The stench of blood always brought predators.
Kael had barely finished stripping meat from the hare when growls rumbled in the shadows. Yellow eyes blinked open.
Dungeon wolves. Three of them.
Lean, muscular, their fangs bared, saliva dripping onto the stone floor. They prowled closer, circling.
Kael's pulse thundered in his ears. He raised his bone shard, but his knees trembled.
The first wolf darted forward. Kael barely dodged, the beast's claws raking his arm. Pain seared through him.
The second wolf lunged from the side. Kael twisted desperately, shoving his shard upward. It pierced beneath the wolf's jaw. Blood sprayed warm over his face. The beast collapsed in spasms.
Kael gasped, vision spinning. His arm throbbed, blood dripping down his skin.
Then his chest flared.
The runes ignited, pulling black essence from the dying wolf's body. The energy surged into him like fire through his veins. His wound tightened, his lungs steadied.
The wolves hesitated, growling low.
Kael looked up at them, his eyes glowing faintly. His lips peeled back, baring teeth in a grin far too wild for a human child.
"…You're prey."
He lunged.
His shard slashed across the second wolf's muzzle, blinding it. He leapt onto its back, driving the shard down again and again until it stilled.
The last wolf whimpered, backing away.
Kael rose slowly, his thin frame dripping with blood, the glowing mark burning hotter than ever. His voice came low, ragged, but filled with something primal.
"Run."
The wolf bolted into the dark, tail tucked.
Kael stood over the corpses, chest heaving. He closed his eyes as the essence poured into him, warmth flooding every bone and muscle.
Then—
A voice.
—Child of the Dungeon. Feed. Grow. Rise—
Kael's eyes snapped open. He pressed a trembling hand to his chest.
"…Then I will."