Kaito's scream didn't sound like his own anymore. It ripped out of his throat, but mixed with it was something deeper, heavier—an echo that belonged to the Root itself. His scythe struck harder, biting deeper into the glowing crack in the Root's body.
The weapon shook in his hands, trembling with an animal-like fury, almost as if it were alive and breathing through him.
The cavern shook around him. The stone walls rippled like disturbed water, their surfaces splitting apart into fiery cracks that flared bright, then snapped shut, leaving only shadows behind.
Each time the Root's body split open, even just a little, the sound of it echoed inside Kaito, rattling his bones and mind. With every pulse, the force fed into him, and the Reaver within clawed higher and higher, its hunger swelling like a beast waiting to break free.
Nyra's shout cut through the chaos, harsh and desperate. "Kaito—stop! Recede!"
