Soren woke up to the sound of someone shouting his name.
Not gently.
Not kindly.
Not in a "please wake up" way.
More like:
"SOREN. GET UP."
He jolted upright with a scream.
Kael was kneeling beside him, looking relieved and annoyed at the same time.
Lira hovered nearby, worried.
Aldric looked furious.
The fox sat on Soren's chest, glowing faintly like a tiny, exhausted lantern.
Soren blinked. "Am I dead."
Aldric snorted. "Unfortunately not."
Soren groaned. "I hate this place."
The fox chirped softly.
The Realisation Hits
Kael helped him sit up. "You passed out after touching the core."
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO TOUCH IT. IT TOUCHED ME. WITH ITS EVIL. AND ITS GLOW."
Lira placed a hand on his shoulder. "You scared us."
Soren blinked. "I scared ME."
Aldric crossed his arms. "You absorbed it."
Soren froze. "I WHAT."
Kael nodded grimly. "The core vanished the moment you touched it."
Lira added, "And your fox reacted like it sensed something entering you."
Soren screamed. "ENTERING ME?! NO. NO. I DIDN'T CONSENT TO THAT."
The fox chirped apologetically.
Soren clutched him. "Buddy, what did I do."
The fox nuzzled him.
Then—
Its glow brightened.
Soren blinked. "Wait. Why are you glowing more."
The fox chirped.
Soren felt something.
A pulse.
Inside his chest.
Not his heartbeat.
Something else.
Something wrong.
Something foreign.
He screamed. "NO. NO NO NO. GET IT OUT. GET IT OUT OF ME."
Kael grabbed his shoulders. "Calm down."
"I CAN'T CALM DOWN. THERE'S A GLOWING EVIL MEATBALL IN MY SOUL."
Aldric muttered, "You deserve this."
Lira frowned. "Soren… breathe."
Soren inhaled.
Exhaled.
Panicked anyway.
The Awakening Begins
The pulse inside him grew stronger.
Soren clutched his chest. "NO. NO. I DON'T WANT TO AWAKEN ANYTHING. I WANT TO UN‑AWAKEN. I WANT TO SLEEP. FOREVER."
The fox's glow intensified.
Kael stepped back. "Something's happening."
Aldric summoned flames. "If he explodes, I'm leaving."
Lira readied frost. "He won't explode."
Soren screamed. "I MIGHT."
The pulse surged.
Light burst from Soren's chest.
He screamed.
The fox chirped desperately.
The forest around them responded — trees bending inward, shadows twisting, the ground trembling.
Kael shouted, "Soren! Focus!"
"I CAN'T FOCUS. I'M HAVING A SPIRITUAL CRISIS."
Lira yelled, "Your bond—use it!"
Aldric barked, "Stop panicking!"
Soren yelled back, "THAT'S ALL I KNOW HOW TO DO."
The light grew brighter.
The pulse grew stronger.
Then—
Everything stopped.
Silence.
Stillness.
Soren gasped for air.
The fox collapsed into his lap, exhausted.
Soren stroked him frantically. "Buddy—buddy—are you okay—please be okay—don't die—don't leave me—"
The fox chirped weakly.
Soren exhaled shakily. "Okay. Okay. You're alive. I'm alive. I hate this place."
The Mark
Kael's eyes widened. "Soren… your chest."
Soren looked down.
A faint symbol glowed over his heart — a swirling pattern of red and white light, pulsing softly.
Soren screamed. "NO. NO SYMBOLS. SYMBOLS ARE BAD. SYMBOLS MEAN MAGIC. MAGIC MEANS RESPONSIBILITY. I DON'T WANT RESPONSIBILITY."
Lira whispered, "It's a corruption mark."
Aldric added, "Mixed with light affinity."
Soren stared at them. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN."
Kael answered quietly.
"It means the core didn't disappear."
Soren swallowed. "Where is it."
Kael pointed at his chest.
Soren screamed. "NO. NO. TAKE IT BACK. I DON'T WANT IT."
The fox nuzzled him gently.
Soren whimpered. "Buddy… why me."
The fox chirped.
Kael placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure this out."
Lira nodded. "Together."
Aldric grunted. "Barely."
Soren groaned. "I hate this place."
The fox chirped louder.
And deep in the forest, something pulsed in response — faint, distant, but unmistakably aware of him.
Something that had whispered:
"Found you."