Recap of Chapter 10:
Ka'roth descended into the Abyss, battling countless Abyssborn Beasts and the colossal Abyssal Guardians that defended the Heart of the Abyss. After slaying them, he claimed the Heart itself, absorbing its power. His scales hardened further, glowing runes carved deeper across his body, and his wings split into jagged, blade-like edges. Now, bound to the Abyss but not consumed by it, Ka'roth rose as something more than Apex—a true Sovereign who had made the Abyss bow to him.
---
The Return
Ka'roth climbed out of the Abyss, his massive claws tearing into the cliffside as he emerged into the ashen wasteland above. Black mist rolled off him like smoke, trailing in his wake. His glowing runes illuminated the dark land around him, their light far brighter than before.
The ground trembled beneath each step he took. His wings, jagged and sharp-edged, spread wide, casting shadows across the land that dwarfed even mountains. His glowing white eyes burned like stars in the darkness.
At the ridge above, his horde of 400 beasts stirred. They had waited in silence, trembling under the weight of the power radiating from below. Now, as Ka'roth emerged, every single one of them lowered their heads flat against the ground.
The sight made even the fiercest tusked grazers and winged raptors quiver. None dared move.
Ka'roth roared. It wasn't just sound—it was a force. The roar split clouds apart and made the black rivers in the wasteland churn violently. It was a declaration: the Sovereign had returned.
---
The First Command as Abyss Sovereign
Ka'roth surveyed his horde. Many of them avoided his glowing gaze, instincts screaming submission. Even those who once challenged dominance now lay flat, their tails curled low.
He strode forward, his tail cracking the ground behind him. His runes pulsed faintly, releasing a wave of dark energy. It washed over the horde like a storm wind. Beasts shuddered but felt no harm—only obedience.
For the first time in the First Era, dominance was no longer just instinctual—it was absolute control.
Ka'roth let out a deep growl, and his army rose in unison. No confusion. No hesitation. They moved as one, tied directly to his will.
---
A Changed Sovereign
The Abyss had not simply strengthened him—it had changed him. His glowing runes now flowed across his entire body, from his chest to his tail, even wrapping along the jagged blades of his wings. Black mist clung to him, coiling and swirling like living armor. His claws gleamed like sharpened obsidian, and his tail's tip now split into three spiked ends.
Most striking of all was his presence. Even without moving, Ka'roth's aura pressed down like a physical weight, forcing lesser beasts to kneel. His roar no longer simply threatened—it commanded.
Ka'roth was no longer merely Apex. He was something else entirely:
The Abyss Sovereign.
---
The First Hunt as Sovereign
To test his power, Ka'roth led his horde north, toward the Crimson Valleys, a region infamous for housing the largest beasts of the First Era—creatures so massive they reshaped the land when they moved.
It did not take long for one to appear: a colossal Bonehide Colossus, a four-legged behemoth covered in thick plates of white bone-like armor, standing taller than the tallest cliffs. Its bellow shook the air like a quake.
Normally, such a monster would crush entire herds. But Ka'roth did not slow.
He spread his jagged wings and launched himself forward. His horde followed in perfect formation, sweeping around the beast's legs to harry its movements while winged predators struck from above.
Ka'roth slammed into its armored side, his claws glowing fiercely as he tore through its plates like brittle stone. The beast roared and swung its massive head, but Ka'roth met it with his jaws, biting deep into its neck and ripping free a chunk of flesh.
Black mist poured from Ka'roth's runes, coiling into the Colossus's wounds. The beast staggered, its strength draining as abyssal energy invaded its body.
With a final lunge, Ka'roth tore through its throat and brought the monster down. The valley quaked from its fall.
His horde roared in unison, bowing to him again as he absorbed its essence. His runes pulsed brighter, his aura deepening until even distant beasts miles away felt compelled to bow without seeing him.
---
The World Changes
Ka'roth's conquest spread fast.
Within days, the Crimson Valleys were his. His horde swelled to nearly 600 beasts, drawn from every corner by instinct and fear. Predators that once roamed alone now knelt at his presence. Prey beasts no longer fled—they followed, unable to resist his pull.
Even the land seemed to shift. Wherever Ka'roth passed, black mist lingered faintly, twisting the environment subtly. The rivers darkened, the trees warped into jagged forms, and the sky dimmed under his aura.
Other Apex predators rose in distant lands, sensing his power—but none approached. The First Era had changed. It was no longer a chaotic world of instinct. It was a world of one Sovereign's rule.
---
The Eyes in the Sky
But as Ka'roth spread his dominion, the whispers returned.
"You climb still… but they are watching."
He looked skyward. High above the dark clouds, faint glimmers appeared—eyes, massive and glowing, peering down from beyond the heavens. They did not blink. They only stared.
Ka'roth's claws tightened against the earth. His tail lashed. The Abyss had warned him: something beyond this world was watching.
He roared up at the sky, a defiant challenge. The eyes did not vanish.
---
The Abyss Answers
That night, as Ka'roth rested in the center of his horde, the mist around him thickened unnaturally. His runes pulsed without his will. A deep voice—not the whispers, but a single unified tone—filled his mind:
"You have taken the Heart, Ka'roth. You are bound now—to us and to this world. But the watchers above are not idle. Their gaze is hunger."
Ka'roth lifted his head, eyes narrowing. Who are they? he growled silently.
"They are the First Gaze—the ones who shaped the beasts and left them to devour each other. They see your rise. They see the Abyss within you. And they fear it."
Ka'roth's jaws parted in a toothy snarl. Fear? He would make them tremble.
"If you would challenge them," the voice rumbled, "you must take more. The Abyss can give. But the path ahead is war—against sky and stone alike."
Ka'roth rose to his full height, wings spreading wide. His horde stirred awake, growling low, sensing his shift.
He roared once more—not just a claim, but a promise.
If the "First Gaze" dared watch him, he would tear them from the heavens themselves.
---
March of the Abyss Sovereign
By dawn, Ka'roth led his horde once again. His glowing runes lit the land like fire as they advanced. The mist rolled behind them, twisting earth and sky alike.
Where Ka'roth walked, the First Era changed forever.
And far above, unseen beyond the clouds, those vast, unblinking eyes narrowed.
The world was no longer merely wild.
It had a Sovereign.
---