The world did not wait for Kael Viren to be ready.
Dawn rose over the wilderness like a blade drawn slowly from its sheath, cutting through the fog that clung to the scorched forest. The remnants of last night's battle still lingered—blackened trees, glassed earth, and the faint metallic scent of blood and burned qi. Birds had not yet returned. Even insects seemed to avoid the area, as if instinct warned them that something unnatural still breathed here.
Kael stood at the edge of a ravine, eyes closed, breathing steady.
Inside him, chaos churned.
Dragon Hybrid slumbered uneasily, its molten presence coiled like a volcano held shut by will alone. Harvester drifted near the edges of Kael's consciousness, shadows whispering, ever-observant, ever-hungry. And deeper still—far deeper—something burned.
Not violently.
Not yet.
But intelligently.
> Flamingo Gene Status: Dormant
Compatibility: High
Risk Factor: Extreme
Note: This fragment does not obey instinct alone. It evolves.
Kael opened his eyes slowly.
"So," he murmured, "you're the thinking kind."
A faint heat answered him—not external, but internal, spreading through his veins like warm breath against cold skin. It was different from the Dragon's overwhelming dominance or Harvester's predatory silence. This heat felt… curious.
Testing.
Rion stood several steps back, staff planted into the earth, threads faintly visible around his arms and torso. His face was pale, his injury from the imperial pursuit still not fully healed, but his eyes were sharp.
"You're sure about this?" Rion asked. "You barely stabilized after last night. Awakening another fragment now—"
"I don't have time," Kael replied calmly.
That was the truth.
The Empire would not send ordinary hunters again. The next wave would include suppressors designed specifically for anomalies. Otherworld forces had already begun to circle. And somewhere, unseen but very real, the Law observed.
If Kael wanted control, real control, he needed to stop being a single blade.
He needed to become an army.
"Stay back," Kael said. "If this goes wrong… I don't want you caught in it."
Rion hesitated, then nodded. "I trust you. But if you lose yourself, I'll drag you back. Even if it kills me."
Kael allowed himself a faint smile. "Fair."
He stepped forward and sat cross-legged at the center of the ravine.
The ground was already cracked and scorched—perfect.
Kael inhaled deeply and let his consciousness sink inward.
Past muscle. Past bone. Past blood.
He reached the core.
The gene lattice inside his body unfolded before his mind's eye like a vast constellation—eleven stars, each radiating its own wavelength of power. Some burned fiercely. Others flickered faintly. All were bound together by Kael's will, by chains forged through suffering, experimentation, and survival.
He ignored the familiar ones.
He focused on the star that pulsed with multicolored flame.
Flamingo.
> Awakening protocol initiated.
Heat surged instantly.
Kael's breath hitched as fire—not ordinary fire, not even Dragonfire—flooded his meridians. This flame did not consume blindly. It tested, probing his limits, adapting to resistance, changing temperature, density, even intent.
Ice burned. Light burned. Shadow burned.
Kael's teeth clenched as frost crawled along his skin even as sweat poured down his back.
"So you're not just fire," he whispered through the pain. "You're erosion."
The flame responded.
It laughed.
Not with sound, but with sensation—a ripple of amusement that echoed through his mind.
> Flamingo: Correct. Fire is merely a language. I speak many dialects.
Kael's eyes snapped open.
The ravine ignited.
But not explosively.
Instead, the air itself seemed to separate into layers. Red flame coiled upward. Pale blue fire crystallized along the rocks. Ghostly silver fire flickered near Kael's shoulders, cold enough to freeze light. Dark violet flame pulsed once, then vanished, leaving the ground beneath it cracked and lifeless.
Rion staggered backward as the pressure increased.
"This isn't just awakening," he muttered. "This is negotiation."
Kael felt it too.
The Flamingo gene was not a beast to be unleashed. It was a civilization fragment—a remnant of an Otherworld species that had mastered fire in all its forms. It demanded recognition.
Equality.
> Flamingo: You want power. I want expression. Grant me autonomy… and I will burn your enemies in ways they cannot comprehend.
Kael's heartbeat thundered.
Autonomy.
That word carried weight.
Harvester stirred uneasily.
> Harvester: Danger. Independent cognition increases internal conflict probability.
Dragon Hybrid rumbled its agreement, molten displeasure echoing through Kael's bones.
Kael did not answer either of them immediately.
Instead, he asked a question.
"What happens if I say no?"
The flames dimmed slightly.
> Flamingo: Then I remain bound. Dormant. Resentful. And one day… uncontrollable.
Kael exhaled slowly.
He had learned this lesson before.
Chains did not create loyalty. They created time bombs.
"I won't cage you," Kael said. "But I won't lose myself either. You'll have a mind. A role. And limits."
Silence.
Then—approval.
The flames surged, then collapsed inward, condensing.
Kael's body arched as energy tore free from his core—not violently, but decisively.
From the flames, a figure stepped forward.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Elegant.
Its body seemed sculpted from shifting fire, features sharp and expressive, eyes glowing with layered colors—red, blue, white, and something deeper, darker. Where Dragon Hybrid radiated dominance and Harvester exuded menace, this being carried presence.
Intelligence.
A smile curved its lips.
"So," the avatar said, voice crackling softly, "this is the world you burn for."
Kael fell to one knee, breathing hard, but alive.
Rion stared, speechless.
"That thing just… talked."
Kael looked up at the avatar—his avatar—and met its gaze.
"You're Flamingo."
The avatar tilted its head. "That is what you call the gene. I will accept it… for now."
The air temperature stabilized. The ravine stopped burning. The flames folded neatly into the avatar's form, contained but far from extinguished.
> Ultimate Cloning: Successful
Avatar Count: 3
Stability: Acceptable
Note: Cognitive divergence detected.
Kael stood slowly.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Flamingo's smile widened just a fraction. "Experience. Conflict. Growth. And when the time comes…"
Its eyes gleamed.
"War."
Harvester manifested briefly as a shadow behind Kael, its form sharpening.
> Harvester: I do not trust it.
Flamingo glanced sideways. "Good. Trust dulls the blade."
Dragon Hybrid stirred, projecting a phantom pressure that made the ravine tremble.
Flamingo laughed softly. "Ah. The tyrant stirs. We will have words later."
Rion rubbed his face. "I'm officially surrounded by monsters."
Kael let out a short, tired breath. "Get used to it."
The moment did not last.
A sharp pain lanced through Kael's skull, dropping him to one knee again. His vision blurred as symbols—imperial, Otherworld, and something older—flashed across his mind.
> Warning: External surveillance spike detected.
Law Vector: Observational threshold crossed.
Flamingo's expression shifted, turning serious.
"They felt that," the avatar said. "This awakening was… loud."
"How loud?" Rion asked.
Flamingo answered instead of Kael. "Loud enough that the Empire will move within days. Loud enough that Otherworld factions will argue over whether to claim or destroy him."
Harvester coiled protectively.
> Harvester: And the Law?
Flamingo's gaze lifted to the sky. "The Law does not hurry. It waits… until certainty."
Kael forced himself to stand fully.
"Then we move first," he said. "We don't hide anymore."
Rion blinked. "You mean… attack?"
Kael nodded. "Not the capital. Not yet. But we start breaking their chains. Free prisoners. Destroy outposts. Spread confusion."
Flamingo's grin returned—sharper now. "I like this plan."
Dragon Hybrid's presence flared in agreement, a low, approving growl vibrating through Kael's chest.
For the first time since the palace betrayal, Kael felt something dangerous bloom inside him.
Momentum.
Deep within the imperial capital, alarms flared—not loud, but absolute.
A vast chamber of obsidian and gold lit up with projected sigils. Ministers froze. Generals stiffened. A hooded figure stepped forward, voice calm, cold, and unmistakably furious.
"Confirm the report."
A kneeling officer swallowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. The anomaly has awakened another fragment. Fire-based. Intelligent. Avatar-class."
Silence fell.
The Emperor's fingers tightened around the arm of his throne.
"So," he murmured, "the boy has learned to share his power."
His lips curved into a thin smile.
"Mobilize the Inquisitors. Activate the Gene Suppression Array. And notify our… allies beyond the veil."
He leaned back, eyes glittering.
"If Kael Viren wants war… we will teach him what it costs to challenge a throne."
The wind shifted.
Kael looked toward the horizon, where the Empire lay unseen but very real.
Three avatars stood with him now.
Three minds. Three wills. One purpose.
"This is just the beginning," Kael said quietly.
Flamingo's flames flickered in anticipation.
Harvester's shadows sharpened.
Dragon Hybrid's fire rumbled like distant thunder.
And somewhere far above, unseen eyes watched… and began to calculate.