The creatures ran across the ash.
Their bodies were thin and twisted, bones pushing through grey skin that looked dried and cracked. Some dragged one leg behind them. Others crawled on all fours like animals.
Their jaws opened and closed as they moved.
"—Krrk… krrk…"
The sound was dry, like stones rubbing together.
Kael watched them coming.
There were many.
Too many for something his size.
His small fingers tightened around the edge of the bone crib.
Ash moved with the wind, sliding across the ground in thin waves. The creatures cut through it quickly, kicking up grey dust behind them.
Lirien stood beside the crib, her wings folded behind her back.
She did not move.
"Try not to die too soon," she said casually.
Kael turned his head toward her.
"Are you serious?"
She shrugged lightly.
"You accepted the trial."
The nearest creature reached the crib.
Its arm stretched forward suddenly.
~SKRRR~
Claws scraped across the bone frame.
The crib shook.
Kael's heart jumped.
The creature pulled itself higher, its hollow eyes staring straight at him. Black saliva dripped from its mouth onto the ash below.
~Krrr… krrk…~
Its jaw opened wider.
Kael grabbed the creature's wrist instantly .
The moment his hand touched its skin, something strange happened.
A sharp pull started deep inside his chest.
Like hunger.
But stronger.
The creature froze.
Its body trembled.
Then its skin began turning grey.
~Crkk~
The sound cracked through the air.
The creature's arm collapsed into ash.
The rest of its body followed a shortly after.
~Fsssh~
Dust scattered into the wind.
Kael stared at his hand.
"…What?"
More creatures reached the crib.
One climbed over the edge.
Another grabbed the side.
~KRK~
The bone frame shook again.
Kael reacted without thinking.
His small hand grabbed the second creature's arm.
The same pull returned.
Stronger this time.
The creature twitched violently.
Its body began cracking.
~Crk~crk~crkk~
Ash burst outward as the entire thing collapsed in his hand.
The dust rushed toward Kael like smoke being pulled into his chest.
Heat spread through his body.
The mechanical voice in his mind spoke again.
[Devour Successful]
[Energy Absorbed]
Kael blinked.
"…Devour?"
Another creature lunged into the crib.
~SKREE~
Its claws swung down.
Kael rolled to the side just before they hit.
~CRACK!~
The claws slammed into the bone floor.
Fragments of bone splintered outward.
Kael grabbed the creature's neck.
The pull started instantly.
~CRKK~
The creature jerked wildly as its body broke apart.
Ash spiraled into Kael again.
The warmth inside him grew stronger.
Outside the crib, the rest of the creatures continued crawling closer.
Dozens of them.
Their movements became faster as they smelled the dust of their fallen companions.
~Krk… krk… krk…~
The sound filled the air.
Kael looked around quickly.
The bone crib could no longer hold.
Another creature jumped onto the edge.
Then another.
~SKRR~SKRR~
Claws scraped against bone from every direction.
Kael took a slow breath.
"Alright," he muttered.
"If this is the trial… then fine."
He climbed out of the crib.
His legs were still small, but they held his weight.
Ash crunched beneath his feet.
~Crunch.~
The creatures stopped for a moment when he stepped forward.
Then they rushed him all at once.
~SKREEEE~
Three of them leaped.
Kael moved without thinking.
He grabbed the first creature's head.
The hunger surged again.
~CRKK~
The skull cracked instantly ash burst out from it.
The dust rushed into Kael's chest.
The second creature slammed into his back.
~THUD!~
They both rolled across the ash.
Kael twisted and grabbed its arm.
~Crkk~
The arm dissolved.
The creature shrieked and tried to bite him.
He grabbed its jaw,devouring pull ripped through it.
~FSSSH!~
The body collapsed into dust.
Kael pushed himself up again, more and more creatures surrounded him now.
Their feet scraped against bone fragments scattered across the ground.
~Skrr… skrr…~
They circled slowly,watching him
Waiting.
Kael's breathing slowed.
Something inside him felt different now.
The fear from before had faded in its place was a hunger like never before.
His eyes moved across the approaching shapes.
"Come on then," he said quietly.
The creatures rushed at him.
This time Kael stepped forward first.
His hand shot out and grabbed the nearest one.
~CRKK!~
It turned to ash instantly.
He spun and caught another creature by the shoulder.
~FSSSH!~
More dust.
The creatures piled toward him.
Claws scratched across his skin.
~SKRR~
One caught his arm and blood splashed.
Kael didn't stop.
He grabbed the attacker's face.
~CRACK~
Ash exploded outward.
The dust flowed into him.
Warmth spread through his chest and limbs.
His movements became faster and stronger.
He moved through the creatures one after another.
Grabing and devouring any one his hand reaches.
Each body crumbled the moment he touched it.
The ash storm around him grew thicker as dozens of creatures collapsed into dust.
Lirien watched the scene quietly from beside the broken crib.
Her wings shifted slightly in the wind.
The last creature tried to crawl away.
Its bones scraped across the ground.
~Skrr… skrr…~
Kael stepped toward it.
His small shadow stretched across the ash.
The creature turned its head slowly.
Its jaw clicked weakly.
~Krk…~
Kael placed his hand on its skull.
The hunger pulled again.
~CRKK.~
The body dissolved.
Silence returned.
Ash drifted slowly through the grey air.
Kael stood in the middle of the battlefield, breathing slowly, the ground around him was now empty.
Only scattered bone fragments of the creature remained.
Then the mechanical voice spoke again.
[Devouring Complete]
[Energy Stabilizing]
Kael looked down at his hands.
They were still small.
Still the hands of a child.
But the hunger inside him was much stronger.
Behind him, Lirien clapped once.
"Not bad," she said.
Kael turned toward her.
"You knew that would happen."
She smiled slightly.
"Of course."
Kael frowned.
"You could have helped you know!."
She shook her head.
"That would defeat the purpose and idea."
Ash drifted between them.
In the distance, something large moved beneath the grey fog.
The ground trembled faintly.
~Thud.~
~Thud.~
Kael noticed the vibration and looked toward the horizon.
"What was that?"
Lirien glanced in the same direction.
Her wings slowly opened behind her.
"Your next lesson," she said calmly.
Far away in the ash, a massive shape began rising from the ground.
Bone fragments shifted.
The fog rolled aside.
Something much larger than the ash-eaters was waking up.
And it was already moving toward them.