Curiosity gnawed at Alex as he stared at the device. Its surface was warm to the touch, almost pulsing like a heartbeat. He pressed the button, and the world around him shifted.
The air grew heavy, charged with static energy. A blinding light erupted from the device, and Alex felt himself being pulled forward, as if the ground beneath him had vanished.
When his vision cleared, he was no longer in the locker room. He stood in a vast, desolate landscape, the sky torn apart by glowing rifts. Strange creatures roamed in the distance—massive, hulking beasts with glowing eyes and jagged forms.
A low growl behind him made Alex turn.
Standing there was a wolf-like creature, its silver fur streaked with glowing blue veins. Its eyes locked onto him, unblinking.
"Easy," Alex murmured, his instincts screaming at him to stay still.
The wolf lunged.
Alex barely dodged, rolling to the side as the creature's claws slashed through the air. He grabbed a jagged rock from the ground, using it to block the next attack.
The fight was chaotic, primal. The wolf was faster, stronger, and relentless, but Alex refused to back down. With every move, he adapted, finding ways to use the terrain to his advantage.
Finally, with a desperate leap, Alex tackled the wolf, locking his arms around its neck. The creature snarled and thrashed, but Alex held on, tightening his grip until the wolf stilled.
For a moment, they stared at each other. Then the wolf lowered its head, its glowing eyes softening.
Alex didn't have long to recover. The sound of approaching footsteps made him turn. A group of men emerged from the shadows, their armor glowing faintly with Enerion. They carried weapons—blades and guns that crackled with the same energy.
"Well, what do we have here?" one of them sneered. "A stray tamer and his mutt."
Alex stepped in front of the wolf, his fists clenching. "Who the hell are you?"
"Rogue hunters," the man said. "And you're trespassing."
Without warning, they attacked.
The first swung his blade, aiming for Alex's head. Alex ducked, his instincts honed from years in the cage. He countered with a swift uppercut, but his bare fist glanced off the hunter's armored jaw.
"Shit," Alex muttered, dodging a second attack.
The wolf—Raze, Alex decided to call it—leapt into the fray. Its jaws clamped down on one hunter's arm, shaking him like a ragdoll. The man screamed, his weapon clattering to the ground.
Another hunter raised a rifle, aiming for the wolf. Alex moved without thinking. He tackled the man, slamming his elbow into his face. Blood spattered the cracked earth as the hunter fell.
But there were too many.
Alex and Raze fought like cornered animals, but the hunters closed in, their weapons driving them back. Alex's breath came in ragged gasps, his vision swimming.
Is this is?.
Then, something inside him shifted.
A surge of energy coursed through his body, hot and electric, filling him with a strength he didn't understand. His vision sharpened, and time seemed to slow.
When the next hunter swung his blade, Alex caught it with his bare hand.
The man's eyes widened in shock as Alex twisted the weapon from his grasp and drove it into his chest. The blade crackled, and the hunter collapsed, lifeless.
The remaining hunters hesitated, their confidence shaken. Alex met their gaze, his fists crackling with the same blue energy that pulsed through the rift.
"Your move," he growled.
The rogue hunters exchanged uneasy glances, their confidence faltering in the face of Alex's sudden transformation. The blue energy flickering around his fists seemed alive, pulsating with a rhythm that matched the charged hum of the rift itself.
The leader recovered first. "Don't just stand there!" he barked. "Kill him!"
Two hunters rushed forward, their Enerion blades slicing through the air. Alex ducked under the first strike, the crackling energy singing the tips of his hair. He sidestepped the second blade, grabbing the hunter's wrist and twisting it violently. The sickening snap of bone was drowned out by the man's scream as Alex slammed his elbow into his face, sending him crumpling to the ground.
The second hunter swung again, aiming to cleave Alex in half. Alex caught the blade with his bare hands, the blue energy surrounding his palms absorbing the weapon's energy. He twisted the blade away, its glow flickering as it powered down in his grip.
"What the hell is he?" one of the hunters muttered, his voice trembling.
"Focused," Alex growled, driving the blunt edge of the blade into the man's ribs.
Behind him, Raze was a silver-and-blue blur of motion. The wolf darted between hunters, its jaws snapping and claws ripping through armor. One hunter raised his rifle, but before he could fire, Raze leapt, knocking him to the ground. The man screamed as the wolf's teeth found his throat, silencing him in seconds.
The remaining hunters backed away, their weapons shaking in their hands.
"Regroup!" the leader shouted, his voice tinged with desperation. "We can take him if—"
Alex was on him before he could finish. The rogue swung his Enerion blade in a wide arc, but Alex sidestepped effortlessly, closing the distance. He slammed his fist into the man's gut, sending him staggering back. Before the leader could recover, Alex delivered a brutal knee to his chest, the impact shattering his armor and knocking him to the ground.
The leader coughed, blood splattering the cracked ground. He glared up at Alex, his arrogance replaced with fear. "You... you don't know what you're doing," he spat. "You're just a tamer who got lucky."
Alex knelt down, grabbing the man by the collar. The blue energy in his fists flickered, casting eerie shadows across his face. "Lucky?" he hissed. "You attacked me. You tried to kill my wolf. And now you're blaming luck?"
The leader didn't respond, his eyes darting to the glowing blade Alex held in his other hand.
"Let me show you how lucky I am," Alex said, standing and raising the blade.
The other hunters broke and ran, their shouts fading into the distance. The leader's eyes widened in terror as Alex's blade descended.
It stopped an inch from his throat.
"You're not worth it," Alex growled, tossing the blade aside. He turned and walked away, his fists still crackling with energy. Raze followed, its glowing eyes fixed on the fallen hunter.
Behind them, the rogue leader lay trembling, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
The adrenaline faded as Alex and Raze put distance between themselves and the hunters. The desolate landscape stretched endlessly before them, the jagged terrain bathed in the eerie glow of the rift.
Alex collapsed against a rock, his body aching from the fight. He clenched his fists, staring at the faint blue sparks that still flickered around them.
"What the hell is happening to me?" he muttered.
Raze lay beside him, its glowing eyes watching him silently. Despite its size and fearsome appearance, the wolf's presence was oddly comforting.
"You're not so bad," Alex said, scratching behind its ears. The wolf huffed in response, its tail thumping once against the ground.
The moment of calm didn't last.
A faint noise—a rustling sound, almost imperceptible—made Alex sit up. He scanned the horizon, his instincts on high alert.
"Great," he muttered, grabbing a sharp piece of debris from the ground. "More company."
A figure emerged from the shadows, moving cautiously. It was a woman, her clothes tattered and her face streaked with dirt. She carried a makeshift spear and moved with the wary grace of someone used to danger.
"Stay back," Alex warned, raising his weapon.
The woman froze, holding up her hands. "I'm not here to fight," she said, her voice hoarse. "I saw what you did to those hunters. I just want to talk."
Alex didn't lower his weapon. "Why should I trust you?"
"Because if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have warned you," she said, gesturing behind him.
Alex turned just in time to see a massive shadow descending from the sky. A rift beast—a twisted, reptilian creature with leathery wings and glowing red eyes—swooped toward them, its claws outstretched.
"Move!" the woman shouted, diving to the side.
Alex rolled away as the beast slammed into the ground, its impact shaking the earth. Raze leapt into action, lunging at the creature's flank. The beast roared, its tail lashing out and sending the wolf sprawling.
Alex didn't hesitate. He charged the creature, his makeshift weapon aimed for its glowing chest. The beast swatted him aside, sending him tumbling across the ground.
The woman joined the fight, driving her spear into the beast's leg. It howled, swinging its massive head toward her. Alex scrambled to his feet, his fists crackling with blue energy once more.
"Hey!" he shouted, drawing the creature's attention. "Over here!"
The beast roared, its glowing eyes narrowing on him. Alex held his ground, waiting until it lunged before sidestepping and driving his glowing fist into its chest. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, the beast's roar turning into a strangled cry as it collapsed.
The woman stared at Alex, her expression a mix of awe and disbelief.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Just a guy trying to survive," Alex said, wiping blood from his face. He looked at Raze, who was already back on its feet, and then at the woman. "You?"
"Lyra," she said. "And if you want to keep surviving, you're going to need help."
Alex glanced at the fallen beast, then at the glowing rift in the distance.
"Yeah," he said, nodding. "I figured."