Srijan_Pandey_8761

In the Golden Dragon Nation, your destiny is decided at sixteen by a single injection. For dirt-poor miner ** Zane Voidcrest**, the annual Awakening Day is his only chance to escape a life buried in coal and despair. But when the serum unlocks a forbidden bond with a primordial beast—a shadow-wolf with the voice of a forgotten god—Kael becomes a fugitive. Branded a “corrupted” threat by the Elite, hunted by jealous rivals like the pyrokinetic aristocrat **Zane Ashgrave**, and haunted by his wolf’s insatiable hunger for chaos, Kael must master his power before the Nation’s enemies strike.  

Monsters claw at the borders. Rebellions simmer in the slums. And the Primal Beasts, long thought extinct, are waking. To survive, Kael will forge alliances with outcast mages, rebel factions, and creatures of myth. But as he uncovers the dark truth behind the Elite’s “benevolent” rule, he realizes the real war isn’t between humans and monsters—it’s between those who chain the world… and those who dare to break it.

Ascendant Beasts : The Voidcrest Prophecy

Zane hovered above the town, his body a silhouette wreathed in swirling darkness. The Heart's power pulsed through him, turning buildings to dust with a flick of his wrist. Screams rose from the streets as villagers fled, their faces twisted in terror.

"Pathetic," the Heart hissed through Zane's lips. "Their fear feeds us."

But deep within, a spark fought. Zane's hands trembled as he watched a child stumble in the rubble. For a heartbeat, the shadows recoiled.

"Weakness!" the Heart snarled, seizing control. Zane's hand lashed out, and a wave of void-energy obliterated the town square.

In the chaos, he didn't see Thalia and Vyrthax watching from the smoldering forest's edge.

Thalia clutched Vyrthax's fur as they climbed the Blackspire Mountains, the air thinning with every step. The wolf's bond had sharpened her senses—she could now hear the whispers of the stones, the mournful songs of long-dead Primals.

"There,"Vyrthax growled, nodding to a crevice veiled by ice. "The Sanctuary of the First Pact."

Inside, the cavern glowed with bioluminescent moss. Ancient murals depicted Primals and humans side by side, battling a shapeless horror from the stars. At the center stood a stone pedestal holding a crystalline orb—a *Primal Core*.

A figure emerged from the shadows: an old woman with antlers growing from her brow, her eyes milky white. "Thalia Ashthorn," she rasped. "The Veilwalker foretold your coming."

"A remnant. The last of the Primal Keepers."She touched the orb. **"This Core holds the essence of the First Primals. It can sever the Heart's bond… if your friend still fights."

The Elite's airship descended over Grimhollow, its hull gleaming with sunsteel. Aboard it, Grand Marshal Kaelon Voss stared down at the destruction, his face a mask of icy resolve.

"The Voidchosen must be eradicated," he said, gripping a relic spear—its tip forged from a Primal's fang. "Activate the Sundial."

A machine hummed to life on the ship's deck, its golden gears spinning. Beams of light lanced toward Zane, carving through his shadows.

The Heart roared. "Elite filth! You dare wield our bones against us?"

Zane retaliated, hurling void-fire at the ship. But the Sundial's light repelled it, inching closer.

Thalia and Vyrthax raced back to Grimhollow, the Primal Core glowing in her satchel. As they neared, they saw the Sundial's beams pinning Zane like a moth to flame.

"The Core," Vyrthax urged. *"Use it now!"*

Thalia lunged into the fray, dodging debris. "Zane! I know you're in there!"

His void-eyes flickered. For a heartbeat, amber broke through the black.

The Sundial's light surged, engulfing him.

The blast threw Thalia backward. When the light faded, Zane knelt on the ground—human again, but lifeless. The Heart's voice was silent.

The Grand Marshal's spear leveled at Zane's chest. "The corruption ends here."

But as the spear struck, the Primal Core in Thalia's hands erupted—and Zane's eyes snapped open, glowing violet.

Chapter 6: The Hollow King