The wastes no longer resisted him. They bent. Each battle left trails of corpses, sparks folded into his vessel until Vessel Chambers thrummed constant. Compress held him dense, Morphic Arms struck like storms, Core Division nets wove wider and sharper with every spread. He was Level 20—beyond the threshold—but he had refused to evolve. Not yet. His limit lay further still.
Five voices pressed at him always. Logos advising, Maw gnashing, Neris whispering, Kael laughing, Vael declaring supremacy. Together they clashed, a storm that never ceased. Zeke endured, his will pressed denser with every moment. It was exhausting, but it forged him sharper.
[Skill Advanced: Morphic Arms → Lv.10]
A peak. Arms shifted in heartbeat, blades, whips, spears, claws—all sharper, faster, harder than ever. Fire burned along them, Darkness pulled at wounds, Light cut cleaner. Morphic Arms had reached perfection for this stage, its growth pressed against the ceiling. And still he did not evolve. He would see how far he could push the others.
The ashlands trembled. A predator stirred—heavier than stalkers, sharper than brutes, fiercer than the juggernaut. From a fissure in molten stone it crawled, a nightmare of cinder and claw. Its body was lean, plated in jagged obsidian, eyes glowing like coals. Sparks radiated from it in waves, pressure so dense that ash melted where it stepped. The air shuddered with its cry, a sound that rattled Zeke's vessel.
Fear struck. Real fear. His lattice quivered before it even lunged.
Maw laughed, wild. Yes! Finally! Something worth feeding on!
Kael barked louder. Perfect! Throw yourself in—see if you can break it before it breaks you!
Vael sneered, heavy with disdain. Fear? Pathetic. You are emperor of ash. This thing should bow, not roar.
"Efficiency," Logos clipped. "Its density exceeds prior foes. Reckless engagement risks collapse."
Neris whispered tight. Withdraw. Bait. Do not face it head-on.
The noise of them all pressed at once, louder than the predator's roar. Zeke staggered beneath the weight. Sparks bled uncontrolled. Compress faltered. For the first time since becoming unbound, fear had seized him fully. His limbs shook, nets frayed. He hesitated. The predator lunged. Claws struck, carving across his form, sparks bursting outward. Pain burned. Instability screamed.
[Stat Increased: VIT +1]
He tried to anchor, but his filaments shook too violently. Logos pressed calm, Maw shrieked hunger, Neris whispered retreat, Kael demanded charge, Vael declared dominance. Their clash froze him further. Fear threatened collapse.
Then, beneath them all, a voice rose. Thin, quivering, desperate. Not logic, not hunger, not pride or chaos. Just fear, pure and honest.
Run. Hide. Please. It will kill us.
The voice screamed from his core, sharper than the predator's roar. We are prey. We cannot win.
It was terror given shape. Shade.
[New Sub-Core Personality Awakened: Shade]
The voice begged, whimpered, cried. It hurts. It will hurt more. Don't let it! Stop! Hide!
Maw mocked it instantly. Coward! Let it scream, but feed anyway!
Kael laughed harder. Pathetic little shadow, whining while the world burns. Let it cry—we'll dive in anyway!
Vael sneered, Fear is beneath us. This voice insults us by existing.
"Necessary," Logos interjected coldly. "Fear stabilizes. Instinct of survival must not be discarded."
Neris whispered calm, Fear is anchor. Listen to it, but do not obey it. Let it warn, not rule.
Shade screamed louder, shaking his vessel. And Zeke, for once, let it. He accepted the terror, did not push it away. Fear was part of him, just as hunger, caution, recklessness, pride were. He did not collapse. He held it, trembling, sparks spilling—but still he stood.
The predator lunged again. This time, nets spread—not wide, but sharp, layered with affinities. Darkness bound its limbs, heavy as chains. Fire blazed through gaps, searing. Light cut lines into seams. Its claws still tore, but not cleanly. Sparks bled, but Zeke endured. Compress folded tighter, limbs striking. Fear guided him now, not freezing but sharpening, forcing caution. He did not throw himself blindly. He did not overreach. He struck where it was weakest, always ready to retreat.
[Skill Advanced: Essence Feast → Lv.7]
[Skill Advanced: Compress → Lv.7]
The predator shrieked, breaking through nets, scattering sparks. Shade screamed again, but Zeke adapted, anchoring filaments deeper. Morphic Arms lashed, Fire erupting along them, Darkness dragging wounds, Light carving open its chest. He struck again, again, never recklessly, never arrogant. He struck like prey that had learned to bite. Fear and caution sharpened him together.
At last, the predator staggered. Nets bound its limbs one final time, Compress driving Zeke inward like a spear. His arms struck through its chest, sparks exploding outward. He devoured, Vessel Chambers brimming, Essence Feast pulling smooth. The predator fell, silence returning to the ash.
Zeke pulsed low, trembling but whole. Fear still clung, whispering shadows through his vessel. But he had not collapsed. He had endured.
After, silence stretched long. Inside, six voices warred now. Logos clipped with logic, Maw shrieked for feast, Neris whispered restraint, Kael laughed reckless, Vael sneered with pride, and Shade cried fear. Together they clashed, louder than ever. Yet Zeke stood. He had accepted fear as part of himself. His will held. Stronger than before.
"Six now," Zeke murmured inwardly. "How many more wait?"
"Fragments," Logos answered. "You will continue until unity or collapse."
Collapse, Shade whimpered. It will come. We cannot hold them all.
We can, Vael pressed heavy. Because we are ruler, greater than all.
We can, Neris whispered calm. If we do not rush.
We will, Maw roared. If we feed.
We will, Kael laughed. If we gamble.
Zeke pulsed faint, weary but certain. "I will endure." His vessel thrummed with pressure, but did not falter. Fear had joined him, and made him stronger.
The spree was far from over.
System Update
Name: Ezekiel AshbourneRace: Prime Slime (Unevolved)Level: 20
Affinity: Fire (Intermediate), Darkness (Intermediate), Light (Intermediate)
Stats
STR: 15 → 16
AGI: 14 → 15
VIT: 19 → 20
WIL: 13 → 14
RES: 26
MNA: 72
CTL: 33 → 34
Skills
Core Division (Lv.5 → Lv.6): Divide essence into sub-cores. Fragments act with independent will under Logos's guidance. Nets hold stable under pressure.
Essence Feast (Lv.7): Devour prey essence directly. Converts sparks smoothly into stable fuel.
Morphic Arms (Lv.10): Limbs shift instantly between forms, layered with affinities.
Compress (Lv.7): Condense essence into denser form. STR, AGI, VIT rise sharply while active. Instability risk increased.
Passive Skills
Vessel Chambers: Internal reservoirs stabilize essence, prevent overflow, and channel affinities.
Personalities
Logos (Sub-Core): Rational, calm, precise. Guides efficiency and stability.
Maw (Sub-Core): Hunger externalized. Demands endless growth and feeding. Venomous, relentless, always urging to feed.
Neris (Sub-Core): Caution given voice. Patient, measured, anchoring restraint against recklessness.
Kael (Sub-Core): Recklessness given voice. Thrives on chaos, impulse, and risk, urging abandon and thrill.
Vael (Sub-Core): Pride given voice. Arrogant, certain, pressing supremacy and dominance.
Shade (Sub-Core): Fear given voice. Trembling, cowardly, but anchoring survival instinct.