The first sensation Aaron felt was an overwhelming dizziness, as though his mind was struggling to grasp the world around him. He couldn't remember how he got here—, *here* being an unfamiliar place, with an air so thick and pungent that it felt like the very air was alive. The first thing he noticed was that the ground beneath him was wet, the earthy scent of the forest heavy in the air. The trees stretched endlessly into the sky, their canopy thick and dark, casting the forest floor in dim, greenish light. He was on his back, lying on something soft yet unidentifiable.
He groaned, his head pounding as if it had been split open. Something was wrong. The world around him didn't seem real, too vivid, too unnatural. There was no memory of what happened before this. His mind was a blank slate, save for the vague recollection of a violent jolt, a sharp pull—and then nothing.
When he tried to sit up, his body protested. *His body.* There was something... different about it. It felt alien to him, despite the fact that it was undeniably his own. He looked down at his bare chest, and panic rushed through him when he realized he was completely naked. His skin was smooth, with lean muscle rippling beneath it. He was strong, but not in a way that felt familiar. He was in someone else's body. This wasn't the body he remembered.
As he shakily stood, the cold morning air hit him, and he felt the tension in his legs as they supported him, a body he couldn't call his own. Despite the initial disorientation, there was a strange sense of power coursing through him. He didn't know how, but everything felt... sharper. *More alive.* His senses were heightened, attuned to every whisper of wind and every rustling in the underbrush around him.
Panic surged again as he realized he was completely alone in the forest. There were no paths, no sounds of civilization, no sign of where he had come from. The only thing that kept him going was the strange pull in his chest—a feeling like he needed to move, like there was something drawing him forward.
He wasn't sure where he was going, but he kept moving
His journey through the forest seemed endless, and the weight of his confusion made every step feel heavier. He tried to make sense of the world, but everything felt wrong. The trees loomed overhead, their gnarled branches twisting like unnatural fingers, and the air was thick with an unsettling energy. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.
That's when he saw her.
At first, she was just a figure in the distance, but as she drew nearer, the cold, calculating look in her eyes became unmistakable. She wasn't alone—she moved with purpose, and something about the way she carried herself made Aaron's instincts scream that she wasn't someone to be trifled with.
And then she noticed him.
Her eyes narrowed in immediate suspicion, a flash of calculation flickering behind her gaze as she took in the sight of the naked, bewildered man standing in the middle of the forest. Her lips curled into a sneer, and she quickly advanced toward him. She didn't hesitate, her movements swift and deliberate.
"You must be an idiot," she spat, her voice sharp, as she closed the distance between them. "Out here, looking like that. What, you think you're safe?" She pulled a blade from her waist, a curved, jagged thing that gleamed ominously in the dim light of the forest. "You're just another weak fool I can sell off for profit."
Before Aaron could react, she lunged at him, her blade flashing through the air.
He had no idea what to do. His body felt alien to him—unfamiliar. He barely dodged her first strike, feeling the rush of air as the blade skimmed his skin. But he couldn't just stand there. His instincts kicked in, even if his mind was slow to catch up. Something in him, something *unnatural*, surged to life within his chest.
And then, a voice echoed in his head—a voice that was neither his own nor anything familiar. It was cold, calculating, yet somehow comforting in the midst of chaos.
**"Resonance detected. Activating Chaos Blast."**
Before he could process what was happening, his right hand crackled with an intense, oppressive energy. The force built in his palm, surging uncontrollably. The girl's blade came down once more, but this time, Aaron reacted purely on instinct. He swung his hand toward her, and a wave of dark, chaotic energy exploded from his palm in a bright flash of destruction.
The Chaos Blast collided with her mid-strike.
The force was devastating—there was no other word for it. The resonance in the blast was pure and violent, instantly overwhelming everything in its path. The girl's body was thrown back, the ground beneath her cracking as the shockwave reverberated through the trees. Her sword was blown from her hand, and she crashed into a tree, crumpling into an unconscious heap. The energy from the blast lingered in the air, crackling like static.
Aaron stood there, panting, trembling from the power that had just coursed through him. His heart raced as his eyes fell on the girl lying motionless in the dirt. He couldn't believe what had just happened—he hadn't even *meant* to do it, yet he had killed her, or at least incapacitated her.
As the chaotic energy slowly dissipated, the voice in his head spoke again.
**"Chaos Blast successfully executed. Energy drain: Moderate. User should proceed with caution."**
"Energy drain?" Aaron muttered to himself, trying to make sense of the situation. He had no clue what was going on. He felt dizzy again, his body burning with unfamiliar power.
---
Aaron stumbled through the forest, unsure of where to go or what to do next. He needed answers, but he had no idea where to find them. That's when he saw a small cottage ahead, tucked away between the trees. Exhausted and unsure, he made his way toward it.
Inside, the air was warmer, and the flickering light of a small fire cast shadows on the walls. Two figures sat near the hearth—one, a tall woman with dark, red skin and a bat resting beside her; the other, a lean, sharp-eyed man holding a cup of something hot. They both turned as Aaron entered, eyes scanning him with interest, yet the woman's gaze was filled with suspicion.
"You're lucky you found us," the woman said, her voice low and guarded. "What's your name?"
"Aaron," he replied, still processing everything that had just happened. "I... I don't know how I got here. I don't know what's going on."
The man, Seth, leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "You don't remember how you got here, but you can already unleash that much power?" He gestured toward Aaron's hand, still tingling with residual energy. "Interesting."
Aaron hesitated. "What is this place? What's happening to me?"
Serena, the woman with the bat, crossed her arms and leaned back. "I think you're in the same boat as us, kid. We're wanderers, survivalists. We kill to stay alive." She glanced at Seth, who nodded in agreement. "But you've got something different. Something... powerful."
Seth spoke next, his voice soft but full of meaning. "You don't know what's happening yet, but you've got potential. And that's why we're going to recruit you."
Aaron felt his heart beat faster. He didn't know why they'd want him, but something told him this was the beginning of something important. Something dangerous.
He nodded slowly, unsure of what lay ahead. "Alright. I'll join you."
And with that, Aaron's journey into this chaotic new world began. The pieces were falling into place, but the questions were just beginning. What was this Resonance? What was the true nature of the powers coursing through him? And, most importantly—*who* was he, really?