I raced through the streets, lungs burning, my mind spiraling into chaos. "Where the hell can I go?!" Each step was a gamble, the ground beneath me cracking with a monstrous, bone-rattling tremor.
DUNNNNNNNN!
The earth's deep groan made me stumble, and then it happened—a shadow darker than death swallowed the sun. My heart seized as I glanced up, my blood turning to ice.
"What… in the world… IS THAT!?" My voice barely came out, strangled by the pure horror rising within me.
It was no mere creature. This was an abyss given form, a dragon-like nightmare, wings spread wide, blotting out the sky. Its burning eyes, fixed on me, gleamed with a hunger—no, malice—that transcended worlds.
I WAS NOTHING.
"This… this can't be real." I whispered. My knees buckled under the weight of terror, my breath caught in my throat. "WHY AM I HERE?!" My words were futile, scattered in the roaring wind.
The beast roared, not just with sound but with the force of existence, the kind of roar that could wipe out civilizations with its mere echo.
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!
It was death itself, in flesh and bone. My legs refused to move—trapped in place as though even my soul had been gripped by this entity. MOVE, DAMN IT! MOVE!
But I couldn't.
"I'm just… just a KID!" I choked, my own voice sounding pitiful. "I'm nothing! No powers! No escape!"
The dragon's claw shot forward, faster than a thought, aimed directly at my heart. This is it. The end of everything.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A deafening crash exploded in front of me, the very air split apart by the impact. The dragon's entire body jerked sideways, its neck twisting unnaturally as though it had been struck by something far more primal than itself.
"W-What just—?"
Before I could even finish the thought, a figure blurred into view. Standing tall, wild hair rippling in the aftermath, was a man. No, not just a man. A force. His eyes gleamed like frozen stars, radiating a cold, unfathomable power. His grin was wide—almost too wide.
"HEYYYY, YOU! YEAH, YOU!" His voice carried like thunder, every word leaving cracks in the very reality around him. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, KID?!" He pointed a thumb at himself, grinning like a predator who's just found his prey.
I couldn't respond. How could I? He'd just—just kicked a dragon.
The dragon, shaken but not broken, lifted its massive head again. Its wounded eyes seethed with even greater rage, ready to retaliate. The man glanced over his shoulder, smirking.
"Oh? You still wanna fight?" His tone was dripping with disdain, but his eyes... his eyes burned with pure exhilaration.
The dragon roared again, its cry splitting the heavens. Its wings snapped open, preparing for another assault. But the man didn't move. No, he was waiting for it.
He flexed his fingers, and then crouched low, the earth trembling beneath his feet.
"YOU WANNA DANCE WITH DEATH? FINE. I'LL SHOW YOU SOMETHING YOU'LL NEVER FORGET!"
The dragon lunged, its claws slicing through the air, tearing reality apart as they closed in on him. But this man... he was already there, moving faster than my eyes could track.
"BI-OH-PHONE... ACTIVATE!!!"
His voice boomed, and the air ignited with raw, crackling energy. With a fist blazing like a star, he swung.
BAAAAAAAAM!
The impact was catastrophic. The world itself shook with the force of his strike. Shockwaves exploded from his fist, ripping through the very fabric of the street, sending buildings crumbling like toys. The dragon—this towering, unshakable beast—screamed in agony as its massive form was launched into the air, flung like a ragdoll into a nearby skyscraper.
CRRRRRAAAAAASHHH!
The building disintegrated, burying the dragon in a sea of rubble. For a moment, everything fell silent. Even the wind seemed too stunned to move.
I stood there, my body trembling, my mind unable to grasp what I had just witnessed.
"That thing… it's… it's dead?" I muttered, my words barely coherent.
The man stood in the midst of the wreckage, his posture relaxed, as though nothing had just happened. He sighed and scratched his head.
"Yare yare daze…" he muttered, cracking his neck as if this had all been an inconvenience. "That was boring."
He turned to face me, his eyes piercing right through me. Each step he took sent tremors through the earth.
"HEY, KID." His voice was calm now, almost casual. "YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T BE WANDERING AROUND HERE. DRAGONS AIN'T EXACTLY KNOWN FOR THEIR HOSPITALITY."
I stood frozen, still clutching the shattered remnants of my reality. I wanted to speak, to say something, but all I could do was stare.
Without warning, he tossed something toward me—a small card. I caught it, hands shaking.
"CALL ME IF YOU NEED A HAND AGAIN." His grin returned, wider than ever. "BUT TRY TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE. NO FUN CLEANING UP MESS AFTER MESS, YA KNOW?"
And just like that, he vanished into the crowd, swallowed by the city's chaos as if he had never been there.
I looked down at the card. It wasn't just an ordinary card. It shimmered with a faint, otherworldly glow. What… what even is this?
Before I could make sense of it, a voice snapped me back to reality.
"BOY! THERE YOU ARE!"
An iron grip latched onto my ear, yanking me backward. "OWWW! HEY!"
It was that nurse again. The one who kept showing up at the worst possible times.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU'VE CAUSED?!" She scolded, her voice sharper than the dragon's claws.
"HEY, LADY! I JUST FOUGHT A DRAGON! CUT ME SOME SLACK!"
"BACK TO THE HOSPITAL!" Her voice hit like a whip, snapping me out of my daze. Suddenly, I was back, the cold hospital bed beneath me, the doctor staring me down like I was a riddle he couldn't crack.
"What happened to me?" I muttered, barely above a whisper, but loud enough to shake me back to reality.
The doctor's hands moved mechanically, checking my pulse, my eyes, my mouth—speaking in a language of medical jargon that flew over my head. My heart…? Beating? I blinked. Of course it's beating, isn't it? It's always been.
The nurse stepped in, frowning like she was scolding a child. "Don't even think about running off again! Next time, I'll be calling your parents."
Parents?
My chest tightened. My parents... gone. My mind spiraled. I killed my father. My mother—lost to Diablomon's attack.
I was sinking deeper, the weight of those memories suffocating me—until the door burst open, and she entered.
Tall. Elegant. Beautiful. Like she was carved out of a dream.
"Erica! My dear! Why are you in a hospital?!" Her voice, desperate, pierced through the haze in my mind.
Erica? My world screeched to a halt. Did she just call me… Erica?
My blood boiled. "Erica?! Are you out of your mind?!" I wanted to shout. "My name's Eric, you idiot!" I swallowed the fury. "Stay calm," I told myself, fighting to keep my voice steady.
But she wasn't done.
"How could you forget me, honey? Your own mother?" Her voice cracked, tears welling up in her eyes. "Your mummy, Erica! How could you forget me?"
"Ma'am, I'm not your son," I said, straining to hold on to any thread of logic. "There's some kind of misunderstanding—"
But she didn't stop. Her sobs cut through me like knives. "You used to sleep in my lap, and now you don't even remember your own mother? I raised you, Erica! You're twelve years old! How could you forget everything?"
Twelve? I froze. I'm not twelve. I'm nineteen… But when I glanced down—small hands, childlike body—it hit me like a truck. No.
My body wasn't mine.
The room spun. The floor dropped beneath me. And everything went dark.
When I came to, I wasn't in the hospital anymore. The bed was soft—too soft. Like something out of a fairy tale. My eyes fluttered open, taking in the pinks and pastels that covered the room. Where… am I?
Before I could even react, she swept in and dragged me to the bathroom, her movements graceful but forceful. She washed me—washed me like a child—without hesitation, as though it was the most normal thing in the world.
"What are you doing?!" I sputtered, face burning with embarrassment.
She giggled, the sound like sugar-coated needles in my brain. "You're so cute when you're flustered, Erica."
It's Eric! My frustration boiled over, my face now beet red. Why did she keep calling me Erica?!
Dressed in clothes softer than anything I'd ever worn, she whisked me into a car that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi movie—a polished machine that could probably tear through time itself. The license plate read: Super Ferrari Out Max Edition.
"What is this thing?" I mumbled, still groggy, trying to make sense of everything.
She only smiled, stepping on the gas. The car shot forward like a bullet, the scenery blurring past as my mind raced to keep up.
We screeched to a stop in front of a massive building, and before I knew it, I was being pulled into a classroom. Chaos hit me like a tidal wave the moment I stepped inside. Kids—no, they were like mini-titans—flinging lightning, levitating desks, throwing fireballs like it was a game.
"What the hell is this?!" I whispered, my pulse racing. These aren't kids! They're monsters!
Then, like flipping a switch, the madness stopped. Every head turned. Every muscle snapped to attention. The room went silent as Subha entered, her mere presence commanding absolute control.
"M-Ma'am! Reporting for class!" The kids—no, soldiers—lined up like disciplined warriors, eyes forward, bodies still. It was like a scene from a battlefield.
And Subha? She was their general.
She turned to me, her expression softening into a warm smile. "Class, meet Eric. He's had an accident, so please be kind to him."
An accident? I barely had time to process that before—
CRASH!
The windows exploded inward. Glass shards glittered in the air, raining down as a hulking, wolf-like beast bounded into the classroom. Its glowing red eyes flickered with fury, muscles tensed beneath its fur, and a deep, rumbling growl shook the very walls.
My heart stopped. This thing… this nightmare...
But the other kids? They didn't flinch. If anything, they grinned.
"Finally! Some real action!" one of the kids shouted, summoning a glowing blade out of nowhere, eyes lit with excitement.
"I've been waiting for this!" another kid hollered, gripping a massive war hammer as if it weighed nothing.
The creature's claws scraped across the floor as it moved, inching closer to me. It growled low, saliva dripping from its fangs. It was massive, eyes locked on me like I was its next meal.
I couldn't move. My legs felt like lead. Fear clung to my throat.
The beast lunged. Its maw opened wide, teeth ready to tear into me—
[System Alert!]
"Huh?!"
[Danger detected. Safe Mode activated.]
Suddenly, my body wasn't mine anymore. My legs jerked into motion, dodging the beast's attack with inhuman speed. Without thinking, my fist shot forward, connecting with the creature's jaw. The impact sent it crashing across the room, smashing through desks, splinters flying everywhere.
The room fell into stunned silence. My own body trembled with adrenaline.
How… how did I just do that?
The system pinged again.
[System Update: Transformation unlocked.]
"W-What? Transformation?!" I whispered, feeling the tension in my body. "Wait, you mean I can go back to my original form?"
[Affirmative. Transformation into original state available.]
Before I could process it all, another creature charged through the broken window. This time, it was different. Its body slithered, long and armored like a serpentine beast. Its scales glistened with an eerie metallic sheen, and venom dripped from its fangs, sizzling as it hit the floor.
"What the hell?! More of them?" I gasped, my hands shaking. The air grew thick with the heavy, feral stench of predators.
Before I could react, the other kids had already moved into action. One student with a spear darted forward, thrusting his weapon into the beast's flank, but it didn't even flinch. The snake-like creature swung its tail, sending him flying into the wall with a sickening thud.
A girl in the back whispered, "We need to stop playing around… This isn't just a class drill anymore."
As if on cue, more wolves began pouring in, their eyes gleaming with hunger.
The biggest of the wolves—easily the size of a truck—snarled, its breath hot and foul. It looked straight at me, its lips curling back into a sneer. "You. You're next."
The system beeped again.
[Critical Condition: Immediate action required.]
The snake slithered toward me, faster than before. Its eyes gleamed, fangs ready to sink into my flesh. My body stiffened, and I could feel the sheer intensity of the venom that would surely end me if it struck. I couldn't move. I was frozen.
Just as the serpent lunged, my body reacted on its own again. My foot shot out with precision, slamming into the snake's head. The beast recoiled, but I didn't stop. My fists followed, hammering into its metallic scales. Each strike shattered its armor, breaking through the seemingly impenetrable hide.
"How... am I doing this?!" I gasped, the sheer force of each blow surprising even me.
The snake crumpled, defeated, its massive body collapsing onto the ground with a loud crash. I stood over it, panting, but my heart didn't stop racing. I could feel my strength growing, my confidence surging.
Before I could catch my breath, the largest wolf-like creature, the leader of the pack, stepped forward, its muscles rippling as it growled deeply.
The other students were now fully engaged, their weapons clashing against more beasts, sparks flying. One girl—small, seemingly fragile—launched into the air with the grace of an acrobat, landing on a wolf's back and stabbing it in the neck with a dagger glowing with energy. Another boy wielding a massive spear charged into the fray, his weapon piercing through two creatures at once.
But the leader wolf's attention was solely on me.
"You think you're tough, human?" it growled, stepping closer. "Let's see if you can handle me."
It lunged, faster than I expected. My body was too slow to react this time. The beast's claws raked across my chest, and pain shot through me like lightning. Blood dripped down my shirt, staining the ground below.
I stumbled back, clutching the wound, my mind spinning. This thing… it wasn't like the others. It was smarter. Deadlier.
The system beeped again.
[Transformation available. Original state ready for activation.]
This was my chance. I couldn't wait any longer. I screamed at the top of my lungs, "DO IT!"
In an instant, my body was submerged in a strange, viscous liquid, weightless as I hovered above the ground. My skin prickled as power surged through me. Something was happening—something big. My muscles stretched, my bones cracked and realigned with a painful twist, and in seconds, I was growing, evolving. My clothes shredded to pieces as my body expanded, muscles rippling with newfound strength.
I felt… reborn.
With a heavy thud, I landed back on the ground. The room plunged into stunned silence.
Subha's eyes were wide, gleaming with a mix of shock, awe, and—was that pride? "You're not my little Erica anymore…" Her voice trembled with disbelief.
The students stared, mouths agape. In the back, a girl—flushed and stammering—let slip, "W-W-What a h-hot guy!"
Every head turned toward her as she quickly covered her mouth, cheeks glowing red. But it was too late. The damage was done. Whispers erupted around the room like wildfire, everyone gawking at me.
I clenched my fists, grinning. This power—it was intoxicating. I was back—taller, stronger, and no longer that helpless kid.
But despite the power rushing through me, one thought gnawed at my mind: Where are Aria, Sarah, and Asia? They were out there, somewhere. I had to find them.
Before I could act, Subha's hand shot out, grabbing mine. Her grip was firm, and without warning, she yanked me toward the door. "Come on, sweetie," she said, her voice honey-sweet but laced with urgency. "We've got places to be."
"What—? Wait!" I tried to resist, but before I could protest, we were airborne—flying—in her sleek Super Ferrari, tearing through the sky like a jet engine on steroids. The world blurred around us as the wind howled in my ears.
I blinked, disoriented. "M-Mommy, what the hell is happening?!"
Subha just gave me a playful wink, her expression completely unfazed by the insanity unfolding. "Oh, darling, you haven't seen anything yet."
We rocketed down, landing with a screech in front of an enormous, towering structure. My heart pounded. There was something familiar about this place…
And then, as we entered, I saw her.
My breath caught in my throat, and a wave of pure exhilaration surged through me. "Sarah?!"