The forest didn't speak in words.
It whispered.
Branches creaked like bones. Leaves rustled without wind. Even the birds seemed to hold their breath.
Cain moved between the trees like smoke. Nyx's senses ran beneath his skin, warping his perception. The world was clearer—sharper. He could smell fear in the damp earth, hear the heartbeat of a rabbit four paces away.
But that wasn't what he was hunting.
[Side Quest – Whispers in the Woods]A false predator stalks the beasts of Blackreach. Slay it.
Reward: +2 Stat Points, 1 Skill Fragment, Beast Bond +5%
Cain crouched beside a broken tree limb. Blood soaked the bark—black, viscous, still warm.
Not beast blood.
Not human, either.
Something… in-between.
"It hunts for pleasure." Nyx's voice growled in his mind. "No hunger. No purpose. Just pain."
Cain's lip curled. "You sound offended."
"I am."
They moved again, deeper.
He found the first corpse in a clearing—half-consumed, half-fused with something else. The body was still twitching.
A fox's skull where the head should be.
Clawed hands. Pupilless eyes. A guttural hiss rasped from its mangled throat before it went still.
[System Alert – Corrupted Binder Fragment Detected]
"Binder?" Cain muttered. "This thing was like me?"
"No," Nyx hissed. "It was a failure. Someone forced the binding. Too much. Too fast. No consent. The beast took over… or something else did."
Cain's pulse quickened.
Someone was creating binders—and failing.
But why?
And who?
He heard another whisper. This one real. Raspy. Wet.
"Too late. You're too late."
Cain turned, eyes narrowing.
A figure emerged from the brush.
A boy—maybe thirteen. Shirtless, pale, thin. His skin pulsed faintly like something moved beneath it. Claws instead of fingers. Veins like ink across his neck.
His eyes were wrong. Hollow. Flickering between human and… beast.
"You smell like him. Like the wolf. Like the Black Moon."
Cain stood tall, not drawing his dagger.
"What happened to you?"
The boy twitched. "He fed me to it. Said I'd be special. Said I'd be chosen. But the beast… it didn't want me. So something else came."
He smiled, and his jaw unhinged.
The boy lunged.
Cain dodged, barely.
Claws slashed his shoulder—white-hot pain lancing through him.
But Nyx surged to the surface.
[Fusion Enhanced – Reflex Surge Triggered]
Cain spun mid-air, landed on all fours. His pupils narrowed into slits, breath steady.
The boy-thing turned, snarling. It was fast.
But Cain was faster.
He launched forward, dagger flashing with shadow. Steel met flesh. The corrupted binder shrieked, mouth foaming black.
Cain didn't stop.
He moved like a predator.
A blur of claws, teeth, and cold fury.
"Strike the spine!" Nyx barked.
Cain obeyed.
With a final roar, he drove his dagger through the creature's back.
The body convulsed—then melted.
Black ichor soaked into the roots.
The forest exhaled.
[Quest Complete – Whispers in the Woods]+2 Stat Points+1 Skill Fragment: Umbral Step (Unlearned)Beast Bond Progress: +5%
Fusion Sync: 11% – Tier 1 Threshold Reached
New Trait Unlocked: Shadowskin– Temporarily hardens skin into living shadow. Reduces damage taken by 20% for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 30s
Cain panted, falling to one knee.
That fight had taken more than he'd expected.
But he was evolving. Every step forward brought him closer to true binding.
Still, the boy's words echoed in his head:
"He fed me to it…"
Cain stared at the smear of black blood.
Someone was experimenting.
Playing god.
And he was done being prey.
Later, as Cain rested beneath a twisted birch, Nyx stirred inside him.
"You are growing, Cain. Soon, you'll be strong enough to choose your path."
Cain opened the System panel.
A new section flickered to life.
[Beast Path – Tier 1 Unlocked]Choose your progression:
🐺 Path of the Shadowfang – Assassin. Precision and speed. Shadowstep. Bleeds.🛡️ Path of the Dreadpelt – Defender. Fortitude and taunts. Shadow armor.🧠 Path of the Moonhowl – Mystic. Illusions. Fear. Howling-based AoE.
Cain stared at the choices.
He didn't choose yet.
But he would.
Soon.
And when he did, the world would bleed.