The Prince Who Was Reborn as a Monster

The First Step Beyond Gloomfang

The underground formation was dying.

Kael could feel it through the stone beneath his claws.

The ancient energy that had once flowed through the chamber now pulsed irregularly, like a heart struggling to maintain its rhythm. Cracks spread across the pillars. Pale light flickered beneath the exposed surface of the formation, illuminating the cavern in brief, sickly flashes.

The Hollowfang had disappeared into the darkness beyond.

But its presence remained.

A deep vibration rolled through the ground.

Murk flattened himself against a broken stone ledge.

“Tell me that was the ceiling.”

Kael raised his head.

Another vibration followed, accompanied by the scraping of enormous claws against rock.

“No,” he said.

The Dread Prowler stood near the formation's damaged edge, its dark body tense. Blood stained one side of its armor-like hide. Two of its followers guarded the injured creatures while the others gathered near the eastern passage.

Their fear had become impossible to conceal.

One young monster suddenly bolted toward the exit.

A second followed.

Then a third.

The Dread Prowler's shadow stretched across the ground.

“Stop.”

The command carried through the cavern.

Several creatures froze, but the fleeing ones continued.

The territorial ruler turned toward them.

“Anyone who abandons the boundary now will not return when the danger passes.”

A wounded creature stumbled.

Its companion hesitated, then dragged it toward the western passage.

The Dread Prowler watched them go.

It did not pursue.

Kael understood why.

The ruler could punish disobedience later.

It could not afford to lose more followers now.

The Hollowfang had already killed two of its strongest creatures. The damaged formation had become a source of unstable energy, and the territory's inhabitants were beginning to understand that their ruler might not be able to protect them.

Kael looked toward the exposed ancient core.

The pale creature stood beside him, trembling.

Its attention remained fixed on the light beneath the stone.

“The resonance is changing,” it whispered.

“How?”

“It is spreading.”

Murk's yellow eyes narrowed.

“Spreading where?”

The pale creature pointed toward the eastern passage.

“The Hollowfang.”

Kael followed the direction of its claw.

The passage disappeared into darkness.

He remembered the creature's movements during their previous encounter. Its attacks had been violent, but not entirely uncontrolled. It had repeatedly returned toward the formation.

It had not been defending its territory.

It had been defending its source of energy.

The damaged formation had awakened something inside it.

And every time the Hollowfang approached the ancient core, its body changed.

Its movements became faster.

Its claws grew longer.

Its unstable energy spread across its hide.

If it consumed more of the formation, the transformation might continue until the creature became something none of them could control.

Kael turned toward the Dread Prowler.

“We need to separate it from the core.”

The ruler's eyes narrowed.

“You speak as though it will listen.”

“It doesn't have to listen.”

Kael approached the damaged formation.

The pale creature immediately moved in front of him.

“Do not touch it.”

“I won't.”

“You are already injured.”

“I know.”

The pale creature's expression tightened.

“You do not understand what this energy is.”

Kael studied the exposed core.

It was not a crystal.

It was a dense, living structure buried within the formation, its surface resembling dark stone threaded with silver veins.

The veins moved.

Not quickly.

But unmistakably.

The ancient energy was not simply stored inside it.

The core was producing something.

Or preserving something.

Kael remembered the warning from the Resonance Ledger.

Compatible catalyst identified.

Ancient instinct imprint.

Identity contamination risk: severe.

He had not forgotten.

He had simply chosen not to let the warning determine his decision before he understood the danger.

Now the danger was standing somewhere beyond the cavern.

And it was growing stronger.

“The Hollowfang will return,” Kael said. “It has already damaged the formation. If it consumes more of the core, the energy may spread beyond this chamber.”

The Dread Prowler's claws scraped against the ground.

“And your solution?”

“Draw it away from the formation. Force it to fight somewhere the energy cannot reach.”

The ruler stared at him.

“You want me to abandon the place it is defending?”

“No. I want you to keep it from reaching the place it is defending.”

A low growl answered.

Kael continued.

“Your strength can hold it. Murk knows the passages. The pale creature can identify the resonance. We use all three.”

“And what do you contribute?”

Kael met its gaze.

“I create the opening.”

Murk turned toward him.

“That's a terrible answer.”

“It is the only one I have.”

The Dread Prowler stepped closer.

Its shadow covered Kael's feet.

“You have already brought danger to my territory. Your presence drew the Hollowfang here. Your old blood awakened something that should have remained buried.”

Kael did not deny it.

“If you leave now, I will not stop you,” the ruler continued. “But if you remain, understand this. I will protect my territory. I will not sacrifice every creature under my command to preserve your ambition.”

“I wouldn't ask you to.”

“You might.”

The words carried more weight than a threat.

Kael looked toward the eastern passage.

“No. I won't.”

The Dread Prowler watched him for several seconds.

Then it turned.

“Explain your plan.”

Murk led them through a narrow passage that curved around the damaged formation.

The floor descended sharply before rising toward a chamber where several stone pillars stood close together. The walls were covered in ancient markings, most of them worn beyond recognition.

A narrow stream ran through the lowest part of the passage.

The water had turned dark.

Murk crouched beside it.

“During the last flood, this channel carried water from the eastern chambers. The current is weak now, but the passage still connects to the old drainage tunnel.”

Kael examined the ground.

The tunnel was narrow enough that the Hollowfang would struggle to turn quickly.

Beyond it lay a wider chamber.

A natural pit occupied its center.

The ceiling above the pit had partially collapsed, leaving a broken ridge of stone.

Kael studied the arrangement.

“We draw it through here.”

Murk pointed toward the broken ridge.

“And then?”

“The Dread Prowler attacks from the opposite side. We force it toward the pit.”

The ruler's expression remained cold.

“If it escapes?”

“It will return to the formation.”

“And if I cannot hold it?”

Kael looked at the enormous claws.

“Then we retreat.”

The Dread Prowler's eyes narrowed.

“You have spent the last several days refusing to retreat.”

“Because retreating would have cost more than it saved.”

“This time?”

Kael looked toward the passage.

“This time, the formation matters more than the fight.”

The ruler said nothing.

Murk moved farther down the tunnel.

“I found something.”

He pointed toward a cluster of stones near the drainage channel.

Several deep grooves crossed the ground.

The marks were fresh.

The Hollowfang had passed through here.

Kael crouched.

The creature's claws had cut into the stone.

But the marks were uneven.

One side was deeper than the other.

Its body was changing.

The pale creature approached.

Its head tilted.

“The resonance is stronger.”

Kael looked at it.

“Can you identify where the energy is concentrated?”

The pale creature closed its eyes.

For several moments, nothing happened.

Then it pointed toward the broken ridge.

“Inside the chest.”

Kael understood.

The ancient energy had not simply strengthened the Hollowfang.

It had become embedded within its core.

The creature carried a piece of the formation inside itself.

That meant separating it from the source would not be enough.

They would have to defeat it before it could consume more.

The Dread Prowler turned toward its followers.

“Take the wounded to the western passage. Keep the young ones behind the stone barrier. No one enters the eastern chambers.”

One of the creatures hesitated.

“What if it comes through the western passage?”

The ruler's eyes hardened.

“Then you will run.”

The creature bowed its head.

The Dread Prowler turned back toward Kael.

“Your plan begins when it enters the tunnel.”

Kael nodded.

“And ends when it leaves the formation behind.”

The ruler's claws flexed.

“Do not mistake agreement for trust.”

“I won't.”

The Hollowfang returned before they were ready.

Its roar shook dust from the ceiling.

The pale creature recoiled.

Murk climbed onto a narrow ledge, his segmented tail curling around a stone projection.

Kael moved toward the tunnel entrance.

The Hollowfang emerged from the darkness.

Its body had changed again.

The armor along its shoulders had split. Silver veins spread across its hide, glowing beneath the surface. Its claws dragged against the ground, leaving bright scratches that faded almost immediately.

Its eyes were no longer the same.

The creature looked at the formation.

Then at Kael.

A strange sound escaped its throat.

Not a roar.

Something closer to recognition.

Kael's core tightened.

The Hollowfang lunged.

He moved aside.

The creature's claws struck the wall.

Stone exploded.

Kael struck its exposed flank, but the impact barely slowed it.

The Hollowfang turned.

Its tail swept across the passage.

Kael jumped, but the strike caught his hind leg.

Pain flashed through his body.

He hit the ground.

Murk shouted from above.

“Move!”

Kael rolled as the Hollowfang's claws descended.

The stone beneath him shattered.

He scrambled toward the narrow tunnel.

The creature followed.

Its enormous body struck the walls, forcing loose stones into the drainage channel.

The Dread Prowler emerged from the opposite passage.

Its roar answered the Hollowfang's.

The two creatures collided.

The impact shook the chamber.

The Dread Prowler drove its claws into the Hollowfang's shoulder, forcing it backward.

For a moment, Kael thought the plan might work.

Then the Hollowfang's body pulsed.

Silver light erupted across its hide.

The Dread Prowler was thrown against the wall.

Kael watched the ruler struggle to rise.

The Hollowfang turned toward the formation.

It had learned.

It was no longer attacking blindly.

It understood that the Dread Prowler was trying to keep it away from the core.

The creature lowered its head and charged.

Kael moved.

He struck its injured shoulder.

The Hollowfang twisted.

Its claws caught him across the chest.

The force lifted him from the ground.

He struck the broken ridge and fell into the drainage channel.

For several seconds, he could not breathe.

His body refused to move.

Blood filled his mouth.

The Hollowfang's footsteps approached.

Kael forced himself to look up.

The creature stood above him.

Its silver-veined chest glowed.

The pale creature screamed.

“The resonance!”

Kael understood.

The energy inside the Hollowfang was reacting to his core.

The creature was not simply drawn to the ancient formation.

It was drawn to him.

The Hollowfang lowered its head.

Kael tried to crawl.

His injured leg dragged behind him.

The creature's jaws opened.

Then the Dread Prowler struck.

Its claws tore into the Hollowfang's side.

The two monsters crashed against the broken ridge.

Murk dropped from the ledge.

He landed near Kael and seized his shoulder.

“Get up!”

Kael tried.

His body barely responded.

Murk pulled him toward the narrow passage.

The Hollowfang roared.

The Dread Prowler was losing ground.

Its claws had damaged the creature, but the silver energy continued spreading.

Kael looked toward the pit.

The broken ridge.

The drainage channel.

The plan was failing.

Unless—

He remembered the uneven claw marks.

The Hollowfang's body was changing.

Its center of balance had shifted.

The silver energy was concentrated in its chest.

It was stronger when facing the formation.

But the glow weakened whenever it turned away.

Kael looked at Murk.

“The channel.”

Murk followed his gaze.

Understanding appeared in his eyes.

“You want to collapse the ridge?”

“Not the whole ridge.”

Kael pointed toward the narrow section above the pit.

“The support stones.”

Murk stared at him.

“That will bury us.”

“Only if we stay.”

The Dread Prowler heard them.

Its eyes turned toward the ridge.

“You have one chance.”

Kael forced himself upright.

The Hollowfang charged.

The Dread Prowler met it.

Their claws collided.

Kael moved toward the support stones.

Every step sent pain through his chest.

His injured leg nearly collapsed.

He reached the ridge.

The stones were cracked.

The formation's energy had weakened the ancient structure.

One strike might be enough.

Kael raised his claws.

The Hollowfang turned.

Its silver-veined chest pulsed.

The creature's gaze locked onto him.

For an instant, Kael saw something beyond its eyes.

A vast darkness.

A shape beneath a sky filled with unfamiliar stars.

Then the vision vanished.

The Hollowfang lunged.

Kael struck the support stone.

It cracked.

The creature's claws caught his side.

Pain tore through him.

He fell.

The Hollowfang's momentum carried it forward.

The Dread Prowler struck its shoulder.

Murk slammed a loose stone into the damaged support.

The ridge collapsed.

The Hollowfang plunged into the pit.

The Dread Prowler leaped backward.

Kael rolled away from the falling debris.

The chamber shook.

Dust filled the air.

The Hollowfang screamed.

Its body struck the bottom of the pit.

The silver light flickered.

For the first time, the energy inside its chest weakened.

Kael dragged himself toward the edge.

The creature struggled beneath the broken stones.

Its claws scraped against the rock.

The Dread Prowler stood above it.

Blood ran down its side.

“You have your opening,” the ruler growled.

Kael looked toward the exposed chest.

The silver veins were dimming.

The pale creature approached the pit.

“The source is separated.”

Kael nodded.

“Now.”

The Dread Prowler descended.

The Hollowfang fought.

Its claws tore through the stones.

But without the formation feeding its unstable energy, its movements began to slow.

The ruler struck its head.

The Hollowfang staggered.

Kael forced himself down the broken ridge.

His body screamed with every movement.

He reached the pit as the Dread Prowler drove its claws into the creature's shoulder.

The Hollowfang turned.

Its jaws snapped toward the ruler.

Kael struck the exposed silver veins.

The impact sent a pulse through the chamber.

The Hollowfang's body convulsed.

The Dread Prowler tore its claws free.

Then struck again.

The creature collapsed.

Its final roar echoed through the underground passages.

The silver light faded.

Silence followed.

Kael remained beside the pit.

His breathing was shallow.

The Dread Prowler climbed out first.

It looked toward its followers.

“Secure the eastern passage.”

Several creatures emerged from the western chamber.

They stared at the fallen Hollowfang.

Some lowered their heads.

Others approached cautiously.

The ruler did not celebrate.

It simply stood beside the pit.

Kael looked toward the formation.

The ancient core had changed.

Its silver veins were brighter now.

The energy inside it pulsed with a rhythm that seemed almost deliberate.

The pale creature approached.

“The resonance is gathering.”

Kael tried to stand.

His leg buckled.

Murk caught him.

“Don't.”

Kael looked at the core.

The energy was no longer spreading through the chamber.

It was gathering around the exposed structure.

The Hollowfang had carried part of its resonance inside itself.

Now that the creature was dead, the energy was returning.

The Dread Prowler stepped toward the formation.

“You have done what you promised.”

Kael nodded.

“The territory is safe?”

“For now.”

The ruler looked toward the fallen creature.

“But the cost remains.”

Kael understood.

The Dread Prowler had lost followers.

Its territory had been damaged.

The formation was unstable.

And the ancient energy had awakened something that might not remain buried.

Kael looked at the core.

The pale creature moved closer.

“Do not absorb it.”

“I know the danger.”

“No. You know the warning. You do not know the thing inside.”

Kael's claws tightened.

The core pulsed.

A strange pressure entered his body.

His own resonance answered.

The Dread Prowler turned toward him.

“What is happening?”

Kael could not answer.

The energy was reaching through his injured core.

Not forcing itself inside.

Calling.

The Resonance Ledger stirred.

Its voice was faint.

Catalyst remains active.

Kael stared at the ancient structure.

The energy might be enough to change him.

But he was already damaged.

His core had barely recovered from the previous adaptation.

Absorbing the entire catalyst could destroy what remained of his stability.

The pale creature stepped in front of him.

“You must leave.”

Murk nodded.

“For once, I agree with the pale one.”

Kael looked toward the passage.

Retreat was possible.

The Dread Prowler had agreed to protect the territory.

The Hollowfang was dead.

The immediate danger had passed.

But the catalyst remained.

If the energy continued gathering, the formation might collapse.

And the ancient imprint inside it might awaken.

Kael remembered the warning.

Identity contamination risk: severe.

He remembered his father's voice.

The ruined palace.

The false history.

The oath he had made.

He had promised to uncover the truth.

Not to become something that could no longer remember why it wanted the truth.

Kael looked at the core.

“I won't take all of it.”

The pale creature's eyes widened.

“You cannot control the amount.”

“Then I will stop before it takes everything.”

Murk stared at him.

“That is not a plan.”

“No.”

Kael lowered himself beside the formation.

“It is a choice.”

The Dread Prowler approached.

“You will die.”

“Possibly.”

The ruler's claws scraped against the ground.

“You are willing to risk your life for power?”

Kael looked up.

“I am willing to risk it for the chance to become strong enough to protect what remains.”

The Dread Prowler's expression did not change.

“Do not confuse that with protecting my territory.”

“I won't.”

The ruler stepped aside.

It did not approve.

But it would not stop him.

Kael placed one claw against the ancient core.

The energy surged.

His core answered with a violent pulse.

Pain erupted through his body.

He tried to withdraw.

The resonance followed.

Silver light spread across his claws.

The pale creature shouted.

“Stop!”

Kael forced himself to breathe.

The energy was not entering like the crystal fragments he had absorbed before.

It was unfolding.

Something inside the core recognized his royal resonance.

The formation's markings ignited.

Seven ancient symbols appeared across the stone.

One burned brighter than the others.

Kael's vision blurred.

He saw a creature standing beneath an unfamiliar sky.

Its body was enormous.

Its shadow covered a mountain.

Something moved beneath its skin.

A voice echoed through the darkness.

Not words.

A memory.

Kael saw a battlefield.

A broken crown.

A vast gate.

Then the vision changed.

He was standing inside a palace.

A man with silver eyes looked down at him.

The man's face was unfamiliar.

Yet Kael felt the weight of recognition.

The memory shifted again.

A creature knelt before a throne.

Its body was covered in dark armor.

Its eyes burned with ancient light.

The throne was empty.

The creature looked toward the sky.

Then everything collapsed into darkness.

Kael screamed.

The energy surged through his core.

His body began to change.

Bones shifted.

Muscles tightened.

His claws...