The sky was no longer distant to Kael'thir.
It was part of him now—an extension of his will.
Every beat of his wings, every shift of his weight, sent him slicing through the air like a living blade.
Below, the forest stretched wide and endless, its towering trees mere shadows from his vantage point.
But Kael'thir's eyes were sharp.
Sharper than they had ever been.
From this height, he could see everything.
The movements of prey hidden beneath thick canopies.
The tremors in the earth as larger beasts prowled.
The flicker of mana pulsing from creatures that would have been invisible to him just days ago.
He was no longer bound to the ground.
And that meant—
His prey had nowhere to hide.
Kael'thir angled his wings, descending slightly, his sharp gaze locked onto a cluster of movement below.
A herd of creatures—large, horned beasts with thick hides, grazing near the edge of a river.
Their mana was weak, insignificant compared to what he had consumed before.
But Kael'thir wasn't hunting for survival anymore.
He was hunting for perfection.
Precision.
His body had changed, evolved beyond what he'd ever known, and now he needed to hone it.
Not just his strength—
His control.
A predator isn't just strong.
A predator is efficient.
Kael'thir tucked his wings slightly—
And dived.
The world blurred as he plummeted, wind screaming past him, the ground rushing up to meet him like an eager adversary.
His claws extended, his body streamlined into a perfect spear of black scales and raw power.
The herd never stood a chance.
Kael'thir slammed into the largest beast, his claws piercing through bone and muscle with terrifying ease.
The impact sent a shockwave across the clearing, the ground cracking beneath the force.
Before the dust had even settled—
Kael'thir was moving again.
Twisting.
Tearing.
Devouring.
The herd scattered in blind panic, but it was meaningless.
Kael'thir was faster.
He soared upward, then dove again, striking another beast with precision, ripping through it like paper.
His movements were no longer wild or desperate.
They were methodical.
A series of calculated strikes, each one more efficient than the last.
Within moments—
The herd was gone.
Silence returned to the forest, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves in the aftermath.
Kael'thir stood among the fallen, his breath steady, his claws dripping with blood.
But he was not tired.
Not strained.
This had been practice.
And he had succeeded.
The mana from the beasts was weak, barely a flicker compared to what he needed.
But Kael'thir devoured them anyway, letting the small gains feed his core.
Not because he needed the strength—
But because that's what dragons do.
They take.
They consume.
They grow.
Always.
After the last body had been reduced to nothing but bone and ash, Kael'thir lifted his head to the sky once more.
But his instincts pulled him in a new direction.
Not upward.
Not deeper into the forest.
East.
There was something there.
Something… different.
A pull in the mana currents, faint but undeniable.
Not just strong prey.
Something greater.
Kael'thir's tail flicked, his wings spreading wide.
He didn't hesitate.
With a single, powerful beat of his wings, he launched himself into the sky, leaving the ruined clearing behind.
The world blurred beneath him as he flew faster than ever before.
The wind roared against his scales, but he barely noticed.
His focus was locked on the pull ahead.
It grew stronger with every mile, a thrumming presence in the back of his mind.
Not a beast.
Not like the serpent.
Not like the Beast King.
Something older.
Something with power woven into its very existence.
Kael'thir's instincts sharpened.
This wasn't just another hunt.
This was the next threshold.
And he was going to break through it.
As he neared the source, the land below changed.
The dense forest gave way to crumbling ruins, remnants of a forgotten city swallowed by time.
Massive stone structures jutted from the earth like the bones of a dead giant, covered in vines and moss.
But it wasn't the ruins that caught Kael'thir's attention.
It was what stood in the center.
A figure.
Tall.
Cloaked in tattered robes, standing atop a crumbling spire, surrounded by a faint aura of pulsing mana.
Kael'thir slowed, circling above like a shadow in the sky.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
It simply waited.
Kael'thir's eyes narrowed.
This wasn't prey.
This wasn't some mindless beast.
This was something else.
Something… aware.
His wings tilted, and he began to descend, his claws flexing in anticipation.
The figure finally looked up.
Their eyes met—
And Kael'thir felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Recognition.
Not from memory.
From instinct.
This was a rival.
Not like the warrior he had fought before.
Not like the beasts he had slain.
This was something greater.
Kael'thir's blood roared.
His wings snapped back—
And he dove.
The next battle was about to begin.