Chapter 4 – The Beast's Intuition
[Henrique's Perspective]
The rooftops creaked under the creature's weight.
Henrique held Leandro in his arms as he backed away, panting. Beside him, Sónia shielded Miro with her body, trembling. The world around them seemed frozen.
It wasn't just fear.
It was instinct.
The beast before them had human eyes. It wasn't one of the common devourers they'd encountered on the streets.
No.
This one thought. This one waited.
It had four legs, an arched spine, hairless skin, and blue-veined flesh. On its forehead glowed a fiery symbol — like a living rune. When the creature breathed, one could hear… whispers. Distorted words.
— That symbol... — Henrique murmured. — Is that a crystal?
Kiala didn't answer immediately. Her golden eyes were fixed on the creature.
— No… it's a seal.
— It was sealed by something. Or someone.
— And now it's free.
Henrique swallowed hard. He activated Muscle Slash, but he knew it wouldn't be enough.
The creature took a step. Then stopped. It looked at Leandro.
And the boy trembled all over.
— Dad… — Leandro said, eyes wide. — It's… it's going to jump. It'll strike from above.
Henrique looked.
The creature hadn't moved yet. But seconds later… it leapt.
— HOW DID YOU KNOW?! — Henrique shouted, diving to the side.
Leandro didn't respond. He was frozen, but not with fear — with connection.
[Latent Skill detected: Beast's Intuition]
The bearer can sense the intent of living beings with latent hostility. Increased sensitivity to predatory patterns. Unique skill activating...
Henrique shielded the children, rolling on the ground. The creature landed where they had been seconds earlier, shattering the concrete.
He activated Muscle Slash and slashed the monster's side, opening a thin wound.
But... it didn't bleed.
— No blood?
— No soul — Kiala said. — Only hunger.
— This is an Ancient Echo. A remnant of a fallen god.
— And how the hell do you kill something like that?!
Kiala didn't answer. She couldn't. The Echo charged and shoved her — and for the first time, she faltered.
Henrique's eyes widened.
— Even you can't stop it?
— It's not from this world. It's incomplete… but unstable.
Henrique looked at Leandro. The boy was shaking but murmured:
— It's circling… from behind…
Henrique turned and indeed, the Echo was trying to flank them.
Following his son's intuition, he leapt to the side and drove his hands into the crystal on the creature's forehead.
[Accessing Echo Seal: 7%]
[Do you wish to attempt absorbing the corrupted crystal?]
Risk: Death by overload or core fragmentation.
— FUCK IT. Yes!
The pain was infernal.
Henrique screamed as the crystal burned into his arms and fused with his chest, as if trying to replace his heart.
[Partial crystal absorbed successfully!]
[New Skill Unlocked: "Shadow Echo" – Passive]
Allows detection of hostile emotions in the environment. Enhances combat reflexes through anticipation.
The creature froze. It trembled.
And slowly, it disintegrated into grey dust.
Henrique dropped to his knees.
Kiala approached and knelt beside him.
— You weren't supposed to be able to do that.
— But I did.
— Yes… and the system noticed.
[Warning: You are walking a Path of Chaos.]
[First fragment of abyssal inheritance absorbed.]
[Higher monsters will begin to hunt you by instinct.]
Henrique looked at his burned hands.
— Am I… becoming a monster?
— No — Kiala said with a faint smile. — You're becoming a monster bigger than the monsters.
[Lívia's Perspective]
The group of armed humans was camped on top of the Diamante Hotel. They wore improvised armor, old rifles, and military fatigues.
They were the war-survivor type — used to chaos.
But not to her.
Lívia climbed the stairs alone.
The soldiers raised their weapons.
— STOP! IDENTIFY YOURSELF!
She didn't respond.
She walked as if strolling through a rose garden.
— I SAID STOP!
One of the men fired. The bullet veered off course, as if the wind itself interfered.
Lívia raised one hand.
[Active Skill: Crimson Order]
Mental domination of targets with a core lower than hers. Duration: 3 minutes. Cooldown: 2 hours.
— Kneel.
And the men… obeyed.
Some cried. Others screamed. One tried to resist, but fell unconscious.
She stood before the leader — a cold-eyed ex-soldier.
— Who are you?! — he growled.
— The wrong question.
— You should ask: what am I... from now on?
She extended her finger and touched his forehead.
[Soul marked by the Crimson Throne]
[Bond created with: Lívia, Crimson Empress]
[Submission: Partial – 45%]
The man's eyes turned red for a moment.
Lívia turned to the other soldiers.
— From today on… this is my territory.
— Those who wish to live, kneel.
— Those who resist… will bleed until they're useful.
They all kneeled.
[Faction created: Crimson Legion – Core: Old Luanda]
[Members: 19]
[Initial Influence: Low]
[Ascension Potential: Extreme]
[Alert: Another chaotic entity detected in the same territory. Imminent conflict.]
Lívia smiled, gazing toward the horizon.
— So Henrique…
— Have you started burning too?
[Henrique's Perspective]
At the end of that night, while sheltering in a forgotten basement of an old market, Henrique looked at his children.
— Leandro… how did you know the monster's movements?
The boy looked at him, confused.
— I just… felt it. Like it was pain walking, Dad. I heard what it wanted to do, even without it speaking.
Henrique nodded.
Kiala watched from a distance, deep in thought.
"Two sons...
One with death's intuition.
The other still sleeps.
But when Miro awakens… even the gods will tremble."
Henrique leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
The war had only just begun.
But he… had already killed the first beast that could think.