The sun crept over the horizon, casting long shadows across the dense foliage of the wilds. Kael leaned heavily against a weathered tree trunk, his breathing labored, the veins in his arms pulsing with an unsettling intensity. The effects of his new mutation were starting to show, though he had yet to understand its full implications.
The wanderer watched him from a distance, their expression veiled by the shadow of their hood. "You feel it, don't you?" they asked, their voice calm but tinged with a subtle edge.
Kael gritted his teeth, his muscles twitching involuntarily. "What have you done to me?"
"I warned you," the wanderer replied, stepping closer. "The wilds give... but they also take. The herbs you ingested during your healing weren't without consequence."
Kael's mind flashed back to the night he had been near death, desperately consuming the mixture the wanderer had offered. At the time, it had been his only option. He clenched his fists. "You knew this would happen."
The wanderer nodded slowly. "The herb saved your life. But it's no ordinary plant—it alters the body, reshaping it to adapt to the wilds. The price is dependence. Without it, your body will deteriorate."
Kael's heart sank. Dependence. The word echoed in his mind, a chain binding him to the very environment he had vowed to conquer. "So I'm a prisoner to this... this poison?"
"Not a prisoner," the wanderer said, their tone softening. "A survivor. But you'll need to make a choice soon. Continue using the herb and live with the dependency, or endure the withdrawal and risk losing the strength you've gained."
Kael turned away, the weight of the revelation settling over him like a shroud. The strength he had relied on, the edge that had kept him alive, now came at a cost he wasn't sure he could afford.