The all-consuming rage and hunger didn't end with Myrdrak's death, far from it. The bloodlust still ran wild in his veins, wanting more death, more blood spilled on the ground. It begged and screamed as the lightning barrier around the battlefield collapsed, and Leo could do nothing to deny it, nor did he want to.

Hundreds of shadow tendrils exploded out of his body, all of them flying right for the two parts of the dead Nightmare. They sunk into the still-warm flesh, devouring the remaining strength in the massive corpse.

As the Myrdrak slowly turned to dust, the shadows around Leo's body grew in size until he was almost twice as large as an average Collector. The reserves in his soul also filled up within seconds while the few scrapes and cuts underneath the thick armor healed and disappeared as if they were never there.

The feeding didn't stop there. Even when his soul couldn't take any more Essence, his relentless hunger continued to feast. It took everything it could from the dead Nightmare until nothing but dust remained on the ground.

Devour consumed: +5 Might, +5 Vision, +8 Soul.

The System notification came and went, barely registering in his mind as Inferno still burned bright in his veins, begging for more food. He looked up at the sky and opened his massive shadow jaw, releasing a roar that shook the earth.

Then, with a quick glance at the empty battlefield, he was off, sprinting on all fours toward the largest source of life nearby. How did his senses even manage to find it? He had no idea. Not that the question remained in his mind for longer than a short moment before getting overwhelmed by hunger.

Within a few seconds of running and jumping, Leo landed on a street full of Voidlings. They didn't even get a chance to blink before he pounced, tearing everything in sight to shreds. Blades, arrows, spears, and tendrils of shadows filled the area, assisting in the one-sided massacre.

Of course, it didn't end on one street, two, three, or even seven. He continued to make his way through the city, slaughtering and devouring anything that moved. Not even the Voidlings in the air survived as his shadows chased them like heat-seeking missiles.

Sometime during his search for food, his senses caught onto a particular Essence signature, one he recognized even with his mind almost consumed by bloodlust. It awoke more of his consciousness from its primal trance, and with some effort, he managed to steer his instincts away from the humans close by.

That was how he found himself almost out of Wolford, with the overwhelming thirst and hunger fading away. The massive shadow shell around his body also disappeared, returning him to normal size as he collapsed to his knees, his heart hammering in his chest.

Holy shit. Leo coughed, blinking away the blurriness from his eyes. That was something. And I remember it all...

While he was far from in control during the Inferno stage of Ruthless Efficiency, the skill didn't get rid of him this time. Instead, it synchronized with him, letting him have some input into the following battle with the Myrdrak and the hunt afterward.

It was far from perfect, but at least he was making progress.

"And the things it taught me," he muttered, looking down at his hands. "Manifestation, huh? So that's how I survived the Void Storm. I wonder..."

Just as he was about to summon shadows out of his soul, a voice shouted into his mind.

'Leo! Are you still here? Answer, please!"

He grimaced at the pleading tone and quickly cut off the flow of Essence. "I'm here, whole and healthy," he said. "Ruthless Efficiency is offline. It worked. Not as well as I wished, but not as bad as I feared."

'Are you sure? Last time, you could barely walk. Do you need us to pick you up? Where are you?'

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Leo chuckled as Nyx fired off her questions. "Yeah, like I said, I'm good. Maybe a bit tired. As for where I am?" He looked around the empty street with only a few houses running along it. "I'm back where it all began. Kinda ironic."

'Oh... Don't go anywhere far. We will be there in a few minutes.'

"Got it," he nodded to no one in particular. "No need to hurry. I'm just gonna take a look around here."

With that, he closed their link and looked up at the house standing before him. Like everything else, it had succumbed to the Void's touch, but it didn't mean he couldn't recognize it. In the end, this was still his home.

"Why bring me here?" Leo mumbled, approaching the broken entrance door. "Is it a coincidence or..."

He slipped inside, and instead of relying on his night vision, he summoned a large orb of light above his palm. A familiar, long corridor greeted him first, but he continued onward right into his old living room.

Despite everything, this place didn't change much. Aside from some Vetilim here and there, the destroyed furniture, and a few cracks in the walls, it was still the same room he had lived in for a long time. Even one of the pictures on the wall survived the test of time. How it avoided all of the Void's matter was anyone's guess, but somehow it did.

"Never thought I would come back here," Leo sighed as he stopped in the exact spot where he had killed his first Voidling. "Hello, father... I hope it's better on your side."

There was no one there; not even the dust from the corpse remained, but as he stood there, he remembered it all. The first day, the struggle to accept the new reality, the fear gripping his chest during every waking hour, he saw it all.

"Man... And it's been only what? Three weeks? Four?" He shook his head. "I don't even know at this point. So much has changed. I changed..."

With a hollow chuckle, Leo dropped on the remnants of his good old couch. The Vetilim growing along it made the landing a bit rough, but he didn't mind too much. He just closed his eyes and leaned back, enjoying the short break.

"Why here?" He couldn't help but ask again.

It definitely wasn't his conscious decision to return home; his primal instincts and Ruthless Efficiency did all of that. Was he supposed to find or do something here? He really had no idea.

I only forced it to go away from Lily's signature. Did my subconsciousness somehow connect my desire to protect her with this place? Is it even important?

He let out a deep sigh, pushing those thoughts out of his head. The inner workings of his instincts would have to remain a mystery for now. Trying to guess the truth wasn't helping him with anything.

I have better things to do. System, hit me wit-

"Leo!" A scream suddenly echoed through the empty house, stopping him from finishing his order. "Where are you?!"

"Here!" He shouted back, only not quite so loud as the other person. "No need to scream, Lily."

"Leo!"

As the woman rushed into the living room, she dived right for him, enveloping him in a tight hug. He returned the embrace with a chuckle, nodding at Nyx, who also entered the house.

"I'm fine, see?" He muttered to his sister.

"You prat," she punched his shoulder. "I was so worried. Why did you tell us to run away? We could have fought it together."

"I'm sorry." Leo shook his head as a sad smile claimed his lips. "I had no idea what would happen. For all we know, it could have killed us instead of activating the barrier. It was the right call."

"I know, but..." Lily trailed off as she broke their embrace. "I thought I lost you. Again."

He placed his hands on the woman's shoulders and looked her right in the eyes. "Hey, listen. I'm not dying anytime soon. Nick would kick my ass if I left you in this hell. So remember, no matter what happens, what stands in my way, I will come back. And until I do, you must survive, always." He shot her a grin. "What was that you once said to me? Oh, right, 'Side by side, siblings through thick and thin.'"

Even with tears gathering in her eyes, Lily snorted. "Of course you would remind me of this now. Not the best of my moments. I think I was trying my hand at poetry back then."

Leo chuckled. "I thought it was nice... and funny."

"And awkward," she huffed, sitting down next to him. "God, I was so embarrassed for days. I should punch you again for bringing it up."

He shrugged. "You're not crying anymore, so I call it a win."

"I guess so," Lily grumbled before taking a look around them. "So... this house. Why here?"

Leo almost laughed. He had just asked himself the same question a few minutes ago.

"No idea. Maybe my instincts wanted to bring me somewhere I was familiar with. Could be anything really."

His sister hummed. "And this is where..."

"Yep."

"Oh."

"Yep."