Amidst the rustling leaves of the cursed forest, a sinister figure moved silently—a Monster coated in undulating shadows that seemed alive, writhing around its muscular form. Its massive frame was vaguely leonine, but with grotesque, otherworldly features. Four muscular legs, tipped with claws as sharp as blades, carved deep grooves into the forest floor. A prehensile, barbed tail swung menacingly behind it, and its face was a disconcerting blend of predator and nightmare, with glowing, ember-like eyes that pierced through the pitch darkness. The darkness oozing from its body seemed to swallow the very air around it, leaving a chilling void in its wake.
Gripped tightly in its jaws, the mangled remains of a body dragged limply over the roots and underbrush. The lifeless figure was burned and battered, a grotesque testament to its torment. Yet, something about it seemed... unsettling. The beast paused, its steps halting as if sensing something amiss with its prey. Slowly, it dropped the body to the ground, stepping back warily, its shadowed maw revealing ivory teeth. The darkness surrounding the creature rippled, an unnatural growl emanating as it prepared to strike.
But then, a voice—low, cold, and edged with irritation—broke the silence.
"Ah... I wanted to end this quickly. Why does everything lately insist on pissing me off?"
The corpse stirred. Slowly, painfully, the figure began to rise. The charred, mangled remains of Lucian Hale stood upright, his body regenerating before the monster's eyes. Flesh knitted itself back together with an almost eerie speed, burns fading, and bones resetting. The oozing darkness around them retreated slightly, as if recoiling from the sheer audacity of the act.
Lucian's disheveled black hair fell into place as his facial features began to reform, the ruined canvas of his body gaining more resemblance to his true self with each passing moment. His eyes, sharp and unforgiving, locked onto the beast before him.
"This place sucks," he muttered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Let's brighten it up a little, shall we?"
He raised his right hand, swiping it upward in a deliberate arc. The air around him responded immediately. A sharp, deafening sound filled the forest, as though reality itself had been slashed apart. In an instant, the dense canopy that blocked out the sun was severed. Massive trees toppled with earth-shaking crashes, their ancient trunks split cleanly as sunlight spilled through the gaps. Beams of golden light pierced the cursed darkness, illuminating the clearing in a way it likely hadn't been in centuries.
Lucian smirked, surveying his handiwork. "Now that's how you use windblades."
The monster, no longer veiled by its protective shadows, flinched violently. It twisted and turned, trying to escape back into the depths of the forest, away from the sunlight that seemed to burn its very essence.
"Ah, no. Leaving so soon after dragging me through hell?" Lucian's voice was calm, but his words carried a chilling weight.
He extended his hand and snapped his fingers. The beast froze mid-step, suspended in the air as though some invisible force had snared it. It thrashed wildly for a moment but soon went still, as if realizing the futility of its struggle.
"Come closer," Lucian commanded, his voice unwavering.
The creature's massive form was drawn toward him, inch by inch, as though gravity itself had been rewritten to obey Lucian's will. No gust of wind accompanied this act, no visible mana trails—just raw, undeniable force. The monster hung limply, its once-feral struggles reduced to nothing. The shadows that clung to it began to dissipate as it entered the light, its true form slowly revealed.
Where the darkness once writhed, now stood a creature of unearthly beauty and terror. Its leonine shape remained, but its body was covered in gleaming, scale-like plates that shimmered in the sunlight. Its eyes, no longer embers, glowed with an iridescent hue, almost hypnotic in their allure. The monsters's mane flowed like molten metal, and its tail, once a dark, barbed weapon, now appeared as a series of sharp, crystalline segments that glinted menacingly.
Lucian tilted his head, taking in the sight with a cold curiosity. "Huh. So this is what you really look like."
The creature, stripped of its darkness, didn't growl or snarl. It whimpered as it floated closer, its body trembling with an instinctual fear it couldn't suppress. Lucian's heel pressed down on its head, pinning it to the ground as he sneered.
"You enjoyed dragging me through the dirt, didn't you?" he hissed. "Let's see how you like it."
The Monster howled in agony as its white scales began peeling away, ripped from its body by an unseen force. Each strip fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Lucian watched, his lips curling into a menacing smile as the creature's cries echoed through the forest.
But then, distant howls cut through the air. Lucian straightened, his head snapping toward the sound. The eight-legged hound pack had arrived, their predatory eyes gleaming as they encircled him.
"Tch, more trouble," Lucian muttered, clicking his tongue in irritation. He glanced down at the whimpering beast beneath his boot. "Stay. I've got plans for you."
With a swift kick, he sent the creature skidding out of the immediate fight zone. He unsheathed his sword, the blade gleaming in the sunlight. His black eyes darted between the hounds, counting five of them moving in perfect sync, closing in from all sides.
Lucian's lips twisted into a manic grin. Without warning, he plunged the blade into his own stomach. Blood poured from the wound, staining the ground beneath him, but he didn't falter. His voice rang out, clear and commanding.
"Void Rend."
A sickly green energy erupted from his body, enveloping him in an expanding sphere of raw power. The air crackled as the sphere distorted reality itself, pulling everything toward its center with an unnatural force. The hounds tried to retreat, their limbs scrambling against the pull of the void, but it was futile. One by one, they were dragged into the swirling green chaos, their howls fading into silence.
When the energy dissipated, there was nothing left—no fur, no bones, not even blood. The forest was eerily silent once more, save for Lucian's ragged breathing. He gripped his stomach, coughing up blood as his wound began to regenerate.
His gaze dropped to the ground, where two faintly glowing items now rested—relics left behind by the defeated monsters. He smirked but didn't bother to pick them up. Instead, he turned back toward the lion-like monster he'd spared earlier.
"It's your time now," he said, his voice low. "But it won't be me who kills you."
Lucian closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the darkness in his gaze was gone, replaced by the hesitant, pained expression of his original self. He blinked, disoriented, and looked down at the monster lying on the ground. Its shimmering scales were gone, replaced by raw, exposed flesh. It was no longer struggling, its gaze distant and defeated.
Lucian's grip tightened on his sword. He had seen everything—felt everything—that the other version of himself had done. The cold precision, the ruthless destruction, the casual cruelty. It terrified him.
"That… thing inside me," he muttered, shivering. "It's a monster too."
He raised his sword, the blade trembling slightly as he pointed it at the neck of the monster lying motionless on the ground.. Its empty gaze didn't acknowledge the blade poised to end its life. It had given up.
"You quit, huh?" Lucian whispered. "Feeling powerless?"
The creature didn't react. It couldn't understand him, but the sight of it lying there, resigned to its fate, stirred something deep within him. It reminded him of himself—dragged through life by forces beyond his control, powerless to resist.
His hands trembled as he tried to drive the sword downward, but he couldn't do it. Gritting his teeth, he stepped back and sheathed his blade.
A familiar, mocking voice echoed in his mind. "Hah! Pathetic as usual. I didn't expect anything less from you."
Lucian clenched his fists. "Everyone deserves a second chance."
"It's a monster, you fool," the voice sneered. "It knows nothing of mercy or redemption."
"Then I'll just have to get stronger," Lucian replied, his voice steady. "Strong enough to face it again, if it comes to that."
The voice went silent, retreating into the depths of his mind. When Lucian turned back, the Monster was gone. He stared at the empty space it had occupied, his thoughts heavy.
"I can't waste my second chance either," he murmured, his resolve hardening as he stepped forward, the sunlight illuminating his path.