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The cave air grew thick, heavy with the scent of the Abyssal creatures that had fallen. Kenzai leaned against the jagged stone wall, feeling the weariness settling into his bones. His body ached from the fight, but it was a different kind of ache. A pull—deep within his very essence—something primal, calling to him.
Genesis Fang hummed in his grip, the blade's energy thrumming with life, and for a moment, Kenzai felt something strange—something stirring within himself. It was as if the weapon and his own blood were connected, vibrating in unison. He took a slow breath, focusing on the sensations, as though listening to the subtle whispers of the universe.
"You alright?" Varek's voice broke through the haze of his thoughts.
Kenzai nodded absently, though the question lingered in his mind. Was he alright? His body was tired, but his mind... something was shifting within him, something that made him question everything. There was a hunger, an undeniable pull toward the essence of the dungeon, something that called out to him like an old instinct, buried deep within.
Before he could articulate his thoughts, a sudden rush of heat surged through his veins. He gasped, his hands trembling as the air around him grew charged. The tendrils of the dungeon pulsed above them, its rhythm now in sync with the pounding of his heart.
"Varek, something's—" Kenzai began, but he couldn't finish his sentence. His body was no longer obeying his commands.
Genesis Fang flared with a surge of bioluminescent energy, and Kenzai's muscles seized, his form contorting as if being reshaped from the inside. A powerful force ripped through him, the transformation pushing him beyond his limits. He could feel the raw power of his newfound form coursing through him, his very biology evolving.
His vision blurred, and in the next instant, the cavern seemed to stretch unnaturally before him. His senses sharpened—a sudden clarity that was both overwhelming and exhilarating. Every pulse of the dungeon's energy, every rustle of the air, every flicker of the tendrils—it all became crystal clear.
"No... what is this?" Kenzai whispered, his voice deeper now, almost foreign to him.
The ground beneath him felt different, as if his connection to it had changed. He could sense the heartbeat of the dungeon itself, could feel its life force pushing against his own, as if it were trying to reach into him, to fuse with him.
Varek backed away slowly, eyeing Kenzai warily. "What's happening to you, kid?"
Kenzai's body swelled, and his muscles expanded, becoming more defined, more animalistic. His hands twisted into claws, sharp and deadly, and his face grew more angular, his senses heightened to an almost unbearable degree. His body adapted, shifting, growing stronger. The once-soft skin of his hands hardened, taking on a more primal, bestial appearance.
It was then that Kenzai realized what was happening. His body was mutating, evolving into the very race he had become—the Faunadrakhor. The fusion of the Drakhor and Faunaris bloodlines. The transformation was taking hold, and there was no stopping it.
He staggered forward, his new form now fully apparent to him, feeling the rush of power coursing through his veins. His skin was covered in dark, armored plating, and faint bioluminescent veins streaked across his body, marking him as something not entirely human anymore.
"What is this? What's happening to me?" Kenzai growled, his voice thick with the primal essence now within him.
Varek eyed him cautiously, his battle-worn expression unreadable. "The dungeon—it's reacting to you. It's feeding off your essence."
The words echoed in Kenzai's mind. The dungeon... feeding off him?
A deep growl escaped his throat, and he flexed his new claws, the sharpness of the talons biting into the stone beneath him. He could feel the power building inside him, and an unfamiliar hunger gnawed at the edges of his consciousness. His thoughts were clouded, and the beast within him was waking—no, it had already awoken.
Suddenly, his senses flared. The dungeon's pulse had intensified, as though recognizing the change within him. The life force of the cavern, once distant, now felt connected to him in a way he couldn't comprehend.
Primal Rage.
Kenzai's body trembled with a wave of raw power, and for a brief moment, his mind went blank. His vision sharpened again, this time turning to shades of gold and red, the world around him reduced to simple instincts—survive, fight, dominate.
A voice, distant yet familiar, rang through his thoughts. You are not the man you once were. You are a force of nature, forged by the dungeon itself. Embrace the beast within.
Kenzai's hands clenched, his claws digging into the stone with terrifying strength. He could feel it now—the primal instinct, the hunger for battle, the need to tear through his enemies. His mind rebelled against it, but the beast within was strong, demanding control.
"You're going to lose yourself, Kenzai," Varek said, his voice strained. "The dungeon's influence—it'll drive you mad if you don't fight it."
But Kenzai could hardly hear him. The instinct was overwhelming. His body ached for action. The dungeon had been feeding off his essence for some time now, and now it had awakened something that was always there—a latent part of himself he didn't even know existed.
It wasn't just a battle for survival anymore. It was a battle for his very soul.
As the transformation continued, Kenzai's eyes flickered with a strange mix of fear and awe. Was this who he was meant to be? A Faunadrakhor, a creature of evolution, power, and primal rage? The connection to the dungeon, the pull, was undeniable—but so was the overwhelming desire to dominate, to break through every obstacle, to become the apex predator.
And as the power surged within him, Kenzai could feel the beast's call echo in his chest.
The transformation had only just begun.
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End of Chapter 13
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