Chapter 10: The Corruption's True Face

Lin Xiao's fist connected with the corrupted beast's flank, and the impact sent shockwaves through his entire body. Shadows rippled around his arm, lightning crackled along his spine, and the wind-snake's venom pulsed through his veins like liquid fire.

The beast stumbled, black ichor spraying from the wound.

But it didn't fall.

*"Something's wrong,"* the shadow panther's voice whispered in his mind. *"This corruption is not natural. It's too concentrated."*

Lin didn't have time to process the warning. The creature whirled around, its massive claw swiping through the air where he'd been standing a moment before. He'd already moved, the lightning hawk's speed carrying him twenty feet to the left, but the wind from the attack still tore at his robes.

"Get back!" he shouted at the pinned disciples. "Form a defensive circle!"

They scrambled to obey, drawing their own spirit beasts. A stone tortoise, a fire fox, a wind wolf. Decent beasts. Strong enough for disciples of a major sect, but nothing compared to the monster they faced.

Or the one fighting it.

Lin's triple merge was burning through his qi at an alarming rate. He could feel it, like sand slipping through an hourglass. Three minutes. Maybe four. Then he'd collapse.

*"Don't drag this out,"* the lightning hawk screeched. *"Strike the core!"*

The core. Every corrupted beast had one—a crystallized mass of corrupted qi that served as its heart. Destroy it, and the creature fell.

But finding it was the problem.

Lin's eyes, enhanced by all three beasts, scanned the creature's twisted form. Its body was a nightmare of misplaced bones and pulsing veins, the corruption having warped it beyond recognition. The core could be anywhere.

Then he saw it.

A faint glow, pulsing in rhythm with the beast's movements, deep within its chest cavity. Protected by layers of corrupted flesh and bone.

*"I need an opening,"* Lin muttered.

The shadow panther understood. It melted away from his body, reforming behind the beast. Claws extended, it slashed at the creature's hamstring, severing tendons with surgical precision.

The beast howled, turning to face this new threat.

That was all Lin needed.

He exploded forward, lightning crackling around his body, shadows cloaking his movements. The wind-snake's power guided his strike, showing him the exact angle, the precise point where the bone was thinnest.

His hand, wreathed in all three elements, plunged into the beast's chest.

The corrupted flesh screamed as it parted. Black qi lashed out, trying to corrupt him, but the triple merge protected him, each beast's energy shielding the others. His fingers closed around the core.

He ripped it out.

The beast froze. Its red eyes flickered once, twice, then went dark. The massive body collapsed, already beginning to dissolve into black mist.

Lin stood over it, breathing hard, the core clutched in his bloody hand.

It was beautiful, in a terrible way. A crystal of pure darkness, pulsing with malevolent light. Corruption given form.

"Thank you," one of the disciples said, stepping forward. She was young, maybe sixteen, with the robes of the Azure Sky Sect. "We were on a routine hunt. We didn't expect—"

"Routine hunt?" Lin cut her off, not looking away from the core. "In the Shadowmire Swamp? At night?"

She hesitated. "We... we were tracking something."

"Something that created this." Lin held up the core. "This isn't natural corruption. This is engineered."

The disciples exchanged glances. The wind wolf growled low in its throat.

"You know something," Lin said. It wasn't a question.

"We shouldn't be talking about this," another disciple muttered. A boy, older than the girl, with a scar across his chin. "The elders said—"

"The elders aren't here." Lin's voice hardened. "I just saved your lives. The least you can do is tell me what's going on."

The girl took a deep breath. "There's been... experiments. In the valley. Someone has been capturing spirit beasts and forcing corruption into them. Creating weapons."

Lin's blood ran cold. "Who?"

"We don't know. But they're getting bolder. This is the third corrupted beast we've encountered this week. The first two were smaller, weaker. This one..." She looked at the dissolving corpse. "This one was meant to kill."

*"She's telling the truth,"* the shadow panther said. *"I can taste the fear on her. She's terrified."*

Lin pocketed the core. "Where was the last attack?"

"Three miles north. Near the old temple ruins."

"The temple where I bonded the panther," Lin murmured. That was too close to coincidence.

Something was happening in Thousand Beast Valley. Something bigger than a single beast tamer's rise to power.

The lightning hawk landed on his shoulder, its feathers still crackling with residual electricity. *"We should investigate. If someone is creating corrupted beasts, they'll have a base. Supplies. Records."*

*"It's a trap,"* the wind-snake hissed. *"Whoever is doing this knows about the temple. They're drawing people there."*

Both arguments made sense. Lin looked at the disciples, still huddled against the rocks, their beasts trembling.

"Go back to your sect," he said. "Don't come to this swamp again. Not alone."

The girl nodded, relief flooding her features. "Thank you again. I'm Mei Lin, of the Azure Sky Sect. If you ever need assistance—"

"I'll remember."

They left, their beasts carrying them through the mist. Lin watched them go, the core burning against his chest.

*"You're going to the temple,"* the shadow panther said. It wasn't a question.

"Someone is using corruption to create weapons. I just absorbed a corrupted core into my storage ring. I have three bonded beasts, one of which is a crippled wind-snake that everyone said was useless." Lin's lips curled into a humorless smile. "I think I'm already involved."

He moved through the swamp, the triple merge still active, his senses extended to their limits. The lightning hawk scouted from above, the shadow panther stalked at ground level, and the wind-snake coiled around his arm, ready to strike.

The old temple ruins loomed ahead, dark against the moonlit sky.

But something was different.

There were lights.

Faint, flickering lights, coming from within the collapsed structure. Voices, too—muffled, but unmistakable.

*"Someone is here,"* the shadow panther confirmed.

Lin extinguished his own aura, pulling the shadows around him like a cloak. He crept forward, each step silent, each breath controlled.

The temple's main hall had been cleared. Rubble pushed to the sides, a crude altar erected in the center. And around it, figures in dark robes, their faces hidden by hoods.

A cult.

A corruption cult, right here in the heart of Thousand Beast Valley.

Lin's hand tightened into a fist. The lightning hawk's electricity sparked, barely contained.

*"Easy,"* the shadow panther warned. *"We don't know their numbers. Their strength."*

But then the central figure spoke, and all thoughts of caution vanished.

"The experiment is progressing. The triple merge subject has bonded with three beasts, just as predicted. His power grows faster than anticipated."

Lin froze.

They were talking about him.

"We must accelerate the timeline," the figure continued. "The shadow panther was meant to be the final piece. Now that he has it, the fusion can begin."

Fusion? What fusion?

"Summon the others. We need to capture the subject before he becomes too powerful."

The figures began to disperse, moving with purpose. Lin backed away, his mind racing.

They'd been watching him. Following him. The shadow panther hadn't been a random encounter—it had been a planned piece of his power growth. The corrupted beast attack hadn't been a coincidence—it had been a test.

Everything he'd done, every step of his journey, had been manipulated.

*"We need to leave,"* the wind-snake urged. *"Now."*

But Lin couldn't move. His eyes were fixed on the altar, on the symbol carved into its surface.

It was the same symbol that had been on the core. The same symbol that was now burning against his chest.

A beast's skull, surrounded by chains.

The mark of the Beast Fracture.

The organization that had been banned from Thousand Beast Valley a hundred years ago. The organization that had tried to create the ultimate weapon by fusing beasts and humans into abominations.

The organization that, according to the histories, had been destroyed.

But they were here. In the valley. And they knew exactly who he was.

"Lin Xiao."

The voice came from behind him, soft and amused.

He spun around.

A woman stood there, her robes immaculate, her smile serene. She looked young, barely older than him, but her eyes held centuries of knowledge.

And she was holding the lightning hawk by the throat.

"Let it go," Lin growled, shadows gathering around his fists.

"Or what?" She tilted her head, studying him like a curious insect. "You'll attack me? Try to save your bonded beast?" She laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "You don't even understand what you are, do you?"

"Enlighten me."

"You're not a beast tamer, Lin Xiao. You never were." Her grip tightened. The lightning hawk choked, electricity flickering uselessly against her fingers. "You're a vessel. A perfect, beautiful vessel, designed to hold the power of a thousand beasts."

The world tilted.

"You're the Beast Fracture's greatest creation. And now that you've reached full maturity, it's time to collect."

She crushed the lightning hawk's throat.

The bond shattered like glass in Lin's chest. He screamed, falling to his knees, as the hawk's death flooded through him—its pain, its fear, its final, desperate thought of flight.

The woman smiled.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to the pain."

Around him, the cultists emerged from the shadows, forming a circle, their hands glowing with corrupted qi.

Lin looked up, tears streaming down his face, the shadows around him darkening to pure black.

"Tell me your name," he whispered. "So I know who to kill."

The woman laughed again.

"I'm the one who's been watching you since birth. The one who guided your steps, arranged your bonds, shaped your power." She stepped closer, crouching down to meet his eyes. "I'm your mother."

And the shadows consumed him.