Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord

Morning crept into the house slowly, golden sunlight spilling through the blinds and pooling across the floor like molten honey. Jayden stirred awake despite only crashing into bed a few hours earlier. His lashes fluttered, golden flecks catching in his eyes as they adjusted to the light. He blinked at the ceiling for a moment, groggy but restless, that familiar tension already humming beneath his skin.

It was just seven a.m.

Too early for someone who had barely slept. But Jayden's body refused to indulge in laziness, refused to give him the luxury of dragging the covers over his head and disappearing for a few more hours. Energy simmered in him like a storm that couldn't be contained.

With a quiet groan, he swung his legs off the bed, stretching until his joints popped and his muscles pulled tight. He exhaled through his nose, rubbing at his eyes, before muttering under his breath.

"Alright… daily quests first."

His voice was low, gravelly from sleep, but his resolve was steady.

Outside, the crisp morning air rushed against his face the second he stepped into the open. The bite of it stung his lungs in the best way, forcing him awake in seconds. He rolled his shoulders once, then jogged forward. His feet carried him through the small streets, then further toward the park, his strides lengthening until he was sprinting. The wind pushed against him, his breaths growing louder, sharper.

He climbed the tall trees with ease, palms scraping bark as he hauled himself higher, higher, until he perched among the branches like a predator surveying his domain. He practiced balance drills across the narrow lengths of wood, tested his core strength with controlled movements. Sweat began to bead on his brow, trailing down his neck, his shirt sticking lightly to his back. But it wasn't exhaustion. It was rhythm.

Everything was routine now.. almost meditative.

By the time he returned home, his heart rate had settled into a steady thrum, his focus sharpened instead of drained.

The house was alive with small sounds… the clatter of pans, muffled voices, the soft hum of something being prepared. Jayden stepped inside and caught sight of Harleen in the kitchen. Her hair was tied back into a messy bun, strands of it falling loose against her cheek as she hummed quietly and flipped something in a frying pan.

Jayden didn't announce himself. He walked over, picked up a knife, and started slicing vegetables at the counter. Harleen glanced sideways, a small, warm smile tugging at her lips, but she didn't comment. She didn't need to. Jayden always seemed to know when to step in, when to help without being asked.

By lunch, the atmosphere had shifted entirely. The house was brighter, filled with chatter. Jessica, fully herself again, dragged Jayden into the living room and shoved a controller into his hands.

"Let's play." she declared, her grin mischievous.

She looked normal again… bright-eyed, playful. But Jayden couldn't help himself. And when he teased her about the strange things she'd said to him and Tasha earlier in the morning, her head tilted, her brows knitting together.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Jayden studied her carefully, the curve of her lips, the crease of her forehead. There was no trace of deception, no guilty flicker in her gaze. Just honest puzzlement.

Then It hit him… she really didn't remember.

She had probably been sleepwalking, or something close to it.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Never mind."

Jessica smirked in triumph as she beat him in another round, blissfully unaware of his lingering thoughts.

Dinner was simple. Comforting. Laughter echoed around the table, the kind of small, ordinary joy Jayden found himself craving more than he liked to admit. For a few hours, everything felt… normal.

But night always came.

When the city settled under a blanket of silence and the house fell still, Jayden retreated to his room. He sat at his desk, staring at the clutter of files, printouts, and scraps of information he'd dug up about EVA, about Geneva. His eyes scanned over the words again and again, frustration pressing against his ribs.

So little to go on. So many dead ends.

Eventually, he pushed back his chair with a long sigh. His jaw tightened.

It was time.

Tonight, he wouldn't let anyone slow him down.

Dressed in black, his jacket snug against his frame, Jayden slipped out the balcony door. The night air was colder now, heavier. His body moved with the fluid grace of instinct. He vaulted over the railing, landed in a crouch on the ground below, the impact muffled by soil and grass. He straightened in one smooth motion, eyes cutting toward the trees.

The night swallowed him whole.

And this time, no voice called out from behind. No footsteps followed.

He was alone.

The forest welcomed him like an old friend. The shadows embraced him, the familiar scents of earth and moss guiding his senses. Jayden drew his dagger into his right hand. His left hand flexed, knuckles cracking as three blade-like claws slid free with a sharp shnk.

His golden eyes ignited, the Dragon's Eye narrowing, sharpening, slicing through the dark.

He moved.

Darting through the underbrush with inhuman speed, Jayden became a black blur weaving between the trees. Beasts never even saw him coming.. one slash here, a dagger thrust there. His claws tore through flesh and bone like paper, his body flickering invisible at will, his strikes so precise they looked choreographed.

Corpses fell, their bodies disappearing instantly into his inventory, leaving behind only silence.

It was a brutal symphony. A dance of shadows.

Hours passed like minutes. He perched on branches between hunts, sweat glistening along his jaw, chest rising and falling steadily. But each break was brief, the thrill of the hunt tugged at him, urging him on. EXP notifications chimed like steady drumbeats, each one a whisper of growth, of evolution.

Eventually, his eye caught movement… a hulking form lumbering through a moonlit clearing. Jayden's breath stilled.

A Razorback.

The beast was massive, at least eight feet long, its boar-like body covered in thick armored plates that jutted along its spine like jagged blades. Its tusks curved upward, glistening faintly as it scraped them against a tree trunk, sparks flicking off the impact. Its eyes glowed faint red, its heavy hooves sinking into the soil with each step.

Jayden furrowed his brow, a grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. Another prey to be slaughtered.

He slipped into invisibility, lowering his stance, every movement careful, deliberate. His claws retracted with a soft hiss, his dagger the only weapon in his hand now. A clean, silent kill. That was the plan.

He stalked closer, breath shallow, steps silent as a shadow.

But then—

FWOOOSH!

A flash of bright blue light cut across the clearing, so fast, even Jayden's dragon eye could barely follow. It passed through the Razorback in an instant, almost a millisecond, vanishing into the trees beyond.

For a heartbeat, it was as if nothing had happened.

Then the beast froze, a strangled noise gurgling in its throat before collapsing with a thunderous thud. Its armored chest was torn open, a gaping cavity where its heart had been.

Jayden's heart slammed in his chest. His invisibility flickered out, his golden eyes wide. "What the hell.. was that?"

He turned, his gaze darting to the direction the light had streaked. Even now, faint trails of energy shimmered in the air, glowing like fading stardust.

Slowly, cautiously, he approached the Razorback's corpse. His eyes narrowed as he crouched, extending his hand to pry out the beast crystal.

But it was gone. Completely gone.

Jayden's lips parted in shock before curling into a smirk. He straightened, chuckling under his breath, his eyes drifting toward the direction of that fading light trail.

"Hm…" he chuckled. "Looks like I'm not the only one in this race."