Kazren exhaled deeply before closing another book and placing it on the floor. His hand reached for another, a larger book than the others. Pulling it closer, he opened the heavy cover and scanned the table of contents. His eyes widened.
'Is this it?'
Flipping through the thick pages, his fingers trembled slightly as he landed on a section titled "Beasts Within Trials."
He read through description after description, skimming past various creatures until he turned another page—then suddenly, he shot to his feet. Without hesitation, he rushed to the door, swinging it open with a loud thud.
"I found it," Kazren announced, a grin breaking across his face before hurrying back to the table.
Renzo, hearing the urgency in Kazren's voice, stopped meditating. He immediately stood and rushed into the hut, pulling out a wooden chair and lowering himself into it. Lily followed, shutting the door behind her before taking a seat at the table as well.
Kazren ran his fingers over the aged parchment and began reading aloud.
"Cursed Dreadfang, Ashgrave."
"A monstrous wolf-like entity, towering over trees, its body draped in a coat of midnight-black fur. Each strand crackles with crimson electricity. Long, curved claws extend from its massive paws—each talon the length of a greatsword, sharp enough to carve through metal. When it moves, the ground trembles beneath its weight, distorting the air with the sheer force radiating from its monstrous form."
"Its place of origin is unknown, but its hunger is insatiable. Some say it is death given form; others claim it was once an ordinary wolf, cursed by an unknown force. But no one knows the truth. No one knows anything for certain."
"What is known, however, is that with every creature it devours, it grows stronger. This phenomenon is known as 'Unholy Hunger.' That is the name we have given it."
Kazren sighed and closed the book.
"That's all. The rest of the pages are torn out. There's probably a description of its regeneration somewhere, but… this fits everything I saw. Crimson electricity, massive claws, a monstrously tall, wolf-like entity."
Renzo nodded in agreement. His eyes glance down at the title of the book.
"The book is called Book of Sequence... what is that?"
Kazren chuckled slightly before standing up. He poured himself a small glass of water, twirling it in his hand, creating a tiny vortex in the liquid before taking a sip. Setting the glass down softly on the wooden table, he met Renzo's gaze.
"Sequences are the true name of something more commonly referred to as 'Trials.' I won't explain anything else for now."
Renzo stared at him for a second before nodding. "Alright then."
He got up from the chair, went back outside, and began meditating again.
"Can I see the book?" Lily asked, looking at the cover and title.
"Sure, I don't see why not. Just don't damage it," Kazren said before flipping the book to face her as he got up and walked over to Zay.
He checked Zay's pulse before changing the bag of ice on his forehead.
'He should be awake within the next... week or two at most.'
Lily flipped through the book, reading descriptions of different creatures—some with wings, some with diamond-like eyes, and others that looked as if they were meant to be pets but were far more dangerous.
'So interesting.' Was all she could think as she read about the monsters, their descriptions, and their abilities.
"So, monsters aren't limited to a single like Seal?" she asked, closing the book softly before turning her gaze to Kazren.
"Monsters have a Monster Core. It works the same way our Aura Core does, but for monsters, it functions differently. A single monster can use multiple elements, like charms, lightning, fire, etc. Some can use all three, while others excel in just one. It primarily depends... actually, I'm not entirely sure of the exact details myself. But I believe it depends on the monster's will, its environment, and what it feels most connected to. For example, Ashgrave—I assume it felt more connected to lightning. The reason for its 'Unholy Hunger' and regeneration is that they're passives. Every beast has at least two passives, and some can have up to eight. Though, I think that's just a myth."
"I see..." Lily was somewhat satisfied with the answer before getting up from the table and joining her brother outside to meditate.
A long, dreadfully slow two weeks passed. In the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, Zay's eyes snapped open, and he coughed as he forced himself upright. He sat in bed, his gaze darting around. His chest rose and fell rapidly with each breath.
He lifted his hands into view, flexing all ten fingers before clenching them into fists. Slowly, he stretched them outward, spreading his fingers apart and closing them again, only then realizing he was inside the hut.
With a single, quick tug, he tossed the heavy blankets off him. He shifted his legs and stood up, but the world spun around him as a sudden wave of dizziness hit. He remained still for a few seconds, waiting for it to settle.
After a few seconds, the world settled, falling into place as he stepped over Renzo and poured himself a glass of water from a nearby container. He downed it in one gulp before pouring another, drinking it just as quickly. Then, he set the glass down on the table. He wiped the leftover water from his face using his hand before exhaling deeply.
He looked around and saw Kazren asleep on a bed, Renzo was asleep on the floor, and he saw Lily asleep with her head on the wooden table.
Zay's breathing slowed. A strange pulse echoed from the bookshelf. He turned toward it, his gaze locking onto the Monster Core—a swirling mass of condensed power, still humming with the remnants of the cursed beast's energy.
He walked over to the bookshelf, reaching his hand toward the core. As his fingers wrapped around its cold, smooth surface, a subtle tremor ran through his arm. Lifting it carefully, he observed the core for a slight second before placing it back down.
'I wonder if it would be possible?' Zay thought to himself but quickly shoved the thought aside. He walked over to the wooden table and sat down.
Zay picked up a few books from the floor, flipping through their pages.
'The first Sequence is something we have to do. And very soon.'
Settling at the table, he continued scanning through the texts until his eyes landed on a specific book titled Ages of The Forgotten. He pulled it closer, opened to the first page, and started reading, swiftly flipping through as he absorbed the information.