Far from the quiet forest, where Damien unknowingly shaped his own legend, the capital city of Velhira stirred with unease. Towering spires pierced the sky, and beneath them, the Astral Observatory buzzed with activity.
Inside, ancient runes lit up with wild energy, forming spirals over the crystal mirror that hung suspended in the center.
"…That can't be right," said a high mage, narrowing his eyes at the scrying device. "The seal was meant to hold for another ten years."
Another sage—one older, his beard brushing against his belt—nodded grimly. "The prophecy was clear. The seal awakens with the Child of Fate, not before."
Silence fell across the room.
The Arch-Seer finally spoke. "Something is unraveling destiny itself. Either the Child of Fate is born too early…"
"Or someone else," the elder mage whispered, "has interfered with fate."
---
Meanwhile…
Deep in the forest, Damien was feeling weird.
> "Trait: Beast Resonance I – You can sense nearby beasts and faintly perceive their emotional state."<
At first, it was just noise. A bird panicking. A wolf watching from a distance. But beneath all of that was something deeper—a constant, pulsing presence that tugged at his very core.
It led him to an overgrown hill near a river. The ground vibrated faintly, like a sleeping heartbeat. He paused.
"That pull again. It's the same thing that activated back at the shrine…"
He dug slowly. His slime body wriggled through cracked stone and moss until a thin hole opened into a massive, underground cavern.
The moment he slipped in, he froze.
In the center was a crystalline prison. Inside it—chained, dormant—was a beast of pure myth. Feathers black as night. Horns twisted like ancient roots. Eyes shut tight, but its presence was overwhelming.
> "Race: ???"
"Status: Sealed – Incomplete."
"Threat Level: Unmeasured."<
> "Warning: Approaching this entity may disrupt key narrative events."<
"Narrative events…? Is this beast connected to the Child of Fate?"
In the novel, he remembered a beast like this. It was meant to awaken during the protagonist's journey—a key ally granted only to the chosen hero, the Child of Fate.
And yet here Damien was, ten years early, staring right at it.
The beast stirred. Just faintly.
> "Beast Resonance Activated."
"Trait Upgrade: Beast Resonance II – Link formed with sealed ancient entity."
"Note: Link formed outside of destiny's design. Consequences unknown."<
The air grew heavy.
"I just stole a bond that was never meant for me… from the world's chosen hero."
Damien retreated, heartbeat quickening.
But the bond didn't fade. He could still feel it—its breath, its sorrow, its rage. And something else… a faint attachment to him.
> "Level up! Level 8."<
Back in the sunlight, he whispered to himself:
"If the Child of Fate is supposed to shape the world…"
"What happens now that I've broken their script?"
---