The Dead Ruins had no concept of morning.
Deep beneath the shattered battlefield, where the ancient dungeon had once stood, darkness remained eternal.
The only light came from veins of pale-blue mana crystal that threaded through the cavern walls like frozen rivers of starlight.
Their gentle glow illuminated the forgotten kingdom beneath the earth, casting long shadows over broken monuments that had survived centuries of war.
Drake had been walking for nearly three hours.
Or at least, he believed it had been three hours.
Time flowed strangely inside the ruins.
Without the sun to guide him, every moment blended into the next until only his exhaustion reminded him that time still existed.
He remained in his human form.
The transformation into the Bonefang Ravager had become easier since his first attempt, but Drake had quickly learned that remaining transformed for too long was dangerous.
The instincts lurking within the Morph Pattern constantly whispered beneath his thoughts, urging him to hunt, patrol, dominate, and survive.
Each time he transformed, those whispers grew a little louder.
Each time he returned to being human, they took a little longer to fade.
The realization unsettled him.
Power always demanded a price.
He simply hadn’t expected the price to be his own humanity.
— His boots scraped softly against ancient stone as he crossed another abandoned corridor.
Unlike the ruins near the surface, this place had clearly been built rather than carved by nature.
Towering pillars lined both sides of the passage, each one engraved with symbols too intricate for Drake to understand.
Some resembled stars.
Others looked like enormous beasts.
Many depicted creatures kneeling before figures whose faces had been deliberately erased.
Only one detail remained untouched in every mural.
The right hand.
Always the right hand.
Always wrapped in something alive.
Drake slowed.
His own right hand tingled beneath the skin.
“…You’ve been here before.” It wasn’t really a question.
The relic remained silent.
Drake sighed.
“I keep forgetting you only answer questions you feel like answering.” Several more steps echoed through the corridor.
Then, unexpectedly— Incorrect.
Drake stopped.
“What?” Insufficient information available.
He blinked.
“So…
you don’t know?” Memory archives fragmented.
That answer surprised him.
For the first time since their strange partnership began, the relic sounded…
incomplete.
Not confused.
Merely aware that pieces of itself were missing.
Drake looked once more at the mural before continuing forward.
“If your memories are fragmented…” He spoke quietly.
“…then maybe we’re both searching for answers.” The relic offered no response.
— The warmth beneath Drake’s right hand returned.
It wasn’t painful anymore.
It felt almost…
Guiding.
Every few minutes, the sensation shifted slightly, encouraging him toward another tunnel or deeper corridor.
It reminded him of following the pull of a compass rather than obeying spoken directions.
Eventually, the corridor opened into a massive underground canyon.
Drake stepped carefully onto the edge of a broken cliff and stared downward.
The sight stole his breath.
Ancient buildings stretched across the canyon floor, their rooftops long since collapsed beneath countless centuries of neglect.
Stone bridges connected towering structures that had somehow survived the dungeon war.
Massive statues stood half-buried beneath layers of dust and vines, each depicting monstrous creatures standing alongside humans rather than fighting them.
“…That’s impossible.” Everything humanity knew claimed monsters had always been enemies.
The murals below told a different story.
Humans.
Monsters.
Standing together.
Not in battle.
In unity.
Drake climbed down carefully.
His curiosity outweighed his caution.
— The closer he came, the more extraordinary the architecture became.
These weren’t ordinary ruins.
Someone had lived here.
Wide streets still existed beneath the debris.
Stone homes lined forgotten avenues.
There were workshops.
Training grounds.
Even what appeared to be a marketplace.
Only…
None of it resembled human civilization.
The doorways were far too large.
The streets far too wide.
Everything had been built for creatures much larger than humans.
Drake crouched beside an enormous stone bowl resting outside one building.
It stood nearly as tall as his waist.
“…Food?” The Bonefang instincts stirred.
Water basin.
His pupils narrowed.
The answer hadn’t come from observation.
It had come from instinct.
The archived memories recognized the object immediately.
Drake slowly stood.
“This whole place…” “…was built for Bonefang Ravagers.” The relic answered.
Probability: 97.4%.
A chill ran through him.
If that were true…
Then Bonefang Ravagers weren’t wandering beasts.
They had once possessed a civilization.
Primitive perhaps.
But undeniably organized.
The implications were staggering.
What else had humanity misunderstood?
— A sudden gust of stale air drifted through the abandoned streets.
With it came a scent.
Bone.
Blood.
Territory.
The Bonefang instincts surged.
Home.
Drake frowned.
Again that word.
It wasn’t his.
Yet it felt strangely comforting.
He followed the scent.
The streets gradually widened until they opened into an enormous circular chamber hidden beneath the ruined city.
His footsteps slowed.
Then stopped entirely.
Before him lay what could only be described as the heart of the colony.
Unlike the surrounding ruins, this place had been preserved with surprising care.
Dozens of circular dens had been carved directly into the stone floor, each connected by smooth pathways worn down through generations of movement.
The larger dens occupied the center.
Smaller ones surrounded them in careful circles.
Lookout platforms overlooked every entrance.
Hidden tunnels branched away toward emergency exits.
The entire colony had been designed with purpose.
Not instinct alone.
Planning.
Strategy.
Community.
Drake’s breathing slowed.
“I was wrong…” “They weren’t animals.” The relic corrected him immediately.
They are animals.
“…Then why build this?” Because intelligence and instinct are not opposites.
Drake remained silent.
Those words lingered inside his mind.
Perhaps humanity had underestimated monsters simply because it was convenient to do so.
— Bones covered the colony floor.
Thousands of them.
Some belonged to ordinary monsters.
Others…
Human.
Ancient swords lay scattered among rusted armor.
Broken spears.
Shattered shields.
The remains of battles long forgotten by history.
Drake slowly walked between them.
Every skeleton told the same story.
None had escaped.
One skeleton rested beside the entrance to what appeared to be the Alpha’s den.
Unlike the others, this one remained almost perfectly preserved.
Dark armor covered its ribs.
A massive greatsword still rested within skeletal fingers.
Its posture remained upright despite countless centuries having passed.
As though the warrior had chosen to die sitting rather than falling.
Drake knelt beside it.
“…You made it this far.” His voice echoed softly.
“But not far enough.” His eyes drifted toward the warrior’s breastplate.
A crest had been engraved there.
A wolf.
Surrounded by twelve stars.
Not a Guild emblem.
Not a Noble Family.
Something much older.
A forgotten order.
Drake reached toward the leather pouch hanging from the skeleton’s belt.
The leather crumbled slightly beneath his fingers.
Inside…
Blue light shimmered softly.
Mana Crystals.
Three of them.
Even after centuries…
They remained pure.
The relic awakened instantly.
High-density mana detected.
Suitable energy source identified.
Drake carefully lifted one crystal.
It felt warm.
Alive.
Mana flowed through it like liquid light trapped beneath glass.
“So these really are valuable…” Affirmative.
“They’ll pay for Luna’s treatment.” A pause followed.
Then— Alternative application available.
Drake frowned.
“…Alternative?” The relic remained silent.
As though deliberately refusing to elaborate.
Drake smiled despite himself.
“I’m starting to notice you enjoy doing that.” No answer came.
He carefully placed two crystals back into the pouch.
Only one remained in his hand.
“You fought your way here.” He looked toward the ancient skeleton.
“…You earned these.” “I’ll only borrow one.” The silence that followed somehow felt respectful.
Drake carefully returned the pouch to its original position.
Then he bowed his head ever so slightly before standing.
As he turned to leave— A deep, distant roar echoed through the colony.
Every instinct inside him froze.
Not from fear.
Recognition.
The Alpha…
…had returned.
End of Part I —