Assimilation

The streets of the upper district were clean and quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos they had just fled. The sharp tension in the air had faded into a distant memory, replaced by the crisp evening breeze of the noble quarter.

"M-my name is Lyra" said the white haired girl nervously.

"Nice name ." Damian complimented.

'Lyra... I recognize her now' he thought with a genuine smile. 'I remember her from my past life... She really has been through a lot huh...'

In his past, he met her when she was in still in slavery. She helped him when his siblings were out for him but sadly it cost her her life. Even now, the thought of her dying moments still weighed heavily on Damian till this very moment. But one thing she made clear to him back then was that she didn't regret helping him one bit.

'I'm glad I came on this stroll today.' he thought.

Damian stared in silence with Lyra's small hand trembling in his grip. Her white hair was disheveled and her pale skin dirtied with soot and fear. But she was safe.

'Dont worry, Its my turn to protect you now.'

"Let's go" Said Damian softly.

"O-ok" she sniffed.

As they walked, they reached a quiet bend in the road when Lyra slowed, panting lightly, probably from exhaustion.

Damian stopped too.

'I have to go back there...' he clenched his fist.

"You okay?" he asked, glancing down at her.

She nodded slowly, carrying a rather calm and innocent expression, though the fear in her ruby red irises said otherwise.

He exhaled. "Good."

Then his gaze shifted toward the slum's direction they came from.

"I need to go back," he said suddenly.

Lyra blinked. "B-back there?" she shivered

"There's something I have to do," he repeated, softer this time while placing a hand on her head. "I'll be quick."

Her grip tightened on his sleeve. "But… what if they come back?" She asked in a weak soft whisper.

"They won't," he said, crouching slightly so they were eye-level. "I promise ."

She hesitated, then nodded in approval.

"…Okay." Damian replied.

He straightened, narrowing his eyes toward the way they came

"Alright..."

• • •

"...Just around this corner..." Damian whispered before flinching a bit after realizing something. "U-um... Lyra, I need you to stay here for a bit."

"Why?" She asked.

'I didn't consider this earlier, but Lyra's just a kid... I don't think she'll feel too good about seeing a few dead bodies.'

"I don't want you seeing what's behind this corner." He replied. "It's quite the nasty site you know."

She recoiled back on realizing what he was implying.

'Good thing she's smart.'

"I-i'm still coming" She retorted softly, shifting her gaze to the side. "I'm already used to seeing things like that... Besides..." She trailed off at the end getting flustered a little.

Staring at her, 'I guess she's already seen a few slaves die already.' he thought with a sigh. "Ok, but stay close to me, and tell me if you feel uncomfortable."

Lyra nodded in response once he mentioned she could tag along. She probably just didn't want to be left alone.

"Okay..."

The alley was quiet once again.

The bear and the cage were nowhere in sight. The trails left on the ground proved that both the beast and it's owner were long gone.

In the vicinity, only the two thugs remained—at least what remained of them.

Damian glanced at Lyra. She was clutching his coat tightly with her trembling body. Her eyes were downcast, but she was taking the scene better the he expected.

'Thank goodness.' he thought and turned to face his goal this time.

'Earlier, one of these guys used fire magic. If this Gluttony skill works the way I think it does then...'

Without another word, Damian turned, slipping into the shadows of the alley once more—toward the place where it all began.

[Gluttony can be used on the target.]

'Bingo'

The notification blinked into existence as Damian approached the thinner of the two corpses and crouched.

"This guy looks weaker physically, he should be the mage... Let's see what you've got," he muttered. Then exhaled as his golden irises radiated softly.

"Gluttony."

Then another screen appeared.

[The following skills can be assimilated...]

• Fire Magic

Damian's eyes gleamed with excitement as he tapped the skill with little hesitation. "I guess it's no suprise he only has one skill. Learning skills are really hard anyways..."

Then the system's voice rang out.

<[Do you wish to assimilate the skill: Fire Magic? -[Y/N]-]>

"Yeah." he replied.

[Assimilating…]

Then a loading bar representing the assimilation process appeared on the screen. The process took well over a minute before another screen popped up.

[Notice!!!]

<[Due to the host's class: Prince of Light, a restriction has been placed on the skill: Gluttony.]>

[After the second assimilation, Gluttony will be placed on a cool down fur 48 hours.]

"...Huh?" Damian blinked. 'It's nerfing me? Geez... Why can't light and darkness just be happy with each other for once.' he shrugged

Then the next moment, the last screen popped up. As the system read:

[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Fire Magic Lv.1]

An unexplainable feeling washed over him as he felt the knowledge of the skill flow into him. It felt like he was just remembering a faint distant memory.

He instinctively knew how to conjure a small flame now, shape it and ignite it.

"It's at Level 1 huh... So… any skill I assimilate always starts from scratch?"

"Makes sense. I can't just leap to mastery afterall" he chuckled.

Out of curiosity, he knelt and reached for the same corpse again.

"Gluttony."

[Gluttony cannot be used on the same target twice.]

"Figured... It really a one-time thing I guess."

He turned to the bulkier corpse leaning on the wall and crouched next to it

[Gluttony can be used on the target.]

"Nice. Now... Gluttony" he grinned.

<[The following skills can be assimilated.]>

• Swordsmanship Proficiency

He tapped on it.

<[Do you wish to assimilate the skill: Swordsmanship Proficiency? -[Y/N]-]>

"Yeah." he replied as the same process repeated itself, but this time, it didn't take up to 30 seconds before concluding.

[Assimilating…]

-------

[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Swordsmanship Proficiency Lv.1]

Damian rolled his wrist. His balance subtly shifted, his awareness sharper. Even without a sword, he could feel it, there was something different. It was almost like an upgrade in his instinct.

But then another screen popped up.

[Gluttony is on cooldown: 47:59:59]

"Hmmm... That's interesting..." He whispered while standing up.

"O-oh" he stuttered as he turned back to look at his companion.

'I completely forgot about her' he thought.

"U-um... Damian?" She spoke up first. "I don't understand what just happened but... Your skill is the type that probably works on only the dead right?" She asked while clutching her clothes tightly.

'Crap, I didn't think this through.' Damian cursed.

"I... uh-"

"Even still!..." She blurted out without letting him answer. "Even though that's true,... I know you're a good person... "

"Lyra..."

"I... Don't know why, but I trust you and I promise to keep your secret between us." She smiled. "Just don't leave... me..." She added as her voice trailed off at the end.

She tried taking a step forward but her injuries and exhaustion finally got to as her body gave in and she began falling down.

"H-hey!"

But Damian rushed forward and caught her just in time.

"Easy," he said.

"I'm fine…" she said, smiling weakly.

"No, you're not." He helped her stand and crouched in front of her, gesturing to his back. "Get on. I'll carry you."

She hesitated. "I can walk."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't even make it past me" he teased.

She was quiet for a second. Then, finally agreed to climb onto his back.

"Oh and Lyra… I promise I'm never gonna leave you behind. Okay?"

'...'

"Okay" she replied with a bright smile. "But... Where are we going?" She asked.

"Were going home."