Kail's body lay on the cold ground, his breath broken and uneven.
He trembled violently, eyes wide with disbelief as he stared up at Raze.
Darkness pressed around them—silent, heavy.
A soft step echoed.
Mia emerged from the shadows, her bow still in hand.
Her expression wasn't cold… just confused, unsure of what she had walked into.
Kail's shaking eyes snapped to her.
A shattered look spread across his face—betrayal, disbelief, something breaking inside him.
"Mia… why did you—"
His voice cracked, barely audible.
Raze crouched beside him, calm as ever.
"Still not dead?" he said quietly. "You're surprisingly tough."
Then, without hesitation, Raze pressed his foot down on the arrow lodged in Kail's chest—slow, deliberate.
Kail's breath caught. A sharp, wet gasp escaped his throat.
And then—silence.
His body stopped trembling.
The forest swallowed the last sound of his life.
Raze exhaled lightly, as if nothing unexpected had happened.
Mia froze, eyes fixed on him, silent and wary.
Raze extended his hand over Kail's chest.
Dark energy coiled around his fingers like living smoke—writhing, alive, hungry.
It flowed downward, reaching for the golden glow trapped around the arrow.
A faint, trembling light—Kail's divine energy—flickered, quivering as if resisting.
Raze's eyes gleamed, sharp and predatory.
"Devour," he whispered.
The golden essence shuddered, then, as if pulled by invisible chains, surged upward into Raze's hand.
It twisted and spiraled around his fingers before collapsing into his palm, vanishing completely.
Kail twitched once—just once—then went utterly still.
The forest air chilled unnaturally.
Raze's smirk returned, subtle, predatory, as the last glimmer of divine power fused into him.
---
Raze turned away from Kail's corpse, wiping the last traces of energy from his palm.
The forest silence swallowed everything.
And just as Mia opened her mouth to speak—
—A few hours earlier—
After Seraphina pinned Kail to the ground, ending the fight with terrifying ease, Raze walked down the castle hallway alone.
His footsteps echoed softly, the air thick with leftover tension.
Inside him, something twisted.
A faint ache.
Then a sharp pull.
Then… hunger.
Not in his stomach.
Not in his body.
But deeper.
Much deeper.
His soul was starving.
Raze exhaled slowly, but the breath trembled just slightly, betraying what he hid.
"…Again," he muttered under his breath.
He had felt this faintly when he first woke up in this world—
a persistent, nagging itch beneath his ribs.
A hollow feeling.
As if part of him was missing something… necessary.
Something meant to be devoured.
At first, it was small.
Barely noticeable.
But the more he lived here—
the more divine energy, demonic traces, or strong life forces he sensed around him—
the hungrier he became.
And now?
Now it roared.
A dull, grinding roar inside his chest.
Like claws scraping the very core of his soul.
Feed… feed… feed…
Raze's vision sharpened.
Colors brightened.
Senses expanded.
Every heartbeat nearby.
Every pulse of aura.
Every spark of divine energy in the castle walls.
He kept walking through the hallway, expression calm even as the hunger clawed inside him.
His footsteps echoed softly.
Ahead, a guard walked toward him from the opposite direction.
A normal moment.
A normal encounter.
When they crossed paths—
Raze suddenly stopped.
He turned around.
"Hey," he said quietly.
The guard paused mid-step, confused.
"…Are you talking to me?"
"Yes," Raze replied, his tone unreadable.
The guard stepped closer, curious.
"Is something wrong, Sir Raze?"
"I need your help with something," Raze said.
The guard's face softened.
"Of course. I'll help in anything I can. After all…"
He smiled, kindly and honestly.
"You're a hero of our kingdom. Even if they call you an extra… I still think you're a hero. So tell me, what do you need?"
"You're kind," Raze said quietly.
"So… to help me, you have to follow me."
The guard nodded without hesitation.
"All right."
Raze turned wordlessly and began walking.
The guard followed behind as they moved deeper into the castle—
past the busy halls…
past the training grounds…
past areas where people still lived.
Until the atmosphere changed.
The torches were dim.
The air was colder.
Cobwebs stretched across cracked walls.
They had entered the abandoned wing of the castle—
a silent, forgotten place no one visited anymore.
Dust whispered under their footsteps.
The guard's voice lowered.
"Sir Raze… why here?"
Raze didn't answer.
He simply kept walking.
The hunger inside him… stirred with anticipation.
Raze's eyes flickered with cold amusement.
"You're really good at your job," he said calmly.
The guard frowned.
"What…?"
Before he could react, Raze struck.
A dagger flashed from his hand, slicing toward the guard.
The guard barely brought up his sword to block, but Raze's edge still cut across his shoulder. Blood blossomed instantly.
"Why… why are you doing this to me?" the guard gasped.
"I thought… I thought you were a hero!"
Raze's expression didn't change.
He moved like liquid shadow—silent, lethal.
With a swift motion, he thrust another dagger from his other hand.
The guard swung his sword desperately.
Raze caught it effortlessly—his forearm, wrist to elbow, met the steel.
The sword scraped, but didn't bite—his strength and precision made the weapon feel like a feather brushing stone.
Before the guard could recover, Raze drove the dagger into the guard's neck, piercing the voice box.
The guard's eyes widened in shock before he collapsed, crumpled to the ground.
Raze stood over him, calm, unshaken, blades dripping, presence radiating control.
Raze's eyes flickered with amusement.
"You were really good at acting… but not at fighting."
The guard's body convulsed, muscles twisting unnaturally.
Skin darkened to deep, inky black, stretched tight over a grotesque frame.
Limbs elongated, fingers tapering into claws.
Eyes glowed faintly red, teeth jagged—a living nightmare parody of the human he had been.
Raze smirked faintly.
"I guess I shouldn't have expected much from a shape-shifting demon."
He studied the twisted form.
"Guess he was sent here to spy on the heroes… to gather information."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Good thing I sensed his demonic energy when we crossed paths. Otherwise…"
He shook his head slightly.
"…I wouldn't have found him at all. His energy was weak, carefully hidden. He was hiding it pretty well."
Raze's smirk widened.
"Finally… I can feed."
The fallen demon shuddered.
Thick purple smoke rose, swirling like it had a life of its own, drawn irresistibly toward Raze.
He extended his hands, letting the smoke coil around him.
It touched his skin, sucked into his core.
His body darkened, shadows crawling along his arms and chest, turning the power inside him a deep, inky black.
The demon went utterly still, its essence consumed.
Raze exhaled slowly, the hunger inside his soul finally quieted… for now.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the surge ripple through him. Muscles tensed, senses sharpened—the lingering hunger inside finally easing.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt himself… growing stronger.
Then, a translucent window flickered before his eyes.
The status window.
At first, he expected an error. None appeared.
A new skill shimmered into existence: Shape-Shifting.
He read the conditions carefully.
It couldn't be used on himself, but it could alter others' appearances—if they consented.
Raze's mind raced, pieces clicking together.
He realized he could devour others—their powers, their skills—through death.
But, of course, conditions existed. Rules dictating what he could claim.
A slow, calculating smile spread across his face.
"This… this changes everything."
—