Soul Eater By Lily Mayne -

The air in the Waste was thick with the scent of ozone and scorched earth, a constant reminder that this wasn't the world humans were built for. Danny adjusted the straps of his pack, his eyes scanning the jagged horizon. He was a scavenger, a ghost in a land of monsters, but today, he was hunting something specific.

"I'd probably give you indigestion," Danny retorted, his voice trembling despite the bravado.

A low, gravelly sound escaped the monster—a laugh. It was the first time Danny realized that in this desolate, terrifying world, he might have just found the only thing more lonely than himself. He came for the tech, but as Wyn’s shadow wrapped around him, Danny realized the Waste was about to get a lot more complicated. Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

"I'm... efficient," Danny managed to choke out, clutching his rusted pipe like a shield.

He’d heard the stories of the "Soul Eater"—a creature so terrifying that even other monsters gave it a wide berth. They said it didn't just kill; it consumed the very essence of a person, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. Danny knew he should be running the other way, but desperation is a powerful motivator. His camp was dying, and rumors suggested the Soul Eater guarded a cache of pre-Arriving tech that could save them. The air in the Waste was thick with

Danny tripped. A single loose stone skittered down the ravine, sounding like a gunshot in the dead silence.

Wyn tilted his head, a sharp claw tracing the line of Danny's jaw without breaking the skin. He could taste the soul beneath—vibrant, stubborn, and inexplicably warm. For a monster who had spent centuries consuming darkness, this tiny, defiant spark was more intoxicating than any kill. "I'd probably give you indigestion," Danny retorted, his

"You're small," the Soul Eater rumbled, the sound vibrating in Danny’s chest.