Abel jolted awake, a gasp escaping his lips.
His body was slick with sweat, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
Each frantic beat echoed in his ears, slowly bringing his muddled thoughts into focus.
He was surprised -
No, shocked.
The pain that had been a constant companion was absent.
A wave of disbelief washed over him as he ran a hand over his body, expecting to find raw flesh and throbbing wounds.
But his skin was smooth, untouched by the brutality of the recent fight.
Not a bruise marred his surface, not even a scratch.
"My bruises...?" His voice rasped, a whisper barely audible in the stillness. "What happened?"
A strange sense of wonder mingled with the confusion.
How could his wounds heal so completely, and so quickly?
He couldn't have slept for days, could he? The uncertainty gnawed at him.
Then suddenly
An agonizing twist of hunger clawed at Abel's stomach.
It felt like a sponge being wrung dry
A relentless churning that demanded immediate satisfaction. His throat parched, sandpaper rough against his tongue.
He scanned his surroundings, his vision momentarily blurry from the overwhelming sensation.
Then, he spotted it – the single berry he'd desperately reached for before succumbing to unconsciousness.
Without a second thought, driven by primal need, he devoured it whole.
The berry, barely the size of his palm, tasted bitter and strange on his tongue.
Yet, his only thought was to consume, to quell the gnawing hunger that threatened to consume him.
Each bite, each swallow, disregarded the unpleasantness.
It was a desperate act, fueled by a need that bordered on madness.
In his starved state, it tasted like a heavenly treasure.
A bizarre thought flickered through his mind – was this a sign of divine favor? As if the world itself conspired to provide him with sustenance, an endless feast prepared by unseen chefs.
Abel, consumed by his ravenous hunger, didn't notice the faint mark that emerged on the back of his neck as the last bit of the berry disappeared.
It was a swirling symbol, barely visible against his sun-kissed skin, yet it pulsed with a faint, unsettling energy.
But the hunger wasn't satiated.
It gnawed at him from within, a relentless craving that demanded more.
Then...
A morbid thought surfaced in Abel's mind
the corpse of the creature he'd barely slain.
Days, perhaps...?
He didn't know how much time had elapsed, but if it meant survival, he wouldn't hesitate.
The gnawing hunger was a relentless master, driving him towards a desperate solution.
He scanned the path ahead, hoping for a more palatable offering, but his stomach churned with a ferocious urgency.
There was no time for niceties.
He had to reach the carcass before starvation claimed him.
With a grimace, Abel forced himself forward, his steps stealthy and deliberate. "Please don't be spoiled," he muttered, the words tasting like ash in his mouth.
He reached the battlefield where he'd nearly met his demise.
Relief washed over him as he saw the colossal carcass, fully intact and untouched by scavengers.
"So, not even a few days have passed?" The realization sent a wave of confusion crashing over him.
"Then why are my wounds healed? Is this normal?"
But the gnawing in his stomach wouldn't be ignored.
No matter how desperate the hunger
A sliver of his former humanity held him back from immediately devouring the creature.
He waited, scrutinizing the surrounding area for any sign of danger.
When nothing materialized, a cold dread settled in his gut.
It was like a night shrouded in a chilling lunar wind, an unsettling stillness that sent shivers down his spine.
He took a deep breath, summoning the will to act. With a mental command, a black knife materialized in his palm. Cold to the touch, it exuded an air of power despite its unassuming appearance.
"Is this really the weapon that killed that beast?" he mused, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "The obsidian sphere from the Duke seemed so much more potent." A humorless chuckle escaped his lips. "Yet, without this, I might not be here."
Blood still caked the creature's hide, but Abel ignored it.
Hunger gnawed at his resolve.
With a practiced motion, he plunged the blade into the thick hide, revealing a surprisingly white and firm flesh beneath.
Raw or not, in the face of starvation, even the monstrous could become sustenance.
He devoured the flesh with the ferocity of a famished beast, the raw meat a welcome relief to his empty stomach.
With each bite, the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind began to settle.
Finally satiated, he leaned back with a satisfied burp.
But a new question clawed its way to the forefront of his consciousness:
'"Now what?"