Chapter five — The First Feast
"Is that… a soul?"
The thought surfaced suddenly—strange, unsettling—yet it was the only one that seemed to fit.
Above each fallen orc floated a miniature version of itself—just as menacing—yet tiny, compressed. Small enough that Sam hadn't noticed them at first.
They hovered an inch above the corpses, their edges flickering, fragmenting into glowing pixels that dissolved into the air with every passing second.
They were fading.
And fast.
Something stirred inside him.
Guided by an instinct he never knew he possessed, he slowly extended a hand toward the nearest apparition.
The moment his palm faced it, a pull formed.
Invisible. Focused.
The air itself remained untouched—but the hovering soul shuddered violently before being dragged toward him, shrinking as it went—not from distance, but from its essence being pulled into him.
Sam staggered.
Warmth flooded his veins, sharp and sudden. His muscles trembled, breath catching as something deep inside him shifted. He felt his strength spike—his cells rearranging themselves ever so slightly.
The feeling was overwhelming. Addictive.
Lingering just long enough to feel good, dangerously so.
When it finally settled, he opened his eyes to a glowing notification hovering before his eyes:
Strength +2
He flexed his hand, feeling the new strength ripple beneath his skin.
This—isn't this the effect of my trait? he wondered.
Then he turned his gaze back to the orc's corpse, eyes narrowing.
So that really was a soul…
Behind him, ATLAS' lens flickered once—watching, recording—while Serena finally gathered enough courage to peek around his figure.
She watched as he studied his palm, clenching and unclenching his fingers as if testing something unfamiliar.
Then—without a word—he raised his hand toward another corpse.
She couldn't see his face. Had she been able to, the flicker of disbelief crossing his expression would have puzzled her even more.
Sam felt it again the instant his palm aligned—the same focused pull, the same invisible suction.
The soul tore free.
A smaller surge followed—denser, steadier.
When he opened his eyes, a new notification hovered briefly before fading.
Endurance +1
Not as much as before.
Still, he felt it.
His muscles tightened, structure shifting beneath the skin as his body compacted—becoming slightly denser, tougher than before.
Endurance, huh…
He lowered his hand and glanced down at the remaining orc corpses.
Two.
Above them, the miniature souls flickered more violently now, their outlines breaking apart in uneven bursts of light. The speed at which they dispersed—it was accelerating.
"They don't last long," Sam murmured with a frown.
Serena, who had snaked up to him, heard his murmur and stiffened. "What?"
Sam turned slightly at her voice, gave her a brief look, confirming that she looked steadier now—color returning to her cheeks—before turning back to point at the floating apparitions.
"The souls. They are dispersing faster now." He answered, his hand already lifting to absorb the third.
The only answer he received was a baffled, "Huh… what souls?"
Now it was his turn to be confused. "What do you mean 'what souls'? You don't see them?"
A pause.
"Sam… I know the situation seems crazy, but… you don't have to—" she began, worry sharp in her voice.
He let out a dry, humorless laugh, lips twitching. "The hell are you on about? I'm not crazy."
He felt like knocking her head for even thinking about such, who was the one trembling just moments ago screaming "red demon. Green demon."
Still this made him understand that he probably was the only one capable of seeing the hovering souls. Still to confirm, he lifted his gaze to the ceiling, from where ATLAS watched silently.
"How about you, ATLAS? Can you see them?"
A pause, mechanical and precise. "Negative, Master Sam. I do not have such capabilities."
Sam exhaled. That confirmed it. He was the only one could see them—unless of course, he meets someone with a talent like his.
Next he turned back to the orcs.
Of the two remaining, their souls had diminished further—mere fragments now. So without hesitation, he lifted both hands, fingers splayed, and activated his trait.
The devouring force erupted, pulling in the flickering fragments at impossible speed.
A glowing notification appeared almost immediately—just one:
Mana +1
"What the…?" Sam muttered, eyes widening. The energy—mana—surged through him, sharp, concentrated, leaving a tingle that spread from his fingertips to the core of his being.
"Is it because I waited too long?" he wondered aloud, brow furrowing.
Serena watched, wide-eyed, biting her lip. "I… I still don't get it."
ATLAS' lens tilted slightly, the soft hum of its systems filling the silence. "Mistress Serena—the data was recorded. I can replay it for you, if you want."
Sam barely acknowledged, with the devouring section over, he swiftly summoned his status, wanting to get a better idea of how much he improved and to see if any else had changed.
STATUS
Name: Sam Walker
Age: 19
Rank: F (0 / 100%)
Talent: Soul Devour (SSS / Unique)
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