When the first faint light filtered through the perpetually gray sky of the Eternal Dusk, Len awoke from a light sleep. The glow of the mushroom circle had dimmed, but the shadows in the forest remained thick. He checked his body, surprised to find that the bruises and scrapes from last night's fight had mostly healed, leaving only faint marks.
This rate of recovery far surpassed that of an ordinary Wolf Clan member, and it wasn't a trait Vampires possessed either.
He recalled the strange state he'd been in during the fight—the two bloodlines no longer clashing, but balanced by some unknown force, granting him speed, precision, and perception beyond anything he'd known before.
"A unique gift..." he murmured his mother's words, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
The gnawing hunger in his stomach interrupted his thoughts. He needed food, and he needed to understand what was happening to him. The depths of the Darkwood were dangerous, but they also held the resources necessary for survival, and perhaps... answers.
He carefully left the mushroom circle, confirmed there were no signs of the wolves, and headed deeper into the forest.
The further in he went, the darker it became, the twisted trees growing denser. The atmosphere here was completely different from the forest's edge; the air was thick with rich magical energy and... a certain dark allure. Ordinary wolves would instinctively avoid such a place, but Len felt a strange sense of familiarity.
His senses sharpened in the darkness. He could hear the faint sounds of insects crawling underground, smell the scent of a distant water source, and even sense the weak magical pulses emitted by certain plants.
Near a rotting tree trunk, he found several clusters of deep purple berries. In his memory, his mother had taught him to identify this fruit—Shadow Berries. They contained faint dark energy, poisonous to ordinary creatures, but a beneficial supplement for certain dark bloodlines.
He plucked one and placed it in his mouth. The fruit turned into a cool juice sliding down his throat, then transformed into a faint energy that spread through his limbs. The unknown power within him seemed to stir slightly, actively absorbing this energy.
So, his body could utilize dark-aligned resources.
Not long after continuing, Len suddenly stopped, his whole body tensing. Something was moving in the shadows ahead.
A Shadow Wolf.
This creature was a predator unique to the Darkwood, leopard-sized, covered in dark fur that allowed it to blend into the shadows. Its fangs and claws were imbued with shadow energy, a nightmare for many adventurers. Right now, this Shadow Wolf clearly saw Len as prey, its eerie green eyes gleaming with hunger in the dark.
In the past, Len would have turned and run without hesitation. But today, he stood his ground, calmly assessing the situation.
The Shadow Wolf growled low, transforming into a black streak as it pounced. Its speed was immense, far surpassing the three young wolves from last night.
Len didn't meet the charge head-on. Instead, he used the bizarre footwork he'd awakened last night to slide sideways, his newly sharpened bone knife slicing towards the wolf's flank. But the Shadow Wolf reacted swiftly, twisting in mid-air to avoid the strike, its claws whistling past Len's cheek.
Having missed, the Shadow Wolf landed and immediately melted into the shadows, disappearing.
Len held his breath, focusing all his perception. He could sense the Shadow Wolf's presence; the moving mass of dark energy was like ink in water to his senses. When the wolf lunged from behind again, he was ready. Dropping into a roll, he avoided the attack, his bone knife leaving a gash on the wolf's hind leg.
The injured wolf let out an angry snarl, abandoning stealth and launching a fierce assault. Its claws tore through the air, leaving trails of black light that seemed to rip apart the very light around them.
Len weaved through the onslaught, each dodge a close call. He realized that with his current strength and skill, quickly defeating this beast would be difficult. He had to take a risk.
He recalled the feeling of guiding his bloodline power from the previous night, trying to actively channel that newly emerged, dark essence within him.
It was clumsy at first, but as he concentrated, the power responded. It flowed from the depths of his soul, through his limbs, finally gathering in his hands. A faint black mist coiled around the bone knife, somewhat similar to the black light on the Shadow Wolf's claws, but purer, deeper.
When the Shadow Wolf pounced again, Len didn't dodge. He met it head-on. The bone knife clashed with the claws. Surprisingly, this time he wasn't thrown back. The black mist on the blade seemed alive, wrapping around the wolf's foreleg. Where it touched, the Shadow Wolf's dark energy dissolved like snow in the sun.
The Shadow Wolf let out a terrified yelp, trying to retreat, but it was too late. Len pressed forward, the bone knife precisely piercing its throat.
The fight was over. The Shadow Wolf's corpse lay on the ground, no blood seeping from the wound, only wisps of black smoke dissipating.
Len panted, looking at his hands. In that final moment, he hadn't just channeled the dark power; instinctively, he had... absorbed a portion of the Shadow Wolf's energy. It was faint, but it had truly merged into his body, replenishing his weakness.
Devouring...?
He knelt, examining the Shadow Wolf's body. Near its heart, he found a small, irregular black crystal—a Shadow Core, the source of the Shadow Wolf's power. Normally, such items could only be used as magical materials, but when Len held it, he could feel the energy within calling to the power inside him.
After a moment's hesitation, he tried to guide his internal dark essence to touch the core.
A miracle occurred. The core dissolved at a visible rate, turning into pure dark energy that flowed into his body. This energy was dozens of times stronger than the Shadow Berries, cycling within him, strengthening his flesh and blood, nourishing the newborn power.
After fully absorbing the core, he felt full of strength, the fatigue from last night and the exertion of the previous fight completely gone. To his greater surprise, his vision in the dark was clearer, and he could briefly blend into the shadows—this was the Shadow Wolf's ability!
This devouring not only granted energy but could also plunder some of the target's traits?
The discovery made Len's heart race. If this was true, then the Darkwood was no longer a place of danger for him, but a... treasure trove. Every dark creature could become fodder for his growth.
He looked into the deeper darkness of the forest, a flame called hope igniting in his eyes for the first time.
Here, no one would mock his bloodline, no one would discriminate against him for his origins. Power was the only law in this land.
And now, he had finally found a path to obtain it.
Gathering his thoughts, Len removed the Shadow Wolf's claws and fangs—these could be traded for supplies in Ash Town. Then, he continued deeper into the Darkwood.
This time, his steps were more resolute.
The shadows of the Eternal Dusk no longer frightened him; instead, they felt like curtains welcoming the return of their king.