I stood up slowly. My legs shook like they forgot how to hold me.
The alley smelled worse up close. Wet stone. Burnt metal. Something sweet and rotten that made my stomach twist. Neon light from the big sign above painted everything red and blue. The colors moved across my skin like bruises that breathed.
I looked at my hands again. Still clean. No blood. But I could still feel it... warm and sticky from the mage I took. His soul. His last scream still echoed in my head, soft now, like a whisper from far away.
The red words floated in front of my eyes again.
**Life Force: 47/100**
**Soul Points: 52**
**Corruption: 3%**
**Hunger Level: Low – Rising**
**Tutorial Available: Y/N**
I blinked hard. The words did not go away.
I whispered, "What are you?"
The system answered right away. Voice inside my skull. Calm. Cold.
**I am your survival, Adina. The Chaos Witch System. You harvest souls. You gain strength. You live. Simple.**
I laughed. It came out weak and broken. "Simple?"
A new line appeared.
**Hunger will increase every 10 minutes without harvest. At 0 Life Force, you die. Permanently.**
My chest tightened. I remembered the pain before... the way my body started to shut down. I did not want that again.
I looked around the alley. Dark. Narrow. Walls close. Trash everywhere. A dumpster leaked black liquid that smelled like death. Above me, small flying things buzzed... red eyes glowing. They watched. Then flew away fast.
At the end of the alley, the street opened up. Bright lights. People moving. Fast. No one looked happy.
I took one step. Then another. My boots made wet sounds on the ground.
The hunger inside me stirred. Not loud yet. Just... curious.
I reached the mouth of the alley. Stopped.
The street was wide. Tall buildings everywhere. Glass and black metal. Lights in every window. Signs floated in the air... words in languages I did not know. One big sign said: "Soul Purity Check – 20 Credits."
People walked past me. Long coats. Hoods up. Faces covered with masks or glowing screens over their eyes. Some had metal arms that clicked when they moved. Others had lines of light under their skin... like veins made of blue fire.
No one looked at me. Good. I felt wrong here. My clothes were torn. Covered in mud and old blood from the war. My hair stuck to my face. I smelled like smoke and death.
A man walked close. Tall. Black coat. He had no eyes... just smooth skin where eyes should be. Small cameras moved on his forehead instead. They clicked toward me. Then away.
I pressed against the wall. Heart beating fast.
The system pinged.
**Potential Target Detected**
**Soul Quality: Common**
**Estimated Yield: 18-25 Soul Points**
**Harvest Difficulty: Low**
I swallowed. My mouth was dry.
"No," I whispered. "Not yet."
The hunger pushed back. Harder this time. Like fingers inside my ribs.
I turned away from the street. Back into the alley. Deeper.
The light from the neon faded. Shadows grew thicker. I walked until I found a corner. A small space between two dumpsters. Dry enough. Hidden.
I sat down. Back against cold metal. Knees to chest.
The system spoke again.
**Hunger Level: Medium**
**Life Force: 45/100**
**Time to next drain: 8 minutes**
I closed my eyes. Tried to think.
How did I get here?
The war. The betrayal. The blood. Then... this.
And the future. This place. This time.
I opened my eyes. Looked up.
One of the flying drones hovered above. Red eye staring down at me. It made a soft beep. Then flew away.
I hugged my knees tighter.
Memories came. Unwanted.
My old life. The mage academy. The laughter. "Adina and her tricks. Look! She made a flower appear! So scary." They pushed me. Took my food. Broke my things. Called me useless.
Then the war came. First War of Mages. Everyone had to fight. Even me.
They left me on the field. Said I would slow them down. Said better if I died quick.
I did not die quick.
Now I was here. Alive. But different.
The hunger grew. Sharp now. Like teeth in my stomach.
**Life Force: 42/100**
**Hunger Level: High**
**Harvest recommended**
I stood up fast. Head spinning.
I could not stay here. Could not wait to die again.
I walked out of the corner. Back toward the street.
The neon hit me hard. Colors too bright. Sounds too loud. Voices. Machines. Music from somewhere high up.
I kept my head down. Walked along the edge. Close to walls.
People passed. None looked twice.
Then... I saw her.
A woman. Short. Red coat. Hair white like snow. She stood near a small cart. Selling things. Small bottles. Glowing inside. Blue. Green. Purple.
She called out. "Fresh essence! Clean! No corruption! Only 50 credits!"
People stopped. Looked. Some bought.
I watched her.
The system pinged.
**Target: Female Merchant**
**Soul Quality: Above Average**
**Estimated Yield: 60-85 Soul Points**
**Warning: Public area. Witnesses likely.**
My hands shook.
I could do it. Touch her. Take it. Run.
But... people everywhere.
The hunger screamed now. Nails in my gut.
**Life Force: 38/100**
I took one step toward her.
Then stopped.
A man walked up to the cart. Big. Shoulders wide. Metal plates on his arms. He bought two bottles. Paid with a small glowing card.
He turned. Saw me.
His eyes narrowed.
I froze.
He stepped closer. Voice low. Rough.
"You lost, girl?"
I did not answer.
He looked me up and down. "Old clothes. War rags. You from the ruins?"
I shook my head. Slow.
He grinned. Teeth metal. "Fresh meat. You smell like death."
I backed up.
He followed.
The hunger inside me laughed. Happy.
**New Target Acquired**
**Soul Quality: High**
**Estimated Yield: 120+ Soul Points**
**Threat Level: Medium**
The man reached for me.
I moved first.
My hand shot out. Fast. Touched his wrist.
The system roared.
**Harvest Initiated**
**Soul Extraction: In Progress**
His eyes went wide.
He opened his mouth to scream.
I pulled.
The glowing thread came out fast. Bright. Angry. It burned my hand as it entered me.
He dropped. Hard. Body hit the ground. Bottles rolled from his coat. Shattered.
People screamed.
The woman at the cart shouted.
I turned. Ran.
Back into the alley. Legs pumping. Heart slamming.
The thread inside me burned. Memories flooded in.
His name was Korr. He killed people for money. Liked it. Hurt them slow.
I felt all of it.
I ran deeper. Turned corners. Jumped over trash.
Finally stopped. Leaned against wall. Breathing hard.
The system spoke.
**Harvest Complete**
**Soul Points Gained: 138**
**Life Force Restored: 92/100**
**Corruption +7%**
**Total Corruption: 10%**
I slid down the wall. Sat on wet ground.
My hands shook worse now.
I looked at them.
They felt... stronger.
But also wrong.
The hunger was quiet now. Sleeping.
But I knew it would wake up again.
Soon.
I closed my eyes.
The city hummed around me. Alive. Hungry.
Just like me.