“They’re all dead. Gone, forever. Cycle after cycle, I searched for anyone without those glaring ruby eyes that haunt me every night. But there was no one out there and as the days passed, even our blazing star dimmed until all light left my home. Darkness comes for everyone and it seems my turn has finally arrived.”

~ Unknown diary, Cycle of Despair, 16th Outbreak

---

The door creaked open, and Leo thanked whatever deities were listening that the Gibsons loved to spend hours outside their house and leave the door open. He didn’t fancy breaking another lock when he was out in the open…

Almost tiptoeing, Leo entered a familiar hallway that connected the front and back of the house. Shadows surrounded him from every direction, and the stench of blood and death instantly filled his nostrils.

Leo grimaced. Not good. The grip on his dagger tightened.

When Leo found his father’s husk, he didn’t smell a thing. And even though he wasn’t paying much attention to the smell back then, Leo could never forget the overpowering scent of blood, not after that night.

Taking in a deep breath, Leo stalked forward, his glowing hand acting as a glorified lamp. He really needed to find some better source of light than his own limb…

Leo hugged one of the walls with his back and peeked into the living room, his eyes scanning the dimly lit area. With no monsters in sight, he entered the room, passing some old furniture as he neared the entrance to the kitchen.

Just like before, nothing waited for Leo inside except some fruits lying on the cupboard.

Grabbing an apple in between his claws, Leo frowned at the white mold that already consumed over half of the fruit's crumpled surface. This doesn’t seem right... Whenever Mrs. Gibson wasn't bothering her neighbors with small talk, she worked hard to make everything around her house pristine, or she strong-armed her husband into doing it for her.

As such, it seemed impossible for the fruit to achieve such a state and still remain in Gibson’s household... No, there had to be something wrong with this entire situation. Just like with the sudden growth spurt of some of the smaller plants and grass outside.

How long was I trapped inside my soul?

Leo had no way to find the answer to that question. The clone certainly forgot to mention how much time passed in the real world during the Awakening. Although with all of the changes caused by the Outbreak, there could be a different reason for the molding rather than the passage of time. After all, Leo’s food was in the same state he left it… Well, it could be argued that he only bought stuff that survived at least a week.

It’s not important now, Leo shook his head, retreating to the hallway, the apple left forgotten.

For the next few minutes, Leo stalked around the house’s ground floor, his heart rate picking up with every opened door. Crouched at all times, he was ready to bolt out of the house at any moment’s notice.

With every room cleared, only the stairway remained, looming over Leo as the scent of blood assaulted his nostrils once again, now stronger than ever. He gulped and set his feet on the first step.

The wood creaked and Leo stilled, breath catching in his throat. For a moment, the world stopped, waiting for a signal to move. A signal that arrived swiftly, in the form of a blood-chilling screech that filled the entire house.

As if someone slapped him in the face, Leo moved, his feet carrying him back into the living room.

Heart thundering, Leo leaned against a wall just next to the entrance and forced his Essence to obey for just a minute longer. The defensive barrier, as uncomfortable as it was, still provided him with the advantage he needed.

Leo gulped as another screech reached his ears, this one louder and accompanied by groans of the wooden stairway. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the glowing arm behind his back and raised the dagger to his face.

Don’t fail me now.

Another growl, almost next to his ear, had Leo moving in a flash. He pushed the dagger into the arch leading into the living room, forcing metal to meet cursed flesh. There was some resistance, but Leo paid it no mind as he spun around, his claws already flying at the growling monster.

Black blood spilled all over Leo’s face as three long gashes appeared on Voidling’s throat. Not that the damage stopped the monster. Its crimson glare met Leo’s eyes as the creature sailed forwards, sharp nails going for his face.

“Fuck,” Leo raised his deformed arm and blocked the strike. More blood dripped on the ground, but just like the monster, Leo answered, his dagger sailing at its chest where the heart should be.

He stabbed once and yanked the blade back, punching the monster in the face with his other hand. The Voidling snarled as it stumbled back. Despite all of its wounds, the creature recovered fast, bending its legs and jumping back into the fray.

Leo jerked away, avoiding a swipe of the Voidling’s wicked nails. The dark creature followed. Its arms sailed forward as Leo’s Essence suddenly began to whisper sweet words into his ears.

Take a step back. Correct your hold. Buckle your knees. Arms just a bit higher. Those short pieces of advice continued to flow into Leo’s mind, slowly providing him with the advantages he very much needed.

Is it the Dagger Mastery? It must be.

Despite Leo’s improvement and the numerous cuts the Voidling collected in their exchange, it never slowed down. The monster just pushed on, attacking with more ferocity after every gash Leo created.

Die for fuck sake! He snarled, blocking yet another swipe of its fingers. Two stabs in the heart, dozens of cuts, a ripped-out throat, and yet this thing still stood.

Leo even attempted to activate Reinforcement to simply overpower the monster, but the skill refused to form, Essence suddenly abandoning him. Only Identify worked, and apart from letting Leo know that this Cursed Human was already level two, he didn’t gain any new information.

Then, out of nowhere, Leo caught a glint of silvery glow at the left side of the Voidling’s abdomen. It was almost hidden by the crimson shine coming from the monster’s cracked skin.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, Leo decided to just go with the flow. He ducked underneath another wild slash and cut the monster across the glowing area. The Voidling howled, stumbling over its own feet.

Not questioning what the hell even happened, Leo kicked the creature for a good measure and tackled it to the ground. This time stabbing at something the monster hopefully couldn’t live without.

Its brain.

The rusty blade impacted the side of the Voidling’s skull and Leo screamed as he poured every bit of his strength to pierce the bone. For a few seconds, the tissue held and the Cursed creature used the time to add a few more bloody scratches to Leo’s side.

Leo grunted and pushed again, cracking the skull open as the dagger slipped into the mushy organ inside.

Beneath him, the Voidling stilled, its arms falling to the ground as the crimson glow left its eyes.

Leo rolled off the monster and just laid next to the corpse, his chest heaving up and down. I won. Bloody hell, I won. He snorted, trying to close his eyes, only for a few lines of text to pop up in the corner of his vision.

Is a minute too much to ask for? Leo groaned and pushed himself up to lean against an overthrown armchair.

Cursed Human (LVL: 2) slain | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

Level 2 reached. Class attributes distributed. Please assign your 2 free attributes.

Really? Do I need to do it now? Receiving no answer, Leo cursed and closed his eyes momentarily, taking a moment to think about his options.

He didn’t need any more Grace and Vision. Leo had enough of that from his class. Might seemed like an obvious choice considering all the injuries he just gained. Some traditional strength also couldn’t hurt…

Then there was Mind and Soul. Both attributes related to Essence. Having more Essence doesn’t sound like a good idea when I can’t even control the amount I already have.

Yeah, Might and Mind it is. Leo nodded, accepting the choice.

The instant, the thought left his mind, Leo’s gaze blurred as his muscles spasmed. Instinctively, he curled into a ball, a silent scream leaving his mouth. The blinding pain threatened to consume him, yet in a matter of seconds, it faded away, like it didn’t just rearrange Leo’s insides.

Holy shit, he gasped, opening his eyes.

Despite the pain he just experienced, Leo never felt more refreshed, more alive. Almost like he spent all of his life underwater, and the level-up just pulled him to the shore after pumping him with a dozen shots of adrenaline... Hell, even the world around him became just a bit clearer, the darkness notwithstanding.

Wait a moment… Stiffening, Leo reached within himself, observing his raging Essence. There, he barely felt any changes. Only upon touching it, did Leo notice the slightly friendlier response he received from his Essence. That’s something, I guess…

Sighing, Leo sprung to his feet, immediately marveling at the ease of the movement. He took a few steps to experiment, and indeed, it really felt like some weight was taken off his shoulders. Even some of the aches faded away.

And then reality came crashing around him as Leo’s eyes landed on the corpse and the blood staining the wooden floor. He flinched, realizing that the sudden burst of strength almost made him forget why he was even here.

Grimacing, Leo crouched next to the Voidling and let his tainted arm cast some light on the monster’s form.

Leftovers of gray hair clung to the monster’s wrinkled, round-shaped face, an inherited trait of the Gibson family.

Leo turned away, refusing to look at another person he knew well. A person I killed. Even worse was the thought that entered his mind as he gazed at the corpse and the taint of his arm.

He was dead a long way before this, you fool… I need to know how this works. How to survive. Leo tried to reason, the clone’s words coming back to haunt him.

“If you ever hesitate, you will be left behind, consumed by the never-ending Void.”

The clone warned him, and Leo had to be stupid not to listen after everything that already happened today.

“I’m sorry, but I have to survive,” Leo gritted out, his head hung low. “May you find peace, Charles Gibson.”

Claws descended, sinking into the Voidling’s abdomen.

The glowing veins on Leo’s tainted arm shone brighter as Essence moved, rushing right into his claws. Not even a minute passed and the body of Leo’s neighbor collapsed, leaving only a pile of dust behind.

Pure Void Essence absorbed. Satiated status extended to 10 hours.

Not as much as before, Leo frowned, watching the glow of his arm dim a bit. No matter how hard the guilt of desecrating his neighbor’s corpse weighed on his shoulders, deep inside, Leo knew that did what he had to survive. Now I know that I can drain them even if they are dead, and that’s all that matters.

Standing up, Leo took a final look at the living room and walked back into the hallway and onto the stairway. He still had to loot most of the house, but for now, he had to find out what happened upstairs. No matter how much Leo’s stomach twisted at the thought, he needed to know what to expect from those monsters.

He stopped right next to the only open door on the upper floor, the stench of death almost overpowering his senses. Holding his breath, Leo peeked into the room and immediately backed off, bile raising in his throat.

Fuck.

The image rushed to the forefront of his mind, and Leo bent forward, hurling what was left in his stomach. The massacre waiting inside that room even brought back a particular memory from that night, and Leo barely stopped himself from throwing up again. The disgusting smell in the air only making this situation worse.

Coughing, Leo pulled a piece of his ruined shirt over his nose and took a few deep breaths. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Back against the wall, Leo stood there for what felt like an hour. Over and over, the images played in his mind. Taunting him with its macabre, laughing at Leo’s weakness.

To hell with it. Leo growled, gritting his teeth as he stepped into the cursed bedroom.

What should have been a small and homely room, turned into a scene straight out of high-budget horror. The Voidling Leo just killed made sure of that.

Splatters of blood covered almost every surface of the room, be it horizontal or vertical. Then there was the bed, just as bloody as everything else, not that it held Leo’s focus. No, that privilege belonged to the body laying on top of the bed.

Once again, Leo had to stop himself from hurling as his gaze fully settled on the mutilated corpse of Mrs. Gibson.

Most of the top of her head seemed fine, apart from all of the blood. Her jaw was another story. Ripped out and barely attached to the maw with bits of sinew. Going lower, Leo ignored the snapped neck and rested his eyes on the torso.

A massacre, Leo shuddered, his eyes snapping from one half-eaten organ to another. The woman’s torso didn’t even resemble a human’s body anymore. If it wasn’t for the fairly undamaged head, Leo would only be able to guess the body’s identity.

Enough, he averted his gaze, teeth grinding against each other. Leo quickly grabbed a discarded blanket from the floor and threw it over the bed, covering most of the horrifying sight.

Just as fast, Leo left the room, shutting the door, the handle almost snapping in his grip. Maybe when his mind cleared a bit, he could come back there. For now, though, Leo just didn’t have the mental strength to do it.

With the images still fresh in his head, Leo returned downstairs. Food, weapons, medications. Food, weapons, medication. He repeated over and over again, forcing his mind to obey.

---

Leo didn’t find anything useful in the Gibson household except some additional food and gardening tools that could be used as a weapon. A very crude weapon, but a weapon nonetheless.

Identify graded the tools at broken rarity, describing their durability as ‘leaving much to be desired' thanks to the steady flow of Void Essence in the air. Apparently, almost no pre-Outbreak item could withstand this corrosive energy for too long.

With that in mind, Leo only grabbed a metal shovel, hoping that its sharp edge could at least make a difference when it mattered.

After that, the looting continued, becoming almost mechanical as Leo’s thoughts once again began to wander toward the body lying in the bedroom. The memory alone made him dizzy, and so he always forced his thoughts to go in another direction. Like the fight against the Voidling.

Which, in hindsight, didn’t go that well.

Leo wanted to finish the monster fast, just like an assassin should. Stagger it with a stab to the chest and then cut its throat open. Of course, that particular tactic didn’t work, and Leo had to engage the monster in a head-on battle.

A battle that would have lasted forever if the System didn’t guide him through the basics of using a dagger. And the less said about the silvery glow, the better. Leo had no clue how it worked, but at least now he experienced every skill he possessed.

Vital Strike (Common):
Ever since the ancient times, people tried to find ways to defeat their enemies with a few swift strikes. Now, one of their abilities is yours to wield.
Effects:
After drawing blood from your enemy, you have a chance to spot one of their weak spots. The efficiency of this skill is dependent on your Vision and Mind.

‘Draw blood,’ and that was all the System offered. No instinctual knowledge of how the skill worked and no explanation why in the bloody hell it required Vision and Mind.

Whatever… Leo grumbled as he locked the backdoor of Gibson’s house. This place had nothing left to offer, and staying in there any longer wasn’t the best for his sanity. His foster parent’s house awaited.

The crimson sun still shone upon the small neighborhood, providing Leo with just enough visibility to shuffle along the building's walls. His house might be closer, but the thought of sleeping where Edward died, just didn’t seem wise. Not after a day like this.

Shoulders stiff from the backpack's weight, Leo stopped just where the wall ended. Stealth once again covered him in an invisible blanket, his eyes scanning the entire neighborhood, searching for any signs of movement.

The beating of his heart echoed in his mind as he forced himself not to jump when a particularly strong gust of wind rustled some plants in the distance. The reappearance of normal weather did nothing to calm Leo’s nerves.

At last, Leo took a deep breath and sprung forward, almost flying across the road. Not once did he look back as he neared the two-story house of his foster parents.

With speed he didn’t possess just a few hours ago, Leo unlocked the door and jumped inside. The darkness welcomed him once again, and for the first time today, Leo smiled.

“Safe for now.”

Almost as if someone was listening, a message appeared in front of Leo’s vision, freezing the blood in his veins.

The Night is coming. Find a secure shelter or prepare to fight for your life. Nightmares are waking.

Bonus experience and Ether can be obtained during the night. Good luck.