Lyric groaned as his eyes fluttered open, his body screaming in protest. Bruises covered his arms, and every breath sent a sharp ache through his ribs. His head throbbed, the pain a dull drumbeat behind his eyes. Worse than the pain was the disorientation—his mind felt like it was struggling to reboot, trying to piece together what had just happened.
What the hell just happened?
Fragments of memory hit him like a gut punch. The academy airship. The excitement of being accepted after awakening his innate technique. The rush of wind as the ship climbed higher into the sky.
Then... the Rift.
He could still hear it—the deafening crack as reality itself split open. The airship groaning under the strain as a vortex of energy pulled it in. Screams. Chaos. And then... nothing.
"Shit," Lyric muttered, sitting up with a wince.
The world around him felt oppressive and alien. The sky was pitch black, empty, and oppressive, as though the stars and moon had been erased. The air reeked of metal, sharp and bitter, and faint roars echoed in the distance, low and guttural.
Instinctively, his hand went to his waist, fingers curling around the twin hunting knives sheathed there. His father's parting gift before he left for the academy. They felt heavier now like they knew they were no longer just tools but weapons for survival.
He tightened his grip on the blades, his jaw clenched.
'Alright, Lyric. Think.'
Surveying his surroundings, he took stock of what little he had—two knives, the clothes on his back, and whatever instinct and luck could get him through this. He didn't know where he was, but one thing was certain.
He was alive, he had his knives
'The airship crashed' Lyric winced
Making sure to keep a low profile, Lyric started to look for a space where he could hide while he adapted himself to his new situation.
Running from shadow to shadow and from bush to bush Lyric was keeping himself busy feeling that if he let his guard down in this alien place, he would die. No second chances
'first things first, I need to find shelter' Lyric thought, recalling the knowledge his father had imparted to him throughout his life as a hunter's child.
Hiding from any animals he found he kept moving forward, slowly and methodically hoping to find something that he could use as shelter temporarily
Having just awakened a few weeks ago, Lyric's body was still relatively weak in terms of mana, and his innate technique was of no use to him until he found shelter, or at least somewhere where monsters wouldn't bother him.
Lyric's breath came shallow and quiet as he crouched behind a jagged boulder, scanning the area ahead. A hellish terrain stretched out in uneven patches of cracked earth and twisted black and red vegetation. Blackened trees jutted out of the ground like skeletal fingers, their shadows shifting even without a light source.
He hadn't encountered anything large yet, just the occasional scuttling creature darting between rocks. Still, every sound put him on edge.
If this place has predators, they're bound to come out sooner or later.
Staying low, Lyric moved again, darting to the next patch of cover. His grip on the knives tightened. His father had taught him how to track and hunt in the forest, but this wasn't the forest. The ground here was silent, absorbing sound like a predator's den, and the air carried no familiar scents, only the acrid tang of metal and decay.
After what felt like hours, Lyric spotted a narrow crevice in a cluster of jagged rocks ahead. It wasn't much, but it would shield him from view and give him a moment to think. He pressed forward, quick but cautious, his eyes scanning every shadow for movement.
He reached the crevice and peered inside. It was tight, barely enough space for him to squeeze through, but it opened up slightly inside—a shallow alcove sheltered from the open terrain.
"This will have to do," Lyric muttered under his breath, sliding inside.
The space was cramped and cold, but it felt safer than the open expanse outside. Sitting against the rough stone wall, he let out a slow breath, his body still tense.
First shelter, now water. If I don't find it soon, I'm done.
His stomach growled, a painful reminder of how long it had been since his last meal. He glanced at his knives, their blades faintly gleaming in the dim light. Hunting wasn't just a skill now it was going to be pivotal to his survival.
Outside, the distant roars grew louder. Lyric froze, every muscle tensing as the sound reverberated through the air. Whatever was out there, it was moving closer.
"Looks like I'll need more than shelter soon," he whispered, gripping his knives tighter.
Or maybe he wouldn't need water, he still had his innate technique after all.
[Heartbound Devourer Technique]
The words hovered inside his mind, the information of the technique known only to himself, being one of the few newly awakened who gained an innate technique, supposedly gifted to him by the world itself upon awakening at eighteen.
The technique itself required Lyric to devour raw hearts to gather mana, or at least facilitate the flow of mana within his body.
'I might have to use it' Lyric thought before he froze
WHOM
A thundering sound appeared in Lyric's ear from outside the crevice, his body freezing as a feeling of pressure came over him, Lyric could only see the source of the sound out of the corner of his eyes.
While being frozen by the pressure Lyric could only manage to get a small glimpse of what seemed to be a humongous scaly creature that had some of its flesh rotting off of itself.
Feeling stifled by the creature's pressure even after it left Lyrics crevice, He could only think of one thing
'Shit... I'm in a Rift'
Lyric slumped against the rough stone wall, his heart hammering against his chest. The immense pressure left by the creature lingered like a heavy fog, making it hard to breathe.
That thing… he thought, his mind racing. It could have crushed me without even noticing.
He gripped his knives so tightly his knuckles turned white, the familiar weight offering little comfort now. For a fleeting moment, he thought about the academy—the airship, the other students, the safety he'd been promised. It all felt like a distant memory, a dream shattered by the suffocating reality of the Rift.
"Get it together," he whispered to himself, forcing his breath to steady. He couldn't afford to panic. Not now.
The [Heartbound Devourer Technique] hovered in his thoughts again, a dangerous option that he might have to rely on. If he was truly stuck in a Rift, there was no telling how long he'd be here, or if he'd ever get out. Survival came first. Morality could wait.
His father's voice echoed in his mind:
-"A hunter doesn't hesitate, Lyric. Fear is natural, but hesitation will get you killed."
He peeked out of the crevice cautiously, scanning the terrain for any sign of the creature. The ground bore deep claw marks, the kind that suggested something massive had passed by recently. The air felt colder, heavier like the Rift itself was warning him to stay hidden.
But hiding wouldn't keep him alive forever.
Clenching his teeth, Lyric began to creep out of the crevice, moving low and slow. The creature's presence had thrown him off, but he couldn't let it paralyze him. He had to find something, anything, that could give him an edge.
After a few tense minutes, he spotted movement in the distance. A smaller creature, no larger than a dog, skittered across the cracked ground, its sharp claws scraping the earth. It looked like a twisted hybrid of a rat and a lizard, its skin pale and leathery, its beady eyes scanning for prey.
Lyric's stomach churned at the thought of what he'd have to do next.
'You need this', he reminded himself, forcing his legs to move. His body felt heavy, the pressure of the Rift weighing him down, but he pushed forward anyway.
The creature stopped, sniffing the air, and Lyric froze. He waited, his breath shallow, until it moved again, oblivious to the hunter stalking it.
With a practiced motion, he lunged. The knives flashed, one sinking into the creature's neck while the other struck its chest. It screeched, a high-pitched, grating sound, before collapsing in a heap.
Lyric stood over the carcass, his heart racing as he stared at the still body. The [Heartbound Devourer Technique] stirred inside him, the hunger bubbling to the surface. His hands trembled as he reached down, fingers brushing against the creature's chest.
You've done this with animals before, he told himself, swallowing hard. This is no different.
Taking a deep breath, Lyric sliced into the creature's chest, exposing the still-warm heart. The smell was sharp and metallic, filling his nose as he hesitated for only a moment. Then, driven by instinct and the pull of the technique, he devoured it.
A surge of energy shot through him, emanating from his heart, hot and wild, like wildfire racing through his veins. Lyric's body shuddered, the sharp ache in his ribs vanishing as raw power coursed through every fiber of his being. His breath grew steadier, and the overwhelming fatigue began to fade. For the first time since waking in the Rift, a spark of hope ignited within him, flickering like a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
The [Heartbound Devourer Technique].
A gift from the world, or perhaps a curse. It made blood his water, and hearts his sustenance, turning survival into something primal and vicious.
The ground beneath him trembled suddenly, a low rumble that sent chills up his spine.
Lyric spun around, his knives at the ready. The faint roars in the distance were getting louder. his stomach still slightly aching with hunger.
'Looks like the rat wasn't enough'
"Looks like I won't get to rest yet," he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to move again.