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The chain shimred faintly, almost aware, as if listening.
"So when?" Kai demanded. "When will it make sense?"
A pause. Then,
"When you reach beyond Nine Star Rank," she said. "Not before. Reach that height and return here and stand before this chain again. Then I will reveal the truth of its energy. And the path to break it, if you still desire to do so."
Kai stared at the chain, his mind burning with questions. Not aura. Not heat or magnetic force. Sothing older. Wilder. Hungrier. And it fed on her?
Whatever was behind this fog, whatever being this voice belonged to... she was powerful enough to ripple oceans, command leviathans, and open void-windows with millennia of stored strength... and yet she was imprisoned by this.
His knuckles cracked with tension. "I’ll co back," he said. "You better not lie to ."
The voice smiled, not with sound, but sensation. "I couldn’t lie to you, even if I wanted to. You are already part of the chain’s future."
The basin dimd. Fog rolled back inward, hiding the celestial rings one by one until the last link vanished like an extinguished star.
Above, the invisible ceiling of mist flickered once, like so vast eye blinking.
And Kai stood alone in a silence thick as the deep sea, already planning how much exp it would take to reach Nine Star Rank.
Already dreaming of what that chain might an for his future. Already hungry for it.
The luminous figure drew the fog around herself like a living cloak, each wisp of mist folding inward with the rhythm of her slow breath. Her voice returned, not booming like thunder this ti, but llow, careful, cloaked in intent.
"I promised a gift, and I will keep my vows. But gifts carry weight." Her glow pulsed once, briefly illuminating the endless ocean beyond the veil.
"I cannot grant you raw power, not now. The watchers would know— perhaps not today, but soon. I must not put you in danger through generosity."
Kai nodded silently, arms crossed, senses alert. It was the most logical sentence he’d heard in days.
"But," she continued, "I can give you one of these. Choose one."
She gestured with a slow raise of her hand, between her and Kai, the mists opened.
Water twisted like silk, folding in on itself. Two shapes erged, both radiant, both breathing a deeper kind of life. One walked forward with crushing force, the other descended in silence from above.
Kai’s eyes widened.
The first was a six star rank predator class sea crab, but there was no resemblance to the blue shelled creatures he’d seen near the shores. This beast stood nearly ten tis his height at the shoulders, each limb armored in jade-green shell cracked with obsidian veins. Its pincers were larger than wagons, serrated on the inside like bone saws. Aura shimred faintly beneath its carapace and so enchanted markings that suggested not just strength, but age, experience, and intelligence.
Eight ruby eyes glowed across its face, each one independent, scanning. Barnacle-like nodules dotted its elbows and spine, pulsing with a cold light that hinted at built-in weapons or arcane defenses. It moved slowly, deliberately, like a general weighing every step on sacred ground. One claw opened and closed with a quiet crk that vibrated the mist.
Then ca the second.
A whisper overhead, no wind, but displacent and from above descended a flight swimr hybrid, avian and elegant. The Sable Crested Alkaidon, A six star rank aerial marine predator beast.
It resembled a falcon, it was at least fifteen tres tall. Long wings, feathered with a dual layer design: top layer black as obsidian and rimd in glowing silver, lower layer made of flexible, scale-like paddles that shimred like fish fins. Its body was lean, streamlined, covered in short silver feathers near the torso that transitioned into longer storm-gray plumage along its tail.
Its beak curved like a saber, rimd with a faint glowing outline. Talons were half folded beneath it, strong enough to lift siege weapons. It didn’t flap to remain afloat; instead, its wings subtly altered angles, drawing on pockets of air pressure and ambient aura.
The eyes were mostly telling, it’s no simple bird’s gaze. They held intellect, comprehension, and sothing else: curiosity. It tilted its head once toward Kai and let out a soft croon, almost musical.
"Mounts," the voice said gently, not commanding. "They serve . They hunt and bring tribute so that I don’t get sick dry by the chains. But one may serve you now."
Kai’s eyes twitched, mind already spiraling.
"Can I choose both?" he asked bluntly, watching both beasts with asured caution.
For a mont the fog stilled, then the voice exhaled, a patient sigh, not disappointed, not surprised.
"You cannot. They are not tools. I need one to remain. They are the arms of my reach into the world. If both go, I will be blinded."
She paused, then added:
"However... I can grant you a favor instead. If ever you find yourself in need within the sea, call through the currents. The Northern sea Ruler will answer."
Uroth’s shadow, far behind, pulsed faintly outside the mist. It was acknowledgent without words.
"He cannot leave the ocean. But in the waters, your call shall not be ignored. One ti, only one, he will aid you directly. Beyond that, I will also mark a safe route through the sea. No beast or predator shall touch you if you follow it. But do not enter this mist again without invitation. This mist is layered in traps and guardians that even I cannot recall at will, in my current situation. Mist is a dangerous place. Wait until I call for you."
The words echoed like gospel. Kai stared at the two options before him.
The crab took another step forward, its pincer crashing softly against the thick water floor with a slow, grinding thud. He could see the sheer force in its limbs. A walking fortress. A war engine. The perfect weapon for assault, mountain defense, or front line supremacy.
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