Not today

Dion locked eyes with the Harrow, both of them frozen in a tense standoff. The creature's gaze was inscrutable, but Dion could sense its wariness. It wasn't attacking, but he knew that any sudden move toward the Dreamer Egg would change that instantly. The Harrow was poised to defend its prize, and Dion wasn't eager to test its resolve.

Not willing to act doesn't mean it's unable to, he reminded himself. The Harrow would seize any opportunity to eliminate a threat without endangering the egg. With that in mind, Dion took a cautious step back. He might be desperate, but he wasn't suicidal. There was no sense in throwing himself into a battle he couldn't win.

His heart ached with the desire to claim the egg. The potential it held was immense. If he could lay his hands on it… maybe, just maybe, he would finally awaken. The mere thought made his chest tighten.

No longer at the bottom of the food chain…

Even children had more potential than an unawakened Hollowborn like him. At least they had a future, the possibility of awakening one day. But Dion? His chances were slipping away with every passing year. He wasn't just powerless—he was stagnant. Forgotten.

His fingers curled into a fist. If I awaken, everything changes.

He imagined what it would mean. No more scavenging for scraps, no more being looked down on, no more dreading the day when even the weakest monsters would no longer fear him. Awakened held privileges—resources, strength, freedom.

Hollowborn breakthroughs were the hardest. But if you could do it? If you could push past that barrier? The path to true power lay open. All he had to do was survive long enough to climb.

But not today. Approaching the egg now would be a death sentence. However, it didn't seem fully matured yet; he estimated he had a few days before it reached its peak. That window offered a sliver of hope—a chance to devise a plan.

For now, he had other concerns. Night was approaching, and he needed a safe place to rest. His original mission had been simple: destroy the Grimling nest and return to RidgeFort. His supplies were calculated for that task alone. Extending his stay meant stretching his resources thin—possibly to the point of starvation.

"Will I have to hunt abominations for food?"

The thought was unsettling. He had trained for such scenarios, but eating tainted flesh was far from ideal. Yet, survival demanded flexibility.

Then there was the matter of the nest. As a Hollowborn, his abilities were formidable, but charging into a Grimling-infested ruin alone? Suicidal. At best, he could take down two, maybe three, if luck favored him. Beyond that, he would be overwhelmed.

Burning the nest wasn't an option either. The Mission Shop wasn't concerned with ridding the area of Grimlings out of kindness—it wanted something specific: Nyxstone. Unlike Nyx Crystals, which replenished energy and enhanced abilities, Nyxstone was volatile and hazardous to humans. Its value lay in industrial applications in RidgeFort's inner sectors—powering machinery, fueling research, and purposes beyond Dion's understanding.

If he set the nest ablaze, the resulting explosion would destroy the Nyxstone—failing the mission entirely. He needed to extract it without alerting or confronting the entire nest.

Dion sighed. The weight of his predicament pressed down on him.

He had four immediate objectives

Secure shelter, Find food, Retrieve the Nyxstone and If fortune smiled upon him—claim the Dreamer Egg.

With that thought, he turned and retreated toward the surface. The next ruin isn't far, but he needed to move quickly if he wanted to reach it in time.

Dion broke into a light jog, careful to avoid unnecessary noise. The last thing he needed was to attract unwanted attention.

By the time he neared the crumbling site, night had fully settled. Shadows stretched long and deep, swallowing the remnants of the ruined city around him. The ruin lay 100 meters away, but he didn't dare run. He was going there to hide, not to announce himself to every lurking predator.

He was almost there when a chill ran down his spine.

Cold.

Not the natural cold of night—but something deeper.

Then he felt it.

"Damn it—"

Instinct took over before he even finished the thought. Dion twisted, moving on reflex alone.

But it wasn't enough.

Like a siege hammer, the impact slammed into him with terrible force. He had managed to turn just in time, shielding his vital organs, but the attack had been aimed for his back—his heart. If it had landed as intended, he would have died instantly.

Instead—

BOOOM!

Agony erupted through his forearm as the bone snapped under the sheer force of the blow. A split-second later, his body was airborne, flung like a ragdoll. He barely had time to register the movement before—

CRASH!

He collided with a standing section of the ruined wall. The stone shattered on impact, sending debris flying as his body caved through it. Dust filled the air. Pain roared through his nerves.

For a moment, all he could do was breathe.

Shit___

He forced his vision to steady, his ears ringing. His arm was useless—twisted at a sickening angle, white-hot pain flaring with even the smallest movement. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright.

Something had just tried to kill him.

And if he didn't move now, it was about to try again. And maybe it will even succeed this time.