The darkness wasn't empty.
Kael realized that now.
It watched.
Not with eyes… but with presence. Like something vast, ancient—pressing in from every direction.
His breath came out slow.
Controlled.
Even though his chest felt tight.
Even though his instincts were screaming.
Run.
But there was nowhere to run.
"…So this is death?" he muttered.
The words disappeared into the void.
No echo.
No response.
Just silence.
A suffocating, endless silence that felt like it was listening back.
Then—
Something moved.
A ripple.
Far ahead… if "ahead" even meant anything in this place.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
There.
A shape.
Low to the ground.
Crawling.
Wrong.
Its limbs bent at unnatural angles. Its body dragged like it was stitched together from pieces that didn't belong.
And its head—
Tilted.
Too far.
As if something inside it was trying to look at him from the wrong direction.
Kael didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
He observed.
Analyze first. Act second.
The creature stopped.
Its body twitched once.
Then slowly…
It smiled.
Not like a human.
Not even like an animal.
It was a smile that didn't understand what a smile was supposed to mean.
—
The world shifted.
A sound slammed into Kael's mind—
[Nightmare Initiated]
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
White.
Blinding.
He dropped to one knee, gripping his head.
Memories—no, not memories—
Something else tried to force its way inside.
Cold. Broken fragments. чужие.
[Survive]
[Or Be Devoured]
"…Tch."
Kael exhaled sharply, forcing himself upright.
His vision blurred for a second—then snapped back into focus.
"So it's that kind of world."
His gaze locked onto the creature again.
It was closer now.
Much closer.
He hadn't seen it move.
Good.
That meant one thing.
Fast.
But speed alone wasn't the problem.
It was the way it moved.
No sound.
No warning.
Like it skipped space instead of crossing it.
Kael adjusted his stance slightly.
Untrained.
Weak.
But not helpless.
His fingers flexed once.
Testing.
Measuring.
"Then I just have to kill it first."
The creature lunged.
No warning.
No buildup.
Just a blur of twisted limbs tearing through the darkness.
Kael moved.
Barely.
The claws grazed his shoulder—
Pain ripped through him.
Warmth followed.
Blood.
The metallic scent filled the air—
or maybe it was just in his head.
He didn't react.
Didn't panic.
His mind stayed cold.
Too fast to outrun.
Too close to escape.
So—
He stepped forward.
The creature's grin widened—
Expecting fear.
Hesitation.
Instead—
Kael grabbed its arm.
—
Silence.
For a single, impossible second.
The moment froze.
The creature's body jerked—
As if confused.
As if something about this was wrong.
And something inside Kael…
answered.
Not thought.
Not instinct.
Something deeper.
Something that had been waiting.
The shadows beneath them stirred.
Not around him.
Not near him.
From him.
They rose like liquid darkness, clinging to his arm—then spreading to the creature like a living infection.
The thing shrieked.
A sound that didn't belong in any living throat.
It wasn't pain.
It was fear.
[Unknown Ability Activated]
[Shadow Devour]
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
But he didn't let go.
Couldn't.
Wouldn't.
The shadows tightened.
Pulling.
Dragging.
Consuming.
The creature thrashed violently, its limbs snapping at impossible angles as it tried to escape.
But there was nowhere to go.
The darkness swallowed it piece by piece.
Its body didn't tear—
It unraveled.
Breaking apart into smoke.
Into shadow.
Into something less than existence.
And it all flowed into him.
—
Pain.
Not physical.
Deeper.
Like something was being forced into places that shouldn't exist.
Kael's vision fractured.
Images flashed—
Dark corridors.
Endless hunger.
Something crawling through bodies—
Wearing them.
Breaking them.
A scream that wasn't his echoed inside his skull.
Kael gritted his teeth.
"…So this is the price…"
His knees trembled—but he didn't fall.
Didn't let himself fall.
His grip tightened.
"Then I'll pay it."
The shadows surged once more—
Violent.
Hungry.
Final.
The creature let out one last, broken sound—
And vanished.
Completely.
—
Silence returned.
But it wasn't the same.
It felt… thinner.
Like something had been taken from it.
Or maybe—
Like something had been added.
Kael stood there, unmoving.
Breathing slowly.
His heart pounded—but his face remained calm.
Too calm.
His fingers twitched slightly.
As if adjusting to something new.
"…I understand now."
His voice was quieter.
Colder.
More certain.
"This isn't a test."
His eyes shifted, scanning the endless dark.
"It's a feeding ground."
A faint movement flickered at the edge of his vision.
Then another.
And another.
Shadows detached from the darkness.
Shapes forming.
Bodies crawling into existence.
Dozens.
Watching.
Waiting.
But now—
They weren't just observing.
They were circling.
Testing.
Like predators deciding whether he was prey…
—or something worse.
Kael exhaled slowly.
A thin, almost invisible smile forming on his lips.
Not fear.
Not relief.
Something colder.
Something sharper.
"…Good."
The shadows at his feet twisted.
Responding.
Listening.
Like they recognized him.
Like they belonged to him.
Or maybe—
Like he belonged to them.
"Come."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
Soft.
Inviting.
Dangerous.
"Let's see how many of you it takes…"
His eyes darkened.
The faint reflection of something unnatural flickering within them.
"…before I become something even worse."
—
[Shadow Devour Progress: 3%]
[Fate Fragment Acquired]
—
Far beyond the Nightmare—
Beyond space.
Beyond time.
Something ancient shifted.
Chains unseen trembled.
A presence stirred in the deep dark.
Awake.
Interested.
Curious.
—
And for the first time—
It noticed him.
—
And somewhere—
Far, far away—
Something whispered back.
"...An anomaly."