The fire crackled softly in the back of the cave. Caleb sat with his back to the stone wall, fingers curled around his knees. The fight earlier had left bruises across his arms, but his mind was restless.
Gorrin sat by the entrance, chewing on a dried strip of some strange creature's meat, his eyes watching the horizon. The moon above the Corrupted Realm was a violet hue, casting sharp shadows.
Caleb finally spoke. "Back there… when we were fighting the Cragfangs. You never used your Riftart. Why?"
Gorrin didn't turn around. "Because it'd be an insult."
Caleb blinked. "An insult?"
"To me. To them. And to the Art itself," Gorrin said, standing and stretching. "Those were D-class Rift monsters, Caleb. I fight them with skill. Instinct. Experience. That's how you sharpen the edge."
He walked over, dropping onto a nearby rock.
"My Art enhances my skin. Makes it hard as stone. Sometimes harder. But I reserve it for real fights." He paused, then tapped a clawed finger against Caleb's chest. "You'll understand one day."
Caleb gave a quiet nod. Then he asked, "And the… system? The way you talk about fighting and growing stronger. The way I feel when I absorb Riftenergy… there's more to this, isn't there?"
Gorrin chuckled low. "There is. You ever heard of the Blut?"
Caleb shook his head.
"It's not just a fancy term. It's something alive… something ancient. When a Riftborn survives long enough, kills enough, something changes. The Blut awakens in your soul. But it's not automatic."
He leaned forward.
"You get the Blut only after defeating the Tyrant of the Gate you were swallowed into."
Caleb's eyes widened. "Like… a boss monster?"
"Exactly. The Tyrant is the will of the Gate. It guards the exit. The one path back home." Gorrin's expression grew grim. "This Gate—the one we're trapped in—it's a Class C. Low-tier, yes, but it's still deadly. I've seen stronger men die trying to take down Tyrants."
Caleb hesitated. "So… what now? We stay here until we're ready to face it?"
"Something like that." Gorrin stood, grabbing his spear. "I know where the Tyrant lives. Found its lair years ago. I was too weak to do anything about it. Still am."
"But you think we'll be strong enough one day?"
Gorrin glanced at him, and for a moment, Caleb saw something like hope in the old warrior's eyes.
"With time. With blood. With enough kills… we'll grow. And when we slay it, we'll close this Gate. Earn the Blut. Become Awakened."
"Awakened," Caleb repeated, the word heavy with meaning.
"Rest, kid. Tomorrow, I'll tell you more. There's a whole world inside the Blut. Titles. Power. And a path to something far beyond what humans back home believe in."
He turned toward the mouth of the cave, gaze fixed outward.
"And trust me," Gorrin added. "This? This is only the beginning."