The ruin of this once flourishing and flower-strewn world, set in an alternate realm, began with a mystery and two unfamiliar faces. They entered this world claiming to hold the means to end the famine that spread across the lands, and they even spoke of something they called "technology," a word alien to the people of that age.
Out of curiosity, many embraced their offer, kings and counsellors among them. Only a few opposed, yet these dissenters were poor and soon branded as rebels. In the end the majority prevailed, and thus began the so-called path of development, promised as the cure to famine.
More of these unidentified visitors soon appeared across every corner of the world, presenting the same offer until, at last, they had the realm clenched in their hands.
Then came the disappearances. People began to vanish, while strange creatures emerged, consuming all in their path and evolving with each feast. This world proved wretchedly unfortunate, for it had neither champions to rise in humanity's defence, nor the power or courage to withstand what had been unleashed.
So within months, the people were cleared away, and these creatures, along with even stronger entities, walked freely through the world. The land itself began to shift in its very nature, its environments altered until every place seemed turned into a wasteland.
"...But of course, this is only a myth, one that happens to align with what we are witnessing here. There is no way to confirm such a story, though we can be certain that we are in the past..." Na-Ri concluded with an exasperated sigh.
Through the course of her tale, Kyle found himself drawn in.
A faint envy stirred within him at her knowledge, for he had never once been given the chance to hear such stories from his own parents or from anyone else.
It was said that many parents cherished their children and would do anything for them, yet he had never seen his own with his own eyes... But...
Kyle turned away from her and gazed into the sky, narrowing his eyes slightly. The world was harsh and even the light seemed severe, yet it still held its beauty.
And in truth, he could confirm her story from the moment she mentioned the old world. The dam itself bore the evidence. It was nothing like the concrete giants of the modern age, which were designed to span hundreds of metres across rivers, reinforced with steel, and able to withstand floods and earthquakes.
This one was of stone, stacked and interlocked by hand, a medieval design that relied more on sheer mass than on engineering precision.
It had endured for centuries, still standing as a testament to strength despite its many scars. What it lacked was efficiency, scale, and the controlled mechanisms of modern structures. There were no spillways, no turbines, no calculated gradients, only a wall of rock obstinately holding back the water.
Now the riverbed lay dry, and upon that desolation the Glacial Skyscander was dying, its Domain still active. A heavy outpouring of its Spiritual energy was being sacrificed in the effort, which only further slowed the healing process.
In theory, the beast might have been tameable at this weakened state, particularly for one with an affinity such as Kyle's, since he carried a core suited to that very purpose.
In practice, however, no one beneath its Stage could attempt it. The process demanded a vast expenditure of energy, and both bodies had to fuse as one.
A Stage Two could never merge with a Stage Three, for the overwhelming disparity of power would simply annihilate the lesser, reducing them endlessly in every aspect.
The thought flickered through Kyle's mind, yet the realisation came quickly enough to push him away from the idea. His Mutation Sync Rate was far too low to tame any beast at all, still beneath the threshold required.
"So, what do we do now? Are we simply going to sit here and stare...?" Kyle asked evenly, rising to his feet to take in the stretch of land ahead. They still had a long distance to cover before reaching anything resembling safety or finding more survivors.
As for the beast that barred their path, it likely had no more than a day left to live.
Had it been wiser, it might have preserved its Qi and redirected everything into healing. Instead, its instincts compelled it to shield itself from further harm, pouring its strength into sustaining a Domain. That was the natural response of such mutated creatures.
At the very least, it possessed a rudimentary intelligence for self-preservation, limited though it was, unlike the lower-ranked beasts that embodied pure stupidity.
Kyle recalled the Spineback Boar he had once fought, a reckless decision that could easily have cost him his life. That creature had possessed virtually no intelligence at all, only the dim emotional sense to fear and recognise its own death.
Well, that was that...
Regarding the place they now occupied, they could only hope fortune favoured them. If an environmental calamity struck once the sky darkened, it would prove far worse than any creature.
***
Some hours later, the sky began to darken, dimming like a failing current of electricity, and with that change no calamity came.
Once again, fortune was on their side. They had endured many hours here without being hunted, which in itself felt like a small but significant milestone.
Kyle, in contrast, was not lulled into ease. His mind swarmed with thoughts of danger, and a peculiar sense of unease gnawed at him.
Guardedly, he turned to Na-Ri.
"Lee, do you not think an environmental calamity may once have struck this place?"
Na-Ri, who had been in the process of lighting the firewood, froze and gave him a startled look. Her gaze quickly swept over their surroundings, across the floor of the dam and then the cliffs around it.
With her sharpened sight she noticed what she had overlooked before: the scorched ground fractured with cracks, and the battered stonework of the masonry dam. It did indeed bear the mark of a calamity.
She had not given it much thought until now, but once Kyle had spoken, the evidence was difficult to ignore.
"...It looks as though a volcanic eruption swept through here, yes, but there is no mountain ahead that could have caused it."
The young man followed her reasoning. If it had not been a volcanic eruption, then what else could have wrought such devastation with fire?
They thought on it for some time before their eyes met, the same conclusion striking them both at once.
"...Could there be a creature with an elemental affinity for fire, one of the same rank as the Glacial Skyscander, that only emerges at night and breeds in this area?"
It was, in truth, the only plausible explanation. Such destruction could not have been dealt by a Stage Three elemental beast aligned with ice. Only fire could overwhelm it, stripping it of breath and leaving it powerless.
That would also explain why the creature had stubbornly kept its Domain intact until now — an attempt to shield itself from the fiery predator it expected to return.
If that were true, then their recent plan of keeping a fire burning through the night to stay warm, and to ward off the flying creatures of the ruin, was not merely unwise. It was the most dangerous mistake they could make.
Any elemental beast with a fire affinity was dangerously overpowered, and unlike lesser creatures it was not repelled by flames but drawn to them.
Worse still, if such a beast matched the Glacial Skyscander's stage, then its fading Domain meant its end was close.
Out of the silence came a thunderous roar, rolling from the distance. The Glacial Skyscander stirred, dragging itself upright with faltering limbs, flailing in a last attempt to brace for the slaughter it sensed approaching.
Something out there meant to devour it. If it succeeded, the victor would evolve further, perhaps breaking into Stage Four, reaching Tier Six, and claiming the rank of Apex or Sovereign — a Boss Archetype, a near-unkillable monster.
The ruin was about to witness a contest of survival.
One beast was crippled, half-dead already, the outcome seemingly decided before the clash began.
From the same quarter where the roar had sounded, an orange-red glow surged up into the sky and advanced, fast and merciless, towards the wounded mutant...