Darkness.
Kaelen floated in a vast, endless void — a space that stretched infinitely in every direction. There was no up, no down, only silence, broken by the sound of his own heartbeat echoing softly in his subconscious.
His senses returned slowly.
He found himself standing before a strange metallic rod, floating mid-air, etched with ancient runes that shimmered in a dim blue hue. Behind it... towered a massive silhouette of a dragon, its form cloaked in shadows. Even without seeing it clearly, Kaelen could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from its being. His breath caught in his throat, instinct screaming that this was not a presence meant to be confronted.
A system window blinked to life in front of him:
[Alert]
Unique Skill: ????? has reacted to protect you.
Unique Skill: Devourer of Essence is activating...
Commencing passive absorption of hostile energy source...
Target: "????? Dragon" (Name unknown — overwhelming hostility detected).
Kaelen's body trembled as dark energy surged toward him, drawn in by some invisible force. The pressure grew worse — his soul felt as if it were about to crack from the sheer malevolence the creature radiated.
And then... it spoke.
????? Dragon: "You carry his essence... Even if it's but a fraction, sealed deep within you... it's enough for me to notice. They may be blind to it, but I am not."
Kaelen didn't understand — whose essence? What was this thing seeing in him?
Before he could ask, another presence descended — one far beyond anything he had ever imagined.
Warm. Divine. Absolute.
It wasn't just pressure — it was creation itself. A golden light enveloped the void, instantly pushing the dragon's energy back like mist under the sun.
A new voice echoed, deeper and more resonant. A presence so vast that Kaelen couldn't even perceive its form.
???: "It's too early for you, kid."
The dragon growled low in protest, but it faded quickly as Kaelen's vision blurred — his entire existence pulled away from the void.
And just like that—
Kaelen's eyes snapped open.
He gasped, chest rising and falling rapidly, cold sweat soaking his forehead. He was back — lying in his bed, in his room at the estate.
"...Where...?" he murmured weakly.
The door creaked open. In came Sophia, the maid who had cared for him since he was small, her expression immediately softening in relief.
Sophia: "Thank the heavens, young master! You're awake... You've been out since morning!"Kaelen sat up, groaning slightly from the soreness that lingered in his limbs. But more than the pain, his mind still reeled from what he had just experienced.
Meanwhile, downstairs...
His mother and sister were discussing what had happened after the sparring match.
Mother: "Lyra, what kind of magic was that? When Kaelen moved... it looked nothing like any enhancement magic I've ever seen."
Lyra: "I don't know... Honestly, I've never seen anything like it either. He said he was trying something inspired by a story he read. Maybe... he created it on the spot to fight Allaric."
Mother: "Created it? But that technique... the strain it put on his body..."
Lyra: "I think it drained nearly all his magicules even before the fight began. His reserves were already dangerously low. That might be why he passed out so quickly after the match."
Both of them looked up as Sophia came down the stairs.
Sophia: "He's awake. A bit dazed, but otherwise stable."
Kaelen's thoughts drifted again.
That dragon... that voice... that divine presence. The words they spoke still echoed in his mind.
"You carry his essence..."
"It's too early for you."
Kaelen awoke with a start, breath steady but mind racing. The words from the window still echoed in his head.
[Unique Skill: Devourer of Essence]
He sat up in bed, the eerie blue glow of the system message long gone, but its impact lingered.
Kaelen: "Devourer of... Essence? Is that what I've awakened?"
He recalled the strange sensation earlier — the moment when his magicules flared up after his self-made Photon Cannon, the shift in his mind when his analysis eye activated, and how the world around him seemed to pause.
Kaelen: "Is this skill related to the Mystic Eye of Analysis? Is that why I could even read its name?"
Most unique skills don't reveal their nature so easily, especially to someone at his level. But somehow, he could sense its function. Devourer of Essence — it sounded powerful, almost unnatural. The skill felt instinctive, like it was lying dormant within, waiting for something... or someone.
Shaking off the tension, he washed up and headed downstairs.
Waiting for him were Lyra and his mother. His sister's face lit up as she clapped.
Lyra: "You did amazing, Kaelen! Especially for your first real sparring session!"
Kaelen smiled sheepishly. His mother ruffled his hair, smiling warmly.
Mother: "I'm proud of you. You didn't back down even though Allaric has more experience."
Just then, Allaric strode through the hallway with his usual confident gait
.
Allaric: "Hmph. Not bad for a weakling. That last spell caught me off guard. Good job... I guess."
Kaelen(Is that... praise? He couldn't help but smile faintly.)
Lyra then leaned in with a bright grin.
Lyra: "I'll teach you more spells after lunch! You'll be able to cast like me in no time."
With that, the family sat down to eat. Between bites, Kaelen recounted the fight, the moment his spell surprised Allaric, and the shock he felt when he managed to land a hit. They all laughed, teased, and encouraged him.
Later that afternoon, they gathered in the family's training hall.
Lyra demonstrated spells again, starting with the movement-type spell "Light Dash", a short-range burst of light-infused speed. Then she showed him their family's holy spell once more: "Light Burst — Radiant Spiral!", its elegant, spiraling light mesmerizing in its precision. Finally, she introduced Kaelen to a beginner Ice spell: "Freeze Ray", which could immobilize a C+ rank beast if cast correctly.
Kaelen quickly picked up the theory and, with practice, began shaping the spells on his own, though not yet as polished as Lyra's. The Mystic Eye of Analysis helped him correct form and structure fast, and he amazed both Lyra and the watching maid, Sophia, with his swift progress.Evening settled in, casting long shadows across the hallway as Kaelen returned to his room. He sat on his bed, brows furrowed in thought.
Kaelen: "Devourer of Essence... The name itself tells me something. Could it... consume the life force of others? Is that why I felt that heat inside earlier?"
He thought about experimenting. Maybe it could do more.
Once midnight passed and the estate quieted, Kaelen activated Masked Existence, wondering how far he could push it.
Kaelen: "Let's see if this can completely hide me..."
His presence faded. Even the subtle hum of his magicules felt muffled. Not even the guards patrolling the halls noticed as he slipped out, sneaking into the manor's small armory. He quietly "borrowed" a light one-handed sword and exited toward the forest just outside the estate's boundaries.
Outside, the forest welcomed him with distant howls and rustling leaves. He ventured deeper, boots crunching softly against moss and fallen twigs.
Eyes. Yellow and low to the ground.Goblins.
Three — no, five.Kaelen raised a hand, whispered:
"Freeze Ray."
A cone of icy mist surged from his palm. Two goblins froze mid-step, frost crackling across their bodies. The other three stumbled, teeth chattering, slowed by the blast.
Kaelen dashed in.
His sword gleamed with magicule as he slashed downward.Steel met frozen flesh.
Crack.One shattered into jagged ice. Another collapsed, throat severed cleanly. The third tried to run — too late.
Kaelen's blade sliced through the air, humming with energy. The goblin didn't even scream — its breath crystallized before it fell, limp.
And then — the surge.
[Devourer of Essence — Activated]
The goblins' bodies faded into particles. Warm energy surged through Kaelen's limbs. His core burned for a moment, then settled.
A system window flickered in his vision:
Magicule +7Physical Recovery: +3%
He staggered slightly, gripping the sword tighter.
Kaelen: "It... works. I actually absorbed their essence."
Bigger Prey
Excitement stirred in his chest. What if this was his path to power?Then he saw it.
A campfire glowing faintly deeper in the woods. Shadows flickered around it — large figures. Voices.Bandits.His body froze. Too many. He turned to flee.Snap.A twig betrayed him.
Bandit: "Hey! Who's there?!"
Kaelen panicked. He spun around and thrust a hand forward."Freeze Ray!"
A cone of ice erupted, wider and more focused than before. The front line of bandits screamed as their legs froze, boots locked to the earth. One collapsed, half-encased in frost.But then—
"O spirit of the wind, heed my call— Gale Lance!"
A summoned Wind Spirit appeared behind one of the bandits, chanting quickly. Magic swirled, then launched a spear of compressed air.
Kaelen's eyes widened.
"Photon Bullet!""Vacuum Push!"
He cast both in rapid succession. The spells collided midair with the wind lance — a deafening shockwave erupted.
Kaelen's body was hurled backward, smashing through branches.He crashed into a tree trunk. Hard.
Air knocked from his lungs, vision blurring — the last thing he saw was the spinning canopy above.
Then —darkness.