward Harper like a tidal wave of flame. The ground shook from the spell's force.
"BURN, HARPER! BURN!" Aiah screamed, eyes wet with tears.
Isaac shielded his face, squinting through the blaze. It was the biggest flame he had ever seen from her.
The heat was intense. The fire roared for nearly twenty seconds before Aiah finally stopped, breathing hard.
Thick smoke filled the ruins. The smell of burning stone and dust hung in the air.
Slowly, the smoke started to clear.
Aiah's eyes widened. Her hands began to shake.
Harper was still standing.
Not a single burn. Not even his fur was singed.
He looked at her and smirked.
"That's cute."
Then came the growls.
Three Dark Hounds crawled down the broken wall, eyes glowing, jaws dripping with saliva. Their claws scraped the stone as they surrounded Harper.
He reached out and gently petted their heads.
He patted their heads like pets.
"They're hungry."
Then he pointed at Isaac and Aiah.
"Kill them."
The hounds roared and charged.
Isaac didn't hesitate. He gripped his axe and took a wide stance. "Stay close!"
"Got it!" Aiah shouted, flames gathering in both hands.
The first hound lunged at Isaac, jaws wide. He ducked and swung hard. His axe slammed into its ribs with a crunch, sending it flying into the wall.
But it stood right back up. Bleeding, but not beaten.
The second hound rushed Aiah.
She sidestepped and spun, firing a flame straight into its face. It yelped, then kept charging. She launched another blast at its legs, knocking it off balance.
Isaac ducked a swipe from the first hound, then slashed upward, slicing open its belly. The wound began to close almost instantly.
"Tough bastards," he growled.
"Keep moving! Hit hard, move fast!" Aiah shouted.
The third hound darted between them, trying to split them apart. Isaac vaulted over its back while Aiah launched a wall of fire to slow it.
They moved in sync, Isaac dealing heavy blows, Aiah trapping and burning with precise flames.
One hound leapt at Aiah's back.
Isaac was already there. He swung like a hammer, smashing it mid-air. The beast hit the ground with a heavy thud.
"Thanks," she said.
Then the second hound tackled him. They rolled. The beast snapped at his throat. Isaac roared, headbutted it, and drove his axe into its chest.
"NOW, AIAH!"
She raised her hands, then fired a focused fireball straight into the monster's mouth. It shrieked as it burst into flames.
It stopped moving.
Only two were left.
Aiah's hands shook. Isaac's arms felt like lead.
"One more push," he said.
She nodded.
The final two hounds lunged, one from each side.
Isaac threw his axe mid-air. It hit one in the mouth. The beast dropped like a rock.
The last one pounced on Aiah.
She didn't panic. She spun, grabbed Isaac's fallen axe, and swung with everything she had.
The blade cut deep into the creature's neck.
Blood sprayed.
The beast staggered, then dropped.
Silence.
Aiah dropped the axe and fell to her knees, gasping. Isaac stood beside her, watching the fallen hounds.
Then…
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Harper stepped forward, grinning. "Well done," he said. "But it's not over yet."
The hounds twitched.
Their limbs began to move. Muscles reattached. Skin started to seal.
Harper grinned wider. "They always come back."
Isaac didn't move. His eyes sharpened.
"No," he said coldly. "It's finished."
Harper raised a brow. "Really?"
Isaac whispered.
"Swarm Devour."
The air hummed.
From the entrance, from the cracks, from the stone above, they came.
The swarm.
They rushed the fallen hounds like a black wave, tearing, biting, devouring.
The hounds screamed. Thrashed. But it was too late.
Harper's eyes widened. "What... What is this?!"
The swarm didn't stop.
And when it was over, there was nothing left.
Harper's grin faded. Just a little.
[Swarm Devour Effect… 100% Absorption.]
[Swarm Authority +4%]
[Swarm Authority Level: 59%]