The forest burned.
Ash hung in the air like cursed snow, and smoke choked the light from the sky. Kaden moved slowly through the scorched remains of the battlefield, each step a protest from bruised muscles and splintered bone. Hunter limped behind him, its body flickering as the last threads of Sync Level Two slowly unraveled.
They had survived the Order's test.
But not without cost.
Kaden knelt beside the corpse of a wild beast—one that had tried to help them during the battle. A wolf with crystal-coated fur, its eyes now glazed over, forever frozen in a silent howl.
He clenched his jaw. This war won't just take people. It'll take the Wilds too.
A soft crack echoed behind him.
Kaden turned sharply, dagger drawn—but paused.
A figure staggered out of the smoke. Human? No. Not quite.
She collapsed.
Kaden rushed forward, catching her before her head hit the ash-covered earth. Her cloak was charred, blood streaked down her side, and beneath the torn fabric was a glimmer of scales—red, like embers beneath pale skin.
A demi-human. Like him.
But something else too.
"Hey. Hey—stay with me." Kaden tapped his headset, activating low-grade medical scan. Her vitals were weak. But stable. For now.
Her eyes fluttered open—molten gold, like fire trapped in glass.
She whispered, voice raw and broken. "They… took them. My beast… my brother…"
Kaden blinked. "What? Who—"
"The Order." Her breath hitched. "They took him. Said he was 'evolved.' Said… I was next."
Kaden's stomach twisted. So the Order was experimenting with demi-humans and beasts? This was worse than he thought.
He looked at her—really looked—and something shifted. She was wounded. Alone. Like he had been. Like the Wilds themselves.
"…You got a name?" he asked softly.
She nodded faintly. "Kaela."
Kaden hesitated… then nodded. "I'm Kaden. And I swear to you—we're getting them back."
Her eyes fluttered closed again, but not before a flicker of something warm passed between them. Trust. A bond not yet forged—but on the verge.
Hunter stepped forward, nudging Kaela gently with its smoky snout.
She didn't flinch.
She breathed.
And Kaden knew… this wasn't just a rescue.
This was the start of something bigger.