Ashport Exterior District, SW-5 — Blackrow
The pedicab rattled to a halt at the edge of the ruined district. Kael still hadn’t looked up. His brow furrowed, his eyes locked on the translucent screen hovering silently in his vision.
It hadn’t vanished. No matter what he did—wishing it to close, blinking rapidly, swiping his hand, looking away and back again—it was still there, hanging like an afterimage etched onto the world.
“Man, you good?” Malik leaned in from across the seat, eyeing him with cautious amusement. “You look like you’re tryin’ to zap someone with your forehead.”
Kael muttered something under his breath. Then louder: “Close status screen.”
The screen winked out.
Malik flinched. “Yo, what the hell was that?”
Even the driver turned halfway in his seat, brows lifted.
Kael coughed and forced a crooked smile. “Sorry. Just… closed an app in my ArkSeal. Must’ve said it out loud without thinking.”
Malik gave him a side-eye but shrugged. “Alright. But if it starts talkin’ back, I’m bailing.”
They stepped out into heat and ruin.
Southwest-5, locally known as Blackrow, looked like it had been hammered by war. Buildings had collapsed into skeletal piles. Ash and grit swirled through the broken streets, kicked up by a hot breeze thick with dust and the scent of blood. The low whine of drones and emergency transport skimmers filled the air, and a squad of local responders stood at the cordoned-off perimeter of the block.
One of them—an older man in scuffed armor and a stained orange tabard bearing Ashport’s sigil—strode over with a hard expression. He eyed Kael and Malik like they were a bad joke.
“You’re the cleanup team?” he asked flatly.
Kael nodded and sent over the signed contract through his ArkSeal.
The man blinked at the notification, tapped his temple to access it, and frowned deeper.
“I was told a demolition and waste team was en route. Crew, equipment, transport. I don’t see any of that. Just two kids and a cab.”
Kael didn’t flinch. “We’ve got what we need. We’ll be out of your way by end of day.”
The man crossed his arms, skeptical. “You know this job isn’t just rubble, right? There’s still the possibility of survivors under all that debris. You so much as cave in the wrong part, you’ll have a lawsuit up your ass faster than you can say oops.”
“I understand,” Kael said calmly. “What’s the job?”
The man pointed at the mess behind him.
A three-story building had collapsed inward, crushing itself and the neighboring lot. The foundation was fractured, and the rest looked like it had been gnawed on by gods. Debris sprawled out like the entrails of a dying beast—splintered wood, half-melted stone, mangled steel.
“All of it,” the agent said. “The building, the surrounding debris, any bodies—living or dead—need to be accounted for. This zone’s flagged for reconstruction, so it’s all gotta go. Just don’t bury anyone alive trying to prove something.”
Kael nodded, his expression unreadable.
“Understood.”
He turned to Malik and scanned the site.
“There’s a collapsed crawlspace by the alley,” Kael said. “Check for survivors—use your eyes and ears, and maybe some diggin' if it’s safe. Call me if you find anything livin'. Don’t force anythin'. I’ll handle the rest.”
Malik hesitated, then gave a sharp nod. “Got it.”
Kael took a slow breath and stepped toward the wreckage. His throat was dry. His palms tingled. There were eyes on him now—Malik, the agent, the driver, and the responders. All expecting something. Anything.
He remembered the feel of devouring the predabeast and the road debris just minutes before. The sickening, pulling sensation. The heat that followed, surging through marrow and sinew like a waking god.
He placed his hand on a slab of fractured concrete the size of a bed and leaned forward. He didn’t bite this time. He focused. Remembered.
The dark shimmer curled from his lips like ink in water, and in an instant, the shadow surged out, engulfing the slab in utter silence. It vanished—not with a crunch or collapse, but as if it had never been there.
Another screen flickered into view.
[Energy Conversion Status Update]
Mass Ingested: 0.063 Aquals
Composition: Low-Quality | Simple Structure
Conversion Type: Aura
Aura Gained: +0.013
Conversion Efficiency: 7.05%
Kael swallowed hard, not from effort—but from the quiet, cold awe rolling down his spine.
He didn't know what he was. Only that he could do this.
He moved to the next slab.
And the next.
One bite at a time, the monster went to work.
