This Illustration Codex may contain spoilers from the last 10 chapters.

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  Name

  Arion

  Gender

  Male

  Age

  Unknown - (33)

  Race

  Human (Otherworlder)

  Affinity

  Unknown

  Shard Gear

  ? Grimoire of Vitalis - Common

  ? Quarterstaff of Recall - Uncommon

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  Name

  Alara

  Gender

  Female

  Age

  21

  Race

  Human

  Affinity

  Wind

  Shard Gear

  Unknown

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  Region: Cliffside aeries, canyon ridges, storm-battered coasts

  Status: Apex Predator – Rare, Territorial

  

  “When its shadow crosses the sun, even the bravest pack-beasts bolt.” – Ranger Erios

  Description

  The Royalisk is a massive winged predator, combining the sleek speed of a raptor with the armored resilience of a scaled drake. Its plumage masks layers of blackened scales, and its hooked talons can carve gouges through stone. The barbed tail acts as both whip and anchor, lashing prey or pinning it to the ground.

  Behavior

  Royalisks are fiercely territorial, circling hunting grounds for weeks. They kill not for hunger but for dominance, leaving carcasses scattered across cliff bases. Caravans passing their territory are often torn apart in minutes.

  Lore & Beliefs

  Coastal tribes mark the shadow of a Royalisk as an omen of death. Some warriors wear its feathers in ritual duels, claiming it grants them the beast’s unmatched speed.

  Author note: The one Arion encounters is a smaller variant, a sub-species you could say.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

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  Region: Abandoned ruins, shadowed temples, forgotten cities

  Status: Essence-Warped Humanoids

  

  “They are not alive, but they are not dead. They are the pause between.” — Priest of Luminara

  Description

  Statue-like figures, humanoid but frozen mid-expression. Ripple-scars mark their bodies as if something was torn from them. Some have black voids gaping where throats should be — mouths opening only into endless dark. Others are remarkably deceptive, having forms of regular statues, only to change when they devour their victim. But eye witnesses have claimed Pales Ones to show their real horrific physical appearance, uncaring of what their victim sees.

  Behaviour

  They move only when unseen. The moment eyes turn away, they shift with startling speed. Some have even observed Pale Ones wield relic blades or tattered ritual garbs, fighting with the desperate precision of something trying to reclaim life.

  Lore & Beliefs

  Priests of Luminara claim they were once seekers of Luminary essence, trapped between states of existence. Some races call them Creepers and burn their remains without burial, fearing reanimation.

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  Status: Demon

  Description

  A pale, multi-limbed predator. Its fur appears soft from afar but is coarse and static-charged, hiding segmented armour plates beneath. Dozens of whisker-like tendrils emerge from its body, sweeping in arcs to map its surroundings; the creature is effectively blind, navigating through pressure, vibration, and energy density. It typically emerges with six to ten limbs, each double-jointed and bending in directions no mammal should. The digits end in narrow pads ringed with micro-hooks, coated in a thin secretion that lets it move with near-silent, rubber-over-glass precision.

  Its “face” is a misdirection — a mammal-like muzzle that splits open to reveal a second, inner maw lined with valve-like teeth and a barbed, muscular tongue capable of tasting most energies directly from the air.

  When it unfolds to full height, the creature rises over two metres tall and stretches more than three metres long. Its anatomy seems to shift as it moves, as though piecing together the memory of its own shape.

  Behaviour

  Unknown.

  Lore & Beliefs

  Unknown.

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  Region: Wastelands, scorched forests, and sites of mass slaughter.

  Status: Red-Eyed Fiend. Predator. Territorial.

  

  “Soldiers believe hearing their howl before battle is certain death.” – Forester Colin.

  Description

  A gaunt, wolflike horror with bone ridges jutting from its back. Eyes glow red like burning coals, saliva dripping thick and black.

  Behaviour

  Pack hunters, drawn to death. They scavenge corpses, but also kill to add to their feasts. Their howls echo across leagues, instilling terror.

  Lore & Beliefs

  Called Death’s Hounds; legends say they lick battlefields clean.

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  Region: Marshlands, lakes, and riverbanks

  Status: Apex Amphibious Predator – Rare

  

  “Still water is its hunting ground.” – Marshfolk

  Description

  The Marsh Drake, or also known as the Avank, comes from the Drake family-–living within marshes and bogs. Its body armoured in jagged scales with spines running down its back. Its amber eyes glow faintly in dark waters, marking its watchful patience.

  Behaviour

  It lies in wait beneath water, launching sudden ambushes against anything that approaches. Capable of dragging prey larger than itself into the depths.

  Lore & Beliefs

  Marshfolk fear the Avank as a curse-beast; to see its glowing eyes is thought to mean death within the week.

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  Region: Forests, caves, canyons.

  Status: Essence-Warped Arachnid Matriarch

  

  “First comes the vibration, then the creaking of wood—witnessing her brings the gift of death. ”

  Description

  Their true bodies have never been fully seen. Evidence points to a vast arachnid matriarch with an estimated leg span of eight to twelve metres. Reports describe tri-layered silk that shifts through cyan, gold, and violet when active. Areas claimed by a Thread-Mother lose sound, colour, and even ambient Essence, turning entire forests into silent, bleached labyrinths.

  Behaviour

  Gaunturala hunt through resonance rather than sight. They detect movement, Vitalis flow, and even breath through tiny pressure changes in their silken lattice.

  They do not always attack. They engage only when acknowledged — attention itself seems to act as a trigger. Their webs form geometric grids across trees and ravines, functioning as both sensory network and digestive organ. Victims’ final impressions sometimes imprint on the silk, creating misleading echoes for future intruders.

  Lore & Beliefs

  A single Gaunturala is capable of draining the Essence of an entire woodland, leaving only white trunks and a silence so complete it felt predatory.

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  Bonus

  Arion's Tree Cabin.

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