*Pant*
*Pant*
*Pant*
Weak, labored breaths escaped from a young man slumped against a large, rugged rock, his body battered and bleeding. His black hair was matted with blood and grime, his dark eyes dulled, showing only a glimmer of life as it slowly ebbed away.
The wounds he bore, especially the gaping hole in his chest, sapped him of strength, and though the battle raged on nearby, its clamor was faint in his ears.
He was surrounded by death. Fallen bodies lay strewn across the scorched ground, remnants of a fierce battle between humans and Abyssals-a war that had ravaged the world for centuries.
The ground was soaked in blood, scarred by explosions, and littered with shattered weapons and armor. This war was an endless storm, pitting humanity against the Abyssals, a mysterious and deadly race that had appeared hundreds of years ago. Their origin unknown, but their purposewas clear: the annihilation of humanity and all other life.
Humans, outmatched by the sheer might of the Abyssals, had been forced to seek new strengths to survive. Through powerful bonds with magical beasts, humans found the power they needed, forging alliances with creatures that granted them magical abilities and strength beyond human limits.
Those with the potential to communicate with these beasts were called Beast Tamers, while those who succeeded in forming bonds became BeastBounds-the warriors who fought humanity's battles in this unforgiving war.
But Varyn was no Beast Bound. He wasn't even a Beast Tamer.
As he lay on the brink of death, a bitter chuckle escaped his lips, faint and filled with resignation. "What was I thinking, coming here? I'm not even supposed to be here. I don't have a beast, or any real power. Just... a kid who wanted to be useful."
His vision blurred, his mind drifting between past and present. He recalled his life-a chain of hardship and relentless struggle, which began before he even learned how to walk.
His memories flashed by in fragments: the streets where he had scrounged for scraps, the bitter cold of countless nights without shelter, the faces of strangers who never looked his way. He had been alone for as long as he could remember, without family or talent for magic. Survival had been his only accomplishment, his days marked by a desperate, ceaseless fight against starvation and despair.
When he'd finally scraped together enough courage and purpose, he left the city and joined the Legion, the military power defending humanity from the Abyssals.
Though he lacked any magical potential, he had found a place among them, assisting the fighters in any way he could. They were warriors, BeastBounds, wielders of magic and power, but they had shown him kindness. For the first time, he had found a semblance of family, a place where he was wanted.
But fate seemed to have more in store for him.
In a sudden and brutal attack, the Abyssals had struck their base. Situated on the kingdom's edge, it was sparsely defended, and those strong enough to hold the line were far from reach. By the time reinforcements would arrive, it would be too late.
Varyn let out a shuddering sigh, glancing up at the darkened sky, his eyes barely open. "Well, I guess this is it..." he murmured softly to himself. "At least I... I managed to take one down, didn't I? That's something... something to leave behind... right?" His chest heaved, each breath weaker than the last. He chuckled again, though it came out as more of a broken gasp. "Damn... you, world."
The sky above seemed endless and vast, stretching beyond the reach of his fading gaze. Memories continued to slip through his mind, a slideshow of everything he had endured and lost. He had fought tooth and nail, but the world had only ever pushed him harder, daring him to break. And now, as death's cold embrace tightened around him, he felt a strange sense of relief, a bittersweet acceptance of his end.
***
'Wait! You've got to be kidding me. After all that, I didn't make heaven. I only stole a bit when I was younger. But they should understand that, at least.' He was in disbelief.
Varyn stood in pitch darkness, a vast, unyielding void that swallowed everything around him. He couldn't see his own hands, couldn't even be sure the ground was beneath his feet. Only one thing was certain: the eyes.
Two piercing, bright eyes glowed in the blackness, locking onto him with a deadly, unblinking stare. They were large, feline in shape, and shimmered like molten gold against the darkness. They seemed to hang in the void, staring straight through him, studying his every heartbeat, every shallow breath he struggled to take.
A chill crept down his spine, rooting him in place. He felt small, defenseless, as if he were shrinking in the presence of something far greater, something he could neither fight nor flee from. Those eyes burned with a predatory intensity, a kind of primal knowledge that recognized his fear even before he did.
"Hello?" Varyn's voice barely escaped as a whisper, swallowed up by the void. But the eyes didn't respond—they just watched, their intensity unwavering.
A jolt of terror ran through him, leaving his limbs rigid and cold. His skin prickled as though an icy wind had swept over him, yet the air around him was dead, as still as the darkness itself. His heart thudded wildly, each beat a drum of panic that he was certain the creature could sense. He tried to look away, to tear his gaze from those eyes, but it felt as though they had him trapped, held by some invisible force, an iron grip that left him helpless.
He had never felt so exposed, like every thought, every vulnerability was laid bare to this creature in the darkness. The silence between them was thick and oppressive, stretching until he could feel it pressing against him, closing in. His throat tightened, the cold weight of fear lodging deep within him, freezing his voice, his movements, his very breath.
'Just what's going on. Is this a beast or death. Probably the latter. I don't remember beast encounters being something like this. How is someone supposed to tame this.'
Before he could clarify or ask any more questions, he felt his consciousness fading once again.
He fainted in the presence of this strange being.
And the moment his eyes opened once again. He found a different pair of eyes staring at him. It was an actual person. A lady to be exact.
"You're awake. Nice."