Chapter 32: Dance With The Devil III
Chapter 32: Dance With The Devil III
Damian was surrounded by a crowd of other Beast Masters, but he didn’t talk to a single one of them. He just watched them all while remaining silent, still, and calculating.Observation was a survival skill—essential for any Stackborn worth their name.
In the Hollow Stacks, awareness kept you alive. If you weren’t paying attention, you didn’t last long. You needed to know where the dark corners were, the ones that weren’t safe to walk into. You had to spot cybernetic murder machines before they strolled up behind you. You needed to know which Stackborn were associated with gangs and would do anything to traffic a large number of people for their organs and lives. You had to look out for the people who could expose you to stimulants just by passing near them, as they then sought to sell you everything that they had to keep you a paying customer for the years to come.
And most importantly, you had to be able to look someone in the eye—once—and know who they were.
Stackborn learned fast. Or they didn’t learn at all.
Because those who did not manage to learn did not really survive in Hollow Stacks!
So Damian observed.
He read their faces like they were open books.
Some Beast Masters had nervous eyes, trying not to look scared but failing miserably. Others looked calm—but it was all fake, their stillness hiding clenched fists and flickering pupils. And then there were the rare few who were actually calm. Eyes clear. Power humming beneath the surface. Confident, not cocky.
Each one of them told a story. But none of them made Damian feel... anything.
Not through his link with Kitsuul. Not even a blip of danger.
Except for her.
Serena. The Serpent Queen.
She was the only one whose presence felt sharp. Dangerous. Real.
The other Beast Masters? Even the five flashy Trial Guardians with their rare beasts? Nothing. If anything, it proved that Kitsuul was on another level compared to the others. But Damian wasn’t one to leap to conclusions. Not yet.
He needed more data.
And right as he was mentally cataloging every power level and emotional state on the field, his eyes flicked up. Movement from a direction none of them had come from.
A walkway.
One that led to the floating bastion in the sky—where the evaluators stood.
A massive crimson-flamed bird descended from the clouds like an angry comet, and on its back, standing tall in a skintight black suit, was a woman radiating so much power that even Damian flinched.
Trailing behind her? A blue-haired girl with a literal slime on her head. Peeking out like she didn’t want to be here.
KAA!
The flaming bird made its landing. Instantly, the air sizzled, the temperature jumping up like someone cranked the thermal level to "volcano." The woman atop the bird smiled, casually tapping a sleek black tablet.
"Alright, alright, alright! This marks the—eh, who’s counting? Another ZENTHRA Beast Trial to pick out worthy future Trial Guardians! You know, those elite protectors of Ebonreach Metropolis and.. the entire planet of Vael’nir! So stand tall and proud! And you, join the others."
Without missing a beat, she kicked the shy girl off the bird.
The girl screamed, flailing—until the slime on her head flared its tiny blue wings. A soft glow wrapped around both of them, and they floated gently to the ground like awkward little snowflakes.
The woman stood straighter, her voice clear and commanding.
"I’ll be the Evaluator for today’s trial. Some of you might know me as... Guardian Flameborn."
...!
Yep. A real ZENTHRA Guardian.
Not as big a name as Vex Talon, but definitely a heavy-hitter. Damian eyed her and the flaming bird under her feet. Symbiotic Resonance Beast Master, probably. The kind where the Beast and Master were so synced they were practically one being.
He might’ve been wrong. But it felt right.
The other Beast Masters around him? Their eyes were glowing with excitement or dread. Some both. Guardian Flameborn grinned as she scrolled through her tablet, matching faces to files.
"Okay, thirteen of you here... Wait, thirteen? I thought it was supposed to be a dozen."
...!
Damian’s heart felt like skipping a beat, but...
"...Oh well!" Flameborn scratched her head and waved it off, the giant bird shifting beneath her like it was also over it.
"Alright! You should all know the rules by now, but just in case—your first trial is survival. The Crucible Gauntlet. Survive the shifting biomes. Then, if you’re still breathing and not crying in a corner, you’ll fight one of the Trial Guardians in a one-on-one Combat Trial. Simple, right? Soooo simple! Let’s get started!"
She clapped.
The ground answered.
The terrain under their feet rumbled. Sections of the floor shifted like massive puzzle pieces, separating the six Trial Guardians from the others and sending the thirteen applicants—Damian included—into the heart of a simulated forest.
Trees thickened.
Shadows deepened.
And just like that, they were surrounded.
Guardian Flameborn’s voice blasted one final time across the arena.
"Okay, kids! The goal is endure and adapt. You’ve got six hours. Expect environmental chaos and changes, synthetic apex predators, and enough stress to fry your neural links. This is designed to test everything—your survival instincts, your mental strength, and your Beast’s hidden potential. Get comfy!"
The air dimmed.
The trees leaned in, like they were eavesdropping.
Most of the Beast Masters were already on edge—but none more than the blue-haired girl who’d been yeeted from the sky. She was practically shaking, though the slime on her head bounced joyfully like it thought this was the best day ever.
"Kya!"
The little slime squeaked towards Kitsuul, Damian’s silver fox, who raised her head like a queen and gave a haughty little harrumph in return.
Damian had no clue what kind of conversation the two were having, but clearly, the slime was excited.
Really excited.
Excited enough to start bouncing harder, flapping its tiny wings, and dragging its Beast Master a little closer toward him.
Toward them.