The crack didn't stop.
It spread.
Across the entire surface of the egg—like fractures in reality itself.
Kael didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't move.
He watched.
Because he understood something instinctively—
This wasn't a birth.
This was an intrusion.
The glowing eye inside the egg snapped open.
Not slowly.
Not naturally.
But abruptly—
—as if it had always been awake.
Watching.
Waiting.
For him.
A pulse surged outward.
Not energy.
Not sound.
But information.
Kael's mind exploded with it.
Fragments.
Visions.
Hunger.
Violence.
Cold, mechanical instinct fused with something feral.
Something… wrong.
[Connection Attempt Detected]
[Source: Unknown Entity]
[Compatibility: ???]
The world around him warped again.
Borin's frozen fist trembled mid-air.
Darius staggered back, his eyes wide now—not with arrogance—
—but fear.
"…What is that thing?"
No one answered.
Because no one understood it.
Except Kael.
And even he only understood one thing—
It chose him.
The egg shattered.
Not outward—
—but inward.
Fragments collapsed into darkness.
And from that darkness—
something crawled out.
It wasn't fully formed.
Its body flickered between shapes—
beast—
shadow—
data—
as if reality itself couldn't decide what it was.
A small creature landed in Kael's palm.
Light.
Weightless.
Its single fractured eye stared at him.
Unblinking.
Its body twitched.
Glitched.
Corrected itself.
Then broke again.
[Warning: Entity Stability Critical]
[Immediate Bond Required]
Kael's fingers tightened slightly.
"…You're dying."
The creature didn't respond.
But its eye dimmed—
just a little.
Behind him—
"Kill it!" Darius shouted.
His voice cracked.
Not from anger.
But from something deeper.
Instinct.
Fear of the unknown.
Riven lunged first.
A blade flashed in his hand.
Fast.
Precise.
Aimed straight at Kael's neck.
Time didn't slow.
It broke.
Kael moved.
Not fast.
Not forceful.
Just—
inevitable.
He tilted his head slightly.
The blade passed through empty space.
A faint afterimage lingered where he stood—
glitching.
The creature in his hand pulsed violently.
Reacting.
Hungry.
[Bond Required]
[Failure = Entity Collapse]
Kael's eyes darkened.
"…So that's the rule."
He looked at the creature again.
"…Then don't die."
Riven's second strike came faster.
Closer.
Deadlier.
Kael didn't dodge this time.
He stepped forward.
Into the attack.
The blade stopped.
Not because it was blocked—
But because reality around Kael distorted again.
The edge froze inches from his skin.
Glitched.
Fragmented.
Like corrupted pixels.
Darius took another step back.
"…This isn't normal…"
Kael raised his hand.
The creature twitched violently.
Its body unraveling.
Breaking down into fragments of light.
"Contract."
He spoke the word softly.
Like a command.
Like a truth.
The system responded instantly.
[Abyssal Beast Codex Activated]
[Initiating Forced Synchronization]
[Warning: Unknown Outcome]
The creature screamed.
This time—
it had sound.
A distorted, broken cry.
—GLITCH SCREAM—
Light exploded outward.
Darkness followed.
Then—
silence.
Kael stood still.
The alley… was gone.
Replaced by a void.
Endless.
Black.
And in front of him—
the creature floated.
No longer collapsing.
No longer unstable.
But not stable either.
Its eye locked onto his.
"…"
No words.
But meaning transferred.
Clear.
Direct.
Hunger.
Evolution.
Devour.
Kael smirked faintly.
"…Good."
He extended his hand.
The creature moved.
Not hesitating.
Not resisting.
It merged into his palm.
Pain followed.
Sharp.
Violent.
Real.
His veins lit up—
not blue—
but black.
With streaks of neon distortion running through them.
Reality snapped back.
The alley returned.
The rain resumed.
The bullies staggered—
like time had skipped.
Kael stood where he was.
Unmoved.
Unshaken.
Changed.
Darius stared at him.
"…What… did you just do?"
Kael slowly lifted his head.
His eyes—
no longer just golden.
Now—
fractured.
Glitching.
Alive.
A faint, distorted aura flickered around him.
Not stable.
Not natural.
"…I accepted it."
The air trembled.
Somewhere deep inside him—
something opened its eye.
And for the first time—
Kael smiled.