Kael'thir moved through the canyon, his claws pressing into the stone, his tail flicking behind him in slow, controlled movements.
The hunger had settled into something constant, something always present—a silent command at the core of his being.
Kill.
Devour.
Grow.
He had failed to climb.
He had failed to fly.
But failure was not the same as defeat.
It only meant one thing.
Not yet.
Kael'thir would take what he needed.
More mana.
More strength.
Until his wings were no longer dead weight.
Until they were no longer a burden.
Until they were a weapon.
The canyon had changed.
The deeper he moved, the more alive it felt.
The stone was no longer barren, empty, lifeless.
The mana in the air had thickened.
Stronger creatures had lived here.
Fought here.
Died here.
Kael'thir's instincts sharpened.
This was a territory claimed by something powerful.
That meant prey worth killing.
His claws flexed against the stone.
He would find it.
And when he did—
He would devour it.
A shift in the air.
Kael'thir froze.
His pupils shrank to slits, his body tensing.
Something was watching him.
Not the fox.
Something else.
Something strong.
His breath slowed.
His heartbeat steadied.
A predator.
Like him.
Kael'thir's tail curled slightly, his instincts flaring to life.
It had noticed him.
It was waiting.
Testing.
Hunting.
Good.
Kael'thir's claws flexed.
Then he moved.
The scent led him deeper.
The canyon's walls narrowed, closing in, the air growing thicker, heavier.
It was here.
Close.
Kael'thir's instincts whispered warnings—
This would not be like the beasts before.
This prey would not just run.
It would fight.
And Kael'thir was ready.
The moment he turned the corner, he saw it.
And it saw him.
The Ravager.
A creature of jagged obsidian scales, its form coiled in the shadow of a stone outcropping.
Massive.
Larger than anything Kael'thir had faced before.
Its body was built for slaughter, muscle and scale woven together like armor.
Its head lifted, its molten-red eyes locking onto him.
Not with instinct.
Not with hunger.
But with recognition.
Kael'thir understood immediately.
This thing knew what he was.
A lesser being would have fled.
But Kael'thir was not lesser.
He lifted his head, his wings twitching behind him, his tail dragging once against the stone.
This was not prey.
This was a rival.
One of them would leave this place stronger.
And the other would not leave at all.
Kael'thir's claws scraped against the stone.
The Ravager snarled.
Then, at the same time—
They both lunged.
The impact shook the canyon walls.
Claws met scales.
Fangs tore through flesh.
Kael'thir twisted sharply, dodging a strike that cracked the stone where he had stood moments before.
The Ravager was stronger.
Heavier.
But it was also slower.
Kael'thir moved like a shadow, his smaller body darting beneath a massive limb, his jaws snapping toward the creature's throat—
Metallic scales blocked his fangs.
Kael'thir narrowed his eyes.
Its armor was too thick.
He could not kill it quickly.
That was fine.
He would tear it apart piece by piece.
The battle was not a single exchange.
It was a storm.
A clash of two predators who refused to yield.
Kael'thir struck fast, relentless, sharp.
His claws carved into soft points of flesh, his teeth found weaker gaps between armored plating.
But the Ravager did not fall easily.
It fought back with the force of a beast that had survived a thousand battles.
Its tail struck with enough force to send Kael'thir skidding across the stone.
Pain flared in his ribs, his vision blurring for a fraction of a second.
He ignored it.
Pain was irrelevant.
Pain was growth.
Kael'thir launched himself forward again.
The fight raged.
Then—
A mistake.
The Ravager overextended.
It had adapted to Kael'thir's speed.
Had tried to predict his movement.
But Kael'thir was not predictable.
He shifted at the last second, ducking beneath the beast's massive claws—
And then tore its throat open.
The creature staggered.
Its molten-red eyes flickered.
And then—
It collapsed.
Blood poured onto the stone.
The battle was over.
Kael'thir stood over the corpse.
Victorious.
Again.
His tail curled.
Then, without hesitation—
He devoured.
The mana hit him like fire.
He had never consumed something like this before.
Not just strength.
Not just power.
Something older.
Something raw.
It flooded his core, burning, expanding, twisting his very essence.
His wings throbbed.
His spine ached.
His body shuddered violently.
And then—
He felt it.
A shift.
Not just in himself.
In the world around him.
Kael'thir exhaled slowly, his claws flexing, his tail curling against the stone.
His wings twitched.
Stronger.
Almost ready.
Almost.
But not yet.
Kael'thir lifted his head, crimson eyes glowing in the dim light.
The fox was watching.
Still silent.
Still there.
But now, she tilted her head.
Kael'thir could feel it.
She knew what was coming.
So did he.
He was changing.
Not just in strength.
Not just in power.
But in something deeper.
Something he could not yet name.
And soon—
The world would feel it, too.