A Universe of Bloody Evolution

"I tried to change, to give the Hales a chance, and it is working… somewhat. I always knew they were good people — after all, who else would take in a kid like me — but now I truly see it. They will never replace the void left by my parents, but they don't need to. I just have to accept their help and stop looking back. Nothing good is waiting for me back there."

~ Third entry, Leo's journal

---

Twenty-seven days and thirteen hours. Not even a month to get to Nick, Lily, and Leo's foster parents. The deadlines Leo had faced as a university student or as a reporter for the local news couldn't compare to this race against time.

Back then, Leo knew what he was doing; even if the deadline was catching up to him, he never gave up because it was something he had practiced for years. But now? Now Leo was going in almost completely blind, guided by a System that provided him with the bare minimum of information.

Out of the frying pan into the fire. Leo sighed, picking up two small rocks and tossing them on the gateway's platform at random.

The pebbles clattered against the mysterious material, bouncing a few times before finally stopping next to the gate. The platform remained unchanged even after the small intrusion, and so Leo took a step forward.

No matter how much Leo wanted to turn away and continue his main task with renewed vigor, he at least had to investigate the gate further. He might not get the chance to study it in the future, depending on what would come from it.

As a result, Leo placed his foot on the dark material without making a sound. The ground beneath his feet was as hard as any other ordinary rock. Even with all of the violet lines, it was flawless, like a finely cut and polished stone.

Leo held his breath as he stopped before one of the thick pillars that made up the gate. Hand shakily raising towards the dark surface, he gasped and jerked the limb away. Somehow, a surge of foreign Essence tried to force itself into Leo's body even after a single touch.

Leo quickly recognized the energy as the same powerful Essence he drained from every Voidling he killed. Only here, the Pure Void Essence was wilder, trying to attack him after a single contact. Weird, it has never done that before...

Leo shook his head and took a moment to just walk around the Gateway, scanning it from top to bottom with his eyes and 'Identify'.

Even then, he didn't dare to touch the structure again with unprotected skin. Maybe if Leo had more control over his own Essence, there would be something else he could do, but for now, a simple investigation was just fine for him. Not that he found anything helpful anyway.

"If you could tell me just a bit more. Anything that isn't just a warning," Leo muttered, reading the description of the Planetary Gateway once again.

Dismissing the information, Leo sighed as he turned away from the alien structure and began walking in the same direction he had previously chosen. There was nothing left here for him, and it was high time to move on.

However, even as Leo wandered through the wheat fields, his mind couldn't give up the new mystery of the Void Gates.

Thousands of those objects sprouted up around the world, adding to the chaos that had taken over the Earth. And the less said about the prospect of beings other than Voidlings passing through the gates, the better. Even more to prepare for.

And once again, I'm trying to drown myself in all the negativity I can muster… Lily would be proud of me. Leo snorted and tried to force himself to think about something that really needed his attention.

Stealth.

Leo had to fix this skill before venturing into the city. The abomination he called stealth had little to no hope of shielding him from Voidlings lurking around every corner. Against one or two low-leveled Cursed Humans, it might work well enough. But what if Leo encountered more types of monsters during his journey with enough intelligence to see through his trick?

Yeah. Let's get to work.

The protective barrier sprang into existence with just a thought, all imperfections now clear as day. Leo lessened his hold on the Essence and smiled when the skill didn't fade away.

Once again, Leo focused on the holes in the barrier. Unlike the last time, he slowly filled each of them, giving every gap a moment to adjust to the reestablished flow of Essence. Sometimes Leo had to fight his energy for control. Still, it never took longer than a few seconds to make it obedient again.

As Leo worked, his walking speed almost slowed to a crawl, and he did not try to speed up his pace. The skill's improvement was too significant to throw his focus somewhere it wasn't needed.

Alright, one problem down. Leo thought, scanning the entire ability for every flaw in the density of the barrier. Two to go.

There were plenty of these irregularities. Places where the layer of Essence was almost nonexistent or became so thick that Leo had to wonder how the skill still worked.

He poked those spots, trying to understand how to fix this new problem. Filling holes was one thing, but adding or removing Essence that had already formed a skill was another. Forcing additional energy across the thin layer simply destabilized the ability, and any attempt to stop the flow of power resulted in Stealth disappearing completely.

Such an outcome always forced Leo to take a few deep breaths unless he wanted to delay his progress even more. Starting from the beginning could get old very quickly, and he wouldn't mind punching something hard.

In the end, Leo found the perfect solution to his problem just when a road leading to the eastern entrance to the city appeared on the horizon. For another few minutes, his body walked on autopilot as his mind activated stealth again, ready to finish the job.

Like each time, Leo started by filling every hole before executing his new plan.

Instead of pushing more Essence into the weak spots, Leo slowly transferred the excess energy from the thicker places to even out the entire barrier.

With each flaw fixed, he could sense more and more of Essence's movement within the barrier. Leo came to a halt after the last damaged layer was removed, noting the lack of any sound around him other than the mild breeze rustling through the wheat.

Wait a second. Leo frowned as he took another step, the usual thud of his feet against the ground missing once again. Is that what you're capable of? He thought as he felt around the barrier, which was only a step away from being repaired.

Leo sat on the ground and closed his eyes. Stealth required less Essence and time to form with each adjustment, and it now muted the sound Leo produced. What else could it do if the Essence in the filled gaps acted like the rest of the barrier?

Can it truly be so simple?

Even now, with more points in Mind, Leo could barely feel the Essence of the environment, much less use it. Nonetheless, it didn't mean there was no way to achieve the same thing the skill did during its formation.

Legs crossed, Leo once more utilized his previous trick. Only this time, he exchanged Essence between two places, tightly intertwining the Essence that imitated the environment's energy with Essence Leo used to fill the gaps.

The new energy could no longer ignore the previously formed barrier as it was forced to adapt by the overwhelming pressure from every side. Leo grinned as the crimson spots slowly disappeared from the skill, gradually developing a perfect — at least for now — ability.

Leo gasped when the last imperfection faded away, his body bending forward as the barrier squeezed his body and disappeared. No matter how much Leo wanted to complain about being manhandled by his skill, he couldn't stop the first genuine smile from forming. Not after a notification appeared before his eyes.

Congratulations, your Stealth evolved.

True Stealth (Uncommon):
With practice and hard work, the shortcomings of basic stealth were removed. Now you can truly walk among your enemies as Essence guides you on your way. But beware that nothing is ever perfect.
Effects:
Advanced ability capable of shielding you with a strong layer of controlled Essence. When activated, your Essence signature will be harder to detect, while your scent and any sounds you make will be hidden. The efficiency of this skill is dependent on your Mind and Grace.

Instead of being led by instincts, the knowledge of how to properly form the skill from the get-go rushed inside Leo's mind. The smile on his face widened as he finally understood everything about his ability. Even the bit about opening his Essence to the environment so it could gain the required properties seemed obvious now.

Standing up, Leo called out the True Stealth and shivered as the barrier surrounded his body. He felt around its edges, searching for the usual imperfections, but found none.

"It worked," Leo muttered, only for the sound to never leave his mouth. It truly did.

A bit over a day had passed, and Leo somehow managed to force a skill to evolve by gaining meager control over energy he had never used. What more could he accomplish with more control? With more time?

Leo stood up and threw his bag over his shoulder. The pain faded into the background as Leo walked, his head spinning with all the ideas given to him by the simple evolution of a skill.

Maybe there really is a chance to survive this shit.

---

Unlike the road Leo crossed before, this one barely had enough space to let two cars pass next to each other. Not really that surprising, as the road didn't lead anywhere essential, and no one cared enough to replace it with something better.

And so the road remained in its current state, full of holes and faded markings. Additionally, the road got worse with every mile further into the east. Barely anyone used it; thus, Leo only met two Voidlings on his way back to the city.

The first one never noticed him as Leo plunged a dagger inside its head, and the second was howling inside an overturned car by the road. Not even a challenge at this point. Although Leo knew he would get his chance as soon as he noticed a building that signaled the official entrance to Wolford.

It was a simple petrol station with three pumps, a store, and a small parking lot on the side. At first glance, nothing special, but most citizens of Wolford knew better, including Leo. With a unique name of "Fill me", the local petrol station had the best prices in the entire Wolford. Even people from the opposite side of the city drove here to refill.

As a result, Leo wasn't surprised to see over a dozen Voidlings strolling throughout the area, with cars abandoned at every turn. Some vehicles were crushed on the side of the road, while most were parked in the lot or near a pump.

From here, Leo had options to choose from. He could either go around the petrol station and enter a small residential area that stood next to the industrial part of Wolford, Leo's original target. Or he could approach the small store from the back and kill a few Voidlings.

No more running from a winnable situation. I have to take some risks if I want to grow stronger, and this is a perfect opportunity. Leo nodded, his eyes never leaving the station. Besides, I might be able to kill a bit more than just a few. He added as one Crystalized Essence slipped into his hand.

Leo retreated into the wheat fields and moved, crouching all the way towards a place where the farmlands met with the back of the petrol station.

With the shop hiding the rest of the station from Leo's sight, he quickly scanned the area and grabbed the dagger from his waistline. He had to get to the shop's backdoor, and thankfully only one Voidling decided to guard the back of the petrol station.

The True Stealth formed around his skin, and Leo moved, the only car — a yellow sedan — in the back becoming his first cover. He peeked over the vehicle's mask, searching for the lone monster.

Still there, good. Leo noted as he watched the Voidling investigate the shop's wall just a few feet away from the backdoor.

A short, soundless run was all it took to bring the monster to the ground, a dagger piercing its brain. Claws followed soon after, and the body turned into dust as Leo approached the closed door.

Cursed Human (LVL: 2) slain | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

Leo gripped the handle and twisted, praying to whoever was listening to grant him this small mercy. The lock clicked, and Leo sighed as the door opened without a sound.

Leo gave the small office a brief glance and saw that it was indeed devoid of any surprises that might jump out at any moment. However, one could never be sure with the few boxes and lockers standing in the corner, so Leo examined everything he saw. Just in case.

Nodding, Leo closed the lid of the last box. No surprises, indeed. Now for the next part of the plan.

He opened the door to the central part of the shop and hid behind one of the shelves with candies, a quiet screech reaching his ears. Leo smiled slightly as he looked over the shelf and noticed only two voidling mulling between the shelves.

Like the one outside, they, too, met a quick end as Leo snuck behind them and rendered their brains useless with one blow.

Part two finished. Leo smirked and moved to drain the victims and grab whatever valuable items he could find without alerting the Voidlings outside. After only some dry food was added to his backpack, it was time to start the third and last portion of the plan.

Leo stopped in front of the entrance to the shop and took a deep breath. Fingers and claws gripped the edges of the sliding doors as his eyes closed. It is now or never. The last opportunity to stop before everything goes to hell.

Eyes opening, Leo gazed at the creatures walking outside, weaving around the pumps and the damaged cars. He could leave, and every rational part of Leo's mind screamed at him to do just that. But should he really listen?

No. This wasn't the same world. The rules had changed, and Leo had already understood that after the events of the last twenty-four hours. He had to fight, get stronger as fast as possible because that was the only chance of survival. Be it Leo's or his family.

Leo shook his head. Yeah, running away was never an option, huh? Adapt or die, Leo. Adapt or die.

Taking a deep breath, Leo yanked, snapping the doors open with a bang.