Chapter 57: What we became |
“Morals… Don’t make me laugh… True, it’s important to have a code to live by, something to keep you from stepping too far over the line if you don’t have to. But morals? So restrictive, so… boring. This is the Void, my friend!
Here, if you are not from Ger, only the strongest thrive. So, trust me, you don’t want something like morals holding you back. Throw them away and do what you must. Do what you have to survive and thrive. No matter what…”
~Casual conversation between a Tariem soldier and a new recruit
The moment he regained control of his body, Leo should have dropped the two corpses and backed off. The gravity of what he had just done should have hit him, perhaps even made him throw up. These were humans, after all, and not some mindless beasts that he could slaughter in dozens.
Yet he remained motionless, his hands bearing the weight of two lifeless bodies pressed against the wall. Crimson trails trickled from the wounds where his claws entered through their flesh, while their Essence slowly flowed into him, rejuvenating his body and soul.
Tendrils of disgust and guilt stirred within him, buried too deep to raise to the level they should. It was a stark contrast to the flood of emotions he had experienced during the early days of the Outbreak—like when he had mercy-killed the man in the shack. Back then, he had felt a genuine urge to vomit and flee. But now, after this ruthless slaughter, he felt numb.
Well, numb wasn’t quite the right word. The truth was, his mind was a storm of conflicting emotions. Anger, confusion, hunger, pain, and others, all vying for attention. They churned just beneath the surface, and Leo had no idea what to do with most of them, especially given the situation he found himself in.
Guilt, disgust? Those he could handle. It would take time to accept what he had done, but that was how the world worked now. Yet, here he was, feeling only an ounce of what he probably should.
Is it because this was self-defense, or has my evolution already screwed with my mind that much? Leo gritted his teeth as he watched fat slowly burn away from the corpses, leaving only sunken skin behind.
No. He shook his head. The pain in his body was barely a dull ache now. This might explain part of why I don’t feel much, but that’s not all… I felt the rage buried in the pain when they tried to kill me, the same rage that carried my body. And while some of it was mine, most wasn’t…
And then there were the uniforms. Police gear. His bias against Wolford’s law enforcement might have leaked into his emotions. After all, it was no secret in Wolford that their force was full of assholes, probably corrupt ones too. Still, they did their job most of the time, so not many people really tried to voice their opinions.
Leo grimaced. I’m grasping at straws here… Trying to justify this because they might’ve been dirty cops? Yeah, something definitely changed in me, but at least for now, I’m aware.
Not that awareness helped much, but it was still better than being completely brainwashed by evolution. With how things were going, he might at least get a chance to adapt like he wanted.
Adapt or die. Adapt or die, he repeated the mantra to himself—right as a notification forced itself into view.
What the…
The corpses slipped from his claws, completely drained, or rather devoured.
Condition stabilized. Thanks to surviving, Prime’s Rage is now permanently unlocked.
Leo tilted his head.
So there was something more to this alien rage… Show me!
Prime’s Rage (Unique):
Within the depths of every being lies a fight-or-flight response, waiting to be unleashed. For a Prime,this instinct takes form as a last defense when even the mind fails. Primes do not perish on their knees.
Effects:
This ability only activates automatically when the user’s ability to fight and control their body is compromised. The primal instincts of a Prime will surge forth, fighting on behalf of the user until they are capable of regaining control. With sufficient mastery, the user can learn to command these instincts to some degree, potentially guiding them down a different path.
This… This is what saved me. Leo’s eyes widened. I don’t know if I couldn’t move, but there was no way I could have defended myself with the same efficiency or maybe at all… Shit. So, this is just another part of being a Prime.
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As unsettling as it was to be a mere passenger in his own body, an automatic defense system was nothing to scoff at. Besides, just like the skill mentioned, he could learn to command those instincts or, at the very least, influence them a bit.
And it only activates when there is no way for me to fight on my own. I just have to hope that it won’t cause problems one day by attacking someone it shouldn’t…
A problem for another day. For now, he should probably take care of the aftermath of his evolution. The death of the two policemen was… Well, he couldn’t even put it into words, but he also couldn’t even force himself to feel bad about it. His mind just wouldn’t allow it. And besides, those people wanted to kill him, so he at least had one normal reason for not feeling as bad as he should.
He swallowed hard and looked away. What was done was done.
Right. Appearance first, notifications after.
Leo already had a general idea of how his arms had transformed, but seeing them properly now, he realized just how deep the changes went. The pitch-black claws that replaced the last parts of his fingers were now slightly longer than his previous human digits, and he had no doubt they could tear through matter like paper.
I tore through that guy’s neck like it was nothing.
Then there was the skin, just as black as the rest of his body, smooth and almost snakelike, without nearly any of the prior malformations. A far cry from his previous tanned and human flesh.
That said, those changes weren’t what captured his full attention.
No, that honor belonged to the silver blades on his arms. Each jutted from the outer sides of his forearms, starting at the elbows and ending just short of the wrists. At most, they extended about an inch or two from his arms, adding quite a weapon to his arsenal.
Still, Leo remembered clearly how he had cut off the second man’s head. That blade extended far past his hand.
How did that happen?
He frowned, inspecting them again. While he could feel them as an integral part of his body, that didn’t give him the answer he wanted.
What if…
He made a fist. Nothing changed, but he felt a faint tingling at the blade’s end.
And now, if I do that…
A single spark of Essence shot into the blade, and instantly it snapped outward, extending nearly a foot beyond his pinkie. The same deadly weapon his feral self had used to end the fight.
I take this must be the Night Hunter’s blade. Fitting, I guess. At least I won’t have to worry about losing my daggers anymore, Leo hummed, and the blade shortened again once he opened his hand.
Looking down at the rest of his body, he grimaced.
This will take some getting used to.
Thanks to the System and the general struggle over the last few days, he gained some muscles. And although those gains remained, they had definitely adapted to fit this evolution better. His monstrous body now had a lean and streamlined build, optimized for speed and agility more than ever, while still packing enough muscles to overpower most creatures out there.
Not that appearance really determines that. I’ve got Might for that, he thought as his gaze dropped to his legs. Other than the skin, those hadn’t changed much.
Well, except for the feet.
One thing is for sure, I can say goodbye to footwear.
While his feet still resembled a human’s in structure, half of each toe had twisted into short, curled claws. Or talons, really.
Could always be worse, he mused. Like, let’s say, the bloody tails growing out of my behind…
The three slender yet muscular black tails were definitely the last thing Leo expected to gain after the evolution, yet here they were. To make matters worse, only one of them grew from the tailbone like a normal tail should. The other two sprouted beside it—one on each side.
And to think I once wanted a tail when I was little… Be careful what you wish for, I guess.
While Leo could see the tails being useful for balance, especially now that his torso was always leaning a bit forward, that didn’t mean he liked them. Hell, he could barely control them, and it took most of his focus to do that.
I guess they will feel like any other limb sooner or later, but man, it’s gonna be a pain until then, he grumbled as he stumbled back into the bathroom and snatched a piece of glass off the floor. And now to finish.
Even before glimpsing his own face, Leo knew it wouldn’t look anything like it used to. His once-slim human neck was gone, replaced by a thick, muscular column of flesh that rose straight from his shoulders, where his arms seamlessly melded into his form.
Gradually, the width of his new neck narrowed before culminating into an elongated head similar to a creature he had once seen in a game. Really, with how it was made, he now had to be constantly hunching and leaning forward to see anything. If he even stood upright and straightened his neck, he would only have the sky in his sight.
No more worrying about posture… And hair, I guess.
He gave out a dry chuckle, trying to soften the impact of those changes. Not that it helped, not when an unfamiliar face stared back at him. If it could even be called a face anymore.
His head, as a whole, bore a resemblance to that of a serpent or a lizard, albeit with a slight humanoid roundness to its shape. Tiny, barely-there slits replaced his nose, while his ears had vanished completely—though he could hear just fine. Finally, his mouth… it was wide and packed with serrated, razor-sharp teeth.
Yeah, I’m gonna ignore that.
Still, not everything was a loss.
His eyes at least got an upgrade. Leo never really liked his gray eyes, so to have them transformed into the slitted, violet orbs lifted his spirit a bit. Their slanted and slightly wider positioning was another plus, as it offered him a bit broader field of vision.
Those tiny spikes on my upper back and spine are also kinda cool, he noted, giving himself another once-over. It would take time, but this was his true form now. There was no going back.
Oh, well, it could have been worse. Now I just need time.
Leo sighed, running his hand along his bald head and neck; or was it just neck or head?
Whatever, at this point, they are one and the same with how I look.
He slid down against the wall, mindful of his new tails, and called out.
All right then, System. Show me what I’m really working with…