The next morning, Elias woke before dawn, the city still shrouded in darkness. His body felt sore but strong, the lingering effects of the battles he had endured fading with each breath. He had rested, but his mind remained sharp-too much had happened for him to let his guard down.
He dressed quickly, strapping his gear into place. His thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Althea the night before. Disappearances near the outskirts. The possibility of Trial remnants seeping into the city. It wasn't his problem-at least, it shouldn't have been.
But he found himself drawn to it.
Before heading back to the gate, he decided to take a detour.
The outskirts of the city were quiet in the early morning, the streets nearly empty except for a few merchants setting up their stalls. The area Althea had mentioned lay beyond the main roads, a stretch of land leading into sparse forests and rocky terrain.
As he moved through the outskirts, he felt something-an instinctual awareness that made his senses sharpen. Beast Mastery, the power he had gained from Kaelis, was still new to him, but it was already proving useful. His instincts picked up on faint disturbances in the air, the scent of something unnatural lingering beneath the earth and trees.
There had been a struggle here.
Elias crouched, running his fingers over the dirt. Claw marks. Deep ones.
Something had been dragged.
His grip tightened. If creatures from the Trial were slipping into the real world, it meant one thing-the barriers between the tower and this realm were weakening.
A low growl rumbled from the shadows ahead.
Elias stood, turning his gaze toward the trees. The presence was unmistakable now.
A pair of glowing eyes emerged from the darkness, followed by a massive, twisted form-a beast unlike anything that should exist outside the Trial.
It was a hulking, deformed creature, its body a fusion of reptilian scales and jagged bone. A remnant of the Beastlands, perhaps a creature that had slipped through when he defeated Kaelis.
It shouldn't be here.
But it was.
And it was hungry.
The beast lunged.
Elias reacted instantly, dodging to the side as the creature's claws tore through the earth where he had stood. His instincts screamed at him-this wasn't just a wild beast. It carried a trace of divine power, something lingering from the tower itself.
He wouldn't hold back.
Lightning crackled around his fingertips as he unleashed Elemental Fury, surging forward with raw speed. His fist connected with the beast's side, sending a shockwave of fire and electricity through its body. The creature roared, staggering back, but its wounds began to knit together almost instantly.
Rapid Regeneration.
It had inherited Kaelis' strength.
Elias exhaled sharply. "Of course."
The beast circled him now, wary but unrelenting. It was a predator, just as he was.
Good.
A smirk formed on Elias' lips as he raised his hand. Sparks gathered in his palm, forming a spiraling vortex of pure destruction.
If this thing had Kaelis' strength, then he would use his own against it.
Lightning surged.
Divine Judgment.
A pillar of blinding energy erupted from his palm, striking the beast dead center. The force of the blast shattered the ground, sending shockwaves through the air. The creature roared in agony as its body disintegrated under the sheer power of the attack.
Then-silence.
Smoke curled from the scorched earth where the beast had stood. Only ashes remained.
Elias let out a slow breath, lowering his hand. He had expected to fight remnants of the tower inside the Trial. He hadn't expected them to follow him into the real world.
Something was wrong.
He turned his gaze toward the city.
This wasn't over.