The massive scorpion continues hammering its tail against the crevice, trying to reach us, completely ignoring the fact that its attacks are futile. I watch it closely, analyzing its movements. Is it mindless, or is it simply that consumed by rage? I can only hope for the former. Han's plan is already dangerously reckless, and if this thing has any intelligence, we might as well be signing our own death warrants.
"Mr. Bennet?" Han calls, snapping me from my thoughts.
I don't respond immediately. My eyes remain locked on the creature as its tail slams into the ground with relentless force.
"Are you sure about this?" I finally ask.
"No." Han's voice is unwavering. "But do we have another option?"
I exhale sharply. No, we don't. There is no other option. "Fine. I'll distract it while you go for the tail."
"No, Mr. Bennet, I'll be the distraction." Han's tone is firm.
"Are you insane? That's too dangerous!" I shoot back.
"That's exactly why it has to be me," he counters. "Besides, this is your body, your mind. If you don't conquer it yourself, it will never submit to you."
I clench my fists, my jaw tightening. Damn it. He's right.
"Fine," I agree begrudgingly. "But be careful."
"Likewise, Mr. Bennet," Han murmurs solemnly.
We move toward the edge of the crevice. This time, we switch places. Han, the bait, takes position to the scorpion's left—its weaker side. The severe damage to its left legs will slow its movements, forcing it to drag itself while chasing him. That will give me the window I need to end this.
Han takes a few steps forward. The instant his foot touches open ground, the scorpion lunges.
It doesn't hesitate.
A brutal, lightning-fast strike nearly takes his head off, but Han moves with impossible agility, weaving through the attacks. He deliberately shifts left, forcing the scorpion to adjust its position awkwardly.
The moment the monster locks onto Han, I move.
Silently, I dash toward its blind spot, making my way to its backside. With one powerful leap, I launch myself onto its body, gripping the rough ridges along its exoskeleton. Up close, the texture is more jagged than it appeared from a distance—small grooves provide enough hold for my fingers to grasp.
I don't stop.
I climb.
With every movement, the scorpion's tail thrashes wildly, trying to shake me off. The violent jolts whip me up and down, side to side, making my grip slip more than once. The wind roars in my ears as I barely manage to hang on.
I glance down.
Han is struggling. His movements are slowing. The scorpion's relentless attacks are draining him fast.
"Han, watch out!!"
He doesn't move.
His head barely turns as the scorpion's tail swings straight toward him.
Move, Han!
But his body doesn't. He's exhausted. He's out of time.
Without thinking, I rip the bristle sticks from my waist and drive them into the scorpion's tail with everything I have.
The effect is instantaneous.
The monster shrieks—an ear-splitting, unearthly cry that rattles the very air. In its agony, the scorpion whips its tail violently, sending me flying.
I crash against the wall with a sickening crack. The impact knocks the breath from my lungs, pain exploding across my ribs. The moment my body slams onto the hard ground, a fresh gush of blood spills from my mouth.
Something inside me is definitely broken.
But I don't have time to process the agony.
I roll—desperately evading the tail as it plunges down in an attempt to finish me. I don't stop rolling, not even for a second. My body is barely holding together, but I refuse to stop moving.
The tail strikes—but not where I am. It stabs the ground just inches from my face.
I roll closer to the scorpion's body, keeping within its blind spot. Its tail is too large to attack anything directly beneath it.
But then—
A massive leg slams down onto my chest.
My entire world shatters.
"Hhngh!" I wheeze as the crushing force flattens my lungs. Blood splatters from my mouth, my ribs bending under the sheer weight pressing down on me.
Pain. Indescribable pain.
I barely have time to process it before my vision is filled with the horrifying sight of the scorpion's tail rearing back for the killing blow.
The sting—gleaming, massive—descends toward my face.
I struggle.
I punch the leg pinning me, desperate to free myself, but it doesn't budge.
"AAARRGGHH!!" I roar, thrashing in vain as death rushes toward me.
Then—
A piercing shriek—louder than any before.
The scorpion jerks backward, its tail yanked away just inches before it would've impaled my skull.
I gasp for air, my chest screaming in pain, but I don't stop moving. I roll away, scrambling to my feet.
And then I hear it—
A scream.
A human scream.
"Han!!"
I sprint toward where he last was, ignoring my own broken body. The scorpion notices my movement, tries to follow—but it's too slow. It can only move in a counterclockwise circle.
"Han!!"
No answer.
I push harder, until—
I see him.
And my world stops.
Han lies motionless on the ground, his eyes still wide open.
His skin—blackened.
A gaping hole in his stomach.
I drop to my knees, my hands trembling as I reach for him.
"Han... no. No, no, no—"
I press my fingers against his neck, searching—praying—for a pulse.
Nothing.
"Han!!" I shake him, but his body is lifeless.
I refuse to accept it. I refuse.
But then—
His body begins to fade.
Slowly—like smoke dissolving into air.
He's disappearing.
"NO! NO! HAN—!!"
I try to hold him, try to grasp anything, but—
He's gone.
My hands clutch at nothing.
The space where Han was just seconds ago is now empty.
I stare at my trembling hands, my breath ragged, my chest heaving.
And then, finally—
The weight of everything crashes down.
A sob rips from my throat.
Han is gone.
He's gone.
And he died saving me.
From myself.
-
A surge of pure rage ignites inside me, spreading like wildfire through every fiber of my being. It doesn't just consume me—it possesses me. My muscles tremble with raw energy, my fists clenching so tightly that my nails bite into my palms. My jaw is locked, gritted teeth grinding together until I can hear the pressure crackle like brittle stone.
My vision bleeds red.
This monster. This thing.
It killed Han.
I don't care if this thing is part of me. I don't care if this is my own mind. I will destroy it.
Even if it means destroying myself.
I take a step out of the crevice. A single step—but the entire space shifts under the weight of my fury. It crackles in the air like a violent storm before the strike of lightning. The scorpion feels it.
It hesitates.
It recoils.
I take another step. The creature's massive form drags backward, its tail twitching uncertainly.
"Fight me!!" I roar.
Then I lunge.
I launch myself onto its monstrous body and drive my fist straight through its shell.
A sharp CRACK rings through the air as the thick exoskeleton shatters beneath my blow. Shards of its body splinter, blue liquid splattering over my arm. The scorpion screams—a piercing, unearthly shriek that rattles through my bones.
Its tail lashes toward me, fast and lethal.
I rip my hand free, feeling the sickening slick of its insides against my skin. Before the tail can strike, I leap, catching hold of the segmented appendage mid-air.
It thrashes violently, trying to fling me off, whipping in every direction in a desperate frenzy. But I hold on, my grip tightening like an unbreakable vice. Every ounce of pain, every fragment of rage in my body, fuels my strength.
I will tear this thing apart.
Climbing the tail is like fighting against a raging storm. The movements are relentless, the wind pressure from the speed nearly pulling me off, but I force my way up. My thighs clamp down for stability, my fingers digging into the ridges of its exoskeleton.
Then I see it.
A tattered scrap of fabric clings to the tip of its tail.
Han's robe.
The sight of it is like gasoline thrown onto my already raging fire.
I twist.
The scorpion's shriek splits the air.
But I don't stop.
I twist harder. A sickening crack echoes as the structure begins to splinter. The tail convulses, thrashing with everything it has, but I won't let go.
Han is dead.
And I will make this thing suffer for it.
With one final, savage wrench, the tail SNAPS free from the scorpion's body.
A choked, gurgling screech rips through the creature as its tail, now severed, flails uselessly in my hands. The force sends me tumbling backward, landing roughly against its main body.
I waste no time.
With all my strength, I drive the jagged, venomous sting deep into its back.
"Please, don't kill me!!"
The voice isn't a monster's scream.
It isn't the scorpion's shriek of agony.
It's a child's voice.
I freeze.
The monstrous form beneath me is gone.
In its place, a small body lies on the ground. A child.
He's barely more than a boy, his frail frame sprawled across the dirt. His chest heaves in shallow, desperate breaths, his back rising and falling erratically. Blood oozes from a gaping wound in his waist—the exact size of my fist.
And the severed sting…
It's embedded in his back.
My hands tremble as they wrap around his throat, my grip tightening in pure, blind instinct.
"Who are you?" I demand, my voice raw with fury.
The boy smirks.
Then coughs, blood flecking his lips as his breath rattles.
"Me?" His eyes, dark and eerily familiar, lock onto mine. His lips curl into a weak, taunting smile.
"I... I am...you."