Chapter 20: Devour or Be Devoured
The forest was alive.
Not with the breath of animals or rustling leaves—but with bloodlust.
Kael ran like a phantom, the trees blurring past, every heartbeat syncing with the pulsing glow on his forearm—the Devourer Mark burned bright red. It guided him, whispered to him, tasted the fear of the one it had claimed.
System Notification:
Target Locked: Shadow Stalker Class – Elite
Time Remaining: 42 Minutes
Assimilation Chance: 31%
Corruption Risk: Moderate
Condition: Must Subdue Target Alone
He could still smell the silvery blood. It left a thin trail—a shimmer visible only through the system's Instinct Mode.
Suddenly, Kael skidded to a halt.
A flicker of movement.
His eyes snapped left—too late.
The Shadow Stalker dropped from the trees, twin crescent blades flashing like lightning. Kael threw himself backward. One blade grazed his cheek, leaving a thin, cold cut that didn't bleed—it burned.
The stalker didn't hesitate, pressing the attack with inhuman speed. Kael dodged left, then right, but his footing gave on a damp slope. He stumbled.
A blade came for his throat.
CLANG!
Kael blocked with his vambrace, teeth bared. His wolf stirred inside him—savage, howling, hungry.
"Enough running," Kael growled, rising.
He dropped his stance, letting instinct take over. His movements became wilder, unpredictable. The shadow danced around him, but Kael matched it now.
He struck.
First blow—deflected.
Second—blocked.
Third—connects. His claws (half-formed from his wolf shift) raked across the stalker's mask, cracking it.
The stalker staggered, and for a moment, Kael saw her face.
Young. Human. But her eyes—void of soul.
She hissed something in a forgotten tongue.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He tackled her into the earth, driving his fist into her gut hard enough to shatter ribs. She screamed, shadows bursting from her skin.
System Alert:
Assimilation Ritual Available
Proceed with Devourer Mark: [Y/N]
Kael breathed hard, his body trembling. But he didn't blink.
"Yes."
He slammed his palm against her chest. The mark pulsed.
The shadows twisted.
The woman's scream turned into a shriek—not of pain, but of release. Her body disintegrated into tendrils of dark light, pulled into Kael's arm.
His vision exploded.
Memories flooded him—rituals under black moons, blood sacrifices, forbidden chants, pain, obedience, fear, rebirth.
Then silence.
Kael collapsed to his knees, chest heaving.
System Update:
Shadow Pulse Technique Acquired – Level 1
Ability: Temporary Cloaking for 3 Seconds / Cooldown: 2 Minutes
Effect: Nullifies scent, heat, and sound for brief moment
Corruption Level: 7% – Stable
Bloodline Sync: 33%
He looked at his shaking hands.
He had done it.
He had devoured one of the Unseen.
But the whispers in his mind didn't fade. They multiplied.
The Cult... now knew he could devour them.
And they would not forgive.
Behind him, the woods grew quiet again.
But Kael no longer felt alone.
His pack would need to prepare.
Because this war… had just taken its first true breath.