Kyle's words landed like a boulder plunging into a calm lake, stirring up towering waves.
Declan's face instantly drained of all color, followed by a flush of purplish-red anger spreading across his cheeks.
"At death's door and still spewing nonsense!" He roared hoarsely, spittle flying. "I had been merciful, willing to leave you a way out, but you don't know gratitude! It seems your father's only contribution was bringing a fool like you into this world!"
He tore away his pretense entirely, exposing his greed and murderous intent without reservation. Pointing at Kyle, he issued a final command to the guard who had just climbed to his feet:
"No more words! Break his neck and shut him up for good! If anything happens, I'll take the blame!"
A cruel glimmer of delight flashed in the guard's eyes. The earlier mishap had humiliated him, and now he intended to repay this blind, defenseless man double for the disgrace. Cracking his knuckles, his joints popped audibly, and dark red energy surged across his body. This time, he was serious.
Amy let out a desperate scream and threw herself in front of Kyle, disregarding everything. "No! Don't hurt the young master!"
"Move aside, wench!" The guard shoved her roughly to the side. Amy's small figure collided with the wall, sliding to the ground with a pained groan.
Kyle's pupils—his unique energy vision that only he could "see"—suddenly contracted sharply. Amy's warm golden aura flickered violently with pain and fear, as if it might extinguish at any moment.
A previously unfelt rage, mixed with the helplessness from his past life's "ghost" experiences of losing comrades, erupted explosively within Kyle's mind, shattering his reason like dynamite.
Protect her.
Avenge.
Survive!
A fierce determination struck like lightning, breaking a certain shackle deep within his soul. His peculiar eyes burned with a scorching pain, and an uncontrollable hunger—a primal craving born from the core of life—erupted from within them.
The guard's large hand had already grabbed Kyle's collar, and Kyle could "see" it clearly. That dark red energy was surging down the guard's arm, rushing toward his vulnerable neck.
Just as the critical moment arrived, Kyle did not resist but instead lifted his head to "stare" directly at the guard.
"You…" The guard was about to sneer but suddenly froze.
What kind of eyes were those? The originally murky and hollow pupils now flickered with two pinpoints of dark light, deeper than the night itself, radiating an unsettling pull that seemed to reach one's very soul.
The next moment, the smirk on the guard's face stiffened.
He felt his strength, his proud "Ether" honed through countless battles, draining from his body at an incredible speed. The energy surged uncontrollably from his arms, swallowed greedily by those strange eyes.
"Ah…my power…what's going on?!"
He screamed in terror and tried to let go, only to find that his hand seemed welded to Kyle's clothing, unable to break free.
In Kyle's vision, a feast was unfolding.
The dark red energy in the guard's body transformed into countless fine streams of red light, forcibly drawn and devoured by the black whirlpools within his eyes.
This was a brutal, unreasonable plundering—a crushing dominance from a higher lifeform!
This was the second ability of the *Void Gaze*—**Energy Siphon**!
The guard's towering figure began to wither at a visibly rapid pace. His once robust muscles shrank, and fine gray cracks appeared on his skin, resembling parched earth drained of moisture. Within mere seconds, he devolved from a powerful warrior into a skeletal, withered figure like someone tormented by decades of terminal illness. The light in his eyes dimmed and, at last, his hand went limp, releasing Kyle as he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Meanwhile, Kyle's body underwent dramatic changes.
A massive, chaotic energy flow surged into him through his gaze. This force, imbued with the guard's rage, fear, and brutality, overwhelmed his body, stretching his dried meridians, reshaping his fragile bones amidst searing pain, and inflaming his weak physique with molten, explosive power.
"Ugh…ahhh…"
Kyle let out a pained growl, falling to one knee as he gasped for air. His head felt like it was about to explode. The guard's negative emotions screeched in his mind, trying to corrupt his will.
The room fell deathly silent.
Declan's face turned ashen as he backed away step by step, only stopping when his back hit the cold wall. He realized with horror that there was nowhere left to retreat. Staring at the corpse-like guard on the floor, his teeth chattered uncontrollably.
"De…demon! You're a demon!"
It wasn't an insult; it was genuine terror. This bizarre ability to absorb another's life force defied his understanding of power. This wasn't martial skill—it was the most wicked forbidden sorcery only spoken of in legends!
Just as Kyle felt the violent energy within him reaching a breaking point and his consciousness teetering on the brink of being consumed by negative emotions, a casual, mocking voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Tsk tsk, rookie, gorging yourself like this on your first meal—aren't you afraid you'll choke to death? What a greedy little guy."
Kyle was startled. Where had this voice come from?!
"Stop looking. I live in your eyes," the voice drawled lazily, seemingly able to read his thoughts. "You can call me Vicks. Think of me as the…let's say, former-previous-previous owner of these eyes. Since you're about to blow yourself up, I'll give you some free advice."
"Use what little Ether you've got—what barely exists in you—and visualize it as a filter. Strain out all that *negative emotion* garbage for me! Only keep the purest energy. Got it? Hurry, or your tiny brain's gonna turn to mush!"
Though uncertain whether this self-proclaimed Vicks was friend or foe, Kyle knew this was his only lifeline.
Gritting his teeth against the agony, he desperately followed Vicks' guidance, summoning the weak force newly born within him. He shaped it into a filter, positioning it before the turbulent energy flood.
The painful process was indescribable—each filtration felt like a dull blade scraping at his soul. But it worked. The chaotic, negative energy began to dissipate bit by bit, leaving behind only the purest, attribute-less pale energy, which gradually infused his body.
Who knows how much time passed before Kyle finally digested the energy completely. He rose slowly, feeling an unprecedented sense of fullness within. His strength had multiplied—at least tenfold compared to before!
He turned his gaze back to Declan. The dark whirlpools in his blank eyes faded, leaving them calm once more. But Declan dared not meet his gaze, cowering in the corner like a quail awaiting judgment.
"Now," Kyle's voice, calm yet hoarse, carried an undeniable authority, "can we have a proper talk, my dear uncle?"
He advanced step by step, each one pounding like a hammer against Declan's heart.
"Tell me—who gave you the poison?"
Declan trembled all over, hesitation flashing in his eyes.
Kyle caught the fleeting uncertainty. He didn't press further but turned his attention to the dark purple energy swirling around Declan. A cold smile curled at his lips.
Raising a hand, he splayed his fingers toward Declan's direction.
"Don't want to say? Fine."
"Then let me see for myself."
As his words fell, an even stronger, suffocating hunger surged from his eyes. The dark whirlpools reappeared, clearer and deeper than before, as if connected to an infinite void.
Declan watched in terror as the Ether within him grew restless, threatening to erupt from his body any second, drawn toward those horrifying eyes.
He broke completely.