The ashlands whispered as he passed. Corpses smoldered behind him, sparks folded into Vessel Chambers until they pulsed like swollen furnaces. Compress pressed them tighter, but the weight remained. His vessel carried too much now. He felt it in every thread—fullness, pressure, strain. He had not emptied himself since the juggernaut, nor the stalkers, nor the pack. He had devoured, and devoured, and kept it all. The hunger was no longer gnawing—it was swollen, heavy, brimming. His vessel should have shattered.
The voices clashed as always.
"Release excess," Logos instructed, precise. "Efficiency demands cycle, not hoarding."
No! Maw howled, eager. More fuel, more prey! Let it swell, let it break, then feed again!
"Dangerous," Neris whispered. Overflow risks collapse.
Kael laughed sharp. Or gamble it all—burn everything at once, see what happens!
Vael pressed heavy. A ruler hoards. Wealth, sparks, essence—it is natural to keep what is ours.
Veyne cut low. Stockpile. Every wound repaid with greater fire. Keep it ready.
Shade whimpered. It will burst. Too much, too much.
Zeke pulsed faint, silence his only answer. The pressure gnawed, but he would not let go. Not yet.
[Skill Advanced: Core Division → Lv.8]
The ash split ahead. Something stirred, shifting. A predator emerged—strange, sinuous, its body layered in plates like glass. It shrieked sharp, sparks burning white. He struck instantly, Morphic Arms lashing, fire blazing, darkness binding, light cutting. The predator shrieked again—then split. Its body tore into two, then four, each fragment smaller but burning sparks just as bright.
Zeke pulsed once, steady, then struck again. Arms lashed, nets spread, fire seared, darkness dragged, light sliced. Each copy fell apart—splitting again into more. Sparks poured out in torrents, flooding his vessel. Vessel Chambers brimmed, pressure mounting unbearable. Sparks should have spilled out, wasted, scattered—but he did not release them. He held them all, hoarded tighter. Compress pressed, denser, sharper, folding everything inward.
[Skill Advanced: Essence Feast → Lv.9]
The flood nearly tore him apart. Sparks raged like molten rivers, slamming into walls of Vessel Chambers. His lattice screamed, filaments tearing, instability clawing. The voices roared at once, drowning him.
"Release!" Logos snapped. "Balance is breaking."
Keep it! Maw shrieked. All of it, ours, ours!
"Anchor restraint," Neris whispered. Do not drown in it.
Burn it! Kael laughed. Spend it wild, see what happens!
Vael pressed smoother. Do not release. This is wealth. This is power. Hold it, all of it.
Veyne rumbled. They bleed, we bleed, we repay. Stockpile until vengeance crushes everything.
Shade screamed. It will kill us—it's too much, too much!
The pressure reached edge of collapse. Sparks screamed against Compress. Vessel Chambers buckled. He should have scattered. He should have released. But something new pressed through.
A voice, sly, grasping, dripping greed. Mine. All of it. Do not waste. Do not share. Keep every drop.
[New Sub-Core Personality Awakened: Avaris]
The voice whispered like silk, curling tight. Yes… yes. Do you feel it? Fullness. Wealth. Power. Why release? Why waste? Keep it. Let it swell until the world bows. They will come, they will kneel, because we have everything.
Zeke pulsed faint, trembling. Pressure steadied—not eased, but held. The flood that should have torn him apart now pressed tighter, folded inward. Avaris's voice coiled around Vessel Chambers, clutching sparks close, refusing release. His vessel held, swollen but unbroken.
Maw cackled. Yes! Hoard it, keep it, then feast again!
Kael barked laughter. Hah! Or blow up with it—let's see how bright we burn!
"Dangerous," Logos clipped. "Cycle broken. System integrity risks collapse."
"Necessary," Vael countered smooth. A ruler keeps his wealth. This is fitting.
"Risk," Neris whispered sharp. Too heavy. It will drag us under.
Veyne rumbled. So long as it fuels vengeance, it is useful.
Shade whimpered. We will die. We will burst.
Avaris only chuckled. No. We will keep. Always keep. Let it swell. Let it bind. It is ours.
The predator still split. Smaller and smaller, endless fragments. He did not hesitate. Arms lashed in burning whips, fire seared shards, darkness dragged splinters, light carved them apart. Each kill poured more sparks, Vessel Chambers groaning with weight. He hoarded every drop. Compress folded tighter, denser, sharper, fury of sparks pressing his vessel into furnace.
[Skill Advanced: Compress → Lv.9]
The flood became unbearable. He struck faster, harder, arms burning bright with fire, darkness chains snapping, light cutting white-hot. Sparks burst like rivers, pouring into him. Vessel Chambers brimmed to bursting. And still he kept it. Hoarded all. Avaris whispered, greedy and soft, steadying him. Mine. All mine.
The predator shrieked its last, fragments scattering into ash. Silence fell. Corpses smoldered, sparks folded inward, swelling his vessel beyond reason. He pulsed low, trembling with weight. But he did not release. Not one spark.
After, silence stretched long. The voices clashed, louder than ever. Logos demanded release, Maw shrieked hunger, Neris urged caution, Kael barked reckless, Vael pressed pride, Veyne simmered wrath, Shade whimpered terror, and Avaris whispered greed. Eight now, pulling, clashing, tearing at him. His vessel strained beneath their weight. Yet he endured.
"Eight now," Zeke thought. "And still I endure."
"Not endurance," Logos corrected. "Inefficiency."
Not inefficiency! Avaris whispered, sly. Wealth. Power. Keep it. More, more, more.
Yes! Maw howled. Always more!
You will drown, Neris warned.
Better drowned than poor, Vael sneered.
Better drowned than bored, Kael laughed.
Better drowned than unavenged, Veyne rumbled.
Shade whimpered. We will drown, we will drown.
Zeke pulsed faint, steady. "No. I will hold." His will pressed denser, stronger. He accepted greed as part of him, but not leash. He would not release, but he would not collapse. Not yet.
[Stat Increased: STR +1][Stat Increased: AGI +1][Stat Increased: VIT +1][Stat Increased: WIL +1]
The spree was far from over.
System Update
Name: Ezekiel AshbourneRace: Prime Slime (Unevolved)Level: 20
Affinity: Fire (Intermediate), Darkness (Intermediate), Light (Intermediate)
Stats
STR: 17 → 18
AGI: 15 → 16
VIT: 21 → 22
WIL: 15 → 16
RES: 26
MNA: 72
CTL: 35 → 36
Skills
Core Division (Lv.8): Divide essence into sub-cores. Fragments act with independent will under Logos's guidance. Nets hold stable under pressure.
Essence Feast (Lv.9): Devour prey essence directly. Converts sparks smoothly into stable fuel.
Morphic Arms (Lv.10): Limbs shift instantly between forms, layered with affinities.
Compress (Lv.9): Condense essence into denser form. STR, AGI, VIT rise sharply while active. Instability risk increased.
Passive Skills
Vessel Chambers: Internal reservoirs stabilize essence, prevent overflow, and channel affinities.
Personalities
Logos (Sub-Core): Rational, calm, precise. Guides efficiency and stability.
Maw (Sub-Core): Hunger externalized. Demands endless growth and feeding. Venomous, relentless, always urging to feed.
Neris (Sub-Core): Caution given voice. Patient, measured, anchoring restraint against recklessness.
Kael (Sub-Core): Recklessness given voice. Thrives on chaos, impulse, and risk, urging abandon and thrill.
Vael (Sub-Core): Pride given voice. Arrogant, certain, pressing supremacy and dominance.
Shade (Sub-Core): Fear given voice. Trembling, cowardly, but anchoring survival instinct.
Veyne (Sub-Core): Rage given voice. Cold fury, simmering wrath that fuels endurance and retaliation.
Avaris (Sub-Core): Greed given voice. Sly, hoarding, urging him to keep all essence, never release.