The silence pressed down like a physical weight. Bran lay unconscious on the metal floor, curled tight, the green light faded from his eyes.
Ragnar stood with his axe half-raised, stone-grey skin fading to human tone. Confused, brow furrowed.
"Daniel." Ragnar's voice came low, wary. "What in the hell was that?"
Blood filled Daniel's mouth as he swallowed. He knew this moment was coming. He'd bought their survival. Maybe at the cost of their trust.
"We have a problem." Daniel's voice rasped. He pointed at the wall where rain battered the other side. "Waiting for us outside."
"Stop deflecting." Sophie didn't allow him land.
She stepped closer, not aggressive but intense. "You knocked Bran out without touching him. You shouted, he dropped. That isn't 'Attribute Enhancement.' That isn't D-Grade. Explain. Now."
Daniel pulled himself up against a supply crate. He couldn't tell them everything. If he said he could absorb souls, they'd see him as the monster outside.
He needed a half-truth wrapped in enough reality to sell.
"It's my talent. Not just physical enhancement. It… evolved."
"Evolved?" Ragnar crossed his arms.
"It's called [Omnivision]." Daniel kept his voice steady, using the name of the skill he'd stolen but claiming it as his talent.
"Since entering the Vale, my senses have been going haywire. I see life forces. Feel energy. That's how I found the traps. Knew about the tracks."
He gestured at Bran. "When that thing took him, I saw the connection. A thin line of energy tying him to the creature outside. I didn't know if it would work, but I pushed everything at him. Tried to snap the line."
He let out a shaky breath.
"It worked. But I think I fried my brain."
Ragnar looked at Sophie, waiting. She narrowed her eyes. Talents didn't just "evolve" in a few days. She looked at Bran, then the wall.
"You said it's outside?"
"Yeah. A Mindshroud. And it's angry I cut its puppet strings."
Sophie stared at him one more second. Sharp nod. "We survive first. Interrogate later."
Ragnar exhaled hard. "Fine by me. I prefer punching things to ghost stories. How do we kill it?"
Daniel pushed off the crate. The dizziness was fading. Adrenaline rising.
"We can't fight it from in here. It'll batter our minds until we break like Bran. We need to draw out its physical form. Ambush it."
"How?" Ragnar asked. "We can't see the damn thing."
"I can. My [Omnivision] can track it. But it's smart. Won't show itself unless it thinks it has an easy kill."
He looked at his teammates. "I'll go out. I'll be bait."
Ragnar snorted, without humor. "You look like you can barely stay on your feet. Are you sure about being the worm on the hook?"
"I'm the only one who can see it coming. Sophie, you stay here. Watch Bran, make sure he doesn't wake up and stab us. Monitor comms."
He turned to the big man. "Ragnar, hide on the roof structure near the door. When I call it out, hit it with everything. Don't hesitate."
Ragnar cracked his knuckles. A strange smile spread across his face.
Five minutes later, Daniel stepped into the storm.
Acid rain hissed against his D-Grade Deflector Vest, steaming off the treated fabric. Ozone and burning chemicals filled his nose. It was dark.
The twin suns were long gone.
Daniel stepped into the center of the muddy courtyard. Fully exposed. He closed his eyes for a second.
[Skill Active: Omnivision (E-Grade)]
The world shifted. Darkness faded into a grey haze, and the rain became static. There it was, pulsing in the corner of his vision like a dark heart—the monster.
Hovering near a collapsed wall, blending with shadows. To the naked eye, invisible. To Daniel, a swirling mass of cold violet energy.
Watching him. He could feel its hunger. Spiders crawling on his skin.
"It's here," Daniel whispered into comms. "Stay still, Ragnar."
The creature moved. Didn't walk—drifted. Sliding through air with sickening grace. Circling him. Testing. Wanted to know if he was alone.
Daniel forced himself to stand his ground. Hands loose by his sides. Defenseless.
"Come on," he muttered. "Come and get me, you ugly freak."
Pressure spiked in his head. The creature shrieked—not sound, but psychic blast. His knees buckled. Trying to stun him.
It lunged.
"NOW!" Daniel screamed. "Fifteen meters ahead! To your left!"
Ragnar roared from the shadows. The big man hurled a massive jagged sheet of scrap metal he'd ripped from the wall.
The metal plate spun like a giant shuriken.
THWACK!
It hit empty air—but impacted something wet. Solid. A horrible gurgling screech tore through the night. The camouflage flickered. Died.
The Mindshroud revealed itself.
Nightmares made flesh. A floating, pulsating sac that looked like an exposed brain, trailing long translucent tentacles dripping with glowing slime. The size of a small car. Its single central eye glared with pure hate.
"I see it!" Ragnar yelled.
He leaped from the roof, [Stoneskin] turning him into a living meteor. Crashed into the creature, fist slamming into fleshy side.
BOOM!
The Mindshroud knocked from the air, crashing into mud. Not finished. It lashed out with tentacles, whipping faster than a whip.
CRACK!
One caught Ragnar across the chest, sending him flying into rubble. The creature turned to Daniel.
A wave of force hit him. Invisible wall slamming his chest. He flew backward, boots skidding in mud. His D-Grade vest absorbed impact, glowing faintly as it dispersed kinetic energy. Wind knocked out.
The creature shrieked. Shot two tentacles straight at Daniel's heart.
Daniel grit his teeth. "Not today!"
[Skill Active: Adrenal Surge]
Time slowed. Rain droplets hung in air. Tentacles inching forward like spears.
Daniel moved.
Not away—forward. Dropped into a slide, mud slick under his legs, passing underneath deadly tentacles. As he slid, he planted his hand and vaulted upward, twisting his body in a corkscrew.
He landed on the creature's back.
It bucked wildly. Psychic screaming deafening—chorus of agony and rage.
"Die!" Daniel roared.
He drew his D-Grade Vibro-Knife. The blade hummed. He gripped it with both hands, raised it high, drove it down.
SHLICK!
The blade sank deep into the central nerve cluster. Daniel twisted, ripping through soft tissue.
The Mindshroud went rigid. Shockwave of psychic energy exploded outward, knocking Daniel off. He landed in a roll, coming up to his feet. Panting.
The creature convulsed once. Twice. Collapsed into mud, melting into grey sludge.
Silence returned. Broken only by hissing rain.
A blue holographic screen flashed.
[You have slain: Adolescent Mindshroud (Level 3)] [EXP Gained: 50 EXP] [+50% High-level Kill bonus: 25 EXP] [Total EXP Gained: 75 EXP] [Level 1: 85/250 EXP]
Daniel stared at the notification. Chest heaving. He'd done it. Wiped rain from his face and looked at Ragnar.
The big man pulled himself from rubble, groaning. Shook his head, sending muddy water flying.
"You okay?" Daniel called.
"Feels like I got kicked by a mule." Ragnar rubbed his chest. "But I'm alive. Is it dead?"
"It's dead."
Sophie's voice crackled in his ear. "I read zero hostile signatures. Bran is still out, vitals stabilizing. Good work."
Daniel looked down at the melting corpse. Ragnar was walking over. Maybe ten seconds.
He needed that soul.
"Just checking to make sure it doesn't get back up," Daniel shouted.
He knelt in mud, pretending to check the creature. Placed his hand on slimy flesh.
Cold, refreshing power flooded his veins. Washing away headache and fatigue. Ice water on a hot day.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Creature: Adolescent Mindshroud (Level 3)] [Gain: Spirit +25] [Gain: Strength +30] [Gain: Agility +35] [New Skill Gained: [Mental Fortitude (Passive) - E-Grade] - Increases resistance to mental and psychic influence.] [Assimilation Charges Consumed (6/10 Remaining).]
Daniel suppressed a shudder as stats integrated. His mind sharpened, headache vanishing thanks to the Spirit boost. The [Mental Fortitude] skill settled like a steel wall. Next time, psychic attacks wouldn't hurt nearly as much.
Ragnar limped up beside him. Looked down at the gross remains.
"Ugly bastard, wasn't it?" Ragnar kicked a piece of sludge. He looked at Daniel. For the first time, there wasn't just camaraderie. Respect, sure. Also a hint of caution.
"That was fancy footwork, Daniel. That call... you nailed its position perfectly."
"We survived." Daniel stood, sheathing his knife. "That's what matters."
Sophie appeared at the doorway. Arms crossed. She gave Daniel a nod—slow, deliberate.
"Your 'sensory talent' is more useful than you let on, Daniel." Her voice cut through rain. Tone made it clear she knew there was mor
e. "We should get back inside. Dry off."
Daniel nodded. An unspoken pact hung between them. They wouldn't ask too many questions, as long as his secrets kept saving their lives.
As he followed Ragnar toward shelter, Daniel clenched his fist. Getting stronger. Fast. But the gap between him and his team was getting too wide to hide.
"I can't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to leave them behind."
But not tonight. Tonight, they rested. Tomorrow, the hunt for his family continued.