Oblivion Hunter: Rise Across the Stars.

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The Riftstorm had passed...

Night fell with slow violence across the skies of Veyra-7. What remained of the scavenger shelter flickered under backup power, lights buzzing weakly as Rift energy surged faintly in the distance.

Kael sat near the low-burning heat plate, bandaged ribs tight under his shirt. Nyx rested within its cocoon, its body dormant as the system mended its evolved frame. Lira was asleep nearby, exhausted but breathing easier. Mara kept watch by the sealed hatch, polishing her weapon without a word.

The battle with the Rift-stalker Alpha had left scars, physical and otherwise. It had been brutal, fast, coordinated. They had survived only through synergy and desperation. And Kael knew more trials were coming. But then, as Kael sorted through his system cache for resource allocation, a new prompt blinked to life.

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[SYSTEM REWARD – UNEXPECTED EVENT FLAG: HIGH-RISK SCAV ZONE CLEARANCE]

Combat Analysis Rating: A+

Host Survival Likelihood: <18%

Override Triggered: Bonus Drop Issued

Reward: Unstable Rift Cache [Open?]

> YES

[OPENING CACHE…]

> Item Unlocked: Lesser Beast Egg – Unaligned (Dormant)

Classification: Variant Incubation Type

Status: Cocoon Shell

Time to Activation: 72–96 Hours (Environmental Dependent)

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Kael blinked.

Another egg?

He hadn't picked anything up at least, not intentionally. But something must've happened during the battle. The Alpha's death, the sheer Rift exposure, the strain on the system... It had triggered an override, just like the first time.

He tapped the entry...

The egg had formed from the energy flux released when Nyx and the Alpha clashed. The system had harvested the ambient Rift resonance and condensed it into a stable genetic construct...an unaligned beast embryo. Not spawned in nature, but from system-driven anomaly mechanics.

Another Rift-born companion.

Kael glanced toward Nyx, still in recovery, then back at the new shell pulsing faintly beside him. He hadn't even realized it had slid into his inventory during the heat of combat.

"Great," he muttered. "Now I've got one more mouth to feed."

Mara glanced over but said nothing. Lira stirred and rolled toward the wall, whispering something in her sleep.

Kael named the new egg Umbra.

It felt right, Nyx was shadow and wrath. Umbra felt like... anticipation and uncertainty.

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[NEW BEAST COMPANION EGG REGISTERED: UMBRA]

Status: Dormant – Cocoon Phase.

Required: 1x Beast Core (Rare or Variant), Ambient Heat Regulation, Void Trace. Stimulation Estimated Time to Hatch: 72–96 hours.

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Kael leaned back, if the system wanted to play god, so be it. He wouldn't let them become monsters...Not unless he had to.

Uncertain weariness fell on Kael...

Not in silence....but in exhaustion. The ground still quivered from time to time, distant echoes of collapsing structures or groaning Rift shifts. But inside the battered scavenger shelter, the only sounds were soft breathing, flickering monitors, and the quiet hum of recovery.

Kael sat slouched against the wall beside Lira's cot. His armor was cracked, his shirt soaked with dried blood, and every part of his body screamed in protest. But for the first time in days… he didn't feel like the world was about to end.

Mara stood at the workbench, hands coated in grease and solder as she adjusted the temperature regulator beside the Monster Egg Fragment. The egg pulsed rhythmically with inner light. Even Nyx, who had grown increasingly restless during the storm, now lay curled in a low purr by the cot.

Kael's visor flickered on....

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[SYSTEM STATUS SCREEN]

Host: Kael Vorrin

Race: Human (Scavenger-Class)

Level: 5 – [LEVEL UP PENDING]

EXP: 0 / 600

HP: 34 / 100

Stamina: 22 / 60

Status: Injured (Recovering, Exhaustion)

Strength: 6 (+1)

Agility: 7 (+1)

Stamina: 5

Intelligence: 6

Perception: 5

Luck: 2

Skills: Rift Strike (Lv. 2)

Mutation Potential: 0%

Beast Companion Slot: Active (Larval Rift Wraith: Nyx)

Quests Available: 0 (Pending System Refresh)

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"You really planning to sit there bleeding out forever?" Mara muttered from the bench, glancing over her shoulder. Kael smiled faintly, "I thought you liked me quiet."

"I like you alive better." Kael dragged himself to his feet with a groan. He limped to the storage locker and pulled out a canister of powdered rations. Mara tossed him a cracked mug. He poured in water and stirred until it resembled something close to soup.

"Appetizing," he muttered. "Five stars on Veyra-7," Mara shot back, "Only slightly radioactive." They sat at the fold-out table in silence for a while. Outside, the Rift clouds had receded just enough to reveal a sliver part of the sky, dark, starless, but calm.

Mara finally broke the silence "I think you were right." Kael looked up, "About what?"

She didn't meet his gaze, "About… fighting for something, not just survival." Her voice was softer now, stripped of sarcasm, "I've been running solo for so long, I forgot what it felt like to have someone watch your back."

Kael took a slow sip of the awful soup. "You're part of the team now, whether you like it or not." She chuckled, genuinely this time, "Yeah, it looks like I am."

The system pinged unexpectedly, breaking the stillness.

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[NEW NOTIFICATION – MONSTER EGG INCUBATION 42% COMPLETE]

Status: Stable

Environmental Conditions: Optimal (Slight Void Exposure Achieved)

Estimated Hatch Time: 21–24 Solar Days

Companion Classification: Evolving – Identity Lock Pending.

---

Nyx lifted its head, peering at the egg. Its pupils narrowed, then its mind-voice whispered across Kael's thoughts:

"Sibling… growing…" Kael knelt beside the egg. "We'll take care of it, just like you."

Nyx rested its chin against his hand, purring. Across the room, Lira stirred. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the dim light, "Kael…?"

He was by her side in an instant...

"Hey," he whispered "I'm here." Her hand found his, "I had a dream… Mom was singing. She was holding my hand, It felt warm." Kael swallowed hard,"That wasn't a dream, that was hope keeping you alive."

She gave him a small smile, then glanced past him, "You brought someone new." Mara waved from the table, "Hey, Lira....you're stronger than your brother, you nearly outlived all of us."

Lira giggled softly...

Kael watched the two of them, Mara with her weary strength and guarded kindness, Lira with her fragile light and felt something stir inside him. A small spark of something dangerous.

Hope...

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[LEVEL UP – AVAILABLE]

Would you like to assign your 3 Attribute Points?

[YES] – Auto-Assign Suggested:

+1 Strength

+1 Stamina

+1 Intelligence

[MANUAL ASSIGN]

(Currently Available: 3)

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Kael chose to assign them manually. He needed balance now, not brute force.

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[SYSTEM STATUS SCREEN – UPDATED]

Level: 6

Strength: 7 (+1)

Agility: 7 (+1)

Stamina: 6 (+1)

Intelligence: 7 (+1)

Perception: 5

Luck: 2

---

Later that night, after Lira had fallen back into peaceful sleep and Mara had gone quiet in her bunk, Kael stood just outside the shelter door. The winds were cooler now, the Rift's scream muted to a whisper.

Nyx joined him silently, its head reaching up to his chest now. It had grown more since hatching....leaner, faster, and unnervingly intelligent.

"Do you remember what we're fighting for?" he asked it.

Nyx didn't answer with words, just images...Lira's smile, Mara laughing, Kael bleeding in battle, the glow of the egg, a warm campfire never known.

Then a final image, Kael standing before a monolithic Rift gate, cloaked in armor not yet forged, flanked by Mara, Nyx, and a fully grown beast with wings of shadow and flame. A memory of the future....Or a glimpse of what could be.

Kael exhaled, eyes on the dark horizon, "Then we'll make it there, all of us."

The sky rumbled softly, distant but promising.

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