The Prince Who Was Reborn as a Monster

The Trial of the Eastern Den

The Hollowfang's howl rolled through the eastern forest.

Kael felt the vibration beneath his claws.

The Ironback stood at the boundary, its amber eyes fixed on the distant hills. Around it, several followers had gathered, their bodies tense and their heads lowered.

Nobody moved toward the sound.

Even the creatures that had spent the morning carrying tribute seemed unwilling to approach the eastern passage.

Murk looked at Kael.

"Tell me you have a plan."

"I have information."

"That isn't a plan."

"It will have to do."

The Dread Prowler emerged from the trees.

Its dark body moved with the confidence of a creature that had never needed to ask permission to cross its own territory. Its eyes briefly settled on Kael before turning toward the eastern hills.

"You will come with me," it said.

Kael glanced at the Ironback.

The territorial ruler gave a low growl.

"The agreement stands. You will help identify the threat. You will not bring it back into my territory."

"I understand."

The Dread Prowler turned.

"Then move."

Murk followed reluctantly.

The pale creature remained close to Kael, its silver-gray eyes fixed on the eastern passage.

Something beneath the ground was calling.

And the Hollowfang was answering.

The eastern route narrowed between two cliffs.

The trees became thinner, their roots exposed by the shifting soil. Several had been uprooted entirely, leaving deep holes where their trunks had once stood.

Kael examined the ground.

The Hollowfang's tracks were everywhere.

Some impressions were shallow. Others had cut through the earth, exposing stones beneath the surface.

The creature had moved quickly.

Too quickly for something that size.

Murk crouched beside a broken branch.

"These marks are fresh."

The Dread Prowler examined the surrounding trees.

"It passed through here before sunrise."

Kael looked toward the pale creature.

"Can you sense the catalyst?"

The creature closed its eyes.

For a moment, its body trembled.

Then it pointed toward the cliffs.

"Below."

Kael examined the ground.

A narrow opening lay between two large stones. The entrance was partly concealed by fallen branches and thick roots.

The Dread Prowler approached.

"That is the den."

Murk sniffed the air.

"It smells wrong."

Kael looked at him.

"How?"

"The scent is stronger than the tracks. Something is leaking from beneath the ground."

The pale creature moved closer to the opening.

Its eyes widened.

"The resonance is coming from inside."

Kael felt his core respond.

A faint pulse travelled through his body.

The same ancient energy that had disturbed the formation beneath the ruined watchtower.

The same energy that had attracted the Graveburrower.

He looked toward the dark opening.

The Hollowfang was guarding something.

And whatever lay beneath the earth was connected to the catalyst he needed.

The den descended into darkness.

The opening was narrow, forcing them to move carefully. Kael entered first, followed by Murk and the pale creature.

The Dread Prowler remained behind them.

Its body barely fit through the passage.

The walls were covered in strange markings.

Some resembled the grooves carved into the old watchtower. Others were deeper, as though something had scratched them into the stone from within.

Kael stopped.

A faint silver line crossed the wall.

He touched it.

The resonance surged.

For an instant, the darkness disappeared.

He saw a vast underground chamber.

Stone pillars rose from a circular formation. Seven markings surrounded a central structure, and one of them glowed faintly.

Then the vision vanished.

Kael withdrew his claws.

"What did you see?" Murk asked.

"An ancient formation."

The pale creature approached the wall.

"The energy is flowing through the stone."

Kael examined the markings.

"Can you tell where it leads?"

The creature shook its head.

"It is not a passage."

The Dread Prowler moved closer.

"Then what is it?"

The pale creature stared into the darkness.

"A source."

Kael felt his core pulse again.

The ancient record remained silent.

But he understood.

The catalyst was not simply hidden inside the den.

The formation itself contained the energy.

And the Hollowfang had been absorbing it.

They reached the chamber shortly afterward.

The passage opened into a vast underground space.

The ceiling was supported by thick stone pillars, several of which had cracked. Pale roots hung from the upper walls, their surfaces glowing faintly.

At the centre stood an ancient formation.

Seven stone structures surrounded a circular platform.

The platform had been broken in several places.

Dark energy seeped through the cracks.

Kael approached carefully.

The pale creature stopped.

"Do not touch it."

Kael turned.

"Why?"

"The resonance is unstable."

The Dread Prowler examined the formation.

"Something has damaged it."

Kael looked at the broken pillars.

Several had been struck from the inside.

The Hollowfang had not simply guarded the formation.

It had been feeding from it.

The ancient energy had entered its body, changing its instincts and strengthening its movements.

The pale creature's voice trembled.

"The catalyst is here."

Kael felt a faint pull beneath his core.

The energy seemed to recognize him.

He stepped closer.

The formation pulsed.

A deep growl emerged from the darkness.

The Hollowfang appeared on the opposite side of the chamber.

Its body was larger than Kael had expected.

Dark plates covered its shoulders and back, but the spaces between them glowed with faint silver light. Its claws were long and uneven, and its eyes burned with an unnatural intensity.

The creature looked toward the formation.

Then it turned to Kael.

A low sound escaped its throat.

The Dread Prowler lowered its head.

"Hollowfang."

The creature charged.

The first attack struck the formation.

The Hollowfang's claws tore through the stone platform, sending fragments across the chamber.

Kael jumped aside.

The Dread Prowler moved directly toward it.

Their bodies collided.

The impact shook the chamber.

The Hollowfang's claws struck the Dread Prowler's shoulder, scraping against its dark plates. The territorial ruler retaliated with a powerful strike that forced the creature backward.

Kael watched.

The difference between them was clear.

The Dread Prowler was stronger than him.

But the Hollowfang had absorbed something from the formation.

Its movements were unpredictable.

It attacked without warning, sometimes turning toward the formation instead of its opponent.

The ancient energy was affecting its instincts.

Murk moved along the chamber's edge.

"Kael!"

Kael turned.

The Hollowfang had broken away from the Dread Prowler.

It was moving toward the pale creature.

Kael lunged.

The Hollowfang struck him across the side.

He flew into a pillar.

Pain erupted through his body.

The impact damaged the stone.

A crack spread across its surface.

The pale creature recoiled.

The formation pulsed violently.

Kael struggled to stand.

The Dread Prowler charged again.

Its claws struck the Hollowfang's back.

The creature roared.

A wave of darkness swept across the chamber.

Kael felt the attack before he saw it.

The shadow struck the ground.

Stone shattered.

The Dread Prowler was thrown backward.

Kael rolled behind a broken pillar.

The Hollowfang turned toward the formation.

It was not simply fighting.

It was protecting the energy it had absorbed.

And every attack was damaging the source.

"Stop attacking the formation!"

Kael's voice echoed through the chamber.

The Dread Prowler turned.

The Hollowfang charged again.

Kael moved toward the side passage.

"Murk! The fallen stones!"

Murk understood.

He scrambled toward a narrow section of the chamber where several broken pillars lay across the ground.

The Hollowfang followed Kael.

Its claws struck the stone.

Kael dodged.

The creature's momentum carried it into the narrow passage.

Murk pulled a loose branch from the wall.

It struck the Hollowfang's leg.

The creature stumbled.

The Dread Prowler attacked from the opposite side.

Its claws caught the Hollowfang's shoulder.

For a moment, the creature was trapped between them.

Kael moved toward the formation.

The pale creature stood near the platform.

Its eyes were fixed on the glowing cracks.

"The energy is moving!"

Kael looked at the formation.

The silver light was spreading.

The Hollowfang's body pulsed in response.

It was drawing more energy.

If they continued fighting, the formation would collapse.

Kael turned toward the Dread Prowler.

"Stop attacking its body!"

The ruler growled.

"It is killing my followers."

"I know."

"Then why should I stop?"

"Because it is feeding from the formation. Every strike drives it closer to the source."

The Dread Prowler hesitated.

The Hollowfang roared.

Kael pointed toward the broken pillars.

"We need to separate it from the energy."

The ruler's eyes narrowed.

"How?"

Kael examined the chamber.

The formation stood at the centre.

The Hollowfang had been moving between the platform and the passage.

It was drawn toward the energy.

But it was also reacting to threats.

If they could force it away from the formation, the creature might lose access to the energy long enough for them to escape.

They did not need to kill it.

They needed to break its connection.

Kael moved toward the narrow passage.

The Hollowfang followed.

The Dread Prowler remained near the formation.

Murk climbed onto a broken pillar.

The pale creature stayed beside the platform, watching the energy.

Kael lowered his head.

The Hollowfang charged.

He waited until the last moment.

Then he moved aside.

The creature struck the passage wall.

Stone cracked.

Kael attacked its exposed side.

The Hollowfang turned.

Its claws swept across the ground.

Kael jumped backward.

The Dread Prowler struck from behind.

The creature roared.

Its body pulsed with silver light.

The formation answered.

A deep vibration travelled through the chamber.

Kael felt his core react.

The ancient energy was becoming unstable.

"Now!" he shouted.

Murk pulled the branch.

A loose section of stone collapsed across the passage.

The Hollowfang stumbled.

The Dread Prowler charged.

Its claws struck the creature's shoulder.

The impact forced the Hollowfang away from the formation.

For a moment, the silver light dimmed.

Kael felt the connection weaken.

The pale creature gasped.

"The energy is separating!"

The Hollowfang roared.

It struck the ground.

A wave of darkness swept through the chamber.

The Dread Prowler was thrown against a pillar.

Murk disappeared beneath falling stones.

Kael lunged toward him.

The Hollowfang turned.

Its claws caught Kael's side.

He fell.

The creature moved toward the formation.

Kael struggled to rise.

The energy was flowing again.

The Hollowfang had broken through their attempt to separate it from the source.

The Dread Prowler stood.

Its body trembled.

The ruler looked toward Kael.

"Can you stop it?"

Kael examined the formation.

The pillars were cracking.

The platform was breaking apart.

The energy was no longer contained.

He understood.

They could not defeat the Hollowfang here without destroying the catalyst.

They needed to force it deeper into the den.

Away from the formation.

Away from the energy.

But the passage was narrow.

And the creature was too strong.

Kael looked toward the broken pillars.

Then toward the eastern passage.

He had one remaining option.

"Fall back!"

The Dread Prowler growled.

Kael shouted again.

"Fall back!"

The ruler hesitated.

Then it moved.

Murk crawled from beneath the stones.

The pale creature followed.

Kael retreated toward the passage.

The Hollowfang charged.

The Dread Prowler struck the ground.

Its shadow stretched across the chamber.

The attack forced the Hollowfang to turn.

For a moment, the creature hesitated.

Then it disappeared into the deeper passage.

The chamber fell silent.

Kael remained near the entrance.

His body was trembling.

The fight had cost him more than he expected.

The Dread Prowler examined its injured shoulder.

Murk moved beside Kael.

"You nearly died."

Kael looked toward the deeper passage.

"So did everyone else."

The pale creature approached the formation.

Its eyes were fixed on the broken platform.

"The catalyst is still here."

Kael followed.

The formation had been damaged.

Several pillars had collapsed.

The silver energy had dimmed.

But beneath the broken stone, something remained.

A dark structure embedded in the platform.

It was not a crystal.

It was a living core.

Its surface pulsed faintly, like a heart beneath stone.

Kael felt the resonance immediately.

The ancient record stirred.

A fragment of meaning entered his mind.

The catalyst was compatible.

But it was not safe.

The pale creature stepped backward.

"It is alive."

Kael examined the core.

The energy within it seemed to move.

Not randomly.

It responded to his presence.

The Dread Prowler approached.

"What is it?"

Kael did not answer.

He was listening.

A faint sensation emerged from the core.

Something ancient.

Something that had existed before the forest.

The energy pressed against his thoughts.

For an instant, Kael saw a vision.

A vast kingdom.

A crown.

A throne surrounded by shadows.

Then the image disappeared.

He stepped back.

The core pulsed.

The ancient record finally spoke.

Not as a command.

Not as a promise.

As a warning.

"Compatible catalyst identified."

Kael's breathing slowed.

The presence continued.

"Absorption may unlock the next evolutionary threshold."

He looked toward the living core.

The Dread Prowler watched him.

Murk remained silent.

The pale creature lowered its head.

The warning came last.

"Ancient instinct imprint detected."

Kael felt the energy stir beneath his core.

"Identity contamination risk: severe."

The words faded.

The chamber remained dark.

And somewhere deeper underground, the Hollowfang roared again.

The catalyst had been found.

But Kael now understood that obtaining it might cost him more than his body could endure.

It might cost him the very identity he had fought to preserve.