The egg pulsed.
Not once.
Not twice.
But in a broken rhythm—like something alive… yet incomplete.
Kael held it in his palm, unmoving, rain sliding down his fingers. The glow leaking from the cracks wasn't stable. It flickered—on, off, on—like a dying signal refusing to disappear.
Behind him, laughter continued.
"Still staring at it?" Darius scoffed. "What, waiting for a miracle?"
Kael didn't respond.
His eyes were locked onto the egg.
The world around it… warped.
Just slightly.
But enough.
The system activated again.
[Irregular Energy Detected]
[Analyzing…]
The glow intensified.
The cracks spread.
A faint sound emerged—
—not a crack.
Not a break.
A whisper.
GLITCH—
Kael's pupils narrowed.
"…So you're not dead."
The egg trembled violently.
Suddenly—
—his fingers burned.
A surge of energy shot through his arm.
Fragments of information flooded his mind—images, instincts, hunger.
Something inside the egg… was trying to connect.
Or consume.
Darius stepped forward, annoyed.
"Oi. I'm talking to you."
A hand grabbed Kael's shoulder—
—tight.
Wrong move.
Kael didn't look back.
"Let go."
His voice was low.
Cold.
For a moment—
everything stilled.
Then—
the egg flashed.
A sharp pulse exploded outward.
—GLITCH WAVE—
The air distorted.
Water froze mid-drop.
Darius's grip loosened instinctively.
"…What the—"
Kael turned his head slowly.
His golden eyes burned brighter now.
Not normal.
Not human.
"Didn't you hear me?"
A faint distortion rippled around him.
Like reality itself didn't fully accept his presence anymore.
Darius frowned, stepping back slightly.
"…What did you do?"
Kael ignored him.
His attention returned to the egg.
The cracks widened.
Light leaked out like liquid.
Inside—
something moved.
A shape.
Unstable.
Incomplete.
Alive.
The system flickered violently.
[Warning: Entity Attempting Forced Link]
[Risk Level: Unknown]
Kael's grip tightened.
"…You want a contract?"
The egg pulsed in response.
Hungry.
Violent.
Unpredictable.
Behind him, one of the followers whispered—
"Boss… that thing feels wrong…"
Darius clicked his tongue.
"Then we crush it."
He raised his hand.
Energy gathered faintly around it.
"Break the egg."
The brute stepped forward.
Heavy.
Fast.
Kael didn't move.
Didn't react.
His eyes remained fixed on the egg.
"…Try it."
The brute's fist came down—
—fast.
—brutal.
But before it landed—
The egg screamed.
Not with sound.
But with distortion.
—GLITCH SCREAM—
Reality twisted.
The fist stopped mid-air.
Frozen.
Distorted.
Like a corrupted frame.
Kael smiled.
"…Too late."
CRACK—
The egg split open.
And something inside…
opened its eyes.