I stood there in the middle of the mall, staring at my reflection in a polished store window.
"Is this even me anymore?" I muttered. "Am I turning into a monster?"
My voice wasn't panicked—just… exhausted. Because let's be honest, at this point, what even was my life? I had voices in my head, an overpowered metabolism, and the kind of face that made people double-take in disbelief. Oh, and apparently, I now had the ability to survive a month without food.
Which was a cool superpower, I guess? If I ignored the disturbing implications.
Solace, always helpful, scoffed. "You're doing something dumb. Use it instead of complaining."
Riven, never missing a chance to insult me, chimed in. "I doubt it's useful. You still have the brain of a donkey."
Ah yes, classic encouragement from my beloved inner demons. I definitely felt supported.
Asher, on the other hand, said nothing. No insult. No compliment. Just neutral observation, like he was watching a documentary about an idiot in his natural habitat. Honestly? I preferred that over the others.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I'll think about this later."
Step One: Money
One problem at a time. First, I needed money. Clothes, shelter, food—not that I apparently needed that last one anytime soon.
That's when an unexpected voice spoke.
"Well, while I was hunting for food, I stole the belongings of the prey as well."
Silence.
Slowly, like in a horror movie, everyone's attention turned toward the obvious culprit. Fang.
This time, instead of glares of disapproval, something different appeared on their faces. Hope.
Me? Not so much.
"Wait… you committed cannibalism?" I asked, horrified.
Fang tilted his head. "Can-in-ball what?"
Oh, great. He didn't even know what it meant. That made it worse.
I turned to Asher, the only one who still had some level of sanity. "Are you really okay with this?"
Asher nodded, completely unfazed. "I'm only nice to innocents."
"Okay, but how can you be sure they were guilty?"
Asher gave me a look. "And you thought I was going to let Fang hunt someone who wasn't?"
…
Oh.
Right.
Because somehow, despite being an eldritch nightmare of a personality, Asher had morals. Twisted, ruthless morals, but still.
A slow, horrifying realization crept into my mind.
None of them were sane. Not a single one.
I sighed, defeated. "I give up."
Checking my pocket, I found a surprisingly generous amount of money—enough to last me a few months, at least.
Well. That solved one problem.
Step Two: Clothing and Stealth
Now, onto the next issue: I looked like a homeless man who had just crawled out of a dumpster. Because, well… I had just crawled out of a dumpster.
I made my way into a clothing store, making sure to keep my head down.
Solace's voice echoed in my head. "Be stealthy."
I nodded internally. Yes. Stealth. A masterclass in blending in.
So, naturally, I proceeded to be the most suspicious-looking person ever.
I grabbed clothes in record time, darting through aisles like a raccoon on caffeine. An employee eyed me warily. I smiled. That probably made it worse.
But hey, I didn't get caught. Paid for the clothes, grabbed a bag, and left.
Mission success.
Step Three: A Place to Stay
After getting changed, I wandered the streets, eventually spotting a hotel that looked decent enough.
I walked inside, heading toward the reception desk.
That's when the receptionist—a tired-looking man in his late forties—raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, sir. Do you have a reservation?"
Before I could answer, I felt a shift.
A familiar, unwelcome pull.
"It's my time," Solace said.
Oh no.
And just like that, I was yanked into the Theater of Madness.
I found myself in the usual dark void, watching from the audience seats as my own body moved without my input.
Riven leaned back, smirking. "Let's predict what he's going to do."
"No one cares," Asher replied.
I watched as Solace, now in control, casually slid a hand into our pocket.
For a moment, I panicked. "Wait—he's not about to kill the guy, is he?!"
Then, to my absolute shock, Solace did not, in fact, commit murder.
Instead, he pulled out a wad of cash and tossed it onto the counter.
"Shut the fuck up. Where's my room?"
The receptionist blinked.
Then, very slowly, he looked at the money.
His skepticism evaporated.
"Fourth floor, Room 13."
Solace nodded, grabbing the key card and heading toward the elevator like he owned the place.
Back in the Theater, Solace turned to me with a smirk. "And that, dear protagonist, is how you handle things."
The control snapped back to me as I entered the elevator.
Step Four: The Hunger
I stepped into the room, locking the door behind me. Finally, some peace—
My stomach twisted.
A sudden, overwhelming hunger hit me like a truck. Not the normal "I could eat something" kind of hunger. No. This was different.
It was like my entire body was screaming for something.
Not food. Not water. Something else.
"Oh," Solace mused. "So it finally kicks in."
I gritted my teeth. "What the hell is this?"
Asher, always the voice of reason, answered. "It's the cost of Compatibility. You're adapting to Fang's shift."
"Adapting?"
"Your body changed. Your metabolism, your strength, your instincts. But energy doesn't come from nothing."
I clutched my stomach, feeling something pulse inside me.
"So," I muttered, voice strained, "what do I do?"
A pause.
Then, Riven chuckled. "Simple. You hunt."
Oh.
Oh no.
I swallowed hard.
"You mean—"
"Not humans, idiot," Solace interrupted. "You need something… special."
I exhaled, gripping the wall.
Of course.
Because nothing in my life could ever be normal.
I glanced out the window, the city lights stretching endlessly.
I needed to figure this out. Fast.
Because if I didn't…
This hunger was going to consume me.
Chapter 5: A Hunger for Madness (Part 2)
I tried to sleep.
Keyword: tried.
Because you know what's really great for insomnia? Having four voices in your head arguing like a jury debating a murder trial.
"I don't see why he needs sleep," Riven muttered. "With all the changes happening, rest is inefficient. Adaptation should be immediate."
Solace sighed. "He's still human. More or less."
"He doesn't feel very human," Asher added, his voice unsettlingly neutral. "Not with that hunger gnawing at him."
Ah, yes. The hunger.
That black hole inside me, swallowing everything else. It wasn't the usual kind—the kind where you think about food and suddenly you're starving. No, this was deeper. Like something in me was unraveling, cell by cell, screaming for something it couldn't name.
I turned onto my side, gripping my stomach. It was getting worse.
"Can't he just eat something normal?" Fang asked. "Meat, maybe? A little blood?"
I gagged. "Absolutely not."
Asher, of course, had a much more Asher response. "If Vail or Daze were here, he could feed off negative energy. Or stagnation. Something non-physical."
I shot up, stomach twisting. "What? You're telling me I could've been living off bad vibes this whole time instead of feeling like I'm being eaten from the inside out?"
Riven chuckled. "Yes, but you haven't learned to absorb emotions yet."
Oh, fantastic.
I needed to move. Sitting here, trying to suppress whatever primal instinct was clawing at my insides, wasn't working.
I grabbed my coat and stumbled toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Solace asked.
"To find something. Anything."
I barely heard their responses as I stepped outside. The city stretched before me, neon lights flickering, streets wet from an earlier rain. The cold air did nothing to dull the hunger. If anything, it made it worse.
Something inside me was desperate—starving.
And if I didn't find an energy source soon…
I wasn't sure what would happen.
The Blackout
The city pulsed with energy. The buzzing of streetlights. The hum of traffic. All of it noise, but beneath that noise, I could feel it.
Power.
I staggered toward a streetlamp, pressing a trembling hand against the cold metal.
And then—
It hit me.
An absurd amount of energy surged into my body, slamming through my veins like a live wire.
My vision went white.
Electricity crackled through my skin, rushing into every fiber of my being.
And then—
Complete.
Utter.
Darkness.
The entire city lost power.
Aftermath
I collapsed to my knees, gasping.
"Well," Solace mused, "I suppose electricity counts as energy, too."
"You think?" I rasped. My body still tingled, muscles trembling from the sheer force of what had just happened.
For the first time in what felt like hours, the hunger was gone.
Not just dulled—completely gone.
Riven let out a low whistle. "You just drained an entire city block. Impressive."
I looked up, seeing nothing but pitch-black streets and the distant wail of sirens. People were shouting in confusion.
"Okay," I admitted, still panting. "That was… something."
Solace chuckled. "Yes. And now? You have some explaining to do."
The Aftermath
I crouched there, still trembling from the sheer force of what had just happened. The city was pitch-black, the only light coming from distant emergency signs and the red glow of brake lights as cars screeched to a confused halt.
Then—like a switch being flipped—the power surged back.
Streetlights flickered, humming back to life. Neon signs reignited, bathing the streets in artificial colors. The wail of sirens became sharper, the city jolting awake after an unexpected blackout.
And me? I was still kneeling by the pole, my fingers tingling, my body feeling—oddly full. Satisfied.
Which was so not reassuring.
I pushed myself up, shaking off the dizziness. "Alright. Crisis over. Time to leave before someone asks questions."
I started walking, keeping my head down as I made my way back to the hotel. The voices, for once, were silent. Well, except for Asher, who muttered, "We should test this further."
No. Absolutely not. No more random energy siphoning today.
I made it to my room without incident, shutting the door behind me. The moment I locked it, the conversation began.
"Okay," I exhaled, leaning against the wall. "Question. In six months, when whatever this 'evolution' thing happens… are people just going to be draining entire cities like I just did? Because there are eight billion people, not counting animals, and I don't think the world's infrastructure is built for that level of power outage."
Solace actually laughed. Laughed.
"Not particularly," he said. "By then, the limit will be gone."
I frowned. "The limit?"
Solace nodded. "Right now, energy has restrictions. People need food. Need rest. Need external sources. But once evolution kicks in, those restrictions will change. Anything capable of holding energy will—hold energy. Even the air around you will be enough to supply all living beings."
I stared at him—well, not at him, but at the mental space where his presence lingered.
"So you're telling me," I said slowly, "that people won't even need food anymore? Or electricity?"
Riven chuckled. "Not in the way you understand it."
I sat down on the bed, trying to wrap my head around it. "Then… what happens to everything else? Factories? Power plants? The economy?"
Asher hummed. "Some will adapt. Others will become obsolete."
Oh. Oh, that was not ominous at all.
I let out a breath, rubbing my temples. "Great. So in six months, reality as we know it is going to flip upside down. No more hunger, no more energy shortages, and I won't have to drain a city just to stop myself from collapsing."
"More or less," Solace said.
I groaned. "Yeah, that doesn't make me feel better."
A pause. Then Fang, who had been quiet until now, muttered, "At least you won't starve to death before then."
Wow. So reassuring.
I sighed, flopping onto the bed.
Six months.
Six months until the entire world changed.
I had no idea if that was a good thing or the beginning of something worse.