The dungeon stank of rot and despair.
Water dripped from the ceiling in slow, uneven taps. Each drop echoed like a countdown.
Sebastian sat still.
Too still.
Not because he was calm—
But because he was listening.
---
"…hungry…"
The voice again.
Inside him.
No—around him.
---
"You're real…" Sebastian muttered under his breath.
A shape peeled itself from the shadows in the corner of his cell.
Tall.
Humanoid.
But wrong.
Its limbs were too long. Its body too thin. Its face—
Didn't exist.
Just a hollow void where features should be.
---
A Voidling.
---
"…I am what remains…" it whispered.
"…and what you will become… if you fail…"
---
Sebastian swallowed.
"Why can I see you?"
---
The Voidling tilted its head.
"…because you carry a broken thing…"
---
Void Echo.
---
His chest burned again.
A pulse.
Then—
Information flooded his mind.
---
[Divine Relic: Void Echo]
Type: Broken Relic
Ability: Echo Consumption
Effect: Absorb remnants of dying entities to strengthen self
Limitation: Requires proximity to death
Warning: Hunger will increase over time
---
Sebastian clenched his fists.
"…so I need something to die…"
---
The Voidling's body twitched.
"…or someone…"
---
Footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Heavy.
Slow.
A guard.
---
"Shut up in there!" a voice barked.
Keys jingled.
Metal scraped.
---
The Voidling leaned closer to Sebastian.
"…opportunity…" it whispered.
---
Sebastian's heart pounded.
Too fast.
Too loud.
---
"I'm… weak…" he whispered.
---
"…for now…" the Voidling replied.
---
The cell door creaked open.
A large man stepped in—armor worn, eyes bored.
He grabbed Sebastian by the hair and yanked his head up.
---
"Still alive? Hah. Lucky you."
---
Sebastian's vision blurred.
Pain.
But beneath it—
Something else.
A pull.
A hunger.
---
"…he will die…" the Voidling whispered.
"…take it…"
---
The guard raised his hand—
---
CRACK.
---
Pain exploded across Sebastian's face.
He fell to the ground, coughing.
---
"…get up, trash," the guard sneered.
---
Sebastian's fingers dug into the dirt.
His body trembled.
Not from fear.
---
From instinct.
---
The moment the guard turned—
Sebastian moved.
---
Not fast.
Not strong.
But desperate.
---
He grabbed the loose chain from his wrist—
And swung it.
---
CLANG!
---
The metal struck the guard's head.
Not enough to kill.
But enough.
---
"What the—?!"
---
The guard staggered.
Sebastian didn't stop.
He lunged forward, tackling him.
---
They crashed into the ground.
Sebastian's hands wrapped around the guard's throat.
---
"I… won't… die here…"
---
The guard struggled, punching, clawing—
But something was wrong.
---
The Voidling had moved.
---
It stood behind the guard.
One long arm stretched forward—
Passing through Sebastian—
And into the guard's chest.
---
"…finish it…" it whispered.
---
Sebastian felt it.
A connection.
A thread.
Something fragile.
---
And he pulled.
---
The guard's body jerked.
Eyes wide.
Mouth open—
But no sound came out.
---
Then—
Stillness.
---
Silence filled the cell.
---
Sebastian froze.
His hands still locked in place.
---
"…did I…"
---
The body beneath him didn't move.
---
And then—
It began.
---
A faint, dark mist rose from the corpse.
Not visible to normal eyes.
But to Sebastian—
It was clear.
---
"…take it…" the Voidling urged.
---
His chest burned.
Violently.
---
Sebastian hesitated.
Just for a second.
---
Then—
He inhaled.
---
The mist rushed into him.
---
[Echo Consumption Activated]
---
Pain.
Unimaginable pain.
---
It felt like his body was being torn apart—
And rebuilt.
---
Memories flashed—
Not his own.
The guard's life.
Fragments.
Violence.
Fear.
Regret.
---
Sebastian screamed—
But no sound came out.
---
Then—
It stopped.
---
Silence.
---
He collapsed to the ground, gasping.
---
[Relic Stability Increased]
[Physical Attributes Slightly Enhanced]
---
Sebastian slowly lifted his hand.
Stronger.
Not by much.
But enough to notice.
---
"…this is…"
---
"…power…" the Voidling finished.
---
Sebastian looked at the corpse.
Then at the open cell door.
Then at the dark corridor beyond.
---
More footsteps echoed in the distance.
More guards.
More danger.
---
More opportunities.
---
He stood up.
Unsteady.
But smiling.
---
"…I'm getting out."
---
The Voidling's hollow face turned toward the hallway.
---
"…good…"
"…because something else is coming…"
---
A distant, inhuman screech echoed through the dungeon.
---
Not a guard.
Not human.
---
Something worse.
---
Sebastian's smile widened.
---
"Then I'll kill that too."
---
End of Chapter 2