The wastelands didn’t care who Kaelen Volkov used to be.

  The ash plains stretched endlessly beneath a broken sky, cracked earth littered with the bones of things that hadn’t survived long enough to leave names behind. The air tasted metallic, heavy with residual Ni radiation—dangerous for civilians, tolerable for monsters.

  Perfect hunting ground.

  Kaelen moved slowly, deliberately.

  His cloak was torn. His boots were worn thin. His sword—once a Volkov heirloom—had been reforged twice already from scavenged alloy and beast bone. No lightning hummed beneath his skin. No blood-energy stirred. No shadows answered when he reached inward.

  Just muscle.

  Breath.

  Will.

  A low growl rolled across the plain.

  Kaelen froze.

  The ground trembled.

  From behind a jagged ridge crawled a Ni-beast—massive, malformed, its body warped by concentrated Ni exposure. Six limbs dug into the stone. Crystalline growths pulsed along its spine, glowing faintly blue. Its eyes burned with predatory awareness.

  A Rift Mauler.

  Kaelen swallowed.

  Months ago, he would have killed it in seconds.

  Now—

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  He tightened his grip on the sword and stepped forward anyway.

  “Come on,” he muttered. “Let’s see which of us deserves to live.”

  The beast charged.

  Kaelen rolled aside as stone shattered where he’d stood. One claw grazed his shoulder, tearing fabric and flesh alike. Pain flared—but he didn’t slow.

  He couldn’t.

  He ducked beneath a snapping jaw and drove his blade into the creature’s flank.

  The sword bit shallow.

  The Mauler screamed and backhanded him across the field.

  Kaelen slammed into rock hard enough to crack it.

  His vision swam.

  Get up.

  The beast stalked closer, drool hissing where it hit the ground. Its Ni-crystals brightened, energy building.

  Kaelen pushed himself upright, blood dripping from his mouth.

  “No lightning,” he whispered. “No shadows. No blood.”

  Just him.

  The Mauler lunged again.

  Kaelen sprinted toward it.

  At the last moment, he slid beneath its bulk, slicing upward with everything he had. The blade shattered against the crystal spine—but the force ripped one shard free.

  The beast roared in agony.

  Kaelen didn’t stop.

  He grabbed the jagged crystal with both hands and drove it into the Mauler’s exposed throat.

  The Ni-core ruptured.

  The explosion sent Kaelen flying.

  He hit the ground hard, rolling until he stopped face-down in the ash.

  Silence followed.

  Long.

  Heavy.

  Kaelen didn’t move.

  Then—

  A sensation stirred.

  Faint.

  Warm.

  Something answered him.

  Pain flared in his chest—sharp, sudden, overwhelming. He gasped as energy surged through pathways he hadn’t felt in months.

  His Ni-core burned.

  Reforming.

  Reconnecting.

  [SYSTEM NOTICE]

  LEVEL UP — LEVEL 2 ACHIEVED

  NI CORE: STABILIZED

  NI NETWORKS: REOPENING

  Kaelen screamed.

  Not in pain—

  In shock.

  Energy flooded him.

  Blood-energy surged first—hot, familiar, alive. Shadows coiled at the edges of his vision, responding instinctively. Then—

  Lightning.

  Not violent.

  Not wild.

  Controlled.

  Obedient.

  Kaelen staggered to his knees, staring at his hands as violet sparks danced between his fingers.

  “No…” he breathed.

  He reached inward.

  And felt everything.

  His core.

  His networks.

  Whole.

  He laughed—a broken, disbelieving sound—and slammed his fist into the ground.

  Lightning cracked outward.

  Shadows rippled.

  Blood-energy roared through his veins.

  “I’m not done,” Kaelen whispered.

  The wasteland answered with distant howls.

  Kaelen stood.

  Sword in hand.

  Power humming once more beneath his skin.