Rey's silhouette moved slowly under the dying sun, the jagged mountain behind him casting long shadows over the land. The spider-threaded skin wrapped tightly around his disfigured chest and back, making each breath feel like drawing air through molten needles. But it held. It kept the monster organs inside him from tearing his body apart.
He had stitched himself together with pain and fury.
After escaping Vladis and the corrupted river, Rey survived off wild fruits and stale water pools. His legs trembled with every step, and his joints groaned like rusted metal. But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.
Then, he found it—a beast grazing near the riverbanks. Towering and muscular, it looked like a cross between a bear and a bull, its horn spiraling into the sky. It was a riding monster.
Rey knew it wouldn't obey easily.
He limped closer and dropped a handful of fruits he had scavenged. The creature snorted, sniffed the air, then took cautious steps forward. It devoured the fruit in seconds. Rey didn't move—just sat still, letting the monster grow used to his scent.
It took three days.
On the fourth, Rey stood with great effort and placed a trembling hand on the beast's side. It didn't attack. It simply looked at him, then lowered itself.
Rey climbed onto its back.
From the mountain's peak, he looked west and saw a stretch of withered plains leading into black fog—territory beyond what he knew. He remembered the direction of the First Realm. He knew the path.
But his gaze turned west.
Toward the Third Realm.
"The First Realm can wait," he whispered bitterly. "I'm not running anymore. I'll burn through everything they built."
The monster roared, and Rey rode west—half-human, half-monster, fully awakened.
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