The Sky Devourer
Kieran felt it before he saw it.
A shudder in the air, like the world itself was holding its breath.
Then—a shadow fell over the ruins.
The blood-red sky twisted as something massive moved above them. A monstrous silhouette, wings blotting out the light, its body covered in shifting obsidian plates. A thousand red eyes blinked open along its hide, each one swirling with hunger.
And then—
It roared.
The sound wasn't just noise. It was pressure. A wave of force that shattered the stained glass windows of the cathedral, sent stone crumbling from the walls, and drove Kieran to his knees. His skull felt like it was going to split open.
"What the hell is that?!" Kieran gasped, clutching his ears.
The woman beside him—Selene, as she had quickly introduced herself—didn't flinch.
"That," she said grimly, "is the Sky Devourer. The first Trial of the Arena."
Kieran swallowed hard.
"Tell me that's not our enemy."
Selene's silver eyes flicked toward him.
"It is."
Kieran cursed.
How was that fair? A giant flying eldritch monster was their first challenge? He didn't even have a weapon.
Before he could fully process the situation, the creature moved.
With an ear-splitting screech, the Sky Devourer's wings unfurled, stretching across the sky like a living storm. Then, with a single, powerful beat—
It dove.
The sheer force of its movement sent shockwaves through the city. Rubble lifted from the ground, dragged into the air as if gravity had reversed. Kieran's body felt weightless for a moment before he crashed back down, coughing.
And the beast was coming straight for them.
Selene didn't hesitate.
She grabbed Kieran's arm and dragged him backward, just as a bladed limb the size of a truck crashed into the cathedral floor, obliterating everything in its path.
Stone exploded around them. The force sent Kieran tumbling, his ears ringing.
Selene, miraculously, landed on her feet. Her pistol was already drawn, her stance firm.
"Stay behind me," she ordered.
Kieran didn't argue.
She fired.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Each shot slammed into the Devourer's plated hide, sending ripples across its flesh—but it didn't even flinch.
Selene cursed.
"Bullets aren't working?" Kieran shouted over the chaos.
"Of course not," she snapped. "This thing was made to cull the weak. You need power to fight it."
Power.
Kieran's gaze flicked to the Status Interface still floating before him.
[Abilities: ???]
He gritted his teeth.
"So how do I get some damn abilities?"
Selene didn't answer. Instead, her eyes locked onto something in the distance.
"The Essence Wells," she murmured.
"The what?"
She turned toward him, voice sharp.
"Essence Wells. There's one nearby. If you want a power, that's your only chance."
Another roar shook the air.
Kieran followed her gaze.
Not far from them, a glowing, swirling vortex of blue light pulsed amidst the ruins. Tendrils of ethereal energy twisted in the air, like liquid fire.
Kieran's breath caught.
He didn't know how he knew, but he felt it.
The power radiating from that place.
Selene holstered her pistol.
"You go," she ordered. "I'll distract the Devourer."
Kieran's heart stopped.
"What?!"
"You heard me."
She turned, raising her weapon once more.
"That thing isn't something a normal human can fight. If you want to live, you need to adapt—fast."
And then, without another word—
She charged.
Kieran stood frozen for only a second before his survival instincts kicked in.
Run.
His legs moved before his brain could fully process it. He sprinted toward the Essence Well, dodging falling debris and shattered stone.
Behind him, the Sky Devourer shrieked, turning its countless eyes toward Selene.
And she—smiled.
"Come on, then," she muttered.
And she opened fire.
Baptism by Essence
Kieran ran like his life depended on it—because it did.
The Essence Well pulsed before him, a swirling mass of pure, unfiltered energy. The closer he got, the more his skin tingled, like static crawling beneath his flesh.
But he didn't hesitate.
He lunged forward—and touched it.
Instantly, his world exploded.
Fire. Ice. Lightning. A storm of power surged through him, wrapping around his soul like living tendrils. His mind burned with knowledge, visions flashing before his eyes.
He saw other warriors before him—past Chosen—each gaining powers that defied logic.
One man summoned swords made of starlight.
Another bent time itself.
A woman dissolved into shadows, becoming mist.
And then—
Kieran felt something choose him.
A voice, deep and distant, whispered into his mind.
"You are worthy."
And then—
Power flooded his veins.
His body convulsed, his limbs trembling as raw energy rewrote him.
Then—it stopped.
Kieran gasped, collapsing to his knees. His heartbeat was too loud, his vision swimming. He barely noticed the System Interface flashing in front of him.
[Abilities Acquired.]
[Name: Kieran Wolfe]
[Rank: Unranked]
[Essence: 100]
[Abilities: Abyssal Thread (Stage 1)]
Kieran forced himself to stand. His hands burned with strange energy—dark tendrils of shifting void flickering around his fingers.
Something deep within him had changed.
And now—he had power.
Not a lot. Not enough to match Selene.
But enough to fight.
Kieran clenched his fists.
He turned.
And ran back into battle.
---
The First Kill
Selene was struggling.
Her bullets had done nothing.
The Sky Devourer loomed over her, its countless eyes glowing. Then—it struck.
A bladed limb descended, aiming to cleave her in half.
Selene barely managed to roll aside, but she wasn't going to last much longer.
Then—
Dark tendrils lashed out.
The Devourer jerked, its movement halting for just a second.
Selene's eyes widened.
She turned—
And saw Kieran, his hands wreathed in shifting abyssal threads.
He stood there, panting, his expression both terrified and determined.
Selene exhaled sharply.
"Finally."
Kieran gulped. "So, uh. How do we kill this thing?"
Selene smirked.
"Let's find out."