Astral Devourer: Rise of the Forbidden King

Chapter 2 – Devouring Werewolf System

Theo jolted awake, sitting upright in an unfamiliar room.

“What the hell happened last night?” he muttered, clutching his head with both hands.

As he tried to recall the events, a sharp pain stabbed through his skull. In an instant, memories flooded back.

The rain.

The beating.

Billy’s twisted smile.

The cold concrete beneath him.

His breathing grew shallow as the realization settled in.

Slowly, Theo reached into his clothes, searching desperately for the necklace.

It wasn’t there.

Before panic could take hold, a calm male voice echoed inside his head.

“Good morning, Theo Taylor.”

Theo froze.

He scanned the room, his heart racing, but there was no one in sight. As he struggled to figure out where the voice came from, the door creaked open and an old woman entered the room.

She had a frail body and leaned on a metallic walking stick. Despite her age, her eyes were warm and kind.

“I see you’re awake,” she said gently. “How are you feeling? Does your body still hurt?”

As she spoke, she poured water into a glass and handed it to him.

Theo hesitated, unsure whether to take it. Noticing his hesitation, she gave him a reassuring smile.

“Relax. I knew your parents, Zack and Feria Taylor, when they were alive. You’re sixteen now, right? It’s been eleven years already.”

Her words puzzled him, but somehow they eased the tension in his chest.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Theo said, accepting the glass.

“You’re welcome.”

“When I found you last night,” she continued, “your whole body was covered in bruises and cuts. What happened to you?”

Theo hesitated before answering.

“I was attacked… by a classmate. He wanted to kill me.”

Emotion surged through him. He stood up from the bed and knelt on the floor, bowing his head deeply.

“Thank you so much for saving my life,” he said earnestly. “I will never forget your kindness. If you ever need my help, I’ll do everything in my power to repay you.”

The old woman smiled gently.

“There’s nothing you can do for me, child. I’m already old. But thank you for the thought.”

Theo clenched his fists.

“Then please let me help you on weekends. Cleaning the house or running errands. It’s the least I can do.”

She sighed softly before nodding.

“Alright. I’ll accept your offer. Just don’t overwork yourself.”

Relief washed over Theo’s face.

“Ma’am,” he asked carefully, “did you see a necklace with a wolf-shaped pendant when you found me?”

She shook her head.

“No, I didn’t. But we can go back and check where I found you. Maybe I missed it.”

Theo helped her to her feet, and together they headed outside.

“Ma’am, what’s your name?” he asked.

“Call me Grandma Elizabeth,” she replied.

At the scene of the incident, Theo searched the area carefully, scanning every corner.

Nothing.

Eventually he returned to the old woman, who was sitting on a bench in front of a nearby coffee shop.

“Did you find it?” she asked.

Theo shook his head.

“No.”

“Is the necklace very important to you?”

“Yes,” he replied quietly. “It was the last thing my parents gave me before they went to fight in the war… and died.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “We can check again if you want.”

“It’s fine, ma’am,” Theo said, forcing a small smile. “Thank you for coming with me. I really appreciate it.”

He helped her up, and they returned to her house.

By the time Theo left, it was already past noon.

He said goodbye and returned to his apartment.

Once inside, he removed his torn clothes and went to shower. As warm water ran over his body, he noticed something strange.

The cuts and bruises were almost completely healed.

“That’s odd,” he murmured. “I guess I wasn’t as injured as I thought.”

Relieved, he dried off and lay down on his bed.

Just as he was about to sleep, the voice echoed again inside his head.

“Good afternoon, Theo Taylor.”

Theo shot upright.

His eyes darted around the room.

“I must’ve hit my head really hard,” he muttered. “Now I’m hearing voices.”

“Good afternoon, Theo Taylor.”

“Congratulations on unlocking the Devouring Werewolf System.”

Theo swallowed hard.

“Who… who are you?”

“I am your AI assistant, designed to guide and teach you how the system works.”

“O-Okay,” Theo said shakily. “How can I see you or talk to you properly?”

“You must assign me a name.”

Theo frowned and thought for a moment.

“Hmm… Zero.”

“Do you wish to set my name as ‘Zero’?”

“Yes.”

“Voice recognition confirmed. AI name set: Zero. You may now interact with me freely.”

Theo took a slow breath.

“Zero… who are you, how are you in my head, and what is the Devouring Werewolf System?”

“Please ask one question at a time, Master Theo. I am an interactive AI embedded within the Werewolf System. Only you can hear me. The Werewolf System is a game-like system designed to help you grow and evolve as a werewolf.”

Theo stared into the empty room.

His fingers tightened against the bedsheet.

“This… can't be real,” he murmured.

He waved his hand through the air.

Nothing.

Silence.

Then Zero spoke again.

“Would you like to view your status screen?”

Theo hesitated.

His heart pounded loudly in his chest.

“…Yes.”

A white translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

Theo flinched and instinctively leaned back.

“What the…”

He slowly reached forward and waved his hand through it. His fingers passed through the screen like mist.

“This isn't a hallucination…”

He stared at the floating interface.

Status Window

Name: Theo Taylor

Race: Werewolf

Rank: Wolf Cub

Level: 1

EXP: 0 / 25

Class: None

Stats

HP: 10 / 10

Stamina: 5

Strength: 5

Speed: 5

Defense: 5

Attack: 5

Abilities: None

Skill Points: None

Theo exhaled slowly.

“I’m very weak.”

“That is correct,” Zero replied. “However, as you level up, your stats will increase.”

“How do I level up?”

“By completing quests. Quests are divided into daily, weekly, main, side and special quests. You currently need 25 EXP to reach Level 2. Your daily quests are now available.”

Daily Quests

Drink 1 litre of water

Reward: 5 EXP

Workout for 1 hour

Reward: 5 EXP

Theo closed the screen.

He walked to the fridge, grabbed two bottles of water, and drank them.

Ding!

“Daily quest completed: Drink 1 litre of water.”

“EXP gained: 5.”

“Total EXP: 5 / 25.”

“So… it actually worked,” Theo muttered.

“Would you like assistance with your next quest?” Zero asked.

Theo nodded.

After an hour of basic exercises guided by Zero, another sound rang out.

Ding!

“Daily quest completed: Workout for 1 hour.”

“EXP gained: 5.”

“Total EXP: 10 / 25.”

Theo collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.

Sweat soaked his shirt as his chest rose and fell rapidly.

“I’m… exhausted,” he muttered.

Even basic exercises were difficult for his weak body.

After resting for a minute, he slowly sat up.

Something felt slightly different.

His breathing steadied faster than he expected.

Theo frowned.

“That’s odd…”

But exhaustion soon caught up with him.

He dragged himself onto the bed and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

I can change my life with this, he thought.

Maybe God hasn’t given up on me after all.

With that thought, Theo slowly drifted into sleep.