Light exploded.
The moment Ayaan's fingers touched the floating fragment, a violent surge of energy erupted through his body. It wasn't just power—it was invasion.
Something foreign.
Something alive.
"—!"
His vision shattered into fragments.
The city disappeared.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
A new space formed.
A vast, empty void.
Floating particles drifted like broken data. Fragments of symbols flickered in the distance, incomplete… corrupted.
At the center—
A glowing mass of energy.
The fragment.
It pulsed like a heartbeat.
Ayaan stood before it, breathing heavily.
"…So this is inside the system."
The fragment twitched.
Then—
It moved.
Rushing toward him.
Ayaan's eyes narrowed.
"Not passive…?"
The moment it touched him—
Pain.
Raw. Unfiltered. Absolute.
It felt like his veins were being torn apart and rewritten.
His body trembled violently.
Glitch lines spread across his skin.
His vision flickered between reality and distortion.
A voice echoed—
[DEVOUR PROCESS INITIATED]
The fragment resisted.
It struggled.
It fought back.
Ayaan dropped to one knee, teeth clenched.
"—You think I'll lose to… this?"
His fingers dug into the void floor—though there was no ground.
His aura flared.
Violet and blue energy spiraled outward.
The glitching intensified.
The fragment began to crack.
Slowly.
Piece by piece.
Ayaan forced himself forward.
Step by step.
Dragging his body through the pressure.
His eyes glowed.
Cold.
Predatory.
"Break."
The fragment shattered.
Light burst outward—
Then—
Silence.
The void collapsed.
Reality snapped back.
Ayaan stood once more in the ruined street.
His breathing was steady now.
Different.
Stronger.
A translucent panel appeared.
[DEVOUR SUCCESSFUL]
[CLASS FRAGMENT ACQUIRED]
[SKILL OBTAINED: MINOR ENHANCED PERCEPTION]
Ayaan blinked.
"…That's it?"
Then—
Everything slowed.
The world… shifted.
He could see it.
Movement.
Patterns.
Trajectories.
A monster lunged from the side—
But this time—
Ayaan moved first.