He drove into her with a force that made the headboard bang against the wall. She didn’t ask him to slow down. Her hands were freed at some point, and her nails dug into his back hard enough to draw blood.

It was that pain that brought him back to awareness. It wasn’t that night. He wasn’t desperately searching for her heartbeat.

"Mine," she breathed against his ear.

He couldn’t bring himself to deny her. "Yours," he said.

The tang of copper in the air reminded him of her hands, pale and shaking as she held out a piece of her own skin. She told him to eat. He hated himself for it, but he ate. She had watched him with the same expression.

Possessive. Satisfied.

He thrust harder, faster. The bed frame groaned. She was making sounds she couldn’t control. Her breathing shuddered every time he hit the right spot. Her legs tightened around him like a vice.

He gripped the headboard, driving into her. Her eyes were wet. She was overwhelmed. He gave her everything he had. Everything he had buried inside himself from his past life.

He felt her unravel before he did. Only then did he release.

He buried his face in her neck, and she held him.

Lying there with her wrapped in his arms, he could feel her heartbeat. He stared at the ceiling while stroking her shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

’That this life won’t be like the last. In this life, if it comes down to it, I will give you my flesh in return for what you had given me.’

"Nothing," he replied.

--------

The Hartwell mansion was awakened by a loud boom. The sound reverberated in their eardrums, causing them to cover their ears. The mansion shook uncontrollably. The smash and crash of random items drove fear into everyone’s hearts.

Amelia woke with a start. Only Kain was somewhat relaxed. He stretched and stabilized himself as he searched for his pants in the shaking mansion. He dressed Amelia just as quickly and carried her to the children’s room.

His legs shook as he tried to walk calmly.

’When will I awaken?’ he sighed to himself. It would be easier to navigate the mansion if he were. At least the falling debris wouldn’t hurt as much.

He opened the door to the children’s room, seeing them huddled together, eyes darting around the room. He mused inwardly that no matter how mature they appear, children are still children.

He sat on the bed with Amelia. "Come here." He motioned for them to come over.

They hesitated for a second before they moved. The family of five sat on the bed. The building creaked and shook. Kain held them as close to himself as he could. He knew the mansion wouldn’t fall. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Despite all the shaking, miraculously, except for poorly built buildings that already had structural damage, no other buildings fell. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was four in the morning.

"Go to bed," he told Amelia and the children. "The house won’t fall, I promise. Think of it as a rollercoaster ride."

"Kain, you...", Amelia started.

"Just sleep," he said. Then he looked down at the children in his arms. "I’m talking to you, too. Just sleep, you’ll be fine. Don’t be so on guard all the time."

He closed his eyes to reassure them. He had no intention of going to sleep. What he needed to do now was take the time to see if he could sense the source energy. It was the first step into becoming an Awakened.

He needed to be stronger than everyone here so he would have no reason to fear or be at the mercy of others. The children were already awakened, but with their small bodies, even with enhanced strength, they couldn’t overpower multiple adults.

The shaking wouldn’t end for another hour.

He slowed his breathing, focusing on feeling the energy in the air. The beginning of the collapse brought source energy with it. Humans weren’t sensitive enough to notice the difference. But the animals...

By the time humans took note of it, the animals had already mutated beyond anything they could ever imagine.

Tearing his thoughts away from things that did not concern him, he focused on breathing.

His breath slowed, settling into a rhythmic pattern. Inhale. Exhale. Before long, silvery orbs floated in from his peripheral vision. The tiny spheres shimmered like starlight.

They hovered in the air, slowly moving towards him. His breathing quickened, but he calmed himself, remembering he couldn’t afford to lose control. The first meditation is the hardest. If not for his previous knowledge, he would have to wait until the energy passive found him.

Slowly, they drifted towards him, sinking into his body seamlessly. A cool feeling spread through Kain’s body, almost causing him to moan. They moved across his skin, weaving around his body and settling into the newly made energy core.

Time blurred. He was unaware of how long he had been meditating. He could only feel the source energy thrumming in his veins. When he opened his eyes, the world had stopped shaking. Amelia and the children were still sound asleep beside him.

The shadow of the previous night had given way to new light as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

[The host has disregarded his safety in favour of comforting his partner and children. The host has become an Awakened.]

[Reward: 5 spirit shield, 5 body cleansing potions, telepathic link to children established.]

Kain’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected to receive any rewards. As for disregarding his safety, he knew they wouldn’t die. But if the system thought he did, he didn’t mind accepting the rewards.

He checked the rewards he received.

Primary Spirit Shield: By inputting a small amount of source energy, the owner of the spirit shield is able to ward off ordinary attacks, attacks from awakened and mutant beasts. The time varies depending on the level of the spirit shield. The primary spirit shield can fend off attacks for two hours.

Body Cleansing Potion: Remove impurities from the body, allowing source energy to flow more freely.

He laughed, then covered his mouth. He looked at the sleeping people around him. He would need to find a time to give these things to them without the Hartwell’s being involved.

A frantic knock came while he was thinking of when to give the items to them.