Pain consumed him.
It spread through Dravon's body like a raging fire, tearing through his veins as the dark energy forced its way deeper into him. His muscles locked, his breath grew uneven, and his vision blurred as if the world itself was slipping away from him.
He collapsed to one knee, gripping the edge of the table so hard that the wood cracked under his fingers.
The energy wasn't just entering his body.
It was changing it.
His veins, now blackened and swollen, pulsed violently beneath his skin, carrying the power of the shattered gem through every part of him. It felt as if something inside him was being forcefully awakenend, something that had been dormant his entire life.
"Stay… conscious…" he muttered through clenched teeth and red eyes.
If he blacked out now, there was no telling what would happen.
The pressure inside his chest grew heavier, gathering in one place as if being pulled into a single point. Dravon could feel it forming, his core.
Every awakened individual formed one.
The first core.
The foundation of all power.
The energy surged inward, compressing violently within his chest as if trying to collapse into itself, and Dravon's body trembled under the strain as the force grew denser and heavier with every passing second, pushing against his ribs, his lungs, his very existence as if it demanded space that did not exist.
His grip tightened.
A crack spread across the table beneath his hand. "Come on…" he growled, his voice shaking as sweat dripped down his face.
The energy resisted.
It didn't want to be controlled.
It lashed out inside him, tearing through his veins again and again, forcing his body to endure wave after wave of unbearable pressure as if testing whether he was even worthy of containing it.
Dravon forced his breathing to steady. He inhaled. Exhaled. He didn't rush the process.
He had studied this.
He had prepared for this moment for years.
Even without power, he had learned how awakening worked, how the energy needed to be guided, not fought.
If he resisted it directly, it would destroy him so instead he endured it.
He let the energy rage through his body, focusing only on the center of his chest where everything was gathering, slowly forcing it to compress and condense, to take shape instead of spreading wildly.
The pressure grew denser and more violent.
His vision darkened at the edges, his body threatening to give out as the strain reached its peak, but he refused to let go, refused to fall, his will locking onto that single point within him where everything was converging.
"Form dammigt Form.." he whispered even tho the sound was gibberish as he spoke.
The energy trembled for a brief moment before It resisted one last time.
Then—
It collapsed inward.
A sharp pulse exploded through his chest, sending a shockwave across his entire body as the chaotic energy suddenly stabilized, no longer wild and destructive but contained bound into a single existence.
Dravon's body jerked as the pressure vanished instantly.
Silence followed.
A heavy silence.
He remained frozen for a second, his breath unsteady, his body still shaking from the aftermath as he slowly became aware of the change.
It was there at the center of his chest he could feel it.
His core.
Dravon exhaled deeply, his body finally relaxing as the pain faded, leaving behind only a dull ache that lingered in his muscles and veins, like a reminder of what he had just endured.
"…I did it." His voice was quiet. " i did it I'm Finnaly at the first core" he said in excitment
He didnt beleve it as he pushed himself up slowly, his legs unsteady at first before stabilizing as he leaned against the table, his eyes lowering slightly as he focused inward, sensing the energy within him for the first time.
It was faint and weak but still alive.
A thin stream of power flowed from his core through his body, far more controlled than before, no longer chaotic but responsive, as if it now belonged to him.
Dravon raised his hand slightly.
It felt much lighter then before it was as if he was reborn and a newfound strength has taken over him.
A slow smile formed on his face. "First core, with this i'm Finnaly in the path of power."
It wasn't much.
Not yet.
But it was everything he had been denied his entire life.
And now It was his.
Outside, the village had already begun to change.
Guards moved through the streets in greater numbers than before, their presence no longer routine but deliberate, controlled, and watchful. Every one of them was a Neko, their sharp eyes scanning crowds with unnatural focus, their ears twitching slightly at the smallest disturbances as their heightened senses picked up sounds no human could ever notice.
They ruled Death Stock for a reason.
They had Superior reflexes and Sharper instincts than a normal human aswell as better sound because of their fluffy ears.
That was how they had taken power.
That was how they had kept it.
Over a hundred and fifty years ago, it was said that humans had once ruled this village, back when it was smaller, weaker, and far less significant. But that changed the day the Nekos invaded, led by a third-core ruler whose strength had been enough to challenge the human leader directly.
The battle between them had ended in the humans death.
And after that Taking over Death Stock had been nothing more than a formality. Now, no one questioned Neko rule.
No one dared to.
Doors shut earlier than usual. Streets that once buzzed with life began to thin.
Patrols increased, moving in patterns that slowly tightened across the village as if an invisible net was being drawn inward.
It was clear to anyone paying attention They were preparing to seal the entire place. The news had spread faster than expected.
Something had been stolen from the ruling family.
And that alone was enough to put the entire village on edge.
In the alley where the incident had occurred, five men stood in silence.
They wore long coats and dark hats, their appearances plain at first glance, but their presence alone made the air feel heavier. Each of them had sharp features and colder eyes, the kind that didn't wander, didn't hesitate, and didn't miss details.
These were not guards.
These were the investigators.
The man closest to the wall crouched slightly, his fingers brushing against the rough stone surface as his gaze traced upward, following the exact path the gem must have taken.
"So…" he said calmly, his voice low but clear.
"He jumps after the Boost Gem here… right after robbing the noble princess."
Another man stepped forward, glancing over the wall toward the street beyond.
"And lands among civilians," he added. "He must be bold, Or desperate."
"Hes probably both," a third replied without hesitation.
The first man stood up slowly, dusting his hand off as his eyes moved across the alley, scanning every inch of it with quiet precision.
"There where no signs of hesitation and no wasted movement. He ignored the girl completely once the gem was thrown."
He paused briefly.
"Which means his objective was always the gem."
A fourth man tilted his head slightly.
"So Not random then."
"No," the first replied. "This was Planned."
The fifth man, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"Did he have a Disguise?" he asked.
The others exchanged brief glances.
"Most likely," the first answered. "No one stupid enough to steal from a Neko noble would show their real face."
He jumped toward the top of the Wall and looked over the exit of the alley, looking out toward the street where the crowd had once gathered.
"Check nearby shops. Any place he could have changed appearance, clothing, or direction."
"The crowd would've helped him disappear."
The second man nodded slightly.
"There's a clothing store not far from here."
The first man's lips curved faintly.
"Then we start there."