A black cat meowed by the corner of the next alley before jumping out of sight behind a messy dump. Eric eyed the stray animal curiously, taking note of its bright yellow eyes, which, according to him, were a big giveaway should the cat decide to go stealth mode.
It has to go with its eyes closed if it doesn't want to be seen… but if its eyes are closed, it wouldn't see… then it must train to hunt with other senses apart from eyes.
I think I should learn that too. I'll need to master movement without opening my eyes.
But wait, my eyes are not luminous like the cat's. Why do I need to close them?
This was his routine throughout the night as he wandered the dark, empty maze-like street, trying to remember the way he took while coming here. He seemed to be having fun, kicking bottles, sweeping his hair, and thinking hard to himself. But in truth, he'd lost his way. The slum was full of turning and confused roads that looked alike, and there was no knowing which way led to which end. Even worse, there was no one outside to ask. The rain continued its drizzle to the annoyance of Eric.
Ugh, back in the colony, rain fell with purpose. Always a mix of torment, intentional downpour, and that's all.
Why is this one falling like there's a sieve under the clouds?
Hmm… system? Do you perhaps have a navigation guide I'm not aware of? 'Cause I know I'm not aware of everything about you yet.
[The only navigation guide available is the one that leads back to the colony, where the rain falls with purpose.]
"A-ha! Funny system. I hate you with the whole of my being!"
[You are not worthy of my hate.]
Eric tried his luck one more time, finding a corner that didn't look like he'd taken before.
"Hell, I should've marked the spots where I passed. Let's try this one."
"I can't even find the vehicle I stole from the facility's parking lot. I'm sure I parked it somewhere near the kidnappers' shed. The slum gangs here must have stolen it."
For the millionth time, Eric brushed his long hair out of his face and wiped the water that had settled on his face as well. A swift movement didn't go unnoticed behind him at that instant. He turned swiftly, but there was nothing to see.
It didn't block air from reaching my upper body. However, I felt a quick passage of warm air from my knees to my feet. Definitely, it must be something too small to reach my upper body.
Yes, it must be that damn black cat. A-ha, call me if you need a detective.
Why is this stray creature following me though?
"I wonder what it'd feel like if I consume mana from a domestic animal instead of a wild beast. Will I still enter my temporary beast mode, or will I just meow and wait for a bowl of milk while shitting at a corner?"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
A very high-pitched noise reached Eric's ears as he was about to round another corner in an especially dark alley. And contrary to his consistently calm demeanor, Eric suddenly began panicking, with his heart beating very fast against his chest.
As if that wasn't enough, he immediately started feeling very hungry, even though he knew he wasn't supposed to consume any more mana for a long while.
What... what the hell was that scream? Why am I sweating in this cold rain? Why do I feel like I'm about to die of hunger? The noise… is it calling me? It's drawing me…
Oh no, I'm running toward it already.
Eric felt his legs move on their own and his body cooperating at the same time. Only his head, his thinking, was clear as he thought he wasn't supposed to be running toward a shrill cry like that. But he found he couldn't stop himself, as his brain seemed to have lost its connection with his body parts.
Something followed him, running alongside him, but he couldn't even bring himself to look back to confirm whether it indeed was the black cat, or another cat, or something else entirely. He kept running... until at last, he arrived at where the noise came from? Then, his brain reconnected.
"Even my brain leaves me when I need it the most. Go figure," he said to himself in fake pity.
Whoever or whatever was following him had jumped into a dark corner again and out of sight. But Eric wasn't as worried about his back as he was about what stood in front of him.
Five hefty men were fleeing the tiny alleyway, each one taking a different path into the next street at the end of the alley. They must have thought he was a fed, Eric thought, as he saw them flee. But added to that, was what Eric discovered to be the real reason the men ran.
Something lying on the dark cold ground.
In the middle of the tiny way was a small body belonging to a young lady. Upon getting closer out of curiosity, Eric realized that the lady's eyes were clouded in pain as she gasped for breath. Tracing her completely naked body, he saw that her right hand was clutched over her stomach, and out of its creases was blood oozing out non-stop. The weak pressure she was applying to stop her mortal wound was obviously not enough to stop the thick red blood from flowing.
"Those bastards! Five of them against a woman is such a cowardly move!"
"Now, what to do? Should I just wait till she dies so I can consume her mana?"
"Or should I kill her faster to ease her pain and then make the mana consumption faster for me too? I guess that's a win-win.
"But why did her screams make me lose control of my senses like that? What was about her suffering that makes it special and different from the rest I've encountered?"
[Potential mana slave detected]
[Blood-bond with candidate to create your first mana slave]