Chapter 44: Hunger Without End
The chamber was silent after the hunters vanished, but Adrian's chest wasn't. His scars burned sharper than ever, the pendant pulsing faintly against his skin. He sat on the cold stone floor, sweat dripping down his face, heart pounding.
Leah knelt beside him, her golden aura fading. "You're stronger," she whispered. "But different. The relic… it changed you."
Adrian swallowed hard, whispering to himself. "It fed on me. On the scars. And it gave me strength."
Elias stood nearby, arms crossed, his expression grim. "Strength isn't the problem. Hunger is. Relics don't stop feeding once they taste blood. They'll demand more. And if you can't master it, it won't just consume you. It'll consume everyone bound to it."
Adrian's chest tightened. He thought of Leah, of Elias, of Marianne's smile lingering in his memory. He clenched his fists, scars burning faintly. "Then I'll master it. I won't let it consume anyone else."
Elias shook his head. "You don't understand. Relics don't care about your promises. They care about their purpose. If this pendant is feeding on scars, then it's binding us all to its hunger. Every battle, every wound, every sacrifice — it will take them, twist them, and grow stronger. And one day, it may demand more than you can give."
Leah's eyes narrowed. "Then we fight it. Together. If it binds us, then we carry it as one."
Elias's gaze hardened. "That's what Armand thought. He believed his relic was binding him to destiny. He believed he could carry it alone. And when it demanded more, he gave everything. His body collapsed. His mind shattered. His allies died with him. If Adrian follows the same path, we'll all fall."
Silence hung heavy. Adrian sat there, chest burning, pendant glowing faintly. He thought of Armand's record, of the words etched in obsidian clay: Consumed by burden. He thought of the visions — ordinary people carrying fragments, hunters scattering, emerald light flooding the city. He thought of scars, of hunger, of destiny.
He whispered to himself, voice hoarse. "Then I'll defy it. I'll carry the scars, but I won't carry them alone. I'll rise, but I'll rise with you."
The pendant pulsed brighter, flooding the chamber with emerald light. Leah's aura flared faintly, steady and calm. Elias frowned, but his eyes softened for the first time.
"Then prove it," Elias said quietly. "Prove you can master hunger. Prove you can carry scars without breaking. Because if you fail, it won't just be your life. It'll be ours too."
Adrian clenched his fists, scars burning sharper. He whispered again, voice steady. "I'll rise. I'll uncover the truth. And I'll survive. Scars or not."
That night, Adrian dreamed again. He stood in the middle of a street, emerald light flooding the city. Hunters hissed in the shadows, their eyes glowing faintly. But behind him stood people — dozens, maybe hundreds — carrying fragments of stone. Their faces were ordinary, but their scars glowed faintly, binding them to the relic's light.
The pendant pulsed harder, flooding his chest with warmth. Adrian gasped, whispering to himself. "Scars are the roots. Scars are the bond. Hunger is the price."
He woke with tears in his eyes, chest burning, pendant glowing faintly. Leah sat nearby, watching him, refusing to leave him alone.
"What did you see?" she asked softly.
Adrian swallowed hard. "People. Ordinary people. Carrying scars. The relic was binding them too. It's not just me. It's all of us."
Leah's gaze hardened. "Then maybe that's the truth. The relic doesn't choose one vessel alone. It chooses many. And hunger is the price we all pay."
Adrian clenched his fists, whispering to himself. "Then I'll rise. I'll uncover the truth. And I'll carry this legacy. Hunger or not."
The pendant pulsed again, brighter than before.
And Adrian Reyes knew the path ahead wasn't just about cultivation or history. It was about hunger — endless, consuming, binding scars into strength, demanding more with every step.