Kaden's hand trembled as he stared down the Order of the Abyss. Dozens of war beasts lined up behind the golden-eyed leader, their mechanical eyes gleaming with unnatural life. He could feel it now—the creeping dread crawling up his spine. This wasn't just a fight.
This was a declaration of war.
Beside him, the Unseen Hunter tensed, its smoke-like body twisting with agitation. Their bond burned hotter than ever, as if the beast could feel Kaden's thoughts, his fear, his anger.
"You think beasts are weapons," Kaden growled, voice low, venomous. "But they're more alive than you'll ever be."
The leader tilted his head. "Then prove it."
He raised his hand—and in an instant, one of the Order's war beasts lunged forward. A crimson-fanged wyvern, its wings bladed and its body pulsing with volatile ether, tore through the air toward them.
Kaden didn't flinch.
"Hunter—Sync Level Two!"
A blast of shadow erupted from his beast as Kaden's headset lit up, glowing veins of blue flickering across his skin. The synchronization had pushed him past his limit before—but now? He embraced it.
Hunter shot forward, meeting the wyvern mid-air in a shockwave that cracked trees and sent soil into the sky. Their battle was savage. Primal. Each movement left scorch marks, howls, and sprays of blood and energy.
Kaden, connected through the sync, felt everything. The pain. The impact. The rage. But he didn't back down. He couldn't.
Because in that moment, he wasn't just fighting for himself.
He was fighting for the wilds. For his fallen village. For the beast he'd sworn never to treat as a tool.
The wyvern roared, wings tearing wind apart—and Hunter vanished.
Then reappeared behind it.
And ended it with a shadow fang that pierced through scales, metal, and bone.
Silence.
Then, the wyvern crashed into the earth. Lifeless.
The Order's leader didn't move. Didn't flinch. But his smile faded.
Kaden stood tall, blood trickling from his nose, headset flickering with static.
"I'm not yours," he spat. "And I never will be."
The leader finally spoke. "Then you've made your choice."
He turned his back, vanishing into the shadows with his army.
Kaden collapsed to one knee, gasping. Hunter came to his side, its body battered but proud.
"I don't care how powerful they are," Kaden whispered. "They want to tame the wilds? They'll have to go through me."
As the sun broke through the clouds, casting golden light across the torn battlefield, a single truth settled in Kaden's heart.
This was just the beginning.