My eyes open to a world that is strange, overwhelming. The ground beneath me is rough and cold, the sharp scent of wet earth fills my nose, and the air itself feels heavy and vast, pressing down around me like an invisible weight. This is not the warm, safe place I was born into—it's something harsher, wild, and unknown. A place where survival is not given, but earned.
My body feels small, fragile even, but deep within, something stirs. It's an energy I don't yet understand, but I can feel it like a flame flickering in my chest, waiting to be released. I know that it belongs to me. I feel an urge, a need, to reach for that energy, to make it mine. And then, like a whisper from some hidden place within, a single thought emerges: Survive.
My gaze scans the environment, taking in the towering trees and the shifting shadows they cast. Every movement in the leaves, every faint sound, every unfamiliar smell draws my attention. I don't know why, but my body begins to respond—my breathing slows, my muscles tense. It's as if my instincts, honed over generations, are awakening, guiding me to survive.
I close my eyes, and I sense something about myself that doesn't feel quite…natural. My thoughts are sharper, stronger, more focused than I would expect for one so young. I don't know where this awareness comes from, but I can feel it. Thoughts fill my mind, instincts telling me what I must do: Stay low. Control your breath. Listen to the earth.
Then I feel it, a faint vibration in the ground. I open my eyes and turn toward the sound. They're soft footsteps, but with each step comes the scent of hunger—a predator closing in. My muscles tense even further, and I feel my pulse quicken. In the shadows, I catch sight of gleaming eyes fixed on me, filled with deadly intent.
The Beast
Without thinking, my body knows what to do. My breath becomes even slower, and I press myself closer to the ground. The beast, a large, feline predator, creeps closer, its movements cautious but determined. I am small and defenseless in its eyes, a perfect prey. But something inside me rebels. I am not prey.
A tingling sensation rises in my hands, and I reach for the energy within me. It swells like a wave, and before I fully understand what I'm doing, a crackling surge of magic bursts from my fingertips. The air snaps, and a bright flash of light slams into the creature, sending it stumbling backward. For a moment, it stares at me, confused and wary, before it retreats into the shadows, knowing it has encountered a force it cannot understand.
Triumph fills me, but so does wonder. What did I just do? The magic still pulses in my fingertips, a reminder of the power that lies within. I realize now that this strength is part of me, waiting for moments like these to be unleashed.