The basement was quiet. Outside, the city murmured with the faint hum of distant sirens, the occasional groan of collapsing infrastructure, and the whisper of wind through broken windows. Inside, the air smelled of damp concrete, metal, and the faint tang of incense Liora had burned earlier. The place felt like a sanctuary built on the edge of a war zone.
Kairen sat cross-legged on the dusty floor, staring at the sigil on his arm. Gold light pulsed softly under his skin, a heartbeat of power that had become almost unbearably heavy. It had been two days since the Hollow Vein incident. Two days since he had shattered the Shard-Maw Stalker. Two days in which he had not eaten, had barely slept, and had thought constantly about the power thrumming inside him.
Liora sat opposite him, legs folded neatly, eyes sharp and unyielding. "Stop looking at your hand like that," she said. Her voice was calm but carried the weight of authority. "It's just a tool. Nothing more. You don't worship it. You control it."
Kairen's jaw tightened. "Control it… easier said than done."
"Of course it is," she replied. "That thing inside you isn't human. It's not part of you. It's a parasite, a predator, a curse. And yet, you can use it. That's why you survived the Hollow Vein. But surviving doesn't mean mastering it. And mastery is what separates hunters from prey."
Kairen exhaled slowly. He had been training himself instinctively for years, but this—this was different. This was deliberate, guided. Dangerous. And necessary.
"Start simple," Liora said. "Focus on one ability at a time. Right now, it's Predator's Read. Just awareness. Observation. Nothing more."
Kairen closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind. Not easy. The disorder pulsed insistently, like a caged animal demanding release. His vision widened inward, his hearing sharpened. The faintest creak of the old building registered in his mind. A drop of water hit the concrete floor. Dust shifted on the ledges above him.
"Good," Liora murmured. "Now—imagine the enemy."
He pictured the Shard-Maw Stalker, the way its limbs moved, the pulsing Ruin Core beneath its skull. The sigil flared lightly. For a moment, he felt the surge of instinct again—the predator, the power, the hunger. He almost lost himself in it.
"Focus," Liora said sharply. "Don't let it dictate your body. You dictate it. You're the predator, not the prey."
Kairen clenched his fists, channeling the surge of energy into a controlled pulse. He felt the disorder settle slightly, the chaos inside him bending to his will. It wasn't perfect. Not by a long shot. But it was progress.
"Now move," Liora commanded. "Sense me. Track me. I'm the enemy."
Kairen's eyes snapped open. The basement seemed to come alive with detail. The tiniest shift in her posture, the faintest sound of her breathing, even the subtle aura of her presence—it all registered. He could anticipate her movements before they happened.
A flick of her wrist, and he rolled left. She moved right, and he adjusted mid-roll. Each motion was mirrored, calculated, precise. He could feel the disorder whispering, hungry to take over, but he forced it back, shaping it into something useful.
When the exercise ended, he collapsed to his knees, sweat dripping down his face. His heart pounded, not just from exertion but from the realization of what he had just done. He had touched the edge of power—and not once had he lost control.
"Not bad," Liora said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Most hunters who awaken disorder lose themselves on the first day. You… barely broke a sweat. But don't get cocky. That thing inside you will push back harder next time. And the world outside will push harder still."
Kairen nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. "I need to get stronger. Faster. Smarter."
"You will," Liora replied. "But strength without control is death. You saw the Shard-Maw Stalker. What would've happened if it had been a Rank B beast instead of Rank C? Or if there had been more than one?"
He shivered at the thought. Even with his disorder, even with his instinct, the city held monsters he couldn't yet comprehend. The Crowned Ruin Beasts she had mentioned—they were not just predators. They were kings of ruin, intelligent, strategic, and terrifyingly aware of humans and their abilities.
Liora leaned closer, lowering her voice. "The fragments… the Ruin fragments you've absorbed. They are dangerous, yes, but they are also the key. Every fragment has a memory, a core instinct. Learn to read it. Learn to manipulate it. But never take more than you can handle. The disorder will punish you for greed."
Kairen's gaze fell to his glowing hand. The Shard-Maw fragment pulsed faintly beneath his skin. He could feel its essence, a remnant of the creature's instinct—the hunger, the ferocity, the predatory awareness. It whispered to him, tempting him to reach deeper, to push harder.
He clenched his jaw. "I won't let it consume me," he said.
"You'd better not," Liora replied, standing and pacing toward a metal cabinet. She opened it, revealing rows of strange devices—metallic orbs, glowing crystals, and crude weapons fashioned from broken machinery. "Control is practice. Discipline is survival. And understanding the Ruin Beasts… that is life or death."
She picked up a small crystal orb, no bigger than a fist. It pulsed faintly with violet light. "This is a low-tier Ruin fragment," she explained. "Stage C. It was left behind by a lesser beast. You can feel its instinct without it overwhelming you. Try it."
Kairen hesitated. He could feel the disorder itching beneath his skin, craving the fragment, whispering promises of power. But he followed her instructions, extending his hand carefully. The orb pulsed as it connected with his sigil.
Instantly, he felt the creature's memory. Its hunting strategies, its perception of prey, the way it calculated danger. The power surged—hungry, sharp, precise—but he forced it back, channeling it into observation rather than instinctive reaction. He could feel his senses sharpen further, his awareness of the room, of Liora, of every object around him, expanding.
And then he released it. The orb dimmed, harmless again.
"Good," Liora said. "That's the first step. Next, we will combine multiple fragments, push the disorder further, and learn to maintain conscious control during combat."
Kairen nodded, understanding. The path ahead was not simple. Every lesson, every fragment, every encounter would test him. The disorder was a tool, yes, but it was also a curse. A predator that could devour him from within if he misused it.
As night deepened, the city outside seemed to hum with movement. Somewhere in the distance, a low growl echoed—too deep, too structured to be animal. The sound vibrated through the walls of the hideout, a reminder that the Hollow Vein was not the only source of danger.
Kairen clenched his fists. The Shard-Maw Stalker had been just a taste. The city was waking, and the Ruin Beasts were beginning to stir.
But he was ready.
The sigil on his hand pulsed golden. The fragments beneath his skin whispered. And deep inside, the disorder waited.
Hungry.
Patient.
And Kairen Vale, newly awakened predator, smiled faintly.
Because tonight, he would learn to hunt.