Talvyr shrank into the distance—just a dark shape against thinning clouds.
I watched until the last beat of its wings vanished beyond the trees.
I let them escape.
A slow breath left me.
Then my eyes dropped to the battlefield.
The Mornak were already feeding.
Wet tearing sounds—flesh being bitten, pulled apart.
Not frantic.
Controlled.
They took their time, pausing between bites like they knew nobody would stop them.
The camp was being erased.
Wood, cloth, bodies—everything swallowed into white-eyed mouths as the night finished snuffing out what little light remained.
Those glowing eyes didn't wander.
They stayed fixed on the meal.
My gaze found the leader's body.
A thought surfaced.
System?
Yes.
Why haven't I received any experience?
A brief pause.
I disabled experience notifications when you entered combat.
I blinked.
Oh.
I hesitated
Thanks. That… helped.
Acknowledged.
I am aware.
The silence broke.
EXP Gained: 175
EXP Gained: 160
Level Up!
Level 20 Reached
My body shuddered as the surge hit—heat, pressure, something resetting deep inside me.
Stronger.
Not safe—but one step closer.
I steadied myself, then asked
Do humans have abilities I can copy?
They do.
What's the difference between copying a human and copying a monster?
The system delayed—just long enough to make my skin tighten.
Humans require a lot of MP to copy.
I stared at the body again.
Then I opened my ability list.
Mimic Copy — 38 MP
That's a lot.
I exhaled, grabbed the leader's corpse, and hurled it toward the feeding pit.
Every Mornak eye snapped up in unison.
White light tracked the body's arc through the air—
—and the moment it hit, they fell on it, devouring it like it had never been human.
It'll be a long time before I can copy a human.
My gaze shifted.
The wolf's corpse.
I lifted it—lifeless now, heavy—and threw it into the same pit.
The Mornak didn't even pause.
It vanished into them.
Then I saw Veylroot.
It lay where it fell—bark-dark limbs slack, roots still half-embedded like it hadn't accepted death yet.
A Mornak approached it, mouth wet, hunger rolling off it in a silent lean.
It reached.
I stepped forward.
"Stop."
My voice came out harsher than I meant—aggressive, absolute.
The Mornak froze mid-motion.
Its white eyes locked onto me.
Around the pit, the others stopped too.
Dozens of glowing eyes turned.
Waiting.
I stared back, forcing my breathing steady.
"This one is off-limits," I said, sharp as a blade.
Then I pointed—past it, toward the pit.
"The food is over there."
The Mornak's gaze flicked to Veylroot again.
Then to the others.
Hunger fought the command—
—and lost.
It turned and lurched toward the feast.
As soon as it moved, the rest resumed eating like my interruption had never happened.
I grabbed Veylroot's body and dragged it away from the pit, toward a nearby tree.
My jelly flesh strained.
My cut screamed.
But I didn't let go.
I leaned the body against the trunk and rested against it for a second, breathing through the pain.
System?
Yes.
For my abilities… is there ever a case of an unknown side effect?
The system hesitated.
I don't believe so.
So you're not sure.
Another delay.
It is unknown.
That answer sat wrong with me.
My eyes drifted to my ability list.
Blood Frenzy.
Too dangerous.
Every time I used it, I felt… different.
Like something inside me enjoyed it too much.
I tipped my head back toward the night sky.
Closed my eyes for a heartbeat—
—and a whisper slid past my ear like cold smoke.
"I wasn't wrong about you."
My eyes snapped open.
I pushed off the tree instantly, stance shifting, scanning the darkness.
Nothing moved.
No footsteps.
No branches.
I forced air into my lungs.
Once.
Twice.
Then steadied.
"Who are you?" I said.
"I'm nothing," the voice replied—raspy, thin, like it had been scraped raw by centuries. "Just a lost soul in these woods."
My jaw tightened.
"Why did the Mornak follow my orders?"
Silence.
Then my perception flared.
Up on a tall hill, I saw it.
A lone figure—long-limbed, dark, motionless.
Its white eyes were different.
Not empty.
Focused.
Aware.
I used Sovereign's Sight.
Mornak Elite — Level ???
My stomach sank.
I'm vulnerable.
Blood Frenzy drained me—low HP, MP locked, my stats still reduced.
I can't fight that.
The whisper cut straight through my fear, calm and certain.
"I do not wish to fight you."
I shifted anyway—just slightly.
Ready.
The figure's voice carried again, and I could hear the smile in it.
"You made quite the mess today."
"I know," I said. "I let them escape. They'll be back."
A pause.
Then—
"Follow me. We have important business to attend to."
My eyes flicked toward the pit.
The Mornak were finishing.
Some had stopped feeding and were staring again—glowing eyes angled toward me as if waiting for the next command.
Then I looked back to the hill.
The Elite had already begun to move away from the edge, slow and smooth, like it had all the time in the world.
I swallowed.
I have no choice.
I bent and hauled Veylroot up, sticking the heavy body to my back the way I'd carried the bird long ago.
It dragged at me—awkward, dead weight.
System, how long until I can use MP?
Two hours.
I exhaled, bitter.
I need to buy time. Just in case.
I started toward the cliff path.
I couldn't climb—my injuries wouldn't let me.
So I took the long way, limping up the narrow trail, each step tugging at the cut in my body.
When I reached the top, the wind hit colder.
The destroyed camp lay far below.
And the Mornak—
They were gone.
Dispersed.
No bodies.
No clusters of white eyes.
No glow.
Like the night had cleaned the scene and left nothing behind but scorched earth and silence.
A whisper passed close—so close it felt like breath against my skin.
"Follow me."
The Elite's eyes pierced me once—hard—
Then turned away.
I followed.
Into the forest.
Not because I wanted to.
Because I had to.