Ravin Elteth stood deep within the unseen heart of the cave, far beyond the pathways anyone else would ever dare tread. This hidden cavern, one he had personally carved into the earth with tireless effort, stretched wide with a massive arched ceiling. All around him, cages lined the dark stone walls, each ticulously labeled, each bearing the mark of his experints.
Inside these cages were not re creatures of the Word or Abyssal ranks. No, these were beings far greater, every single one a Monarch rank beast, their forms exuding an overwhelming aura of danger and power. Each was more terrifying than the last, grotesque or majestic in its own way, yet all bent to his will.
With such a force under his command, Ravin could raze an entire town to dust without lifting a single finger. It was a perfect army—tad, obedient, and utterly lethal.
From the folds of his coat, he retrieved a golden spatial ring, gleaming faintly even in the shadows. He slipped it onto his middle finger, a slight smirk tugging at his lips as he activated its power. A brilliant, sweeping light engulfed the cavern, so intense it montarily blinded even him. When it faded, every cage and every monstrous creature had vanished without a trace, neatly stored within the ring’s endless pocket dinsion.
"Now that that’s handled," Ravin muttered to himself, brushing invisible dust from his hands, "I better leave this planet."
But as he turned to go, his mind drifted back to the boy he had glimpsed earlier on his monitor. A slow, thoughtful smile curved his lips.
"Everything seems to be getting interesting."
—
anwhile;
As soon as the mysterious, urgent ssage had flashed onto Kairos’ phone, he had wasted no ti. With a quick, urgent call to his dragon summon, he ordered it to retreat from the suffocating depths of the cave.
The dragon obeyed, its massive body squeezing through the tunnels, then bursting into the open skies with a thunderous roar. Its wings, vast and powerful, beat against the air, lifting them swiftly above the endless sea of forest.
For Kairos, this was a first. He had never experienced flight before—not like this. The mont they took off, his stomach lurched violently. He nearly slipped, barely managing to latch onto one of the dragon’s tough scales with a desperate grip. In the chaos, he wrapped one arm tightly around Lina, pulling her close to keep her from falling.
Kaela clung to Darnell, both of them locking their arms around the small, shivering Rayla between them. Carlos stayed close to another girl from Rayla’s squad, while Rivet clung grimly at the far back, head bowed and fists clenched around the rough hide of the dragon.
The wind howled around them, tearing at their hair and clothes, the chill cutting deep into their bones. Yet despite the wide, breathtaking view of the forest below, frustration flickered across Carlos’ face.
"Do you spot anything happening down there?" Carlos called over the roaring winds, confusion and worry etched into his features.
Kairos shook his head grimly. From this height, the trees still created a dense, green barrier, shielding the ground from view. Whatever chaos was unfolding below, it remained hidden from their eyes.
Still, the gravity of the situation was undeniable. The evacuation of an entire planet wasn’t a simple operation. It spoke of disaster—true catastrophe.
Kairos’ mind raced, theories forming and shattering almost imdiately.
’Maybe one of their experints escaped... sothing too dangerous to contain... and now they’re forced to cleanse the entire planet,’ he thought grimly. ’Or maybe... sothing even worse...’
His spiraling thoughts were abruptly cut off by a sharp pang in his chest. Pain blood, sudden and fierce, causing his hands to loosen dangerously from the dragon’s scales. His body scread in protest.
He knew this feeling.
He rembered it from his Environntal Survival class. It was the strain—keeping a summon active for too long, draining his own energy past safe limits. Given everything he’d suffered recently—integrations, blood loss—it was a miracle he had even lasted this long.
But he couldn’t afford to pass out. Not now.
They were only halfway back to base.
Kairos gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure it. He made a quick decision, signaling the dragon to take more obscure routes. He needed to avoid open skies, needed to keep them hidden.
A dragon was too big, too eye-catching. If any students or soldiers mistook it for a wild beast, they would attack. Worse, they might discover Kairos’ forbidden second summon—sothing he absolutely had to keep secret.
He couldn’t even reveal the hunger of his shadow wolf, much less this.
The dragon dipped lower, weaving through the misty canopy, and Kairos found a place suitable for landing. It wasn’t close to the academy; they would have to trek the rest of the way on foot. It was the safest option.
With heavy, deliberate flaps, the dragon began its descent.
Kairos, hanging on by sheer will, felt his strength ebbing fast. His vision blurred. His body trembled. And then—just as they neared the ground—his grip finally gave way.
The summon vanished, and they all plumted.
They hit the earth with thunderous crashes, bodies scattering like broken marionettes.
Kaela, ever quick, landed painfully on her feet, stumbling with a grimace before limping towards Kairos without hesitation. She knelt by him, heart pounding as she looked into his face.
He was deathly pale. His breathing was shallow. His eyes, once sharp and alive, were dim and unfocused.
He couldn’t move.
Not now. Not here. Not in this damned forest.
Fear gripped the team. They were stranded—injured, exhausted, and vulnerable.
And worst of all, they knew: if a beast found them now, they were as good as dead.
Silence blanketed the clearing, heavy and suffocating. No one dared speak. They all knew the logical choice—soone would have to stay behind. Soone would have to be sacrificed for the rest to survive.
But Kairos... he had fought so hard to protect them all, even Rivet.
Could they really abandon him?
Tension stretched unbearably, each second dragging out like an eternity.
Then—
A deep, thunderous crash shattered the silence. A tree toppled in the distance, roots tearing free from the earth. Another crash followed almost instantly, closer now.
Sothing massive was charging toward them.
A beast?
And it was coming straight for them.
At the worst possible mont.
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