By the third year of the Card Age, the world had completed its metamorphosis. The strong carved up territory with the divine cards they drew, while the weak became fodder for the rules of the cards.
I, Xiao Ying, became their deepest nightmare. My power isn’t drawing cards: it’s plundering them.
After killing a target, I can extract the core “card soul” from the dissipating card energy and forge it into a [Shadow Card] of my own. I tore a fragment of [Flames That Burn the City] from the “Flame Demoness,” turning it into [Whispers of Embers], which burns amid piercing wails. I stole the core of [Mirror Maze] from the “Trickster,” transforming it into [True Reflection], which mirrors the user’s innermost fears. Each Shadow Card is a fragment of its former owner’s power and obsession.
They call me the “Card Eater” in terror, never knowing that every act of consumption plants the howls of countless vengeful spirits deep in my soul. The more powerful the card, the more its icy obsession eats away at me.
