The Prince Who Was Reborn as a Monster

The Oath of the Gloomfang

The forest had become too quiet.

Kael noticed it before Murk did.

The wind still moved through the violet leaves, and distant insects continued their nightly chorus, but the smaller creatures had disappeared. No rustling beneath the roots. No wingbeats among the branches. Even the scavengers that usually followed hunters at a safe distance were nowhere to be seen.

Something had driven them away.

Kael crouched beside the stream, examining the muddy bank. Their tracks were still visible, but they were no longer alone.

Five sets of human footprints approached from the east.

Three more came from the north.

And something heavier had crossed the ground behind them.

He touched the deepest impression.

The soil had been compressed almost to stone.

"How many?" he asked.

Murk sniffed the air.

"Humans? Eight. Maybe nine."

"And the other?"

Murk's yellow eyes narrowed.

"That isn't human."

The pale creature stood behind them, its silver-gray eyes fixed on the trees. It had remained mostly silent since their escape from the ruins, but its ability to sense relics had already proved useful.

Now it was trembling.

"Something is following the resonance," it whispered.

Kael rose.

"Can you identify it?"

"No."

"Can you tell how close?"

The creature hesitated.

"Close enough to hear us."

A sharp whistle cut through the forest.

Murk immediately dropped to the ground.

"Down!"

Bolts struck the tree behind them.

Kael twisted aside as another projectile tore through the air and buried itself in the earth. He recognized the weapons. Heavy hunting crossbows, designed to penetrate the hides of larger monsters.

The Wolf-banner hunters had found them.

"Move!" Kael ordered.

They ran.

Murk darted between exposed roots, while the pale creature struggled to keep pace. Kael stayed behind them, listening for the hunters.

He counted eight footsteps.

Then nine.

The hunters were not approaching randomly. They were spreading out, closing the available escape routes.

A coordinated pursuit.

"Left!" Murk shouted.

Kael turned just as a hunter emerged from behind a tree.

The man carried a hooked spear. He thrust it toward Kael's chest, forcing him to twist away. The spear scraped across his side.

Kael struck the man's wrist with his claws.

The hunter cried out, dropping the weapon.

Before Kael could finish him, another crossbow bolt struck the ground beside his foot.

He retreated.

The hunters were learning.

They were not trying to kill him immediately. Their movements suggested they wanted to exhaust him, separate him from his companions, and capture him alive.

Perhaps they still wanted his core.

Perhaps they had received different instructions.

Neither possibility was comforting.

"Keep moving!" Kael shouted.

They reached a narrow passage between two enormous boulders. Murk slipped through first, followed by the pale creature.

Kael was about to enter when the ground shook.

A massive shape crashed through the undergrowth.

The creature that emerged was larger than the Graveburrower they had fought beneath the hollow. Its body resembled a wolf's, but thick plates covered its shoulders and back. Two curved horns extended from its skull, and its mouth was filled with uneven teeth.

A chain of dark metal hung around its neck.

Kael stopped.

The creature was not wild.

Someone had brought it here.

A hunter standing behind the beast raised his hand.

"Release the chain!"

The metal clasp snapped open.

The horned monster charged.

Kael threw himself between the boulders. Its body struck the stone with enough force to shake loose fragments. The narrow passage prevented it from turning immediately, but the hunters had anticipated that possibility.

Two men appeared on the opposite side.

They had closed the escape route.

"Alive!" one shouted. "The captain wants the Gloomfang alive!"

Kael's claws tightened against the earth.

The hunters had coordinated their attack around the beast. They were using it to drive him into a prepared trap.

Murk emerged from behind a boulder and threw something at the nearest hunter.

A small object struck the man's helmet.

It was a bone.

The hunter turned in irritation.

"Is that supposed to frighten me?"

"No," Murk replied. "This is."

He pulled a thin rope.

A section of dead branches and loose stones collapsed from the slope above.

The hunter barely escaped being buried.

Kael saw the opportunity.

"Get the pale one out!"

Murk grabbed their companion and disappeared into a narrow opening.

Kael turned toward the horned beast.

It had forced itself through the passage. Its shoulder plates scraped against the stone, but it continued advancing.

The hunters were closing in behind it.

There was no clean escape.

Kael studied the beast's movements.

Its right foreleg dragged slightly whenever it turned. The chain around its neck had left a deep wound beneath the metal collar. Its breathing was uneven.

It was injured.

And someone had forced it into battle.

The beast lunged.

Kael moved sideways, allowing its momentum to carry it past him. He raked his claws across the exposed joint behind its right foreleg.

The creature roared.

A spear struck Kael's back.

Pain exploded across his shoulder.

His localized impact resistance softened the blow, but the force still drove him against the stone.

He staggered.

The horned beast turned again.

The hunters were waiting for him to fall.

"Hold it!" their leader shouted.

Kael looked at the chain hanging from the creature's neck.

Then at the boulders.

A plan formed.

He deliberately moved toward the narrowest part of the passage, drawing the beast after him.

"Come on," he muttered.

The creature charged.

At the last moment, Kael sprang toward the side wall.

The beast struck the boulder.

Its wounded foreleg buckled beneath its weight. The collision sent it crashing to the ground, and the chain around its neck caught against a jagged stone.

Kael landed hard.

The beast struggled.

A hunter approached with a hooked blade.

"Finally."

He raised the weapon.

Kael struck him before the blade could fall.

His claws tore through the man's leather armor, forcing him backward. Another hunter rushed forward, but Murk appeared behind him and bit into his ankle.

The man screamed.

"Now!" Murk shouted.

Kael understood.

He seized the loose chain and pulled.

The metal tightened around the beast's neck.

The creature struggled violently, but its trapped leg prevented it from gaining momentum. Kael used the chain to keep its head away from him.

The beast's eyes met his.

For a brief moment, he saw something familiar.

Fear.

Not the mindless aggression of a predator. Not the hatred of an enemy.

Fear.

The beast had been dragged here, wounded, chained, and forced to attack another creature.

Kael loosened his grip.

The nearest hunter raised his crossbow.

"Don't let it escape!"

The bolt flew.

Kael twisted, but it struck his upper side.

He stumbled.

The beast roared and broke part of the chain.

The resulting movement threw the hunter off balance. His crossbow fell.

Kael seized the opportunity, lunging forward and tearing the weapon from the man's hands. He struck him with its wooden stock, sending him sprawling.

The remaining hunters hesitated.

Their formation had collapsed.

"Fall back!" their leader ordered.

They retreated into the trees, dragging their wounded companions with them. The horned beast remained trapped beneath the broken chain, breathing heavily.

Kael approached cautiously.

Murk appeared beside him.

"Don't get too close."

"It is wounded."

"It tried to crush you."

"Because they forced it to."

Murk looked at the beast.

For once, he had no immediate reply.

Kael examined the metal collar. Strange markings covered its surface. They were not ordinary restraints. A dark crystal had been embedded in the clasp.

The crystal pulsed faintly.

His own core responded.

A thin silver line appeared beneath his skin.

The voice inside him stirred.

Resonance detected.

Kael's vision blurred.

For a moment, he saw a stone chamber beneath the ruins. Seven circular markings surrounded a crowned wolf. One of them was illuminated.

Then the vision disappeared.

The beast growled weakly.

Kael looked at its injured foreleg.

He could kill it. The hunters had already demonstrated that it was dangerous, and leaving it alive might create another threat.

But he could also remove the collar.

He approached the clasp.

Murk watched him suspiciously.

"What are you doing?"

"Removing the restraint."

"And if it attacks?"

"Then I will respond."

Murk clicked his jaws.

"That is a terrible plan."

"It is the only one I have."

Kael forced his claws beneath the damaged clasp. The metal resisted, and the crystal released a sharp pulse of energy.

Pain travelled through his arm.

He nearly withdrew, but he held on.

The clasp cracked.

The collar fell away.

The beast remained motionless for several seconds.

Then it struggled to its feet.

Kael stepped back.

The creature stared at him before limping into the forest.

Murk watched it disappear.

"You could have used its core."

"I could have."

"That would have made you stronger."

"Perhaps."

"Then why didn't you?"

Kael looked at the broken collar.

"Because strength is not the only thing that determines what we become."

Murk studied him.

"That sounds like something a king would say."

Kael said nothing.

They travelled until the hunters' scent disappeared.

By the time they reached a sheltered ravine, Kael could barely remain standing. The bolt wound had reopened, and his shoulder throbbed beneath the damaged skin.

Murk inspected it.

"You are getting worse."

"I noticed."

"You keep fighting creatures stronger than yourself."

"They keep finding me."

"Perhaps you should stop attracting attention."

Kael gave him a tired look.

"That would be easier if I knew how."

The pale creature approached.

Its silver eyes were fixed on the direction of the ruins.

"They are searching for you because of what you awakened."

"The sealed inheritance?"

The creature nodded.

"The hunters carry fragments of the old power. Their crystals react to the same force that lives inside you."

"Who gives them those crystals?"

"I don't know."

"Who commands the Wolf-banner hunters?"

"I don't know."

"Then we have more questions than answers."

Murk settled beside a fallen tree.

"That is what happens when you start asking questions about old kingdoms."

Kael looked toward the distant ruins.

One hundred years.

A century had passed since his death. The people who had betrayed him were gone, but their descendants had inherited their power. Their version of history had become the truth accepted by the world.

And he was still too weak to challenge it.

He remembered the words carved beneath the watchtower.

The crown may pass through blood, but the right to rule must be earned.

He had once believed that protecting Aurelion was his duty because he had been born its prince.

Now he understood that his birthright alone could not restore anything.

He needed evidence.

He needed allies.

He needed territory where he could operate without being hunted at every turn.

Above all, he needed power.

Not power for the satisfaction of revenge, but enough strength to choose his battles rather than have them chosen for him.

Kael closed his eyes.

Inside his body, the unstable core pulsed faintly.

The strange voice returned.

Resonance Ledger: Fragmentary connection established.

Current classification: Lesser Monster — Gloomfang.

Core stability: Improving.

Evolutionary requirements: Incomplete.

A series of unfamiliar markings appeared in his vision.

They vanished before he could understand them.

"Can you show me how to evolve?" Kael asked silently.

There was no immediate response.

Then:

Evolution requires sufficient biological energy, core stability, and compatible resonance.

Warning: Evolution carries a risk of rejection.

Kael opened his eyes.

"Can you guarantee survival?"

No.

"Can you tell me what I will become?"

Insufficient data.

"Can you tell me what happens if I fail?"

Core collapse. Biological death.

Murk noticed his expression.

"What is it?"

"I have found a way forward."

"That doesn't sound reassuring."

"It isn't."

Kael looked at his injured body.

His claws were still too short. His muscles were insufficiently developed. His core was unstable, and his only recorded adaptation protected a limited section of his body.

He had survived because he had been fortunate, observant, and willing to exploit his surroundings.

But fortune was not a strategy.

He could not continue depending on narrow passages, collapsing rocks, and enemies making mistakes.

The next coordinated attack might not leave him an opportunity to escape.

"I will evolve," he said.

Murk tilted his head.

"You are already a monster."

"I mean I will climb the hierarchy. Whatever stands above a Gloomfang, I will reach it."

"And what happens when you become stronger?"

Kael looked at him.

"Then I will have the freedom to investigate the Crownfall without being hunted like prey."

Murk scratched the earth with one claw.

"You speak as if becoming stronger will solve everything."

"It won't."

"Then why pursue it?"

"Because weakness has already decided too many things for me."

The pale creature lowered its head.

"The ruins may contain more answers. But the hunters will return."

"Let them."

Murk gave a low growl.

"That is exactly the sort of thing that gets small creatures killed."

Kael turned toward the darkness beyond the ravine.

"Then we will stop being small."

Later, when Murk and the pale creature had settled into uneasy sleep, Kael remained awake.

He thought about the men who had betrayed him.

Lucien.

Elara.

Garrick.

Their names had survived a century, preserved in monuments and official accounts. Their descendants now ruled the land that had once belonged to his family.

He could imagine marching toward the capital and tearing down every monument built in their honor.

He could imagine making their descendants experience the fear he had felt on the night of his murder.

But those thoughts offered no answers.

Some of those descendants might know nothing about the Crownfall. Others might have inherited lies without understanding them. And some might be innocent people who simply wanted to survive under the rulers they had been born to serve.

If he treated every descendant as an enemy, he would become another tyrant seeking justification through blood.

That was not what he wanted.

He wanted to know why Aurelion had fallen.

He wanted to know what his father had tried to protect.

He wanted to understand the seven seals and the inheritance that had apparently remained beyond Lucien's reach.

And if the kingdom could ever rise again, it would need more than a prince who had returned from the dead.

It would need someone capable of earning the trust of those who had every reason to fear him.

Kael lowered his head.

"I was born into a crown," he whispered. "But I will not mistake that for the right to rule."

The silver line beneath his chest flickered.

For a moment, the crowned wolf appeared in his vision.

Seven stars surrounded it.

One was illuminated.

The others remained dark.

Kael pressed one claw against the earth.

"I swear by the blood of Aurelion, by the life taken from me, and by the name the world has buried: I will uncover the truth of the Crownfall. I will climb beyond the limits of this body. I will not claim a throne merely because it once belonged to me."

His voice grew firmer.

"If I ever wear that crown again, it will be because I have become worthy of the people beneath it."

The silver light faded.

Then the Resonance Ledger spoke.

Oath detected.

Royal signature confirmed.

Evolutionary path: Gloomfang.

First evolutionary threshold identified.

Required condition: Core stabilization.

Warning: A compatible evolutionary catalyst is located beyond the eastern territories.

Kael stared into the darkness.

Before he could question the message, another line appeared.

Caution: The catalyst is currently under the protection of a superior predator.

A final pulse travelled through his core.

Far beyond the ravine, something answered.

It was not a voice.

It was a roar.

Murk woke instantly.

The pale creature backed away, trembling.

Kael rose despite the pain in his shoulder.

The forest had gone silent again.

But this time, the silence was not caused by hunters.

Something powerful had heard his oath.

And it was coming.