NOVEL NEXT Chapter 94: Sated
Cain staggered along the path, each step heavier than the last, pain lancing through his skull and chest as the hunger inside him coiled tighter. The academy grounds had long since fallen behind him, swallowed by the night, and his vision tunneled down to the nearest building. Without thinking, instinct guided him. He knew where he needed to go. He knew who could help.
The teachers' dorm loomed before him, a squat, brick building with windows dark save for the faint glow of a single room. Cain's limbs burned, but his steps carried him forward with an urgency he could barely comprehend. The hunger roared inside him, tearing through every rational thought, leaving only instinct and need.
He reached the door and slammed a fist against it, the sound loud and sharp in the quiet night. Pain radiated through his body with every movement, but he barely noticed, driven by the insistent, gnawing command that had taken root inside him.
The door swung open almost immediately. Anna stood there, her expression one of confusion and alarm, a brow arched as she took in Cain's disheveled form.
Cain's face was pale, sweat dripping down his temples and clinging to his hair. His chest rose and fell in ragged, shallow breaths. He looked at her with a desperation that made her stomach twist.
"I… I need your help," he gasped, voice rough and strained, almost a whisper as his teeth clenched against the persistent ache in his stomach.
Anna's eyes widened, but she immediately stepped aside. "Come in," she said, her voice tense. She glanced toward the hallway behind her, then back at Cain, ensuring that no one else had seen him. The building was silent. No students, no other faculty. Just the two of them. Relief softened her features, but concern remained sharp.
Cain did not waste time. He moved with an unnatural speed, limbs shaking, and crossed the room before Anna could react. He headed straight for the small fridge tucked into the corner of the kitchen. With a trembling hand, he yanked it open. Rows of bottled alcohol glinted in the dim light, and Cain's lips parted in instinctive hunger.
Normally, he would have laughed bitterly, making some dry remark about Anna's drinking habits. He would have disparaged her with the easy sarcasm that came so naturally to him. Tonight, however, there was no room for quips or mockery. The hunger demanded immediate action.
Cain grabbed the first bottle he could reach, twisted the cap off, and tipped it back. The burning liquid poured down his throat, sending a sharp, fiery warmth through his body. It soothed the gnawing inside him slightly, though not nearly enough. He moved on to the next bottle, and then the next, uncapping and draining them with reckless speed, the sound of liquid sloshing into his stomach echoing faintly in the small room.
Anna stood frozen, eyes wide with a mix of shock and outrage. "Cain!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing? That is—" Her words faltered as he shook his head, focusing entirely on the bottles.
"I… something has happened," he said between swallows, voice strained and low. "My skill… Gluttony… it woke. I need… energy."
Anna's hands clenched, worry flashing through her expression. "Energy? Cain, you cannot—"
But Cain's gaze had already shifted, drawn across the room. On her desk, a small, fist-sized crystal caught the dim light. It was perfectly cut, diamond-like, its facets shimmering with contained energy. Cain froze for a heartbeat, then approached it with the same single-minded intent that had carried him to her dorm.
Anna followed, eyes narrowing. "Do not do what I think you are thinking," she warned. "That is a monster crystal. Consuming it could kill you… or transform you into something you are not. You cannot—"
Gaius' voice, sharp in Cain's mind, cut through the chaos. "Unlike others, Cain does have a chance," he said. "His Gluttony skill… it can handle it. Survive it. Perhaps even thrive. But be careful."
Cain swallowed hard, eyes locked on the crystal. He believed Gaius. He had to. There was no other way to satisfy the hunger that had consumed him for the past minutes. With a steadying breath, he lifted the crystal and placed it in his mouth.
The surface was hard and cold. He bit down. It cracked like glass beneath his teeth, sharp edges giving way instantly. The sound was a sharp snap, echoing faintly in the room, but Cain did not falter. He bit again, the crystal shattering and grinding between his teeth, before pieces were absorbed into his mouth. Almost instantly, he could feel the energy coursing into him, raw and potent, filling the void that had been gnawing through his body.
Anna gasped, both horrified and astounded. "Cain… that crystal… no one… even the sharpest sword cannot—"
But Cain's teeth continued, the crystal cracking and dissolving against the strange, unyielding power within him. In moments, it was gone, absorbed entirely, leaving only a faint shimmer of residual light flickering across his skin.
The effect was immediate. The gnawing hunger that had driven him to reckless action receded, though the sensation was accompanied by unsettling, almost grotesque cracking noises from his bones. He felt muscles and sinew readjusting as the energy spread through him, filling every hollow, every crevice that had been empty. The pain, the hunger, the agony—it all receded like a tide pulling back, leaving him physically exhausted but sated.
For a moment, Cain stood still, eyes closing, breathing heavy but controlled. Relief washed over him in a slow, rolling wave. The world seemed almost normal again, as though the night had returned to its proper calm.
Then, just as quickly, the relief passed. The sudden energy surge had taken its toll in other ways. Dizziness struck him violently, a wave of vertigo so sharp it nearly made him stagger. His legs gave way beneath him, and before he could brace himself, his body collapsed.
Cain hit the floor with a soft thud, limbs sprawled and slack, oblivious to the world around him. The last thing he registered was Anna's scream, a high, panicked sound that cut through the room as she rushed to his side, her face pale and stricken with concern.
His eyes fluttered once, then closed entirely. The hunger was gone. The pain had vanished. Only darkness remained.
Anna leaned over him, hands pressed against his chest to check for signs of life, her mind racing. "Cain! Cain, stay with me!" Her voice shook with fear, eyes wide as she tried to process the sight before her.
The room was silent except for her frantic breaths and the faint hum of the fridge, the shards of crystal and empty bottles scattered across the floor. She stared at him, disbelief, horror, and astonishment mingling on her face. The impossibility of what he had just done clashed with the undeniable truth: Cain had survived. Cain had consumed the impossible.
And somewhere in the quiet, Cain's body rested, the Gluttony skill finally sated, energy coursing silently through him as his unconscious form lay sprawled on the floor. Anna could only stare, stunned and fearful, at the living testament to a power she had never before imagined, a skill unlike any other, and a boy who had just defied the limits of human endurance.