The northern tunnels were darker than usual, as though the light itself feared to enter. Crystalline veins cast pale streaks of luminescence across the walls, painting everything in icy hues. The resistance moved cautiously, every step echoing through the cavern like a gunshot.
Aric followed at the rear, his blade in one hand, the other hovering near the Sorrow System's pulse beneath his skin. Every fiber of his being screamed with the hunger that had been growing since the encounter with the Watcher. The warning was urgent now: the threshold neared, and the system's voice whispered constantly, insidious, impossible to ignore.
Feed. Grow. Become.
He swallowed hard, pressing his teeth into his lip. He had fought the hunger before, restrained himself. But tonight, the hunger wasn't patient.
They rounded a corner, and the cavern opened into a wide chamber, the floor strewn with the bones of beasts long dead. Foul air rolled in from deeper passages, carrying with it the unmistakable stench of demons. Scouts signaled from the front—dozens of Shade patrols, their eyes like molten embers.
Darius motioned for the group to halt. "We can't engage them all. We need to strike the nest and leave. Quick and clean."
Kael muttered, "Quick and clean? Since when do we ever get that luxury?" He shot a glance at Aric. "Especially when he's… him."
Aric's jaw tightened. He didn't reply. The whispers inside his head had sharpened. You could end them all. Every last one. The temptation was almost unbearable.
Lyra moved beside him, placing a hand on his arm. "Don't. Not yet," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "We need them alive, Aric. For the resistance."
He nodded stiffly, trying to calm himself. But the tension was impossible to ignore. The Shadows moved at the far end of the cavern, fluid and silent. They were aware of him. He could feel them feeding on his hesitation.
The attack began without warning.
Shades poured from the side tunnels in a wave of claws, teeth, and writhing darkness. The resistance formed a defensive line, but it was clear from the first moments that they were outnumbered. Screams echoed as soldiers fell, bodies disintegrating into nothingness, and with each death, the sorrow feeding into Aric became almost painful in its intensity.
The System surged.
[Sorrow Detected: 12 units]Threshold approaching: Imminent Evolution
He staggered, gripping his blade tighter. Each step, each strike against a Shade sent ripples of power through his veins. It was intoxicating.
Kael slashed at a Shade, but the creature twisted unnaturally, its body elongating like smoke, striking him in the shoulder. He went down with a shout, a thin line of blood marking the stone floor.
Aric's restraint shattered.
The Sorrow System triggered itself, igniting in a storm of power he couldn't hold back. Pain, hunger, and raw emotion coursed through him, warping his senses. His eyes glowed violet, veins blackening under pale skin as the air seemed to shiver around him.
[Evolution Initiated]
The first wave of transformation hit like lightning. Muscle fibers expanded unnaturally, bones cracked audibly as they reshaped themselves. His shadow elongated, separating from him like a living thing. Dark tendrils of sorrow lifted from the ground, swirling around him, twisting and coiling as though alive.
Soldiers froze, their mouths opening in fear and awe. Lyra gasped, but she didn't step back.
"Aric…" she whispered.
He couldn't answer. The System screamed in his mind, a chorus of anguish and fury:
FEED. FEED. FEED!
The remaining Shades lunged, but Aric moved with impossible speed. He didn't just fight—he consumed. Each Shade he cut down dissolved into smoke that was drawn toward him, absorbed into his very flesh. His scream tore through the cavern, not entirely human, vibrating with raw, devouring power.
Hours—or maybe minutes, time no longer mattered—passed in a haze of carnage. By the time the last Shade dissolved, the cavern was silent except for Aric's ragged breathing and the drip of blood onto stone.
He looked down at himself. His body was no longer fully his own. His arms were longer, muscles rippling unnaturally. Veins of black spread across his skin, pulsating faintly with the sorrow he had consumed. His eyes shone a violent violet, reflecting the shattered remnants of the battlefield.
The resistance stared.
Some whispered prayers, others backed away, terrified. Kael looked like he might draw a weapon—but he didn't. Not yet. Lyra approached slowly, her hand reaching out cautiously.
Aric's voice was raw, trembling, but it carried power. "I… I'm still me. I'm still fighting with you."
Darius stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "Still you?" He didn't move closer, but his tone held something like awe. "You've become… something else entirely."
"Yes," Aric admitted, gripping his blade. "But the enemy is gone. I saved the rest."
And yet, the whispers inside didn't stop. Every death, every ounce of sorrow still lingered, clawing at him. The System's voice was cold and insistent:
Grow. Dominate. Become more.
The Watcher appeared, stepping from the shadows above the cavern. Its glowing eyes reflected in Aric's violet gaze.
"You have begun," it said softly, voice echoing around the cavern. "And you have not broken. Yet."
Aric's pulse thudded in his ears. "What do you want from me?"
"To see if you can survive the hunger without losing yourself," it replied. "To see how far a man can push before he becomes a reflection… or a monster."
The Watcher dissolved into smoke again, leaving a faint chill behind. Aric shivered, though the power coursing through him should have kept him warm.
The survivors gathered around him cautiously. Some, like Lyra, didn't flinch. Others, especially Kael, kept distance. Whispers spread fast: He's no longer human.The sorrow in him… it's alive.
Darius's gaze lingered. "You've changed the battlefield—and yourselves. But you've also changed him. We'll have to decide soon whether that is a blessing… or a curse."
Aric sank to his knees, still feeling the aftermath of the Sorrow System's evolution. His body ached, mind hazy. He could feel every shadow in the cavern, every fear, every flicker of despair—feeding him, calling to him.
Lyra knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you are now," she whispered, "we fight together. Don't let it take you."
He nodded, but even as he did, he could feel the hunger whispering again. A storm that would not be denied. The System was no longer content with survival—it demanded transformation.
And the watchers, both seen and unseen, would not let him stop.
The cavern fell silent once more, but Aric knew that the true battle had only just begun. His body had evolved. His mind had been stretched. The Sorrow System had awakened a new level of power.
And now, the question loomed:
Could he master it… or would it master him?