The deeper Solan pushed into the Silver Woods, the more the environment began to feel like a living, breathing predator. The trees were no longer silver; they were a bruised, metallic purple, their branches interlocking like ribcages above his head.
The Ring of the Faded Star felt heavy on his finger. It worked—too well. The roaring fire of the Void in his chest had been reduced to a faint, cold ember. He felt human again, which was a dangerous thing in a place where only monsters thrived.
SNAP.
Solan dropped into a low crouch, his hand instinctively flying to the marble hilt at his waist. He didn't ignite the blade yet; the light would be a beacon.
Out of the violet fog emerged something far larger than a Husk. It stood seven feet tall, its body a grotesque fusion of a silver-furred wolf and a suit of hollowed-out knight's armor. Its "face" was a cracked visor dripping with black ichor.
[THREAT DETECTED: CORRUPTED SENTINEL – RANK: B] [ESTIMATED VICTORY RATE: 34%]
The beast didn't growl. It let out a sound like grinding metal. In its right "paw," it held a rusted greatsword that hummed with a sickly, dying yellow light.
"A scavenger," Solan whispered, his eyes narrowing. "You died in these woods and the stars didn't want you back."
The Sentinel lunged. It was faster than its size suggested. The greatsword swung in a horizontal arc, shearing through three purple trees as if they were paper. Solan rolled beneath the strike, the wind of the blade ruffling his hair.
He gripped the marble hilt. Feed me, the Void whispered in the back of his mind.
"Astral Void Style, First Form: Silent Meteor Strike!"
Solan didn't just dash; he vanished into a blur of crimson. He appeared behind the Sentinel, his plasma blade having carved a red line across the creature's rusted back.
But the Sentinel didn't dissolve like the Husks. The wound hissed, black steam rising from the metal, but the beast spun around instantly, its armored fist catching Solan in the ribs.
Solan flew backward, crashing through a thicket of silver briars. Blood coppered his mouth.
"Damn it... the ring," Solan groaned, coughing. The Ring of the Faded Star was suppressing his output too much. He couldn't draw enough power to finish a Rank B in one hit.
The Sentinel raised its greatsword for a vertical execution.
Solan looked at the ring. He didn't take it off—he twisted it. He forced his own energy to bypass the dampener for just a split second.
"Eat this."
The crimson energy didn't just flow; it exploded. The plasma blade expanded into a massive, jagged scythe of vibrating red light.
"Astral Void Style, Second Form: Gravitational Collapse!"
Instead of hitting the ground, Solan swung the scythe upward. The gravity around the Sentinel inverted. The massive beast was lifted off its feet, its heavy armor suddenly weightless.
As it floated, helpless, Solan leaped. He didn't just slash—he drove the plasma blade directly into the cracked visor.
[CORE PIERCED] [INITIATING MAXIMUM ABSORPTION]
The scream the Sentinel let out wasn't vocal; it was a psychic wave of agony that shook the leaves of every tree in the grove. The Obsidian Orb began to spin violently in Solan's hand, acting like a black hole. The silver fur, the rusted metal, and the dying yellow light were all stripped away, spiraling into the orb until nothing was left but a single, pulsing Yellow Star Fragment.
Solan landed on his feet, gasping for air. His arm was shaking, the orange runes glowing so brightly they could be seen through his sleeve.
[ABSORPTION SUCCESSFUL] [LEVEL UP: SENTINEL RANK (LOWER)] [NEW ATTRIBUTE UNLOCKED: HARDENED PLASMIC EDGE]
Solan stood over the empty patch of dirt where the beast had been. He felt a cold shiver go down his spine. The old man was right. Each time he "ate," the hunger didn't go away—it grew more sophisticated. He didn't want Husks anymore. He wanted Sovereigns.
He twisted the ring back into its suppressing position. The light died down.
Through the clearing, the trees finally began to thin. In the distance, silhouetted against the rising golden dawn, stood a massive, walled city built of white stone and blue glass.
The City of Olympos. Home to the Academy.
Solan wiped the blood from his lip and began to walk. The fugitive had survived the woods. Now, the wolf was entering the sheepfold.