Dean looked around, confused. His mind was dizzy and he felt like a spotlight was aiming right at his eyes, as his vision was completely white. He only heard a buzzing sound that got him even more confused and left him with a headache.
His vision was returning slowly. At first, quite blurry, but then recovering completely. He didn't lose time and looked around, trying to find himself.
However, everything he could see was an extensive field with black soil and dead grass. In the distance, the ruins of what was a city before could be seen. The sky on that spot was crimson, which showed that a high concentration of "Chaos" was present there.
Dean saw that the wooden beam wasn't on top of his calf anymore, so he could move and get up.
Around him, the remnants of a library were spread around, together with a sword that had a black blade, and wreckage. Those items helped to increase the feeling that he was somewhere that he shouldn't be.
'How did I come here? And all these things as well... What's happening?'
The memories of the scenes he saw at the refuge were still clear in his mind. He could still feel the smell of blood and the putrid Dread's skin and fur in the air.
It gave Dean goosebumps. He wanted to clean all those images from his mind. Nevertheless, the more he tried not to think about that, the more those memories got vivid in his mind and made him get strong nausea.
The boy put his hands on his head. He was kneeling on the ground and started to sob silently. The faces of the people who were familiar to him were appearing now, together with the others that he couldn't see during the attack, but that surely would be dead at that time.
'I couldn't do a thing... Even though I have been training for so long, struggling a lot, and willing to become someone strong, I couldn't do anything in the end.' His tears fell on the dried black soil like a dropper.
Before, while seeing that slaughtering, his mind was preventing his body to register any feelings. He got emotionally numb for some time, so he wouldn't break. It was an instinct of his mind. He also got so overwhelmed by such a situation, that there was no other way to go instead of making a sort of "reset".
Even now, he was striving to register what was happening. It was hard to believe that somewhere as prosperous as Refuge Sarah would get attacked out of nowhere.
The boy didn't have all the time he wanted to cry and lament, though. A figure appeared in front of Dean, walking furtively towards him.
'That... That lion.' He stood up on his feet, walking several steps behind. Dean got in a frenzy and was having a panic attack.
'No, no, no, no! NO!' The boy's sob got more intense as the Dread maliciously made his way towards him. His bloodshot eyes weren't leaving Dean's face as if he was evaluating his next prey. Saliva was flowing out of his slightly open mouth.
Dean tried to run backward, but his mind was a real mess, which caused him to trip in the wreckage and fall to the ground again. He was so scared that he couldn't bring himself to get his eyes off that beast. He thought that in the exact moment he focused anywhere, the Dread would jump at him and start his meal.
The boy crawled desperately on the ground, hurting his arms and legs because of the wreckage under him. He had his mouth opened but his shock was so big that he couldn't make any sound.
'Mom... Mom, please. I am sorry. I won't be back home. I won't be able to run away anymore. I am sorry.'
Each step that the monster gave in his direction made his heart nearly exploded inside his chest. His breath was so fast-paced that he couldn't oxygen his body well. Dean's limbs were getting numb, and at some point, he couldn't even crawl anymore.
'My uncle... My friends as well... I won't be seeing them ever again. Even if I live now, I won't be able to meet them in this life!' His vision was blurry again because of the tears accumulated. Dean's body was shivering.
'What do I do? Do I give up? Do I try to run or fight back? What?'
The lion jumped in Dean's direction. The latter let out a scream of fear and surprise. He forced his numb limbs to work again and jumped forward. His body passed under the lion, who was still in middle-air after his leap to catch the boy.
Dean rolled on the ground, even though the remains of the library hurt his body while doing so, then standing up and jumping away. That jump was definitely the highest one he gave until that point.
'What's this? I just jumped out of instinct... I was nearly accepting that my death was a matter of fact now, so why? Why does my body keep reacting? There is nothing left, so it is pointless!'
The Dread turned to Dean while roaring in frustration and giving chase at him again. The boy kept running around, leaping to all sides. The lion's huge paws smacked the ground, making dust and soil fly in the air and shattering the wood, concrete, and books spread on the floor.
His strength was more than noticeable, it was monstrous, terrifying. His paws nearly got Dean several times, and just the shockwave it sent after every blow was enough to send the boy flying. His claws cut concrete like it was butter, not to mention his roar that was loud enough to make Dean's ears bleed.
The lion made a last attempt to attack. Dean's body acted again, leaping to the side. His claws scratched his back, but the distance wasn't enough to make a deep cut.
Dean fell to the ground, hitting his jaw. His head got dizzy for a while, the world seemed to be spinning.
'Is that so...?' The boy felt that he was conversing with himself after so many years covering his ears and not wanting to hear anything his subconscious said. 'You are willing to live this much? After seeing so many people dying, after concluding that your parents and friends are already dead, do you want to survive this hard? What's the point?'
Dean knew that the answers for that question would be inside him, so he asked himself, pleading for a clear response, searching inside him for the reason to keep going.
What passed first for the boy's mind was the words that he said before, when he was younger:
'I won't accept it. I won't accept that these flames inside our hearts have 'hope' in their title just for show. If humanity had to lower their heads and accept everything around, we would have had been extinct seven centuries ago.'
After he recollected that distant memory, his heart began to beat more comfortably. At first, a hazy and low heat could be felt, as if there was a weak fireplace inside his chest.
Slowly but steadily, his breath was getting calmer and calmer.
The lion was still surrounding him, his intimidating aura pressuring Dean. That Dread wasn't chasing him because he couldn't catch up with him. He was playing with the boy, like a cruel animal wanting to see and feel the despair of his prey.
The boy was starting to sense the lines of "Chaos" around, so he could have an idea of the enemy's power.
'It's not time to lower my head. It's not time to die here.' The faces of all his beloveds were going through his head like flashbacks. 'They wouldn't want me to give up here. None of them! If my body still works, if I am still trying to survive, for sure there must be something in this world that I still need to do!'
He got up again from the ground. Dean had some cuts on his body, but nothing too bad until now. His leg was still hurting a lot, and now even more since he forced it when jumping and running around.
When he stood there and didn't start to run nor showed a scared face, the beast growled furiously. He wanted to feel Dean's fear. That was the only reason he didn't eat him yet.
The black lion pointed his face to the sky and let out a roar that made the ground tremble. Black and red energy began to envelop him, increasing the strength of his body. His bloodshot eyes and fissures on his body got brighter.
Dean didn't let his head lowered anymore. Despite the pain, he kept his feet planted on the ground, his legs steady.
He looked with a golden gleam in his eyes toward the greatest enemy of humanity.
"I will show you the power of my will to survive!"