Chapter 6: Core

Cal’s eyes flickered open. He was still sprawled atop the monster he had killed, its blood soaking his clothes, fragments of its hard shell and viscera clinging to his skin. Exhaustion clung to him like a heavy blanket; every muscle ached, even the simple act of breathing felt like a burden. He struggled to grasp the fading remnants of his dreams, but they slipped through his fingers, leaving only fleeting images—his sister’s face, a crystal bleeding smoke and liquid, and a woman’s voice. Power was valuable, and now Cal understood why. In this world, wherever he was, he needed to be strong.

The days of laziness and Mountain Dew were over. He wouldn’t waste this life; he wouldn’t fade into nothingness. To survive and become something—anything—in this new existence, he had to use everything at his disposal, take everything he could. Another image from his dream flashed before him: monsters lurking in the dark, each harboring power within them, the gems they carried—cores filled with strength. His strength.

Cal focused inward, tracing the strands of energy he had yanked on during the fight back to their source—the gem he had swallowed, his core. It was broken, even more so than in his dream. Cracks spider-webbed across its surface, and a large hole gaped in its side.

Must be from pulling so hard. That’s what gave, that’s what broke. It’s my fault.

The space within him was empty except for the core. He might have thought it was a figment of his imagination if he couldn’t feel its power weakly leaking from the gem. He reached out with his mind to touch it, and pain flooded his body, a cry dying in his throat as his muscles seized up.

Okay, okay, don’t touch it. It’s steadily losing power. If that happens, I’m screwed. So since I can’t put it back together—because I don’t know how—I have to fill it up to buy me some more time.

Cal thought back to his dream and turned his attention to the monster beneath him.

At the start of the fight, this thing sent a mental wave at me, but it pinged against my core, like it was sensing me. And if my dreams are right, then it has a core as well. So does that mean I can sense its core? Like in the dream? Maybe.

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On a whim, Cal tried to pull energy from his core and spread it out through the room. As he drew from his broken core, pain shot through him again, but he pushed through it, gritting his teeth. He tried to push the energy outward, attempting to launch it out of his body and into the room. The result was not what he expected—the energy rushed into his hands, momentarily filling them with strength but refusing to leave his body. His core began draining faster as the energy pumped to his fingers. Panicking, Cal’s mind raced.

Fuck, okay, no time. If it does have a core, I need it. Now.

With his newly bolstered hands, Cal tore into the carapace of the dead beast. Flesh and blood splashed across him as he dug through its chest. Encountering ribs, Cal growled, refusing to slow down. He pried the bones apart, his fingernails splintering and breaking. Shards of bone burst into his hands and arms like needles, but he couldn’t stop. Tossing the heart aside, he searched deeper, his strength fading rapidly, his mind exploding with pain. He was almost empty, almost nothing. With a cry of fear, almost animalistic, he dug deeper.

That’s when he smelled it—not the rotting corpse or the metallic tang of blood, but something sweet and delicious. Cal followed the scent up to the monster’s throat and tore its neck open. Reaching in, he grasped something at the base of the beast’s skull and wrenched it out. With a pop and a splash of spinal fluid, Cal now held a small gem in his hands. It glowed with a cool gray light—a core. Without hesitation, he swallowed it.

Cal's mind swirled as the gem settled into his stomach, a surge of energy rippling through him. But something else came with it—an alien presence. The creature’s essence fought back, a primal, instinctual force trying to reclaim what was once its own. Cal felt it clawing at his mind, a formless will that refused to be absorbed without a fight.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to focus, digging deep into his core. The pain was overwhelming, but Cal knew he had no choice. He pushed back against the creature's soul, wresting control inch by inch. The struggle felt like it lasted an eternity, but gradually, he began to overpower the presence. With a final mental shove, he suppressed it, reducing its once-vibrant soul to raw, unrefined energy—essence.

A flood of images and sensations washed over him as he absorbed the creature's essence. He saw flashes of the beast's life—a monstrous thing that was both dog-like and insectoid, with the body of a giant praying mantis and the ferocity of a predator. It had lived among others of its kind in a vast nest, a dark cavern teeming with life. The nest was built around a pool, one that radiated the same sweet smell and tantalizing energy that Cal now recognized as pure essence.

The vision shifted, showing the creature using its core to sense the world around it, a primary means of navigation in the pitch-black caverns. Cal could feel the ability imprinting itself onto him, a new awareness spreading out from his own core. He could sense the faint vibrations in the air, the subtle shifts in the earth beneath him. This was a power he could use—a way to survive.

As the creature’s essence finally settled, Cal felt the weight of it within his broken core. It was a lot of energy, yet only a small portion of his crystal filled up. He estimated it would last him about three days, given the steady leak from his damaged core, but that was assuming he didn’t use any more power.

His thoughts returned to the nest, to the other creatures he had seen and the pool of essence they guarded. His hunger flared—he wanted that essence, all of it. It was his now, and he would take it.

But first, he had to rest. The struggle had drained him, and despite the newfound energy in his core, his body was still battered and exhausted. He allowed himself to close his eyes, his mind already plotting his next move as sleep overtook him.