Chapter 14 · Welcome to the Meat Grinder

“Get your face out of the dirt, trash. Or do you like the taste of gravel?”

Kael’s boot didn’t just push; it ground into Cain’s cheek, twisting with a slow, deliberate pressure. Around them, the training pit was a circle of jeering elites, their laughter echoing off the jagged stone walls. The air smelled of old sweat, ozone, and the metallic tang of blood.

Cain didn’t move. He let his cheek press into the grit, his eyes fixed on the polished leather of the boot. Inside his chest, the Devouring Bone hummed—a low, hungry vibration that made his teeth ache.

“I asked you a question,” Kael sneered, leaning his weight into the boot. “Where’s your marrow, little rat? Oh, wait. You don’t have any. You’re just a hollow shell, aren’t you?”

Cain spat blood to the side. “You talk a lot for someone who’s only a Third-Ranked bone. Does the noise help you forget how mediocre you are?”

The crowd went silent. Kael’s face twisted, his eyes flashing with a sudden, violent gold light. He yanked his foot back and slammed a fist down, aiming straight for Cain’s temple.

Cain rolled. It wasn’t a clean move—