THE LATE AWAKENER: NEVER MEANT TO RISE

Chapter 3: Echoes of Betrayal

Alexander Kane barely rolled clear as the beast’s claws slammed into the stone where he had been lying. Sparks flew from the impact, and the entire cave shook.

He kept one hand locked on the glowing jade slip, refusing to let go even as pain tore through his side.

“Back off!” he shouted at the massive creature. “I’m not your dinner tonight!”

The beast roared again, its red eyes glowing brighter in the dim cave. Saliva dripped from its jaws as it turned, tail whipping across the floor and forcing Alexander to duck low. The suppressing formation pressed down harder, making every breath feel like he was lifting a boulder.

“Come on, you stupid rock,” Alexander growled at the jade slip, his voice rough. “You showed me those visions. Give me something useful before this thing tears me apart!”

The jade slip pulsed warmly in his grip. Another flood of images slammed into his mind, clearer this time. He saw a grand cultivation hall where a promising disciple was betrayed by his own senior brother, who stole a powerful technique and left him for dead in a similar abyss. The scenes felt too familiar: the mocking laughter, the stolen opportunities, the cold dismissal from elders who should have protected him.

“Exactly like Victor Lang,” Alexander muttered through gritted teeth. “Stealing what isn’t his and laughing while the weak suffer. If that’s your warning, I already lived it!”

The beast lunged again, jaws snapping shut inches from his shoulder. Alexander twisted away, scraping his back against the rough wall.

“You think I’m easy prey?” he yelled at the creature. “I’ve spent ten years being called trash by people stronger than you. I’m not dying here!”

He kept his fingers pressed firmly against the jade slip, feeling its ancient energy fighting against the abyss’s suppression. A faint thread of power seeped into his meridians — unstable, but real.

“Yes!” Alexander said, voice rising with desperate hope. “That’s it. Keep it coming. I need more!”

The beast reared up on its hind legs, claws raised for a killing strike. Its roar filled the cave, echoing off the walls and making dust rain from the ceiling.

Alexander stared straight into its glowing eyes, chest heaving.

“I said give me something I can use!” he shouted at the jade slip. “I’ve got nothing left, no sect, no resources, no future. If you’re going to help, do it now!”

The jade slip flared brighter. The visions intensified: flashes of stolen techniques being evolved in secret, hidden power waiting for the right moment to rise. The energy thread thickened slightly, pushing back a little against the crushing formation.

The beast brought its claws down hard.

Alexander rolled at the last second, the strike missing him by a hair. He slammed into the opposite wall, pain exploding through his ribs, but he never broke contact with the jade slip.

“Not… yet…” he gasped, forcing himself back to his knees. “I’m not finished. You hear me? Ten years of being stepped on ends here. I refuse to die as trash!”

The creature turned slowly, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground. It lowered its head, jaws opening wide as it prepared to finish the meal.

Alexander gripped the jade slip tighter, eyes locked on the beast.

“Come on,” he whispered fiercely. “One spark. That’s all I’m asking. Prove those visions weren’t just lies.”

The jade slip hummed with building power. A stronger surge of energy rushed into his meridians just as the beast charged forward, its roar shaking the entire cave.