Three days had passed since the Shadowfang ambush.
Yuki hadn't seen another person since his banishment. When he spotted smoke in the distance, he followed it cautiously—until he came upon a caravan under siege.
Bandits.
Six of them surrounded two merchant wagons. One screamed orders. Another dragged a girl by the arm. Yuki hesitated—he had no reason to help. But something in him twisted.
He leapt from the brush, hurling a rock at the nearest attacker. The distraction was enough. The girl elbowed her captor. Yuki closed the distance, slipping between shadows, taking out two more with borrowed daggers.
The leader turned with a snarl, brandishing a rusted axe.
"Another damn rat?"
Yuki fought clumsily at first, but his instincts guided him. The bandit was fast—but Yuki was more rapid. He dodged the final strike and plunged the dagger into the man's side.
Ding! Adaptation Triggered.
Acquired Temporary Trait: [Adrenaline Surge]
The fight ended quickly after. The girl—Lina—thanked him profusely. Her father, the caravan's leader, offered food, clothes, and a map. But an old man among them gave him something stranger:
"Your eyes... you've seen beyond the veil, haven't you?"
Yuki blinked. "What do you mean?"
The old man just smiled sadly. "Be careful. Powers like yours… they remember too much."
Later that night, as Yuki sat beside their campfire, the stars above clearer than he had ever seen, he noticed something unsettling—his reflection in a nearby water barrel.
His eyes shimmered faintly—glowing, like something ancient had awakened.
And it had only just begun.