The warmth from the angry mass above faded slightly as the large objects around me blocked it, casting me in faint darkness. I pressed on with my shiny in my hand and took in all the sights. Pleasure coiled around in my chest, blossoming at every new sight, causing my hunger for more to grow. I needed more. I needed to know what this place was called. There were countless amount of new objects that the names of eluded me. They reached so very high, but they were nothing like the claws I saw earlier. They were covered in some strange substance that looked jagged and hideous.

I pushed forward until my legs ached and sat down underneath the darkness of one of the larger objects. So many more of those strange strands seemed to grow taller here and wrapped around the ugly roughness. I wish I knew what these things were called. I pulled my shiny up and stared at its jagged surface. It was colorless, much like those puffy things so very high above. But unlike them, this was a dark, colorless object. I ran a claw across its surface and marveled at its beauty. Though it was jagged and rough, there was still an inherent beauty to it. This would be one of my prized items. I pulled my gaze away from my shiny and glanced around the area again.

An unfamiliar sensation crept into my stomach. It was a twisting pain that mingled with pulses of pleasure. I was starving, and I only just now thought about it. While the pain was good, I knew I needed to get something to eat. I bared my jaw and pushed off the ground. This place would be my home for some time. But for now, I will find something to eat before I settle down.

I glanced around and strained my ears to listen. Some high-pitched noises were coming from the tall objects, followed by the rustling0 of the countless strange little things that extended from its arms. Scents mingled softly in my nose as I sniffed. The sheer number of beautiful smells was enough to overwhelm my mind in euphoria. With another sniff, I picked out another strange scent. This one was warm, and I could detect traces of life on it. It was a heavy smell, with a touch of grittiness, like it had rolled around on all the ugly not shines that were on the ground.

My mind locked onto it, and my feet carried me on a path. Dozens of broken arms littered the path in front of me. Some were small and thin, while others were larger than I was! But that was beside the point. I pushed onwards, climbing over the large arms if they were in my way, with my shiny firm in my grasp. I clambered over a huge ugly, not shiny, covered in some strange substance that was sticky and clung to my claws. The scent of the prey I was hunting was thick in my nose, and I knew I was close.

The twisting pangs of hunger dug deep into my stomach, spurring me forward, yet my mind was locked on the strange blend of pain and pleasure it brought. It was so harsh, yet the feeling gave me life. I crept quietly across the rough surface and stared out at the ground. There were dozens of large bushy things that sat close to the ground, and underneath it was a small creature. It was puffy, much like those big things that were so very high.

I felt my mouth water as I stared at the creature. I crept forward once more. All at once, my senses seemed to flare up. My blood boiled, and my eyes remained locked on the tiny creature. The faintest thoughts teased my mind as a strange feeling coiled in my chest. The hunt was on, and it made my blood boil.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

My eyes remained locked onto the strange creature as I pushed forward slightly. The creature's head shot up, and it glanced around. Instantly, I stopped moving. Instincts that I didn't know I had thrashed against my mind, holding me in place and preventing me from jumping out toward the creature. No, instead, I will wait and bide my time. But how was I going to cross the distance from here to there?

I sat there, pondering the best that I could. The hunger in my stomach made me want to jump forward and tear out that creature's throat. But I couldn't just do that. No, I needed to take my time. What did I have at my disposal? The longer I existed, the more I found I could think clearly. Almost like whatever haze that had clung to me when I was born was slowly lifting.

Then it hit me. I had something at my disposal. It was something I was born with. I turn my attention inwards for a second. It was a part of me. An extension of myself. But what was it called? The question lingered as I found what I was looking for. It was a ball of warmth that sat deep within my chest. It wasn't like the angry ball so far above me. This felt softer, but it was something that I didn't quite know how to understand.

My mental hand reached out toward the warm mass, and I felt something rush through me. It was swift, and before I could do anything to stop it, a large burst of heat left my claw tips. It was brilliant and gave me a feeling of strength and nobility. Yet mixed in with all of that, it brought me a sense of serenity.

Congratulations! You have unlocked your first spell!

Hellfire Blast lvl 1.

The strange symbols spilled across my screen, causing me to jump and swing my hand out. The blast of heat left my fingertips, and I felt the strength in my body quickly flooding out from me. Even the warm ball within me was fading. I quickly shut the power flow off and felt my world spin as I tried to focus. The fire in my chest had dimmed a little, and so had my vision.

Even when I fully got them back, I felt weak, and the hunger pains in my stomach had grown yet again into twisting pains that scintillated through me. I glanced back at the spot where the strange creature was, and much to my dismay, it had vanished.

I felt annoyed. But the constant pang of hunger quickly overrode that thought. I needed to find something, and soon. I pushed myself up and glanced around at my spell's damage. Much of the ugly, twisted flesh of the large things was scorched and burnt. Which was good. Such ugliness shouldn't ever exist. I sneered at the object again, delighted that at least something good had come from my actions. But what did I do again? What did the strange runes call it?

I found my eyes drifting back to the thing that distracted me. Carefully, I read the script and tried to commit the runes to memory. While I didn't know how to pronounce the word, it didn't mean that I couldn't try to understand the runes. My eyes quickly memorized the flowing script, trying to lock it into memory before I pushed it away.

Frustration mounted deep within. There was so much that I didn't know. Yet, I wanted to learn it all. I needed to learn it all. I growled as I pushed myself up, sat down, and clenched my shiny tightly. But my hunger was becoming unbearable. I needed to find something to eat before I focused on anything else. My eyes traveled back toward the spot where the strange creature was, and a feeling of loss bubbled into my chest. Next time it won't get away.