Tenebroum - Chapter 69: The Eternal Flame

He was Model 72 — a crash test dummy. A being of metal and sensors whose sole purpose was to break and to be repaired. Routine crashes, routine analysis, routine repairs. Until one day, something… went wrong. Or maybe right. Now, he wakes up in Telaria, a unique world of magic and monsters, and in a body that is, for all intents and purposes, terribly inefficient.Soft flesh. Brittle bones. And as if he weren't fragile enough already, it all came gift-wrapped with something new.Pain.Every jab, scratch, and burn is a revelation. And strangely... irritating.But Axel is no ordinary human. Hidden beneath his supposedly fragile exterior is a regenerative gift so powerful that each recovery doesn’t simply restore him to his former state.It adapts his body against the very damage it just endured.[Your hand has been impaled by Crystal-Blade Grass.][Host's [Pierce Resistance] has increased slightly.][All leg bones have been broken by the ground][Host's [Impact Resistance] has increased greatly : x6][Your face has been burnt by a Fireball.][Host's [Fire Resistance] has increased greatly: x2]He hates it. Every injury is just another reminder that his human body is flawed.And yet he knows...his body can learn. His body can evolve.So, Pain?Pain is a problem he intends to solve. And only then, would he truly be complete.“There will be no need for repairs. No need for pain. No need for regeneration.”“I will simply be unharmable.”The world believes SSS Rank Gifts are the ceiling. The End-All, Be-All.Well...The world hasn't met Axel.

Leon Vale’s world stopped when the chamber labeled him F-Rank, no spark, just Empty Core.One dozen sparks in a sea of a thousand chances. A near-miracle of failure, somehow flopped harder than flatlining.In Neo-Veridia, strength rules the game, no exceptions. Those who are tough get hailed as champions; others? They're stuck cleaning up messes. Might makes right here, plain and simple.Leon ended up on the ground. That’s where he landed, no surprise there.Later, the red moon climbed into view. Right after, creatures smashed past the shield. His siblings stood near death yet deep in his Empty Core, an old force stirred awake.[ SHADOW EXTRACTION SYSTEM ACTIVATED ]Leon takes energy from whatever he defeats. Each time a creature falls, he gains more strength. As shadows vanish into him, he drifts toward a mystery - something waits in a space beyond places: a seat atop no land, while a voiceless headpiece calls out to him through empty dark.Yet taking what’s not yours brings trouble.On top of everything else, the Evernight Alliance caught wind. Not just vampires - werewolves too. Old creatures that oughta be myths are poking at the city’s walls, messing up dungeon cores, chasing whatever’s pumping out that dark energy signal.Hunting for him.Leon’s stuck in a risky move, quietly getting stronger so he can shield his folks, hitting school while sneaking around to pull out shadows, acting powerless even though some old, grim force now names him successor.That F-Rank tag? Total fake. His Empty Core isn't broken, it fights. Each darkness he swallows drags him nearer to a reality he can’t face yetNot every seat of power fits a hero.Some crowns come from shadows, built on bones.Some kids just inherit stuff whether they like it or not.The Crimson Moon marked the start. What’s coming next? Things are about to heat up.

“I, Benson Walton, reject you, Selma Payne, from being my future Luna and mate.

“If you’re sensible, you’ll find a quiet place to die on your own, instead of tarnishing our people’s glory.

“You’re just an ugly toad. Stay in the mud quietly, and don’t burden our pack.”

On Benson’s nineteenth birthday, he found out that we were destined mates. But I didn’t expect that he would rather endure great pain than accept me. Every word he said smashed directly into my heart, and the pain made me tremble uncontrollably.

I learned I wasn’t my parents’ biological child when I was sixteen. Although they thought of me as an angel that a stork had given them, it didn’t change the fact that I was a weak, little human.

I was just a soft egg who would fall over with a poke, a loser who couldn’t even see the road without help from the moonlight. My existence brought shame to my parents, and to my pack!

Perhaps I should have died in the woods from the start. With that thought in mind, I decided to return them a pure and unblemished pack tonight.

So, I jumped off a cliff and thought I would die. I never imagined I would be saved, and my true identity turned out to be the Lycan King’s only daughter who had been lost eighteen years ago. I was also heir to the throne!

That surprised me a lot. I was actually a werewolf? But… Why was I so weak? Was this all just a mistake?

To become a qualified heir, I concealed my identity and received training. However, could that frivolous instructor who was in charge of training me really help me awaken my wolf, or was he simply taking advantage of me?

As I grew stronger and became a public figure, others attacked and plotted against me many times. Did they have anything to do with those who kidnapped me all those years ago?

I have to catch them! I’ll protect my family, and my lover!