Veyr Draven opened his eyes inside a monster’s mouth.
The first thing he noticed was the smell.
Rotten meat. Burned flesh. Something sour that made his eyes water.
The second thing he noticed was the row of black teeth surrounding his head.
Each tooth was longer than his arm.
Hot saliva ran down his cheek.
Veyr tried to swallow.
He couldn’t.
His tongue was pressed against one of the monster’s teeth.
"Leave the lord!"
A soldier shouted from somewhere outside.
Another voice answered immediately.
"Don’t get close! That Grave Maw has already eaten three knights!"
Veyr moved his eyes.
Through the gap between the monster’s jaws, he could see the battlefield.
The sky was red from smoke. Ash fell through the air like black snow. A section of the fortress wall had collapsed, and several wooden towers were burning behind the fleeing soldiers.
The soldiers were running away from the monster.
They were also running away from him.
Veyr looked down at his body.
He was wearing a black glove on his right hand. A silver ring was fixed around his finger. The ring carried the symbol of a crow with three wings.
His coat was torn across the chest.
There was blood everywhere.
Some of it belonged to him.
Some of it definitely did not.
Then the headache came.
His vision blurred.
A large amount of information crashed into his mind.
His name was Veyr Draven.
He was the oldest son of the Duke of the North.
He was the lord of Draeven March.
He was also the main villain of a novel called *The Saint’s Last Dawn*.
And, most importantly—
Veyr Draven died in the first Chapter.
The memory came with a scene.
The original Veyr stood in front of the Grave Maw and screamed at his soldiers to save him. The soldiers ignored him and ran away.
The monster swallowed Veyr’s head.
A few minutes later, the original hero appeared.
Kaelen Rook killed the Grave Maw with one strike from his holy sword.
The readers loved that scene.
It was a great entrance for Kaelen.
It was a terrible ending for Veyr.
The monster tightened its jaws.
Veyr’s shoulders were crushed.
"Ah."
His voice came out between the monster’s teeth.
"I was hoping for a less embarrassing opening."
The Grave Maw stopped moving.
Maybe it was confused because its food had spoken.
Veyr used the moment.
He raised his right hand and punched the monster’s eye with the silver ring.
Nothing happened.
The Grave Maw bit down harder.
Pain shot through Veyr’s ribs.
Something cracked.
"Fine," he whispered. "The ring isn’t a weapon."
The monster raised its head.
Veyr’s upper body lifted with it.
Its tongue pushed against his legs, trying to force him deeper into its throat.
Veyr looked around.
A long sword was lying in the mud beneath him.
He reached for it.
His hand stopped halfway.
His body was much weaker than he expected. His shoulder barely moved, and his left arm was numb from blood loss.
The sword was only a few inches away.
It might as well have been on the other side of the battlefield.
The Grave Maw opened its jaws wider.
Veyr could see the darkness inside its throat.
’So this is how the first Chapter ends.’
He pressed both feet against the monster’s lower jaw.
Then he pushed.
The Grave Maw did not move.
Veyr pushed again.
His shoulder twisted painfully.
"Brilliant plan," he muttered. "I almost killed myself without any help."
The monster’s tongue moved beneath him.
The sword shifted in the mud.
Veyr reached for it again.
His fingers caught the hilt.
The Grave Maw suddenly closed its mouth.
Its teeth pierced Veyr’s shoulder.
A muffled sound escaped his throat.
He pulled the sword.
It did not move.
The blade was stuck in the mud.
Or perhaps it was stuck inside the corpse of the knight beneath it.
The monster shook its head.
Veyr’s body swung inside its mouth.
He released the sword.
His eyes moved across the battlefield.
A broken wagon lay to his left.
A dead knight in red armor was behind him.
A broken spear was stuck in the ground a few steps away.
A wagon.
A corpse.
A spear.
He only needed one of them.
The Grave Maw lifted its head again.
Veyr’s body rose with it.
He made his choice.
He grabbed the broken blade from the dead knight’s hand.
The sword was short, chipped, and covered in old blood.
Veyr pushed it between the monster’s gums.
The blade pierced the soft flesh inside its mouth.
The Grave Maw screamed.
Its jaws opened.
Veyr fell into the mud.
The monster’s claw came down immediately.
Veyr rolled to the side.
The claw smashed into the ground where his head had been.
Mud covered his face.
He grabbed the broken spear and stabbed the monster’s front foot.
The spearhead slipped between two claws.
The Grave Maw roared and raised its foot.
Veyr rolled away before it came down.
The impact shook the ground.
Veyr finally managed to stand.
His shoulder was bleeding badly. His coat was stuck to his skin, and his fingers were trembling.
He looked at the monster.
The Grave Maw had one eye.
It was completely black.
There was no pupil.
Veyr remembered another detail from the novel.
The Grave Maw was strong, but it was stupid.
Once it started charging, it could not change direction properly.
Kaelen had used that weakness in the original story.
He made the monster crash into a broken tower, then killed it with one strike.
The readers had loved the scene.
Veyr smiled despite the blood in his mouth.
"Let’s steal his scene."
The Grave Maw roared.
Then it charged.
The ground shook beneath its claws.
Veyr waited.
Three steps.
Two steps.
The monster lowered its head.
Veyr jumped to the right at the last second.
The Grave Maw passed beside him.
Veyr grabbed a leather rope attached to the broken wagon and pulled with all his strength.
The rope tightened.
The wagon moved into the monster’s path.
The Grave Maw stepped on the wheel.
Its body twisted.
It tried to change direction, but its front legs continued moving forward.
The monster crashed into the remains of the watchtower.
The tower shook.
Large stones fell onto its back.
Dust and ash filled the air.
For a moment, Veyr thought it was over.
Then the rubble moved.
The Grave Maw stood again.
Black blood ran from its mouth.
The wounds on its body slowly closed.
Veyr stared at it.
"Of course."
The monster raised its head.
"You also have regeneration."
A movement came from behind him.
Veyr turned.
A young soldier stood behind a burning wagon. He was thin, covered in ash, and holding a bow with shaking hands.
He was staring at the monster.
Then he looked at Veyr.
"My lord!"
The soldier raised his voice.
"Run! I’ll distract it!"
He pulled an arrow and fired.
The arrow struck the Grave Maw’s shoulder.
The monster turned its head.
It looked at the soldier.
Then it looked at Veyr.
It chose Veyr.
The soldier’s face went pale.
Veyr grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down.
The monster’s claw swept above them and cut through a wooden support behind them.
The soldier stared at Veyr.
"You saved me."
"Don’t celebrate yet."
Veyr stood up.
"I need you to fire another arrow."
"What?"
"Aim for the eye."
"I can’t hit it from here!"
"Then move until you can."
The soldier hesitated.
The Grave Maw turned toward them.
Veyr looked at him.
"Do you want to run?"
The soldier looked at the burning fortress.
Then at the monster.
Finally, he raised his bow.
"No."
"Good."
The Grave Maw charged again.
This time, there was no broken tower between them.
No wagon.
No rope.
Only one wounded man, one frightened archer, and a monster trying to eat them.
Veyr ran toward it.
The soldier’s eyes widened.
"My lord, what are you doing?"
Veyr ignored him.
He watched the monster’s feet.
The left claw touched the ground before the right one.
The monster lowered its head on the fourth step.
Its eye remained fixed on the target until the jaws began to close.
Three.
Two.
One.
Veyr ducked beneath the monster’s jaw.
The Grave Maw passed over him.
Veyr raised the broken blade with both hands and drove it into the wound inside the monster’s mouth.
The blade went deep.
The Grave Maw stopped.
Its whole body tightened.
The archer released his arrow.
The arrow struck the monster’s eye.
The Grave Maw screamed.
It did not fall.
Its tail swung wildly across the battlefield.
The tail hit Veyr in the chest and threw him several meters away.
Veyr landed hard.
The air left his lungs.
Something cracked in his ribs.
He tried to move.
The Grave Maw pulled the broken sword from its mouth.
The arrow was still buried in its eye.
It was hurt.
But it was still alive.
The monster began walking toward Veyr.
Veyr crawled backward.
His hand searched through the mud.
His fingers found the hilt of the long sword he had tried to pull earlier.
The sword was still stuck.
The Grave Maw opened its mouth.
Veyr grabbed the hilt with both hands.
He placed one foot against the corpse beneath the blade.
Then he pulled.
Nothing happened.
The monster took another step.
Veyr pulled again.
The sword moved slightly.
The monster lowered its head.
Veyr pulled with everything left in his body.
The sword came free suddenly.
Veyr fell backward with it.
The Grave Maw’s jaws snapped shut inches from his face.
Veyr raised the sword.
The blade entered through the roof of the monster’s mouth.
It pierced the top of its skull.
The Grave Maw froze.
Its teeth remained close enough to touch Veyr’s face.
The monster shook.
Veyr placed one foot against the hilt.
He pushed once.
The sword went deeper.
He pushed again.
Black blood spilled across his coat.
The monster’s legs gave out.
Veyr pushed a third time.
The Grave Maw fell onto its side.
The ground shook beneath its body.
Then everything became quiet.
The soldiers stopped running.
The flames continued to burn, but nobody spoke.
Veyr sat on the monster’s chest and tried to breathe.
His ribs hurt.
His shoulder was bleeding.
His entire body felt like it had been dragged behind a horse.
The young archer slowly approached him.
He looked at the dead Grave Maw.
Then he looked at Veyr.
"My lord..."
Veyr raised one hand.
"Give me a moment."
"I thought the monster had killed you."
"So did I."
A red screen appeared in front of Veyr’s eyes.
> **A stronger enemy has been defeated.**
>
> **Predator’s Claim is available.**
>
> **Choose one ability from Grave Maw.**
>
> **Hardened Jaw**
> **Rapid Regeneration**
> **Tremor Sense**
Veyr stared at the choices.
The original Veyr had possessed a weak version of Predator’s Claim. He had used it badly, choosing abilities based on appearance instead of usefulness.
That was why he had died so early.
Veyr looked at his bleeding shoulder.
"Hardened Jaw is useless unless I plan to bite people."
He looked at the remaining choices.
"Tremor Sense would be useful underground, but I’m injured and surrounded by enemies."
His eyes stopped on the second option.
"Rapid Regeneration."
The red screen disappeared.
A cold sensation entered his body.
The wound in his shoulder began closing. His bones did not return to their original position, and the pain did not vanish, but the bleeding slowed until it stopped.
Veyr exhaled.
"That will do."
He stood and pulled the sword from the monster’s skull.
The soldiers around the battlefield looked at him.
Some lowered their weapons.
Others stepped backward.
The young archer came closer.
"My lord Veyr..."
"Yes?"
"Are you all right?"
Veyr looked at his shoulder.
Then at the blood covering his coat.
"Do I look all right?"
The soldier immediately lowered his head.
"No, my lord."
"Good answer."
The soldier remained silent.
Veyr pointed at him.
"You. What is your name?"
The soldier hesitated.
"Renn, my lord."
"How many men can still fight?"
Renn looked toward the fortress.
"Maybe forty."
"Maybe?"
"Thirty if we only count the men who can stand."
It was not a good answer.
But it was honest.
Veyr looked toward the soldiers who had fled. Some had stopped in the distance and were watching the battlefield.
They were probably trying to decide whether the lord they had abandoned was dead.
Veyr made his decision.
"Close the gate."
Renn froze.
"But some of our men are still outside."
"I know."
"They’ll be trapped."
"They already left us."
"They’re soldiers of Draeven March."
"They were soldiers of Draeven March before they left me inside a monster’s mouth."
Veyr did not raise his voice.
His calm tone made the order heavier.
Renn looked toward the fortress.
Then at the dead Grave Maw.
Finally, he turned and ran.
The gate began to close.
The remaining soldiers returned to their positions one by one.
They had not suddenly become loyal.
Veyr was not foolish enough to believe that.
But he had given them a reason to stop running.
A dead monster lay in the mud before them.
And their new lord had walked out of its mouth alive.
Veyr looked at the blood on his hands.
He did not feel victorious.
He was injured, surrounded by frightened soldiers, and trapped inside a damaged fortress that would soon be attacked by the kingdom.
Somewhere in the distance, a horn sounded.
Renn stopped halfway to the gate.
Another horn answered from beyond the burning fields.
The soldiers on the walls turned toward the eastern road.
A black rider appeared through the smoke.
He carried a royal banner.
Veyr’s expression changed.
He remembered this part of the story.
The royal messenger was not supposed to arrive until tomorrow.
Kaelen Rook was supposed to arrive with him.
Kaelen was the hero of *The Saint’s Last Dawn*.
He was also the man who would eventually kill Veyr.
The rider stopped outside the gate and shouted:
"By order of the Valedorn Crown, Lord Veyr Draven is to be arrested for treason, murder, and unlawful use of forbidden power!"
The soldiers turned toward Veyr.
Renn looked nervous.
Veyr looked at the dead Grave Maw.
Then he looked at the royal banner.
Beside the messenger sat a young knight in silver armor.
He carried a white sword.
Even from a distance, Veyr recognized the face.
Kaelen Rook.
The hero had arrived earlier than he was supposed to.
The story had already changed.
That was good.
It meant the future was no longer fixed.
It also meant Veyr could no longer trust every detail he remembered.
The messenger shouted again.
"Lord Veyr! Open the gate and surrender!"
Veyr wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Open the gate."
Renn stared at him.
"My lord?"
"I said open it."
The gate began to rise.
The royal rider waited outside.
Kaelen’s eyes remained fixed on Veyr.
Veyr stepped forward, his sword still dripping with black blood.
"If the kingdom wants to see whether I am still the same Veyr Draven..."
He glanced at the dead monster behind him.
"...we should give them a good look."
Somewhere in the mud behind him, the ring on Veyr’s finger turned cold.
Veyr stopped.
A voice rose from inside it.
It was quiet.
It was close.
And it knew him.
"I finally found you..."
The voice paused.
"...outsider."