In a small lake at the center of a wide clearing, a pair of ducks swam side by side. Around the lake stretched a beautiful field of multicolored flowers, delicate butterflies drifting gently above it.
The flowers swayed in a tender breeze as the sun poured its light over the clearing. Birdsong echoed throughout the forest, each call searching for a possible mate.
Suddenly, that peace was threatened by a groan.
"Uugh."
The pair of ducks, sensing a frightening presence, burst from the water in desperation, beating their wings with a haste that would leave any predator eating dust.
The butterflies, which had fluttered without a care, scattered toward the trees in search of shelter. The birds, who had sung so passionately to their partners, fell almost instantly silent.
From the direction of the groan, a humanoid figure emerged from the bushes, one hand covering his face, his steps unsteady.
"Such… hunger…"
He staggered toward the lake, grinding his teeth incessantly while clutching his abdomen. Where he passed, small greenish puddles were left behind, killing the grass they touched.
Upon reaching the shore, he dropped to his knees, his hands sinking into the edge of the water.His eyes turned to his reflection.
They shone with a trembling light beneath the shadow of his hat, while his face — once marked by only two cracks — was now almost completely fractured.
When he tried to touch the water with his trembling hands, he recoiled with a hiss of pain as it evaporated almost instantly against his skin.
"Such… hunger…"
Still on his knees, he babbled, his fingers clawing desperately at the ground.
"Such… hun—"
A sound interrupted him.
Peep!
His head snapped up, vertical pupils locking onto the source.
Peep!
He forced himself to his feet and staggered forward.
Parting the bushes, his gaze fell to the ground.
A small bird lay there, its wing apparently broken.Noticing the movement, it looked up in terror — then began to chirp desperately at the sight of two glowing eyes within the shadows.
"Such… hunger…"
He muttered as he approached.
When he picked it up, the bird's cries grew louder, more frantic.
He opened his mouth and brought it closer.
Crunch!
The sound of bones breaking echoed through the forest.
Munch, munch.
The noise turned wet and heavy as a reddish vapor leaked from his mouth.
Gulp.
Damn…
The small bird had not ended his hunger — but it allowed him to think.
|Kris POV|
Shit.
The intervals between my blackouts are getting shorter.
Even though living beings give me a little more time, it isn't sustainable…
…
I need to find those figures I devoured when I woke up. The energy they gave me is enough to keep me going.
After that, I'll look for something more sustainable.
Ah.
When I look down and see a small pool of blood, I bring my hands together in prayer.
Thank you.
…
Where would there be more of those figures…?
Cities?
That makes sense. I've never found one in the forest.
But how am I going to find a city…?
Should I follow a river?
…
I don't hear one nearby.
Looking a little farther ahead, I spot a trail.
Well… I'll have to see where it leads.
|3rd POV|
Kris, now decided, walked toward the trail, his steps slightly more stable.
After leaving the clearing — which had been silenced by his presence — birdsong slowly returned as life reclaimed its habitat.
After some time walking in complete silence along the trail, he stopped at a specific point. A crossroads cut by a railway line.
To his left, the tracks stretched on with no sign of an end.
To his right, he noticed ruins.
The problem?
They were at least several dozen miles away.
Ah, of course… how convenient.
So he began walking toward them, following the tracks.
As he walked, his thoughts sank inward, an attempt to prevent another blackout.
I should have looked for a city earlier. Even before I met Simon a year ago, I was already feeling this hunger…
He fell into a contemplative expression.
Simon… I said I would look for that girl, right? Marceline… but I still haven't found any information.
Lowering his gaze to the cracks spreading across his hands, he continued.
What will happen if I don't find something to recover with…? Will I return to being that sludge, or will I lose my consciousness permanently?
While his mind raged in a storm of thoughts, his feet kept moving.
Hours passed. The sun that had shone at its peak began to sink toward the horizon.
Kris kept walking regardless. He had already crossed miles.
But his expression grew more and more exhausted.
Despite the distance, the ruins still seemed impossibly far away.
Thin fractures began to creep across the black of his eyes, reaching toward his pupils.
Each step grew heavier than the last.
Will I make it in time? It's getting harder and harder to think…he thought between ragged breaths.
I'm so tired… but I need to keep going.
Between heavy steps and weary sighs, he pushed forward.
His mind was no longer a storm.
Only silence.
After some time, the sun set completely, giving way to the moon.
Kris had walked a few more miles, but he had slowed compared to before.
Such hunger…
In the distance, a pair of deer watched him.
In their dark eyes, the walking man was reflected, the moon trailing silently at his back.
His breathing had grown erratic, his steps no longer as precise as before.
The eyes that had once been fixed on the path ahead now seemed unfocused.
Suddenly—
His foot caught on a loose plank of the railroad track, sending him to the ground.
Ah… I fell…? I don't have the strength to get up… so this is it?
I was so close… but it seems it's over.
He turned his gaze to the moon, his tired eyes resting beneath its light as it shimmered faintly across the cracks in them.
Looking at it, his mind drifted through blurred memories.
A girl — remembered only by her smile — lingered in his thoughts as he raised his hand toward the sky.
Simon… I won't be able to find the girl. I'm sorry.
His arm fell.
He remained motionless on the ground.
…
Footsteps.
Hm?
When he opened his eyes, his vertical pupils met a similar pair.
A black jaguar stood beneath the moon, its greenish eyes fixed on him.
Its gaze seemed to reach beyond the body.
They remained there, staring into one another's souls.
Then the jaguar turned and walked away, following the direction of the ruins.
As if something within him had been rekindled, Kris rolled onto his side.
His cracked hands gripped the wooden planks of the track as he forced his knees beneath him.
I'm almost there. Come on.
He rose with everything he had left, his eyes returning to the ruins.
The jaguar was gone.
It didn't matter.
And, for one last time, he began to walk.
A weary walk, between stumbles.The sounds of the night belonged to the nocturnal creatures — and to his ragged breathing. The moon followed him the entire way, sinking slowly toward the horizon.
He continued until the tracks abruptly ended, cut by a crater.
Going around it, he finally reached the city.
Ah… now what?
He looked around.
The city was the same as the others he had visited.
Abandoned.
Nature reclaiming it.
The sound of creaking metal dominated the air as he walked among the melted carcasses of cars.
I have no idea what they look like or where they are… and I don't know if I can keep this form and use my vision in this state…
He pondered with his hand on his chin.
…
Ah, I don't need to keep this form. Maybe I'll even save some energy without one?
Considering the possibility, he took off his clothes and folded them, hiding them inside a car.
Right after that, he returned to his sludge form, falling with a heavy thud.
Losing his senses, his vision activated almost instantly, its range slowly increasing.
His vision stopped expanding at a radius of approximately one kilometer.
The ruins were mapped in his mind in a bluish coloration.
However, no reddish form was within his range.
Maybe if I crawl a little, I'll find something.
But different from what he expected, he slid a considerable distance in just a few seconds.
This is faster than walking. Maybe it became easier after maintaining my form for so long.
After some time sliding through the city, he finally saw a few red forms.
Great, two. I'll consume one and rebuild my form. That way I'll be able to understand these figures better.
So, sliding toward them, he avoided debris and slipped through narrow gaps.
This form is very convenient. I'll use it more often.
Reaching the two forms, he couldn't help but contemplate the familiarity of their shapes — it was as if he had seen them before, but… different.
I'll think about that later. My priority now is to recover my strength.
He began to cover one of the figures, which reacted for a second before going still.
Feeling revitalized, he began to form his human shape again, his sixth sense deactivating as his others returned.
After rebuilding himself, he briefly looked at his body — the cracks had decreased considerably.
Great. Just as I thought, my hunger has some connection to these creatures.
So, turning to look at the other creature, his eyes widened slightly.
"W-what is this…?"
The creature in front of him had a deformed body, with three holes in its head. From those holes, a greenish liquid leaked.
Despite its completely inhuman appearance, the creature was familiar — strangely familiar.
My eyes tell me this is not human. But my soul…
With horrified eyes, he brought his trembling hand to his face.
"That wouldn't mean that…"
"The first figures I devoured—"
…
|Kris POV|
Is this really my only way to live…?
To devour humans… like the monsters I've already encountered?
…
Is there no other way?
There has to be…
Let's think. What is the main property that drives me?
I don't feel thirst.
Nor sleep.
And my hunger is clearly not biological.
Energy?
Too abstract.
Looking more closely at the body in front of me, a hypothesis formed.
Radioactive?
Likely.
So my sixth sense is actually infrared.
That explains this body to a certain extent, but…
What is different about me…? Why didn't I become like them?
…
No hypothesis for now.
Alright. Next question.
What can I absorb to recover…?
While thinking, I noticed a few rays of sunlight slipping through a broken window.
I moved toward it.
The sunrise.
I stood there, watching it.
Feeling something strange — but good.
Hm…