The world around me felt disturbingly quiet as I descended from the grotesque mountain of corpses. My bare feet squelched in the sticky pools of blue blood that painted the ground. My tattered pants clung to me, soaked in gore and sweat…
But then, something changed…
A sudden wave of dizziness hit me. My head started spinning as if the ground had shifted beneath me. I stumbled back, clutching my temples….
"What the…?" I muttered, my voice unsteady. The dizziness intensified. Suddenly, I felt a terrible throbbing pain behind my eye sockets…
"Shit…" I hissed through gritted teeth, dropping to my knees as the world blurred around me. The pain only grew sharper, burning like molten metal coursing through my veins…
"ARGHHHHHH!!!" I screamed, pressing my hands against my eyes. "What the hell is happening to me?!!!"
I felt a searing heat building up behind my eyeballs. The pain was so intense that I thought my eyes were going to explode. My breathing grew ragged, my chest heaving as I clawed at my face…
"STOP IT!!!" I roared, my voice echoing through the desolate landscape. "MAKE IT FUCKING STOP!!!"
The heat grew unbearable, and I tilted my head back instinctively, gasping for air. That's when it happened…
A sudden beam of red light shot out of my eyes, cutting through the air with a low hum. The force of it jolted through me. My legs were trembling as I fought to stay upright…
"What the...?!" I whispered, staring at the faint beam carving into the sky. It wasn't strong… yet….
The ground beneath me cracked lightly, and the air shimmered faintly from the heat. My heart pounded as I tried to process what was happening…
But then, the heat intensified….
The light from my eyes grew brighter and more focused as the beam intensified. The hum deepened into a deafening roar, and the ground beneath my feet groaned under the force. The cracks widened, radiating outward as the earth splintered and trembled…
"Arghhh!!!" I screamed, clawing at my face. "It's too much! What the fuck is this?!"
The beam shot higher into the sky. The intensity of the heat was overwhelming. The nearby air shimmered with heat, turning crimson as the beam's energy radiated outward. The ground cracked further, and chunks of earth rose slightly before falling away. My feet burned as the pressure increased, the heat radiating through my entire body…
"STOP IT!!!" I roared, staggering back, but the beam only grew stronger. The red light engulfed the area, turning the desolate wasteland into a fiery inferno…
The metallic trees that had barely survived the earlier destruction began to melt under the intense heat; their bark pooled into liquid silver streams. Rocks cracked and exploded into dust, and the remaining debris from the battle vaporized under the intense heat…
"MAKE IT STOP!!!!" I screamed again, blood pouring from my eyes as the power surged uncontrollably. "I CAN'T TAKE THIS!!!"
The ground beneath me started to collapse. The laser was not heating the ground directly. But the heat radiating from it was enough to turn the ground into lava. The heat was unbearable. My screams grew louder as the pain tore through me….
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!" I roared, tears of blood streaking down my face. The light grew so bright I could barely see anything, just a crimson haze enveloping the world…
The beam cut through the sky, splitting clouds and distorting the horizon. The sheer energy twisted the atmosphere, leaving rippling heat waves in its path. The hum was now a deafening roar, drowning out my own screams as the power reached its peak…
And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The beam vanished, the light fading into nothingness. The air stilled, heavy with the scent of molten rock and ash. My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed onto the cracked earth, my body trembling uncontrollably…
I lay on the scorched ground, gasping for breath. Tears of blood streamed down from my eyes, and the metallic tang of it filled my mouth and nose. The burning behind my eyes had dulled to a faint ache...
"What… the hell…" I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. "What the fuck was that?!"
I forced myself to sit up, my body protesting with every movement. The ground around me was unrecognizable. It became a molten wasteland of glowing red rock and bubbling pools. The destruction stretched as far as I could see, the landscape twisted and scarred by the intensity of the heat vision…
I touched my face, feeling the blood still dripping from my eyes. I could still see, but I could still feel a slight burning sensation in my eyes. The rest of my body was unharmed….
"That last punch…" I muttered, my eyes narrowing as I looked down at my trembling hands. "And now this…"
I clenched my fists, the tension making my muscles ache. The power coursing through me felt different, more volatile, as though something deep inside had finally awakened…
"The cube…" I whispered, tilting my head back to stare at the sky. "Is this what you did to me? Is this your power kicking in?"
I raised my hand toward the alien sky, my fingers trembling as I reached for the twin moons.
"Is this it?!" I muttered, my voice cold and unfeeling. "All this time, and now you show me what I really am?"
The silence offered no answers, only the faint crackle of molten rock and the distant howl of the wind. I lowered my hand slowly, letting it fall to my side…
"Is this what you wanted?!…" I said, my voice hoarse but steady.
I sat there for a moment longer, staring out at the destruction. Then, with a sharp exhale, I forced myself to stand. My legs were shaky, and my body was battered, but I was still alive. Still standing…
"Whatever's next…" I muttered, turning my gaze toward the horizon. "Bring it on..."
And with that, I began walking, leaving behind the molten wasteland and the aftermath of my awakening…
The wasteland stretched out endlessly before me, barren and lifeless…
I walked forward, each step deliberate. My bare feet crushed the broken ground beneath me, and the faint crunch echoed in the silence. I glanced around occasionally, scanning the horizon for movement. The silence was oppressive, but I knew it was only momentary…
It wasn't long before the ground beneath me trembled—a faint vibration at first, then stronger. I stopped, narrowing my eyes and flexing my fists…
"More of you, huh?!" I muttered, a cold smirk tugging at my lips. "You fuckers never learn…"
The earth split open in front of me, and a massive, worm-like creature burst forth. Its segmented body shimmered in the sun light, and its gaping mouth, lined with razor-sharp teeth, opened wide as it let out a guttural roar…
I cracked my knuckles, stepping toward it without hesitation. "It's you big, ugly, and loud fuckers. Let's see how long you last…"
It lunged at me, its massive body moving with terrifying speed. I planted my feet and drew back my fist, the air around my hand rippling as I unleashed a devastating punch. My fist connected with its armored hide, and the creature exploded in a spray of flesh and green blood, its body collapsing to the ground in pieces…
"Pathetic…" I muttered, wiping the blood from my face. "Next..."
The ground trembled again, and two more worms erupted from the earth. They roared in unison, their bodies twisting and writhing as they charged at me. I didn't even flinch…
Two punches. Two explosions. The remains of the creatures littered the wasteland around me...
I exhaled slowly, shaking out my hand. Looks like I got pretty strong myself…."
As the silence settled once more, suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. I looked up at the alien sky, my eyes narrowing….
"What if…" I muttered, tilting my head. "What if I didn't have to walk anymore?!"
I glanced down at the cracked ground and then at the sky. The thought lingered, growing louder in my mind…
"What if I could fly?!" I said aloud, the words almost laughable. "I can punch through steel, regenerate from nothing, and shoot fucking lasers from my eyes. Why not this?!"
I crouched slightly, my muscles coiling like springs. "Only one way to find out..."
With a sharp exhale, I leapt into the air. The ground beneath me cracked and split from the force of my jump, and I soared upward, the wind rushing past me. The wasteland shrank below, the horizon stretching out in every direction…
70 meters. That's as high as I went before gravity yanked me back down. I landed with a thunderous crash, the impact leaving a small crater beneath my feet…
"Damn it…" I muttered, shaking my head. "That's not flying. That's just a big jump..."
I tried again. And again. Each time, I launched myself into the air, higher and faster, but every time, gravity won. My feet slammed back into the earth, leaving a trail of craters in my path…
I stood there, breathing heavily, staring up at the sky. "I can jump higher than any human should… So why the fuck can't I fly?!"
I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling to the surface. "What's the point of all this power if I can't even get off the damn ground?!"
I crouched again, gritting my teeth. "One more try…"
I launched myself upward with everything I had, the ground beneath me shattering into a web of cracks. The wind howled around me as I soared higher, my eyes fixed on the sky…
But once again, I reached the peak of my jump, and gravity pulled me back down. I crashed into the ground, the impact sending debris flying…
I groaned, pushing myself to my feet. "Nope. Still not flying…."
I stared at the horizon, frustration giving way to a cold determination…
"You gave me this power…." I muttered, my voice low and icy. "So, you better fucking let me use it…"
I clenched my fists, took a deep breath, and forced the tension out of my body. "Calm down…"
I exhaled slowly, the sound ragged and uneven. My chest heaved as I tried to steady myself, the frustration and chaos of the last few moments swirling in my mind. My hands trembled slightly as I flexed them...
"Get a grip, Shin…" I muttered, my voice low and gritted.
I planted my feet firmly on the ground, closing my remaining eye as I bent down slightly, my knuckles planted firmly on the ground…
"Focus…" I whispered, shutting out the outside world. "The cube… That's where this started. I know it's still in me..."
I clenched my fists, the tension making my muscles ache. I forced myself to take a deep breath, inhaling the dry air. "Feel it. Feel the energy. It's there… somewhere inside..."
I closed my eyes tighter, my brow furrowing in concentration. I could feel the faint hum of power coursing through me. It was a flicker at first, then a steady pulse. It was like a second heartbeat, deep and resonant, growing stronger with every passing second…
"There you are…" I muttered, my lips curling into a faint smirk. "I can feel you. You've been hiding, haven't you?"
I straightened slightly, the hum growing louder in my ears. My body vibrated faintly, the energy coursing through my veins like liquid fire…
"Alright…" I said, my voice sharp and commanding. "Let's see what you're truly capable of. No more holding back…."
But then, something shifted. The steady energy pulse turned chaotic, surging wildly like a broken dam. My eyes snapped open, glowing red with turned-on heat vision….
"Wait…." I muttered, my voice tinged with panic. "What's happening?!"
The energy erupted from me without warning, and a deafening roar split the air as waves of pure, uncontrollable energy burst outward. The ground beneath my feet disintegrated instantly, and a massive shockwave ripped through the earth and radiated out in every direction…
"ARGHHHHH!!!!" I screamed, clutching my head as the energy spiraled out of control. "STOP! STOP IT!!!"
The force of the energy ripped through the atmosphere, twisting the clouds above violently as they were flung outward by the shockwave. Entire sections of the sky were left clear, and the dense cloud cover was pushed to the very edges of the horizon…
The ground cracked and split, massive fissures opening up as the energy carved its way through the wasteland. Entire sections of the earth were lifted and shattered, reduced to dust and debris...
"No… no, no, no!" I shouted, my voice lost in the chaos. "I can't… control it… ARGHHHH!"
The light around me grew blinding, the energy intensifying as it expanded further. Trees, rocks, mountains, and anything else in the 10,000-kilometer radius were obliterated, reduced to nothing but atoms in the wake of the rampage….
The sheer pressure of the energy left the ground molten and cracked, glowing faintly as waves of heat rippled outward…
The air itself seemed to scream, the shockwaves vibrating with such intensity that the sound was almost deafening. The very planet was shaken with the force from the energy rampage…
"STOP!" I roared one last time, my voice cracking with desperation. Blood trickled from my ears and eyes as the overwhelming force consumed me. "I CAN'T… ARGH!"
The energy peaked, the shockwave erupting in a final, devastating burst. The light was blinding, brighter than the alien sun itself, as a fiery, otherworldly glow consumed the entire area...
And then, silence. The energy dissipated, leaving behind only destruction. The ground was unrecognizable, a molten wasteland that stretched for thousands of miles in every direction. The few remnants of the wasteland—the toppled trees, the jagged rocks—were gone, replaced by a flat, scorched expanse…
I staggered, my legs buckling beneath me. My breaths came in ragged gasps, and my chest heaved as the weight of the energy left me drained…
"Wh… what the hell…" I muttered weakly, my voice barely above a whisper. My eye fluttered shut, and my body swayed as exhaustion overtook me.
My body was okay, but the energy rampage left me completely drained…
I collapsed to the ground, the impact sending a faint cloud of ash into the air. My body was still, and my mind slipped unconscious. The alien sun was setting on the horizon, and the twin moons were casting their faint light over the ruined landscape…
The world was still for a moment, the silence stretching out like a void…
And then, darkness.
TO BE CONTINUED