Hunger.
I woke up with a gnawing emptiness in my dual cores that made every nerve ending scream for sustenance.
It wasn't the normal kind of hunger, not the "I skipped breakfast" kind from my previous life. This was primal, instinctive, and demanding. My body was burning through energy at an alarming rate, and the nutrient paste Rayna had been feeding me wasn't cutting it anymore.
[WARNING: ENERGY RESERVES CRITICALLY LOW]
*[CURRENT STATUS: 12% CAPACITY]
[EVOLUTION REQUIRES SUBSTANTIAL ENERGY INPUT]
[RECOMMENDATION: CONSUME COSMIC ESSENCE]
Cosmic essence? What the hell does that mean?
[COSMIC ESSENCE CAN BE OBTAINED FROM]
- HIGH-ENERGY ORGANISMS
- COSMIC CRYSTALS
- CONDENSED MANA SOURCES
- VOID-TOUCHED MATERIALS
Great. So I need to eat magic rocks or monster meat. That's just fantastic.
I lifted my head from the cushion where I'd been sleeping, my vision swimming slightly. Rayna was at her desk across the room, surrounded by holographic displays showing more ancient texts and star charts.
Even in my weakened state, I could feel her through the bond, focused, determined, searching for something.
*Rayna,* I projected, my mental voice weak. *I need... food.*
She immediately turned, concern flashing across her face as she felt my distress through the bond.
"Xiane? What's wrong?" She was beside me in seconds, her hand on my fur. Her eyes widened. "You're burning up!"
Was I? I couldn't really tell. Everything felt simultaneously too hot and too cold.
[METABOLIC CRISIS IMMINENT]
[TIME UNTIL CRITICAL FAILURE: 6 HOURS]
[DEVOURING EVOLUTION SYSTEM REQUESTING ACTIVATION]
Six hours? Are you kidding me?
Rayna scooped me up, already moving toward the door. "Hold on, Xiane. I'm taking you to Dr. Ysmene."
*No,* I projected weakly. *Not sick. Need... different food. Energy. Cosmic energy.*
She paused mid-step, processing my words. "Cosmic energy? Like... mana?"
*Yes. The paste isn't enough anymore. Need something... stronger.*
I felt her mind racing through options, her concern mixing with determination.
"Okay," she said firmly. "Okay. I know where we can get that."
She carried me out of her quarters and into the corridor. The ship's hallways were impressive, sleek metal walls with glowing energy conduits, personnel in various uniforms moving with purpose. Several people stopped to stare as Rayna passed, clearly surprised to see the Admiral's daughter rushing through the ship with a small creature in her arms.
*Where are we going?*
"The bio-containment sector," she replied aloud, not caring who heard. "They keep specimens from various worlds there, including some that are rich in cosmic energy. If we can get you something from there..."
She didn't finish the thought, but I felt her worry. If this didn't work, I might actually die.
Not exactly how I imagined my second life going.
We took an elevator, a gravity lift, actually, descending several levels. The ship was even more massive than I'd realized. How many people were on this thing? Thousands?
[ETERNAL VIGILANCE CREW COMPLEMENT: 15,847]
[CLASSIFICATION: OMEGA-CLASS BATTLECARRIER]
[LENGTH: 8.4 KILOMETERS]
This isn't a ship. It's a flying city.
The bio-containment sector was in the lower decks, behind multiple security checkpoints. Rayna's credentials got us through the first two without issue, but at the third, we ran into a problem.
"I'm sorry, Lady Rayna," the security officer said apologetically, "but bio-containment requires Level 7 clearance. Your access is Level 5."
"This is an emergency," Rayna insisted. "My companion is experiencing a metabolic crisis. He needs access to high-energy organic samples."
The officer looked uncomfortable. "I understand, my lady, but protocols exist for a reason. If you could submit a formal request—"
"He'll be dead before the paperwork clears," Rayna snapped, her usual composure cracking.
I felt her frustration spike through the bond, mixed with genuine fear for my safety.
*It's okay,* I tried to project, but I was getting weaker. *Don't get in trouble for me.*
"He'll die?" a new voice asked.
We turned to see a woman approaching, short, muscular, with close-cropped red hair and cybernetic implants visible along her jawline. She wore a different uniform than the others, marked with insignia I didn't recognize.
[SCANNING...]
[IDENTIFICATION: COMMANDER SERA VOLTEN]
[POSITION: CHIEF OF SHIP SECURITY]
[RANK: COMMANDER]
[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]
[NOTE: DIRECT REPORT TO ADMIRAL AZURIEL]
"Commander Volten," Rayna acknowledged, relief evident in her voice. "My companion, Xiane, he's in metabolic distress. He needs high-energy biomatter urgently."
The Commander studied me with sharp gray eyes, her expression unreadable. Then she looked at the security officer.
"Grant temporary Level 7 access to Lady Rayna," she ordered. "My authorization."
"But Commander, the protocols—"
"I'll take responsibility," Volten interrupted. "The Admiral would want his daughter's companion cared for." She glanced at Rayna. "Even if said companion is a complete mystery that keeps our science division up at night."
"Thank you, Commander," Rayna said sincerely.
Volten nodded. "I'm coming with you. If something goes wrong in there, you'll need backup."
The security doors hissed open, revealing the bio-containment sector.
It was... unsettling.
Rows of transparent containment cells lined the walls, each holding a different specimen. Some were recognizable, creatures that looked like oversized insects or reptilian predators. Others were completely alien, masses of tentacles, floating orbs of light, things that hurt to look at directly.
And the energy signatures...
[SCANNING AVAILABLE SPECIMENS...]
[MULTIPLE SOURCES OF COSMIC ESSENCE DETECTED]
[PRIORITY TARGETS IDENTIFIED]
My instincts flared, pulling me toward specific containers. I squirmed in Rayna's arms, trying to indicate direction.
"He's reacting to something," she murmured, following my guidance.
We stopped in front of a large containment cell. Inside was what looked like a crystalline insect, about the size of a large dog, with a carapace that glowed with internal light. It was beautiful in an alien way, like a living gemstone.
[SPECIMEN IDENTIFIED: ASTRAL BEETLE]
[CLASSIFICATION: COSMIC TIER 3 ORGANISM]
[ENERGY CONTENT: HIGH]
[DEVOURING EVOLUTION COMPATIBILITY: 98%]
[RECOMMENDED TARGET]
"This one," Rayna said, looking at the data display beside the cell. "An Astral Beetle. Native to the Crystal Wastes of Luxara-7. It feeds on concentrated mana deposits." She looked at Commander Volten. "Can we—"
"You want to feed it to him?" Volten asked, eyebrows raised.
"If it will save his life, yes."
The Commander was silent for a moment, then nodded. "The specimen is scheduled for transfer to a research station next week anyway. It's not critical." She approached the control panel. "But I'm warning you, if your companion can't handle it, things could get messy."
*I can handle it,* I projected, though I wasn't entirely sure. My body was screaming for the energy radiating from that beetle, but some part of me wondered what "devouring" actually meant.
Was I about to eat this thing whole? Absorb it somehow?
Guess I'm about to find out.
Volten input a series of commands, and part of the containment cell's wall became permeable, a shimmering energy barrier that would allow transfer.
"I'm putting it in stasis first," she explained. "It won't feel anything."
A beam of light shot from the ceiling, hitting the beetle. It immediately froze mid-movement, its glow dimming.
"Ready?" Rayna asked, looking down at me.
As ready as I'll ever be.
She carried me closer to the barrier. As soon as I was within range, my instincts took over.
[DEVOURING EVOLUTION: ACTIVATING]
[TARGET LOCKED: ASTRAL BEETLE]
[BEGINNING ABSORPTION]
My jaw opened, wider than it should have been physically possible, and something emerged from deep within me. Void energy, dark and hungry, lashed out like a tendril and wrapped around the beetle.
The creature began to dissolve.
Not violently, not messily, it simply came apart into streams of pure energy that flowed into me. Light and essence and power surged through my body, filling the empty spaces, satisfying the desperate hunger.
It felt incredible.
[ABSORPTION PROGRESS: 25%... 50%... 75%...]
I could feel my body responding, cells reorganizing, energy pathways expanding. The dual cores in my chest pulsed with renewed vigor, circulating the newfound power throughout my entire being.
[ABSORPTION COMPLETE]
[COSMIC ESSENCE GAINED: 847 UNITS]
[ENERGY RESERVES: 94%]
[EVOLUTION PROGRESS: 12%]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: +50]
[LEVEL UP!]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 1]
The sensation faded, and I slumped in Rayna's arms, exhausted but no longer starving.
Behind us, I heard Commander Volten mutter, "What in the name of the Progenitors..."
"Is he okay?" Rayna asked urgently, her hands checking me over.
*I'm fine,* I projected, and this time my mental voice was stronger. *Better than fine. That was exactly what I needed.*
"He just... absorbed it," Volten said, staring at the now-empty containment cell. "Completely. There's not even residue left."
Dr. Ysmene is going to have a field day with this, I thought wryly.
[NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED: CRYSTALLINE ADAPTATION]
[MINOR RESISTANCE TO ENERGY-BASED ATTACKS GAINED]
[CARAPACE DURABILITY: +15%]
"Commander," Rayna said carefully, "I need to ask you to keep this confidential."
Volten looked at her for a long moment. "Lady Rayna, that creature just demonstrated abilities that are... concerning. The Admiral should know."
"My father already knows Xiane is unusual," Rayna replied. "And he's allowed me to keep him. This doesn't change anything, it just confirms what we already suspected. He needs specialized nutrition."
She's protecting me. Even from her father's own people.
The Commander crossed her arms, clearly conflicted. Finally, she sighed.
"I'll keep this between us for now," she said. "But if your companion shows any signs of becoming dangerous, to you or anyone else, I'm reporting directly to the Admiral. Understood?"
"Understood," Rayna agreed. "Thank you, Commander."
As we left the bio-containment sector, I felt the energy stabilizing in my body. The immediate crisis was over, but I'd learned something important.
I need to feed regularly. And not on nutrient paste.
I need cosmic essence to grow. To evolve.
To become strong enough to protect Rayna from whatever threats this universe throws at us.
Back in Rayna's quarters, she set me down on my cushion and collapsed beside me, the stress of the situation finally catching up with her.
"Don't scare me like that again," she murmured, her hand resting on my fur.
*I'll try not to,* I projected. *But I'm going to need more... meals like that. As I grow.*
"Then we'll figure it out," she said firmly. "Together."
*Together,* I agreed.
I could feel the new power flowing through me, my body already beginning to change in subtle ways. I was stronger now. Not by much, but it was a start.
[CURRENT STATUS:]
- LEVEL: 1
- EVOLUTION PROGRESS: 12%
- NEXT FEEDING REQUIRED: 96 HOURS
Twelve percent toward my next form.
Not bad for my first meal.
I curled up against Rayna's side, feeling her warmth and her steady heartbeat through our bond.
Soon, I thought. Soon I'll be strong enough that you'll never have to worry about me.
And then... then I'll make sure nothing in this universe can threaten you.
That's a promise.
---
[STATUS UPDATED]
- Level: 1
- Evolution Progress: 12%
- New Ability: Crystalline Adaptation
- First Devouring: Complete