"Life is so unfair."
Kael's mind drifted as the carriage rocked gently along the road. The old thoughts surfaced again, sharp and familiar.
"The poor struggle to eat while the rich sit on their high horses, enjoying the labour of those beneath them. Elites treat the working lower class as nothing more than tools for their own benefit."
As a young, ambitious lawyer from a prestigious family, Kael had once believed it was his duty to stand on the side of the oppressed and grant them the justice they deserved. He had taken cases pro bono, pouring his time and skill into fighting for the weak.
Yet time after time, the victims themselves disappointed him.
Instead of taking the victory and reclaiming their dignity, many would fold at the first offer of money or threats from their oppressors. They would grovel, accept crumbs, and throw away any shred of self-respect. Once, an old lady and her son had cried in front of him, begging for justice after their granddaughter and daughter had been gang-raped by a group of wealthy young heirs. Filled with righteous indignation, Kael had accepted the case without asking for any payment.
On the day of the trial, the mother and son had turned on him. They claimed he had forced them to testify and that he was fabricating stories to advance his own position. Confronting them afterward, he found them crying and groveling at his feet, begging him to drop the lawsuit. The heirs had reimbursed them generously. Despite Kael telling them there was enough evidence to put the perpetrators in jail, the mother and son only cried harder, saying they needed the money.
That day, Kael left the courthouse feeling hurt and deeply confused. He couldn't understand how people could change so quickly in the face of money and authority, even when offered a real chance at justice.
He had to learn the hard way that people do change — not just because of money and power, but because of life's harsh circumstances.
"Well… if life is going to be full of bullshit, you just have to be the shit-shover and clear your own path."
"Kael…"
A faint whisper echoed in his head.
"KAEL!!!"
BOOMMMMM!!!!
A loud explosion jolted Kael awake. Sharp rays of light flashed across his vision as he opened his eyes.
He became instantly aware of his surroundings.
Everything was in ruins.
The carriages were smashed and overturned. Trees lay shattered around them. The once peaceful forest path had become a battlefield.
What the fuck happened? Just moments ago they had been moving through the trees, his foster mother talking to him, and then… he had fallen asleep?
Alarm bells rang in his head as he scanned the area.
Both he and Adam were lying in Vivian's lap. A dark green circular shield surrounded them, flashing with runic patterns across its surface. Vivian's hands were outstretched, keeping the shield stable. Green runic veins pulsed across her delicate skin like living circuits. Her face was twisted in concentration, her eyes filled with worry as she stared into the distance.
Kael followed her gaze.
In the clearing ahead, the usually calm and gentle Baron Munchausen Draven was fighting with terrifying ferocity.
Burning red flames wreathed his body. Dark red runes moved across his skin like flowing lava. Every punch he threw carried explosive force, sending shockwaves through the air. The monster he faced was a nightmarish thing — a dark yellowish-grey beast born from Atavism's corruption. Its body was a twisted mass of shifting flesh and primal essence, constantly melting and reforming. Jagged bone spikes protruded from its back, and its eyes glowed with chaotic hunger.
The Baron moved with raw power. Each strike left trails of crimson fire that burned away chunks of the creature's regenerating flesh. The air around him shimmered with heat and the sharp scent of scorched earth. Yet the monster kept coming, its form bubbling and reforming faster than the flames could destroy it. It let out a guttural roar that vibrated through the ground, sending cracks spreading across the forest floor.
Vivian's shield flickered as another shockwave hit it. She gritted her teeth, pouring more Prime Essence into the barrier.
Kael's mind raced. He could see the faint runic circuits glowing under his foster father's skin — the modest Draven bloodline pushed to its limit, granting him temporary bursts of gravitational force and spatial compression that amplified his strikes. But the Baron was breathing heavily. The fight was taking a visible toll.
Adam stirred beside him, eyes wide with fear.
"Mom… what is that thing?" he whispered.
Vivian didn't answer. Her focus remained locked on maintaining the shield.
Kael clenched his fists. The Devourer's Hunger stirred faintly inside him, hungry for the chaotic energy leaking from the corrupted beast. But he held it back. Not yet. Not without understanding the situation fully.
The battle raged on. The Baron landed a heavy blow that caved in part of the monster's chest, but the wound began closing almost immediately, gray ether swirling in the damaged flesh.
This was no ordinary beast.
It was a creature touched by Atavism — a living embodiment of reversion, drawn to strong sources of Prime Essence like the noble caravan.
Kael's eyes narrowed as he observed the flow of energy. If they didn't end this quickly, more of these things might appear.
The real fight had only just begun.
Kael remained low in Vivian's lap, the dark green shield flickering with every shockwave that slammed against it. He could feel the strain in his foster mother's arms — the way her fingers trembled as she poured more Prime Essence into the barrier. Green runic veins pulsed visibly beneath her skin like living circuits, but they were starting to flicker too.
In the clearing ahead, Baron Munchausen Draven fought with terrifying ferocity.
Burning red gravitational energy wreathed his body, dark red runes flowing across his skin like molten circuits. With every punch, the air around his fists compressed violently, space itself igniting in crimson light as gravitational force crushed and tore at the corrupted beast. When he struck, the ground beneath the monster cracked in spiderweb patterns and the very fabric of space warped and folded, pulling the creature's limbs off balance or crushing its regenerating flesh inward with explosive force. Each heavy blow landed with a deep, thunderous impact, as if reality itself was being momentarily burned and compressed.
The monster was a nightmarish thing born from Atavism's corruption — a dark yellowish-grey beast whose body was a constantly shifting mass of primal flesh and gray ether. Jagged bone spikes protruded from its back, and its multiple eyes glowed with chaotic, mindless hunger. Whenever the Baron landed a heavy blow, chunks of its flesh would cave in and tear apart in burning red bursts, only for the wound to bubble and reform almost immediately, the gray ether swirling like living smoke.
The Baron moved with raw, calculated power. He twisted space around himself to dodge lunging spikes, then countered with a compressed punch that ignited the air and crushed a section of the beast's torso. The creature staggered, but its form kept regenerating, feeding on the Prime Essence being released in the fight.
Vivian's shield flickered as another shockwave slammed into it. She gritted her teeth, pouring more Prime Essence into the barrier to keep her sons safe.
Kael's mind raced. He could see the faint runic circuits glowing under his foster father's skin — the modest Draven bloodline pushed to its absolute limit. The minor magical mutated bloodline granted control over space-burning red gravitational power, and right now the Baron was using every ounce of it to distort space, compress matter, and amplify the destructive force of his strikes. But Kael could also see the toll it was taking. The man's movements were growing heavier, his breathing more labored. Using the bloodline this intensely was draining him quickly.
Adam stirred beside him, eyes wide with fear.
"Mom… is Dad going to be okay?" he whispered, voice small.
Vivian didn't answer. Her focus remained locked on maintaining the shield, her arms shaking from the strain.
Kael clenched his fists. The Devourer's Hunger stirred faintly inside him, drawn to the thick, corrupted primal essence leaking from the beast. It felt thick and tempting, like a feast waiting to be consumed. But he held it back. Not yet. Not without understanding the situation fully.
The battle raged on. The Baron landed another heavy blow that warped and burned the space around the monster's chest, caving it inward with a sickening crunch. Gray ether exploded outward in burning red bursts, but the wound was already closing, the flesh bubbling and knitting back together with wet, grotesque sounds.
This was no ordinary beast.
It was a creature touched by Atavism — a living embodiment of reversion, drawn to strong sources of Prime Essence like the noble caravan. The more power the Duke used, the more the monster seemed to hunger for it.
Kael's eyes narrowed as he observed the flow of energy. If they didn't end this quickly, more of these things might appear. Or worse — the corrupted essence might start affecting the surroundings, pulling the forest itself toward primal chaos.
Vivian's breathing grew labored. The shield flickered again, weaker this time.
Kael felt the weight of the moment. His foster family was fighting for their lives, and he was still holding back his own power.
The real fight had only just begun.
And Kael was already looking for the best way to end it.
He clenched his fists. The weight of the moment pressed on him. His foster family was fighting for their lives, and he was still holding back his own power. A small, unfamiliar feeling twisted in his chest — not quite fear, not quite guilt. Something closer to reluctant attachment.
He made his decision.
He reached out with his mind and pulled — just a small, careful thread of the beast's corrupted primal essence. It burned through his body for a second, chaotic and dangerous, but his Devourer's Hunger drank it in. The energy settled, strengthening the faint runes hidden beneath his skin.
The monster faltered. Its regeneration slowed noticeably.
The Baron noticed the opening. With a final roar, he compressed the air into a crushing gravitational fist and slammed it into the creature's core. The beast let out one last guttural cry before its body collapsed, dissolving into gray ether that scattered on the wind.
Silence fell over the ruined forest path.
The Baron stood breathing heavily, runes slowly fading from his skin. He turned toward the shield, eyes finding Kael and Adam with visible relief.
Vivian let the barrier drop with a tired sigh. She pulled both boys close, her hands still shaking. In that moment, she didn't care about dignity or appearances — she only cared that her children were safe.
Kael allowed the embrace. The warmth was real. But in the back of his mind, the old rules remained, quietly adjusting.