The stench of blood never lingers alone.
Where corpses lie, scavengers follow.
I heard them before I saw them—the crunch of boots across ash, the rattle of weapons stripped from the fallen. My hand drifted to a sword at my feet, but I didn't lift it. Not yet.
"Damn… what a harvest," a coarse voice muttered. A lantern swayed into view, its light falling across three figures in ragged armor. Bandits—or deserters. Men who fed on the aftermath of slaughter.
Their eyes gleamed as they saw me, kneeling among the dead.
"Well, look what we have here." The tallest one grinned, showing rotted teeth. "A survivor. Barely."
I lowered my gaze, body trembling. I made it convincing. Let them think I was weak.
They approached, blades ready but loose, confident in their numbers.
"Strip him," the leader ordered. "If he's alive, he's got something worth taking."
They didn't notice the faint black light gathering in my palm. They didn't hear the whispers echoing in my veins.
Hollow Palm.
I rose suddenly, hand slamming forward into the chest of the closest man. My fingers barely brushed his armor—yet his scream tore the night apart.
Black veins spread instantly across his skin as his vitality drained into me. His flesh shriveled, his eyes sank, and within seconds he collapsed into a husk at my feet.
The other two froze, horror painted across their faces.
"What—what the hell is that?!"
I straightened, my breath steady. Power thrummed in my veins. His life had become mine.
The System pulsed coldly.
[Devour Successful. +3 Abyss Points.]
I smiled without warmth.
The second scavenger lunged at me in panic, blade flashing. I sidestepped, slower than I wished—but strong enough to twist his wrist and drive my palm into his throat. The Hollow Palm flared again, and his scream choked into silence.
The leader staggered back, eyes wide, hands shaking.
"You… you're not human…"
I met his gaze, calm and cold. "You're right."
He turned to flee. Foolish. He made it three steps before I struck, draining him until nothing remained but rags collapsing over brittle bones.
The night was silent once more. Only the corpses testified.
I exhaled slowly, flexing my hands. Each use of Hollow Palm left me hungrier, but stronger. Addictive, in its own way.
This was the path the Abyss had given me. Not honor, not light, not redemption.
Only hunger.
And I would not resist it.