The truck horn was the last thing I heard before everything went black. One second I was crossing the street after another 14-hour shift, the next I was flying through the air like a ragdoll.
Then nothing. Just... darkness. No dreams, no afterlife visions, no white light. Just endless black.
Until I woke up choking on ash.
My eyes snapped open to a sky the color of blood. I tried to sit up but my body felt wrong—too light, too small. Everything ached like I'd been beaten with a baseball bat. When I looked down, I almost screamed.
Grey skin. Tiny clawed hands. Horns poking from my skull. I wasn't in my apartment. I wasn't even human anymore.
"What the hell?" My voice came out as a raspy squeak. I tried to stand but my legs were too short, my balance completely off. Everything smelled like sulfur and something else—something rotten that made my stomach growl.
A notification popped into my vision, glowing red against the ash-filled air.
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[Demon Evolution System Activated]
Current Form: Lesser Imp
Evolution Potential: Locked
Souls Absorbed: 0
Available Evolution Paths: ???
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"What is this? A game?" I waved my hand through the notification. It stayed put, hovering in front of me like a HUD from some RPG.
Before I could make sense of it, a roar split the air. Something massive was coming through the smoke—a demon twice my size with red scales and too many teeth. It spotted me immediately and charged.
Adrenaline hit me like a truck. I scrambled backward, my new legs tangling. The big demon was almost on me when instinct took over. I rolled to the side at the last second, feeling claws swipe through empty air where my head had been.
It turned, snarling, and I saw my death in its eyes. I was faster than it looked, but not by much. My legs burned as I ran, lungs heaving for air that tasted like ash. Behind me, heavy footsteps pounded closer.
The Evolution System pinged again but I couldn't read it—I was too busy running for my life.
I spotted a crevice in the volcanic rock and dove for it. My shoulder scraped against jagged stone as I wedged myself inside. The big demon roared in frustration, clawing at the opening but unable to fit its bulk through.
For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then it snarled and lumbered away, probably to find easier prey.
I collapsed against the rock, shaking so hard I thought my bones would rattle apart. My heart hammered in my chest—or at least where my chest should be. Everything felt different, wrong in ways I couldn't name.
The notification was still there, waiting patiently.
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[Demon Evolution System]
Current Form: Lesser Imp
Health: 15/15
Mana: 5/5
Strength: 3
Agility: 6
Constitution: 4
Available Skill: None
Evolution Points: 0
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I poked the words with a claw. They didn't disappear. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
My stomach chose that moment to growl again, loud enough to echo in the crevice. The rotten smell was stronger here, making my mouth water. I looked down and realized I was crouched next to a half-eaten corpse—another demon, its grey flesh torn open, bones picked clean.
Hunger hit me like a physical force. I knew I shouldn't, knew it was disgusting, but my body moved on its own. I grabbed a piece of meat and shoved it in my mouth.
It tasted like ash and blood and something else I couldn't name. But it was food, and suddenly I couldn't get enough. I tore into the corpse like an animal, my mind going quiet as I ate.
Only when I was licking blood off my claws did I notice the second notification.
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[Soul Absorption Detected]
Minor Soul Absorbed: Lesser Imp
Evolution Potential Unlocked
Available Evolution Paths Revealed:
1. Bloodthirsty Imp (Strength Path)
2. Vicious Imp (Agility Path)
3. Enduring Imp (Constitution Path)
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I stared at the words, comprehension dawning slowly. The Evolution System wasn't just tracking my stats—it was something I could use. Something I could control.
If I wanted to survive here, I'd need every advantage I could get.
A sound made me freeze—footsteps, slow and deliberate, coming closer. Multiple sets. Whatever was out there was hunting, and it sounded big.
I pressed myself deeper into the crevice, heart hammering. The footsteps stopped just outside. Through the opening, I saw a shadow that blocked out the bloody sky.
Something was hunting. And I was the prey.