Night began to fall as Kael stopped some distance in front of the old cathedral with the broken spire. The stained glass that once made the building look grand and majestic was shattered in places, creating shimmering glints from the broken shards.
Its roof was half-collapsed, scattering large stones across its courtyard, creating a chilling sight, stones mixed with human bones. The smell of blood mixed with dust grew stronger here; apparently, the apocalypse had struck during a service this morning.
Kael gripped his shotgun tighter, his eyes scanning the surroundings, looking for signs of monsters, knowing there wouldn't be any around if the events matched his previous life.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His body still ached, with the wound on his arm still bleeding beneath the bandage, but he had no time to tend to it again.
The monster horde had finished sweeping and feasting on the human bodies in the city, but the city wasn't entirely safe yet. He checked his shotgun once more, then pulled a small flashlight from his jacket pocket, checking its beam. He carried this flashlight just in case a Shade Stalker attacked him.
Kael moved quickly and carefully, slipping towards the half-open side door of the cathedral. But when he pushed the door slightly to let himself in, its hinges creaked softly.
Without delay, he immediately slipped inside and hid behind a statue located near the entrance, then observed the situation within.
He could see overturned long wooden benches and bones scattered everywhere. But there was nothing else there, and his ears only caught the rustling of leaves outside the cathedral.
He walked slowly, careful to avoid the scattered stone, wood, bone, and glass fragments on the floor. He headed towards the altar, and saw a faint silver light gleaming from a pile of rubble.
Unconsciously, he held his breath. The Soul Splinter.
Suddenly, Kael felt goosebumps prickle his skin as the air suddenly turned cold. The shadows that had been in the building's ruins seemed to awaken and move at his presence.
The shadows formed horrifying figures, appearing as beings wearing long black robes, black faces with no visible eyes, noses, or mouths, and black hands shaped like long claws moving towards him.
Kael tensed, his hand instinctively grabbing the flashlight in his pocket, as he stepped back against the cathedral wall. He immediately switched on the flashlight, aiming it at all the creatures, making them shriek with their high-pitched, ear-splitting screams.
Kael flinched for a moment as his ears rang, but then ran towards the altar. Unluckily for him, his foot tripped on debris just as he almost reached it, but he forced himself to get up and run again.
The creatures, whose forms he didn't recognize, stopped screaming since they were no longer illuminated by the light, and began to approach Kael.
Panicked, Kael knelt, dropping his shotgun to the floor, his hands digging through the pile of stones and wood on the altar, searching for the Soul Splinter he had seen earlier.
Dust flew everywhere, some getting into his eyes, but he didn't care. The creatures floated closer, their claws almost touching his back.
Without thinking, Kael threw chunks of stone at them, making them pause for a moment. Then he stopped throwing when his hand touched something cold and hard, different from the stones or wood around it.
He grabbed and pulled it out—a small crystal, no longer than a pen, emitting a soft silver light.
Kael immediately gripped the Soul Splinter then clenched his fist, crushing it with the remaining strength in his body. The crystal instantly shattered, and instantly, he felt energy flooding his body.
Immediately he could see his Soul Sea, an indigo-colored ocean with gentle ripples on its surface and a glowing round sigil like a moon above the sea's surface.
The pain in his body began to subside; all his senses felt more acute. And Kael knew that his Soul Rank had increased, from an ordinary human to an Awakened.
The creatures shrieked, seemingly enraged that Kael had successfully obtained the Soul Splinter. Without hesitation, they attacked Kael blindly, their claws flashing back and forth, almost hitting Kael.
He rolled to the side to avoid the continuous attacks, grabbing his shotgun lying on the floor. With sharper reflexes, he shot at the creatures, even though he knew bullets wouldn't help him much.
The creatures were stunned for a moment by the shots, and Kael used that opportunity to run back to the side door. After they recovered, they chased him, and one of them managed to wound his arm with its sharp claw.
A bone-chilling cold invaded him, but Kael gritted his teeth, forcing his legs to keep running.
He burst out of the side door, stumbling again and rolling across the cathedral courtyard. After he stopped rolling, Kael crawled behind a large fallen angel statue.
His body was still trembling, but now he felt a bearable pain, thanks to the Divine Essence he had gained. The creatures didn't chase him out of the cathedral because the sun had just begun to set.
Kael stared at the darkening sky, stars beginning to appear, faintly visible amidst the smoke still rising from the city's ruins.
After finally catching his breath and starting to bandage his new wound with a strip of cloth from his shirt, he stood up and left the cathedral courtyard.
He had to find shelter immediately before other monsters found him. After walking for a few minutes, he saw a half-collapsed house, with a slanted roof, cracked walls, but its door still intact.
Kael slipped inside, pushing the door that creaked, probably because its hinges were affected by the earthquake this morning, then entered, and dragged a nearly broken wooden table to block it.
Once he felt safe, he collapsed onto the carpeted floor covered in dusty rubble, sending dust swirling around him. He ignored it, and leaned his back against the wall.
In the darkness, Kael took off his bandage. Dried blood coated his makeshift bandage, but now he didn't feel as much pain. Then he made a new bandage from the remaining cloth of his shirt, changing into the clothes he brought from the minimarket earlier.
Sipping water from his bottle, he ate the emergency food he had brought. Not far from where he was, a roar echoed. Some of the monsters were beginning to return, roaming around, looking for the human corpses they had missed earlier.