The sky did not fall that day.
It tore.
A black crack split the clouds above the city, stretching from horizon to horizon like a wound in reality itself. For a few seconds, everything was silent.
Then the screaming began.
Kael stood frozen in the middle of the street, staring upward as darkness poured from the fracture in the sky. Not smoke. Not shadow.
Something thicker.
Something alive.
His phone slipped from his hand and shattered on the pavement.
"What… is that?" someone whispered behind him.
The crack widened.
And from it—
They fell.
Monstrous shapes crashed into buildings, tearing through concrete as if it were paper. Massive creatures with twisted limbs and glowing crimson eyes roared as they landed.
The first impact shook the ground so violently that Kael lost his balance.
A creature, easily three meters tall, unfolded itself from the wreckage of a bus. Its skin was black and pulsing, veins glowing dark red beneath the surface.
People ran.
Cars collided.
Blood stained the street.
Kael's body moved before his mind did.
Run.
He sprinted down an alley as another monster slammed into the road behind him. The air smelled like iron and burning asphalt.
A deafening roar echoed closer.
Too close.
Kael glanced back—
The creature was chasing him.
Its claws scraped against concrete as it charged forward, faster than something that size had any right to be.
"No… no, no…"
He pushed harder, lungs burning. His chest felt like it would explode.
The alley ended.
A dead end.
Kael spun around just as the monster stepped into the narrow space, blocking the only exit. Its eyes locked onto him with cold, animal intelligence.
There was nowhere to go.
It raised one massive claw.
Kael braced himself.
This is how I die.
The claw came down.
Darkness swallowed him.
Silence.
Weightlessness.
Cold.
Then—
A voice.
Not loud. Not soft.
But absolute.
[Life Signal Terminated.][Compatibility Detected.][Abyss System Initializing…]
Kael gasped.
Air flooded back into his lungs violently. He collapsed onto rough stone, coughing.
The sky above him was not blue.
It was black.
Endless and swirling, as if he were staring into a living void.
He sat up slowly.
Ruins surrounded him. Broken pillars. Cracked marble floors. The air vibrated with an unnatural hum.
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
Name: Kael VirelLevel: 1Rank: MortalStrength: 5Agility: 6Vitality: 5Abyss Energy: 10
Core Ability: Devour (Locked)
"What… is this?"
His voice echoed strangely in the empty space.
[Welcome, Host.][You have been selected by the Abyss.][Survive. Evolve. Devour.]
A chill ran down his spine.
"Selected? For what?"
No answer came.
Instead—
A tremor shook the ground.
From behind a collapsed archway, something moved.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
A creature stepped forward, smaller than the one that killed him—but no less terrifying. Its body was lean and jagged, skin like cracked obsidian.
Its eyes burned gold.
[Enemy Detected: Abyss Hound – Level 1]
Kael swallowed.
"So this isn't over…"
The hound lowered its body, preparing to leap.
Instinct screamed at him to run.
But something else stirred inside him.
A faint warmth in his chest.
The screen flickered again.
[Emergency Directive:]Kill the target.Unlock Devour.
The beast lunged.
Kael rolled to the side, barely avoiding its claws. He grabbed a broken stone shard from the ground and slashed wildly.
The hound snarled and snapped at his arm, tearing through fabric and skin.
Pain exploded.
Kael screamed.
But he didn't stop.
He stabbed again.
And again.
On the third strike, the shard pierced through the creature's eye.
The hound convulsed.
Then collapsed.
Silence returned.
Kael staggered back, breathing heavily.
Blood dripped from his arm.
Suddenly, the corpse began dissolving into black particles.
They floated toward him.
Into him.
Heat surged through his veins.
[Target Eliminated.][Devour Ability Unlocked.][Absorbing Essence…]
Kael fell to his knees as power flooded his body. His wound began closing slowly, skin knitting together under a faint dark glow.
His vision sharpened.
His heartbeat slowed.
[You have gained 20 EXP.][Devour Activated.][New Ability Acquired: Minor Regeneration]
Kael stared at his hands.
They were trembling.
But not from fear.
From power.
"This… this is insane."
The Abyss sky above pulsed faintly.
And deep within the darkness—
Something watched.
[New Objective:]Survive the First Hour.
A distant howl echoed across the ruins.
Not one.
But many.
Kael slowly stood.
His eyes hardened.
"If this is a game… then I'll play."
Shadows shifted around him.
And in the depths of the Abyss—
The hunt had only just begun.