Ren’s breath came ragged, his vision swimming at the edges. His Mandate screamed in his veins, the Hunger clawing at his mind like a beast in its own right.

  Not yet. Hold on just a little longer.

  The Essence Beast snarled, its shifting body flickering wildly, unstable from the pull of his Mandate. He had drained just enough of its energy to weaken it, but not enough to kill it outright.

  And now, it was angry.

  The silver glow in its eyes flared as it charged, its form flickering between states, darting forward faster than before.

  Ren moved on instinct.

  He slammed his hands together, focusing everything on the space around him—on the shadows stretching through the trees, the absence of light that slithered between the leaves.

  His Mandate responded.

  [Tangibility Induction – Shadowbind]

  The darkness obeyed.

  From the edges of the clearing, the shadows stretched and hardened into reality, rising like liquid obsidian and snapping into place around the Essence Beast. Tendrils of black wrapped around its legs, twisting up its flickering form, locking it in place.

  The creature howled, its body shifting violently between existence and nothingness, but Ren had it trapped.

  For now.

  He staggered forward, the Hunger inside him writhing in satisfaction as he approached. The void ached for more. The Essence Beast wasn’t just energy—it was raw, living potential.

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  And Ren was about to take it all.

  He reached out.

  The instant his fingers touched the struggling creature, the Mandate devoured.

  A surge of power crashed into him like a tidal wave. It wasn’t just energy—it was motion, hunger, instinct. The Essence Beast wasn’t a mindless thing; it had purpose. It had will.

  And Ren was consuming it.

  The taste of it—pure, unfiltered essence—was indescribable. It filled the emptiness in him like nothing else had before, the void inside him drinking deep, stretching wide—

  And yet, it wasn’t enough.

  The shadows around the beast cracked.

  Ren’s eyes widened. Shit.

  The Essence Beast broke free.

  One moment it was locked in his grasp, the next—it lunged.

  Ren had drained it, but it wasn’t dead. And now, it was desperate.

  Claws of raw, flickering energy tore toward him, aiming straight for his chest.

  Too fast.

  He couldn’t dodge.

  He couldn’t block.

  He could only finish this first.

  Ren pushed forward.

  The moment before the claws could carve into his ribs, he opened the void inside him completely.

  A force unlike anything he had felt before rushed outward.

  Hunger Unending.

  The Mandate roared, and the Essence Beast collapsed inward, its flickering body unraveling, breaking apart as its energy was consumed.

  Ren gasped, body trembling as the last of it vanished into him.

  The clearing went silent.

  For the first time since receiving the Mandate, the Hunger inside him… dulled.

  Not gone. Never gone.

  But for the first time, it wasn’t screaming.

  Ren exhaled, his knees nearly buckling. His body felt… heavier. Stronger. The Essence Beast had been something more than just raw energy, and now—

  Now, it was his.

  He swallowed hard, trying to steady himself.

  Then—

  clap.

  The sound echoed through the trees, slow and deliberate.

  Ren’s blood went cold.

  He turned, heart hammering.

  A figure stood at the edge of the clearing, just outside the moonlight.

  Tall. Cloaked in dark robes. A familiar presence.

  Ren’s breath caught in his throat.

  It was him.

  The stranger from that night. The night he was chosen.

  The figure tilted his head, his voice smooth, almost amused.

  "So… you lived."