Chapter 3: First Kill
The shadows didn't disappear.
They stayed.
Moving slowly around Kael's body, like they were breathing.
He could feel them.
Not with his hands.
Not with his eyes.
But somewhere deeper.
The creature in front of him let out a low growl.
It had stepped back.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Kael noticed.
"…you're hesitating," he whispered.
His voice was weak, barely audible.
But the creature reacted.
Its eyes—two faint, pale lights in the dark—shifted, locking onto him again.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then the creature lowered its body.
Tensed.
Kael understood immediately.
It was going to attack.
"Yeah… makes sense," he muttered.
Even if something had changed—
He was still broken.
Still lying on the ground.
Still unable to move properly.
The shadows around him flickered.
As if reacting to his thoughts.
The creature lunged.
Fast.
Far faster than before.
Its body cut through the darkness, closing the distance in an instant.
Kael's eyes widened—
But his body didn't move.
It couldn't.
At the last moment—
The shadows surged.
They rose from the ground like thin black threads and shot forward.
Not controlled.
Not guided.
Just instinct.
They collided with the creature mid-lunge.
A sharp sound echoed as the attack was deflected slightly off course.
The creature slammed into the ground beside Kael instead of directly on top of him.
Dust and debris scattered.
Kael blinked.
"…that wasn't me," he said.
Or maybe it was.
The creature recovered quickly.
It twisted its body and turned back toward him, letting out a harsher growl this time.
Angrier.
More cautious.
Kael felt it again.
That connection.
The shadows were still moving.
Waiting.
Responding.
"…so you listen," he whispered.
The creature circled slightly, keeping its distance now.
It wasn't rushing in blindly anymore.
It had felt it too.
Something had changed.
Kael forced his fingers to move.
Slowly.
Pain shot through his arm, but he ignored it.
Even the smallest movement felt important now.
The shadows reacted again.
They shifted closer to his hand.
Like they were following.
"Move…" Kael said under his breath.
Nothing happened.
The shadows stilled.
Kael frowned slightly.
"…not like that."
The creature suddenly lunged again.
This time from the side.
Faster.
Lower.
Kael's focus snapped back.
His body still couldn't react in time—
But the shadows did.
They shot outward again, this time more directly.
One strand wrapped briefly around the creature's front limb.
Not enough to stop it.
But enough—
To slow it.
Kael saw it clearly.
"…again," he said.
His voice was steadier now.
The shadows moved.
Not wildly this time.
Not randomly.
They followed his intent.
The creature broke free almost instantly and slammed into him.
Pain exploded through his body as he was thrown sideways.
He hit the ground hard, his vision shaking.
A sharp crack echoed somewhere in his body.
Kael gritted his teeth.
"…still hurts."
The creature turned again, preparing to finish it.
But Kael's eyes had changed.
They were focused now.
Not empty.
Not resigned.
Watching.
Learning.
"Alright…" he whispered. "One more time."
The creature charged.
Kael lifted his hand slightly—
Barely an inch.
But this time, he didn't hesitate.
"Stop it."
The shadows surged.
Faster than before.
Cleaner.
They wrapped around the creature's front limbs, tightening just enough to disrupt its movement.
The creature stumbled.
Just for a second.
That was enough.
Kael forced his body forward.
Ignoring the pain.
Ignoring the blood.
Ignoring everything.
His hand closed around a sharp piece of broken stone near him.
He didn't think.
Didn't plan.
He just moved.
As the creature struggled against the shadows—
Kael drove the stone forward.
Straight into one of its glowing eyes.
A wet, sharp sound cut through the darkness.
The creature shrieked.
A high, distorted noise that echoed through the Abyss.
Its body thrashed violently.
The shadows broke apart.
Kael was thrown back again, the stone slipping from his hand.
He hit the ground, gasping.
"…did that work?"
The creature staggered.
One of its eyes was gone.
Dark fluid spilled down its face.
But it wasn't dead.
Not yet.
It turned toward him again.
Slower this time.
Unsteady.
But still dangerous.
Kael's breathing was heavy.
His body felt like it was falling apart.
But something inside him had changed.
Before—
He would have given up.
Now—
He didn't.
"…not done yet," he said quietly.
The shadows gathered again.
Closer.
Denser.
As if responding more easily now.
The creature took a step forward.
Then another.
Kael lifted his hand again.
Higher this time.
The pain was still there.
But it didn't stop him.
"Hold it."
The shadows shot forward.
Not scattered.
Not random.
They wrapped around the creature's limbs again—tighter this time.
Stronger.
The creature struggled.
But it couldn't break free immediately.
That was enough.
Kael pushed himself up.
His legs barely held, but he didn't stop.
Step by step, he moved forward.
Closing the distance.
The creature roared and thrashed harder.
The shadows trembled—
But held.
Kael reached it.
Picked up the same broken stone.
And without hesitation—
Drove it into its throat.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The creature's movements slowed.
Then stopped.
The tension in the shadows faded.
Silence returned.
Kael stood there for a moment.
Then his body gave out.
He dropped to his knees beside the corpse.
His breathing was uneven.
"…I killed it," he said quietly.
The words didn't feel real.
For fifteen years, he couldn't do anything.
And now—
This.
The darkness around him shifted slightly.
Then—
[Target Eliminated]
The voice returned.
Clear.
Cold.
[First Kill Confirmed]
Kael froze.
"…again?"
More text appeared.
[Energy Absorbed]
[Shadow Points +10]
Kael stared at the words.
Trying to understand.
"Shadow… points?" he muttered.
[New Function Unlocked]
A brief pause.
Then—
[Skill Available: Shadow Bind (Lv.1)]
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…skill?"
The shadows around him moved again.
Slower now.
Calmer.
As if waiting.
Kael looked at his hand.
Then at the creature's body.
Then back at the floating words.
For the first time—
He understood something clearly.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't luck.
This was power.
And it belonged to him.
Kael let out a quiet breath.
"…so this is how it works."
He wasn't sure yet.
Didn't know the rules.
Didn't know the limits.
But one thing was certain—
He wasn't helpless anymore.
The darkness around him felt different now.
Not oppressive.
Not empty.
Familiar.
Kael slowly pushed himself up again.
His body still hurt.
Still weak.
But standing was enough.
For now.
"…I need more," he said.
Not loudly.
Not desperately.
Just a simple fact.
More strength.
More control.
More of whatever this was.
The Abyss stretched endlessly around him.
Dark.
Silent.
Unknown.
Kael looked into it.
And for the first time—
He didn't feel like prey.
Somewhere deeper in the darkness…
Something stirred.
End of Chapter 3
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