"With every step I take in this world, I feel myself drifting further away from the family that was never made for me. No one notices the fractures inside me, even if I breathe the same air as them."
— From Kain's thoughts
Kain awoke past midnight, his eyelids flickering lightly as if his body had never known exhaustion. This was no longer strange to him… ever since enhancing his Vitality, his body had undergone a fundamental change.
Four hours of sleep were more than enough—far more than he even needed now.
He sat upright on his bed, staring at the darkness pierced only by strands of moonlight, and allowed a faint smile to cross his lips:
"If I keep developing these stats… will I stop needing sleep altogether? Will I become something that never tires… never rests?"
But this was no time for musings. His daily quest was waiting.
He opened the system, and the blue transparent panel appeared before him:
[Daily Quests]
• Run 20 kilometers
• 250 Push-ups
• 250 Squats
• 300 Sword Swings
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: 30 Free Points (FP)
He exhaled slowly, then smiled as he pushed open his window.
The old tree he often watched stood before him. Kain leapt toward it gracefully, pressed against its trunk, and landed soundlessly on the forest floor.
The woods were drowned in silence, save for the whisper of cold wind weaving between towering trees.
He started running—his strides tearing through the air. His speed now neared 60 kilometers per hour, and with Dragon's Eye and Breath of Thunder, the run felt more like flying.
He ran. He pushed. He squatted. Sweat streaked across his brow, but the smile never left his face.
As for the sword swings… his body already remembered them, even without a real blade.
Yet he hadn't forgotten his true goal—
the Devourer Sword.
He still lacked some SP, so he spent the rest of the night hunting in the forest. He needed no weapon—his speed and reflexes decided every battle before it began.
Finally, the number was complete—1000 SP.
Kain opened the shop at once and, without hesitation, bought it.
[Item Purchased: "Devourer Sword"]
It appeared in his hand. No… not appeared—it manifested.
The sword—no, the odachi—was something born of another world.
Unnaturally long. A blade blacker than dawn's void, refusing to reflect light—devouring it instead.
No shine. No glimmer. Only a living darkness that pulsed from the steel itself.
As Kain gripped it, a sting pricked him—not in his hand, but in his very certainty:
"Is this… real?"
Its weight was deceivingly light, like holding air itself… and yet that air could rend through steel.
The hilt was wrapped in faded leather—rumored to be taken from a creature caught between life and death.
The sheath… was no sheath, but a shadow, clinging to the blade like an unseen spirit, vanishing whenever it pleased.
This was no mere sword—it was a curse from an ancient arcane age.
A blade that tore not just flesh… but the soul itself.
Those struck by it left no body—only emptiness, as though erased from existence.
Kain closed his eyes, the sword gripped in his right hand, and inhaled slowly.
Then whispered:
"Time to test it…"
He raised his head toward the heavens and focused his energy.
Breath of Thunder was no longer a mere technique—it was etched into his veins, carved into his muscles.
Now, with his sharpened intellect and a weapon that could bear the weight of his technique, the moment had come to unleash its true form.
His roar split the air:
"Thunder Breathing — Flashing Bolt: Celestial!" ⚡
There was no flash—
there was an eruption.
A moment—then annihilation.
Kain crossed dozens of meters in less than a second, his blade carving a black arc across the world.
Trees cleaved apart. Stone cracked. The very earth bent beneath the strike.
The air burned, and the sky thundered suddenly, as though bowing in recognition.
A full circle of the forest was torn asunder, as if lightning itself had descended to herald the birth of a new power.
At the center of the ruin stood Kain, the sword at his side, sheathing itself back into its shadow with calm finality.
His breathing was steady, yet his eyes gleamed with dangerous light.
His new technique… perhaps—just perhaps—had surpassed Zenitsu's final form when he faced Upper Moon Six, Kaigaku.
Kain closed his eyes once more, and smiled.
"I've drawn closer… to what I'm meant to be."
But as his voice shattered the silence of the forest, and the last sparks of lightning faded, Kain collapsed to his knees.
It felt as if his soul itself had been drained from his body—every drop of energy consumed, and more beyond that.
He could no longer stand. Couldn't even lift his sword. He simply sat, panting like one cast out of the storm's heart.
"God… this technique devours me whole…"
With trembling hands, he opened the system.
The transparent frame appeared, showing his unallocated points. He still had 5 free points, plus 30 FP from the daily quest.
Despite his exhaustion, he smiled faintly, murmuring:
"Time to distribute… I can't repeat what just happened without enough Endurance."
He began, allocating carefully:
+10 Endurance
• +5 Strength
• +5 Agility
• +5 Defense
• +5 Intelligence (hesitant, anticipating the pain)
• +5 Vitality
He usually left Vitality for last, to avoid the immediate sting. But now, the pain was no longer what it used to be—only a faint burn. Intelligence, however, still tore at him, as if his very mind were being reshaped.
When he finished, the new status window appeared, framed in its cold serenity:
✦ Host Basic Status
Name: Kain Swan
Race: Human
Level: 7
[Strength]: 30
[Agility]: 40
[Intelligence]: 50
[Vitality]: 36
[Defense]: 28
[Endurance]: 42 / 12
FP Available: 0
SP Available: 0
XP: 20 / 45
Kain closed the panel with a satisfied smile.
His progress was steady. His power now far exceeded human limits… and his true struggle hadn't even begun.
He lifted his gaze—the sky was already lightening, threads of dawn weaving through the branches.
No time for rest. Bella would be awake soon. Charlie too.
Kain rose slowly, his body aching, but his steps firm.
He walked home, leaving behind a circle of devastation.
After forcing himself back to the house, he sank into a short slumber—barely an hour—before the sun's first rays touched the town.
From his room, he heard faint noises downstairs. With a sigh, he got up and descended.
Unsurprisingly, Bella and Charlie were already awake. He joined them at the table, eating in silence while Charlie flipped through the paper.
"Did you hear?" Charlie said gravely, "They found a forest ranger dead near the border. They said the body was… torn apart."
Kain froze mid-bite, sharp fire flashing in his eyes.
(James… Victoria? They've started hunting already…)
He stayed silent, glancing at Bella briefly before resuming his meal.
Minutes later, Charlie left for work. Kain and Bella climbed into the old red truck and drove to school together.
The ride was silent until Bella broke it, voice uncertain:
"You know… we haven't talked much since I came back to Forks, but… it doesn't feel as awkward as I thought it would."
Kain glanced at her briefly, then back to the road. He didn't reply, so she continued, as if trying to break through his walls:
"I thought it would be really uncomfortable between us… but somehow, it's not. Being around you feels… safe, in a way."
Kain smiled faintly, replying softly:
"Maybe because we're trying to be family. Even if the beginning is quiet."
Bella chuckled lightly, stealing a glance at him:
"You're still strange, Kain… too quiet. Like someone hiding a huge secret."
This time, Kain didn't smile. His eyes narrowed toward the road, his silence heavier than words.
At school, the day seemed ordinary—until lunchtime.
Kain chose a quiet corner, leaned against the wall, and silently opened his system to analyze his true target for the day:
[Status Analysis — Entity: Edward Cullen]
✦ Type: Vampire — Elite
✦ Classification: Advanced Elite
✦ Threat Level: Extremely High
✦ Innate Ability: Mind Reading
✦ Current Mood: Tense… wary… alert
✦ Physical State: High Energy — Combat Ready
Basic Stats:
[Strength]: 158
[Agility]: 186
[Intelligence]: 152
[Vitality]: ∞
[Defense]: 144
[Endurance]: 165
Kain's breath hitched, a muffled gasp escaping him.
(He's… over 180?)
He studied Edward from afar, whispering:
"So this… is the summit."
The rest of the day passed uneventfully—until it was time to leave.
Kain stood in the schoolyard when the screech of tires on ice split the air. He looked up to see a gray truck skidding uncontrollably toward Bella.
Time slowed.
Dragon's Eye activated. The world staggered. His heart hammered.
(Breath of Thunder? Should I use it?)
But he froze—not from weakness, but from doubt.
(Why… am I trying to save her? Why do I seek strength at all? What am I really after?)
A flash of his old family. His mother. His father.
(If I stood before that truck and died… would I see them again?)
But he rejected the thought. Denied it. His family was here too… wasn't it? Yet he wasn't certain.
Before he could decide, the truck struck—
"Bella!!" Kain roared.
But she was unharmed.
Edward stood before her, palm pressed against the truck's side, the metal crumpled like foil. Bella lay stunned behind him.
Kain rushed forward, bending to check her, but Edward was already lifting her into another car. Kain followed in silence, his mind boiling.
At the hospital, Carlisle was there… but Kain barely noticed. He saw no one, thought of nothing—only spiraling deeper into himself.
Back home, he went straight to his room. Sat on his bed. Stared at the ceiling for hours.
(What do I want from this world? Yes, I love my family here… but not like in the life I lost. I never forgot. I never stopped wishing… to see them. Just once more…)
He couldn't define the feeling in his chest. Was it tightness? Pain? No… longing. Perhaps.
He needed a trigger. Any trigger.
Suddenly, the system chimed:
[Ding!]
[New Quest Generated]
✦ Hunting Marathon
• Hunt continuously for 3 days
Time Limit: 4 days
Reward: 500 XP and doubled SP gains from kills
Penalty: Stats reduced by half
Kain moved instantly, as if a switch had been flipped inside him.
He left a message for Charlie, claiming he'd stay over at a "friend's house." Asked Bella to cover for him.
Then, at midnight's hush, he slipped out the window.
In the forest… animals fell one after another. Kain wasn't hunting for food. Not for points.
He was running. From himself. From his thoughts. From that aching sorrow.
He killed—
to stop thinking.
A day passed. Then two. Then three.
Unaware… that eyes were watching.
Elsewhere, beneath the shadows of the trees, sat Alice Cullen. Her gaze never left Kain.
She hadn't told anyone of his absence from her visions.
Hadn't revealed the sheer power she saw in him.
Something in him made every cell in her body scream—
Follow him. Submit to him.
She didn't understand why.
She had seen him in her visions… but only as mist.
What terrified her most… was that she saw the world itself respond to him.
The world was afraid.
The world wept.
As a child fears the monster in the dark.
She didn't understand.
But she kept watching.
And perhaps… just perhaps…
because she wanted to stay close.
🌀 End of Chapter 8
✦ Next Chapter: "Decisions in the Darkness of Night"