The words hovered in front of him, clear and undeniable.
[The Evolution System Has Been Successfully Activated]
Kain stared at it for a heartbeat.
Then a grin spread across his face, sharp and alive. A laugh slipped out of him, low at first, then rising.
"So you did answer me."
He did not know who he was talking to. God, something else, it did not matter. Something had answered.
He focused, and the interface shifted.
Without turning his head, his arm shot out. His fist connected with something soft. A small demon that had crept up behind him crumpled instantly, its body folding as it was sent skidding across the ground.
Kain did not even look at it.
His eyes were locked on the screen.
Words formed.
[Name: Kain Smith]
[Real name: ????]
[Species: Demon of the seven hells]
[Rank: Newborn]
[Stats:
Strength: 9
Constitution: 7
Dexterity: 9
Demonic energy: 6
Souls: 0]
His grin widened.
"Souls…"
His gaze flicked briefly to the battlefield around him. Demons tearing each other apart. Motes of light rising and vanishing into open maws.
"I knew it."
He let out a breath, almost steady despite the chaos.
"So those things… they're souls."
The realization settled in fast. He looked around again, this time not with shock, but with intent.
Experiment.
That thought came naturally.
He moved.
The nearest demon was locked in a struggle with another. Kain lunged forward, grabbing it from behind. His claws dug into its throat as he tightened his grip.
It thrashed, and clawed and its limbs struck wildly, but Kain held on. He squeezed harder, feeling the resistance weaken.
Then it stopped, it's body went limp and a mote rose. He took it, the warmth brushed against him, but it did not sink in this time. It felt… contained.
Kain's eyes flicked back to the interface.
[Name: Kain Smith]
[Real name: ????]
[Species: Demon of the seven hells]
[Rank: Newborn]
[Stats:
Strength: 9
Constitution: 7
Dexterity: 9
Demonic energy: 6
Stat points: 0
Souls: 1]
He went still for a moment.
"It didn't absorb."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So it stores them first."
The idea clicked into place, he focused on the word and a prompt appeared instantly.
[absorb soul : Y/N?]
Kain stared at it.
Then slowly, deliberately, he chose no.
The window faded.
His grin returned.
"Good."
He turned back toward the battlefield. The demons were still fighting, still tearing into each other without any regard.
Kain stepped forward. Then broke into a run.
A demon lunged. He sidestepped and crushed its skull with a rock. Another came from the side. His claws ripped across its throat.
Motes rose, he took them one after another. He did not absorb them.
He kept and stored them. His movements grew sharper as time passed. More efficient. He no longer wasted energy. Every strike had purpose.
The battlefield thinned and the screams lessened. The number of bodies increased. At some point, the chaos slowed.
Kain stood still for a moment, his chest rising and falling steadily now. Around him, only a handful of demons remained, scattered and wary.
He glanced at the interface.
[Name: Kain Smith]
[Real name: ????]
[Species: Demon of the seven hells]
[Rank: Newborn]
[Stats:
Strength: 9
Constitution: 7
Dexterity: 9
Demonic energy: 6
Souls: 70]
His eyes gleamed.
"Seventy…"
He let out a quiet breath.
"Let's see."
He focused on the souls
[absorb Souls Y/N?]
This time, he did not choose no, he chose yes. The effect was immediate. Warmth surged through him, stronger than before. It flooded his entire body, sinking deep into his bones, his muscles, his very core.
His body tensed, then changed. He grew taller.
His frame stretched upward, muscles tightening and expanding. His limbs lengthened, proportions shifting rapidly until he stood at the height he remembered from his human life.
The sensation faded slowly, leaving behind something new.
He opened his hand.
Flexed
Then another notification appeared.
[Detected new traits from Souls absorbed, giving choice of new traits:
1. Hand Spikes
2. Tail Spike
3. Strengthened claws]
Kain stared at the options. His gaze lingered on each one.
Hand spikes would give more lethality while a tail spike could give surprise as it would just spring up out of nowhere.
But his eyes settled on the last one.
Claws.
He had already been using them. Enhancing what he already relied on made sense.
"Strengthened claws."
The choice locked in. A subtle change rippled through his hands. His claws darkened, their surface becoming smoother, and sharper. He lifted his arm and swiped lightly through the air.
A faint pressure followed the motion accompanied with a small shockwave.
Kain's grin widened, teeth showing. He looked up. The remaining demons had stopped. They were watching him.
Then slowly, they began to step back. Fear had taken root into their hearts. Kain took a step forward.
They turned and ran. His grin widened, and he moved. The chase began.
—
The sun had shifted across the sky by the time it ended. Kain stood still, his chest rising slowly as he looked down at the last fallen demon. Its body twitched once, then stilled.
The mote rose. He absorbed it without pause then silence followed. For the first time since he had been born into this place, there were no other hatchlings left.
Only him.
He lifted his head, ahead of him, the land ended as he stood infront of a cliff.
He walked forward, slow and steady, and stepped to the edge.
Below, far below, a pillar of red light pierced the sky. It pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat visible.
Around it, figures moved, Kain watched for a moment then jumped off. The fall ended in a heavy landing that sent dust scattering around him.
He straightened and began to walk. The closer he got, the clearer the figures became.
Demons.
Not like the hatchlings. Their forms were more defined and more stable. Their presence carried weight.
Voices reached him.
"This time the sssummoning sssseems to be from a really desssperate contractor," a snake headed demon said, its tongue flicking as it spoke.
"I wonder what the souls on that side taste like," another replied, its mouth lined with layers of teeth that shifted as it spoke.
Kain slowed.
The language was not one he knew, but he understood it perfectly. As if it had always been there.
He stepped closer.
"Excuse me, what is that?" He said.
Both demons turned.
"Another hatchling it ssseems," the snake headed one said with a low chuckle.
"Where is your mother, little hatchling," the other added, stepping forward. Its breath washed over Kain, foul and heavy. "She should be the one teaching you all this."
Kain felt it then.
Pressure. Their presence bore down on him, heavy and suffocating.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up. His shoulders lowered slightly, his stance tightening.
His heart pounded.
"Look at him," the toothed demon laughed, loud and mocking. "Shrinking like a little puppy."
It struck him across the back, not hard, but enough to jolt him forward.
"Relax," it added, voice dripping with amusement. "Your soul wouldn't even be worth the effort."
"Ssstop," the snake headed demon said, turning its gaze toward the pillar. "The sssummoning portal is about to open."
The one called Orm straightened.
His amusement faded.
"We are being summoned," he said, glancing at Kain. "To the mortal realm."
Before Kain could respond, the pillar flared and a voice echoed from within it.
"Great beings of the other side, I summon you to lay judgment upon this world. Destroy the holy kingdom of Pars. Bring it to its knees. As payment, all the souls within the kingdom are yours."
Kain felt something wrap around his arm.
He looked down and a mark had formed on his skin. It was an upside down cross, encircled and bound by a chain of thorns.
It glowed briefly, then dimmed. A portal opened. On the other side stood humans in robes, chanting.
The demons did not hesitate.
They surged forward.
Kain followed.
The air on the other side of the portal hit him like a blade. He staggered as he stepped through, lungs seizing as he inhaled. It burned, sharp and unfamiliar.
He coughed, body rejecting it at first. Then slowly, it settled.
Around him, humans cheered. Their voices were loud, filled with excitement, almost worship. One man broke from the group, running forward toward a larger demon at the front.
"What is your name," the demon asked.
"I am Palmon, high priest of the Demonic humans' sect," the man said, barely containing his excitement.
"We accept your contract," the demon replied. "We will destroy this kingdom. Do you object?"
"I have none," Palmon said.
The demon smiled.
Then moved. Its hand shooting forward. Palmon's head burst under the force.
Silence fell.
The demon absorbed the rising soul, its grin widening.
"Your first mistake," it said, voice low and amused, "was offering something that does not belong to you."
It turned slightly, addressing no one in particular.
"Souls of others are not yours to bargain with."
The mark on Kain's arm faded.
"Now that you are dead," the demon continued, "the contract is void."
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the demons moved. They roared, voices tearing through the air as they scattered.
Chaos erupted again. Kain moved with them. He found it easy. Too easy. The humans here, the ones who had bound themselves to demons, their souls came loose with barely any resistance.
He tore one free. Then another. Warmth followed each one.
"The souls of humans are so delicious!" one demon shouted nearby.
The screams faded over time as one by one, the humans fell. Until only the demons remained.
They turned.
All of them.
Toward the distant horizon. The direction that had been named. The leader stepped forward, demonic energy radiating from him.
A grin stretched across his face.
"Forward."