The Awakening Beast

Chapter 22: The Awakening Beast

Somewhere deep beneath the city, something ancient stirred. Not in anger. Not in hunger. But in recognition.

The earth trembled faintly.

In the bowels of a sealed underground vault—forgotten by time and locked beneath layers of arcane barriers—a massive cocoon pulsed with erratic light. Black veins traced across its hardened shell like cracks in glass. From within, a heartbeat pounded. Slow. Growing stronger. Faster.

The sensors flickered.

"Containment breach imminent."

The beast within… was waking.

Meanwhile—Ryo Kazen's hideout, 4:03 AM.

Ryo's fingers trembled slightly as he poured hot water over instant ramen. He stared blankly at the steam curling upward, lost in the fog of post-raid exhaustion.

His body was sore, his mind on fire.

The Mirror Wraith's reflection—his own face staring back at him with that same cold intensity—had shaken something loose in him. It wasn't fear. It was... familiarity.

Like the dungeon knew him.

Or worse, like he belonged there.

"You're not just a user of the Protocol," he muttered to himself. "You're a part of it."

The spoon paused midway to his mouth.

Then the lights flickered.

Twice.

The shadows in the room shifted ever so slightly—like something invisible had passed by.

He didn't move. Didn't breathe. Just slowly reached for his blade.

"Intruder detected."

The voice came from the Protocol, emotionless as ever.

But it was already too late.

A figure stepped into view from the hallway—no sound, no warning. Black robes. A mask shaped like a split crescent moon. And behind them, a presence that twisted the air like a vice.

"Ryo Kazen," the figure said calmly. "You weren't supposed to survive the dungeon."

Ryo didn't answer. He launched forward, blade in hand, striking faster than thought—

—only to hit nothing.

The figure blurred like a mirage and reappeared behind him.

"You're unstable," they continued. "You shouldn't have the Protocol. It will destroy you… or worse, awaken what's inside you."

"And who the hell are you?"

"Someone who failed to stop the last Shadowborn."

And with that cryptic sentence, the figure snapped their fingers.

A rune ignited under Ryo's feet.

A seal—a teleportation glyph.

"Too slow," Ryo growled.

"Protocol Skill: Phantom Recall."

His body flickered out a decoy just as the rune exploded in light, warping the room into nothingness. He emerged outside on the rooftop, panting, eyes wide with fury.

Who was that?

What were they talking about?

And more importantly—

What the hell was a Shadowborn?

Elsewhere. A high-security observation facility.

Aya Fujimoto sat behind a reinforced glass panel, legs drawn to her chest.

Even in isolation, her silver hair shimmered like stardust.

She stared at the walls—not seeing them, but something far beyond.

Her fingertips traced glowing patterns in the air, unconscious, beautiful.

The lead scientist approached the observation deck, voice trembling.

"She's muttering something," he whispered. "Over and over again."

"What is it?" the director asked.

He gulped.

"The Protocol... has chosen him."

The director went pale.

"Quarantine Tier One. Full lockdown. Now."

Ryo—later that day, in the ruins of Sector 12.

The sun had barely risen, casting a dull amber glow over the broken cityscape. Craters, collapsed buildings, and twisted metal littered the zone. Once a thriving commercial sector, now a forgotten ghost town.

Ryo stepped cautiously into the ruins, following a ping from his Protocol.

Something… was calling him here.

"Dungeon Signature: Null. Ambient fluctuation detected. Source: organic."

As he walked deeper into the rubble, the smell hit him.

Ash. Burnt metal. And something older.

Blood.

Lots of it.

Then he saw it—at the center of the crater.

A creature hunched in agony, its body wrapped in torn black tendrils, glowing eyes wild and unfocused.

Not a monster.

A person.

Or something that once was.

"Help… me…"

The voice was guttural, barely human. The tendrils thrashed weakly.

Protocol data tried to scan it.

"Error. Error. Entity classification: UNKNOWN."

Ryo took a step back, unsure—

Then the creature looked at him.

And smiled.

"Shadowborn," it whispered. "Just like me…"

In that moment, a blast of invisible force erupted from the crater.

Ryo was thrown back through the air, skidding across debris as alarms exploded in his system.

"WARNING: Forbidden class detected. Shadowborn threat level: Red."

The creature began to shift—bones cracking, muscles mutating, a black crown forming from its skull.

Ryo struggled to his feet.

Blades drawn. Heart racing.

No more questions. No more running.

If this was the path the Protocol had chosen—

Then he'd carve his way through it. One shadow at a time.

End of Chapter 22