Childhood part. 1

Now, its face was covered in blood, its hands dirty with the mutilated remains of other rabbits.

The sky darkened into an unnatural twilight, the shadows of the pumpkins stretched out like threatening claws, and the air became heavy, as if the entire world was suffocating it.

The sweet smell of the earth turned into a metallic stench of blood.

Then, the giant appeared.

It was no longer the human it knew, the one who protected the garden with indifference.

Now, its face was covered in blood, its hands dirty with the mutilated remains of other rabbits.

The giant's eyes were icy, lifeless, like two dark pits reflecting only malice.

A malevolent grin twisted his face, cutting across his expression like a scar, as if he were savoring every single moment of that macabre feast.

Each of his movements was slow, deliberate, as if he wanted to prolong the terror he was sowing, like a predator playing with its prey before the final blow.

The torn bodies of the rabbits lay in a pool of blood at his feet, their flesh brutally ripped apart.

The giant grabbed one of those small lifeless bodies and lifted it as if it were a trophy.

With a brutal bite, he tore chunks of flesh as blood trickled between his knobby fingers, running down his lips, staining them with an unnatural, vivid, and bloody red.

Every drop that fell seemed to echo in the silence, like a death sentence.

The screams of the remaining rabbits, though silent, still rang in the ears of the little rabbit hiding behind a bush.

Terror paralyzed him, his heart pounding so hard it felt as though it might burst.

He tried to move, to flee, but his legs seemed nailed to the ground, as if they were bound by invisible chains made of pure fear.

Each breath was stifled, and the world around him shrank until only the giant remained before his eyes.

The giant saw him. And smiled.

That smile was the epitome of horror. There was no joy in it, only hunger and cruelty, as if the giant was already savoring the moment he would sink his teeth into his next victim.

The rabbit finally felt his legs respond, and without a second thought, he darted off in a desperate run, zigzagging through the shadows of the plants and bushes, as pure terror overwhelmed him.

He swore to himself he would never return to that cursed place.

***

"It worked!"

I watched the rabbit bolt away at full speed, its fur now an almost spectral white, bleached by sheer terror.

"Not only did the energy consumption turn out lower than I expected."

**Psychic energy: 1 [80%]**

"I only used 20% of my psychic energy. It might seem like a lot, but my energy value is still pretty low."

I watched with satisfaction as the information floated in front of me, analyzing the performance of the trait I had just cast.

While I watched the rabbit flee in terror, I suddenly noticed something strange.

From its trembling body, a faint dark energy rose, swirling in the air like ethereal smoke before being drawn toward me.

The energy spiraled for a moment, almost tangible, before being absorbed into my body, vanishing as if it had never existed.

A strange yet satisfying warmth spread through me as the energy stabilized, and I felt a wave of strength wash over me.

**[You have successfully absorbed the fear of a rabbit]**

**[Your psychic energy has increased by 1]**

"Has it increased?" I asked, surprised.

"Ah, right, this is the effect of the trait: *Psychic Conversion*," I reflected on the importance of this ability.

***

"Ah, another new day," sighed the old man, adjusting his straw hat as he watered the plants with slow, meticulous movements.

The morning sun gently kissed him, and the leaves of the vegetables gleamed with a vibrant green.