Tired, Ray picked up his damaged spear from the dissolved corpse. Turning to leave, he noticed the wounded tall man resting on the ground, breathing heavily.
"You… why did you lie? You used me as your bait," the man said weakly.
Met by Ray's cold blue eyes, he shuddered as he heard the reply:
"Look at yourself. Full of wounds. If I acted as the bait, we'd all have shared your friends' fate, you're too weak."
The tall man's gaze shifted away from Ray, lingering on his fallen comrades before lowering to the ground.
"Not everyone has to follow the Path of Awakening. You can make yourself useful in other ways."
As for Ray, he already knew how to make himself useful.
---
Several hours later, Ray found himself back in the abandoned house on the periphery. He'd had time to study the basic aspects of his power, that revolved around darkness.
'Until the Murk happens again, I'm no different from a normal human.'
Ray's senses became enhanced in the presence of the shift. He could use darkness to create physical objects, reinforce his body, or form weapons. However, that ability was limited, any object not in contact with him would dissolve.
After one's awakening process was complete, they could either join the special forces of the government that fought against the Murk, which granted the person a higher social status, or live their own path.
For Ray, the choice was simple. If he wanted to stop living in ruin and trash, he had to climb that ladder.
'I still need more time to figure out how things work as an awakened.'
---
After several days, with most of his wounds healed, Ray was ready to try the common thing between every awakened. The newly formed core acted as a second "heart," pouring essence at will into the human body.
'Seems like I can't control a small zone of where I pour my essence, it affects the whole region instead, I need to be careful not to waste it.'
The best way he found to practice control was by trying to focus the flow into a single finger.
'Ah, it's pointless for now. My core's barely forged. After the next Murk, I'll join the government and kill more Shades to strengthen and expand my core to grow stronger. I still need to test my powers, and unlike others, I need the presence of darkness.'
---
The moon outside began to darken, the surroundings becoming dim and lifeless. Unlike before, Ray felt a spark of excitement.
Not only was the body of an awakened far stronger than a normal human even without the usage essence, but the Shift seemed to favor him.
'It's almost as if I'm walking in broad daylight, except for the ugly Lurkers.'
His vision and senses had improved greatly, though it was still only the beginning. Concentrating on the memory of his insight, he poured essence into his hand, forging a black shield to match the damaged spear that had carried him this far.
'My core empties faster when creating objects compared to strengthening my body. I need to be mindful with how to use it'
Walking through the empty streets of the periphery, Ray spotted two Lurkers at the intersection ahead. The boon he'd received upon awakening came in handy, he could now distinguish them from far greater distances.
Both Lurkers looked nearly identical, resembling two black hounds around a meter tall. The first had two pikes sprouting from its head, while the other's mouth was filled with long, curved, dagger-like teeth. Unlike the times before, he wasn't the prey anymore.