Who the Hell Said you could make me Barbecue!

As Aelorin and the devil girl, Shayla, made their way through the shadowy passage, the darkness was punctuated only by the eerie glow of bioluminescent plants clinging to the cavern walls. Their faint light cast just enough illumination to reveal the strange, twisted rock formations around them, shifting with every step like silent watchers. The atmosphere was thick, weighted, as if the very air held secrets it was reluctant to share.

They moved cautiously, and Shayla began narrating the nature of the Crack. "This place doesn't just hold you," she said, her voice almost swallowed by the shadows. "It devours time. Days turn to hours, hours to seconds. And you might leave older, but no wiser if you don't act quickly."

Aelorin frowned, casting a glance into the surrounding darkness. "And there's no other way out?"

"Not for you," she replied with a sly smile. "The only way is for you to unlock the powers you were born with—powers you've ignored."

"How long is that going to take?" he pressed, a trace of urgency creeping into his voice.

"That," Shayla said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward, "depends entirely on you. But if you keep starving yourself, my blood's going to get too potent in your system."

Aelorin grimaced, realizing that he hadn't eaten since their journey began. "I doubt there's anything edible here for an elf. Without sunlight, vegetables don't grow in places like this."

Shayla snickered, her sharp teeth catching the light. "You elves and your bland tastes! We're hunting for meat, not leaves."

"Meat…" The word lingered on his tongue, foreign and unsettling. He hadn't tasted meat since birth—elves traditionally considered it forbidden. But he could feel a gnawing hunger awakening in him, something primal. For a brief moment, he even imagined a juicy steak, golden and sizzling.

After a few moments, they approached a large pool, shimmering with an unnatural blue light. Beside the pool stood a massive creature, something akin to a buffalo, though it was twisted and monstrous, its hide appearing as though crafted from metal, and multiple eyes shifting eerily on its head.

They crouched behind a nearby rock, their breaths steady. "This is your first lesson," Shayla whispered.

"Lesson?" Aelorin echoed, blinking. "I thought this was about food."

Shayla gave him a challenging look. "Oh, it is. But first, you'll have to kill it. Without magic. No weapons."

Aelorin's stomach dropped. His speed and agility would be drastically reduced without his usual magic, and from the look of the creature's skin, attacking it directly seemed suicidal. The beast's thick metallic frame suggested it wouldn't be easy to pierce.

'I'll need to use my beast-taming and cell-dominating abilities carefully here,' he thought, his mind racing with strategies. Aelorin stood, focused, and willed his slime companion to morph into a weapon in his right hand—a sturdy sword, though weaker without magic's enhancement.

He moved closer, his body a coiled spring, every muscle taut as he released his aura. His Beast Tamer's essence radiated out, a soothing command meant to charm the creature. 'If I can sway it, perhaps it'll offer itself willingly.'

The creature sniffed, turning towards him with a grunt, steam billowing from its nostrils. It began a slow approach, each heavy step pressing deeper into the ground. Aelorin extended a hand, voice barely a murmur. "Easy… girl."

He was almost close enough to touch the beast when, without warning, it lunged. Jaws snapping, it clamped down on Aelorin's outstretched arm, ripping through flesh and bone in a single savage jerk.

"Damn it!" he cried, stumbling backward as searing pain flared up his arm. The beast wasn't done—it swung its head, hurling him through the air. He crashed onto the rocky ground, the wind knocked from his lungs, as he clutched his bleeding stump in horror.

"You're weaker without your magic than I thought," Shayla taunted from the sidelines, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "For someone who could control the very cells of living beings, you let yourself think like a helpless creature."

Her words hit him hard, slicing deeper than the beast's fangs had. Clutching his wound, Aelorin forced himself to think through the pain. The creature prowled closer, nostrils flaring as it sniffed out his blood.

A realization dawned on him.

'Why am I running? Why am I even looking weak? She's right...' His eyes snapped up, locking onto the beast's gaze. "I already have you."

He raised his remaining hand, his thoughts weaving through the fabric of his own cells—and those he had secretly seeded into the beast during their encounter. With a surge of his will, he activated *Cell Domination*, feeling the connection intensify as he sent a mental command rippling through the creature.

*{You have begun to corrupt the Tri-Beast's cells}*

*{You have activated Cell Domination}*

Aelorin's lips twisted into a fierce smile as the notifications appeared in his mind. His pulse thrummed with newfound power as he tightened his grip on the creature's cells.

The creature's approach slowed, its body shuddering, caught in the invisible web of his control. It tried to fight back, its wild instincts clashing with Aelorin's will, but it was futile.

"Thank you, Shayla," he murmured, sparing her a brief glance before focusing back on his opponent. He raised his hand in a final command. "Now… I think it's time you pay for my arm back."

Aelorin's gaze sharpened, and with a clench of his fist, the beast's body tensed, its form distorting grotesquely as its head began to swell. With a sickening series of cracks, the creature's cranium split apart, a violent shower of blood and brain matter painting the cavern floor.

*{You have gained a new title: Brutal Beast Tamer}*

*{You have earned 1 evolution point for your display of dominance}*

Breathing heavily, Aelorin staggered back, taking in the results of his power. His body buzzed with energy, his veins alive with a strength he had only begun to comprehend. Shayla watched with an approving smirk.

"Impressive," she called out, voice tinged with both admiration and something else he couldn't place. "Maybe I won't kill you… yet. But I have to admit, you might just survive here after all."

Suddenly, he felt a pull at his feet. The blood from the slain beast was crawling toward him, a dark, rippling mass. Before he could react, it wrapped itself around his stump, creeping up his arm, reforming the muscle and sinew he had lost.

Aelorin watched in astonishment as his severed arm reformed, cell by cell, until his hand was once more whole. He flexed his fingers, feeling the strength return, stronger than ever.

"Did I just… heal myself?" he whispered, glancing up at Shayla.

She grinned, folding her arms. "You're stronger than you know, Aelorin. I think you're just starting to understand what you can do. Keep this up… and you might actually make it out of here."

With his new limb and his heart pounding, Aelorin looked back at the dark path ahead. The Crack had taken much from him, but it had also given something in return—a strength he hadn't known he possessed, and a hunger for more.

He turned to Shayla, eyes gleaming with renewed purpose. "Let's keep going. I'm ready for whatever else this place throws at me."

Shayla chuckled softly, her voice echoing through the cavern. "Good. Because this was only the beginning."