"Argh! It hurts! IT FUCKING HURTS! WHY DOES IT HURT SO FUCKING MUCH? Make it stop, stop it, STOP IT!"
Eryx's screams echoed into an endless void as waves of unbearable pain surged through his body. He felt as though he were being torn apart, every nerve ablaze. His voice, hoarse and raw, was swallowed by the oppressive darkness surrounding him. He couldn't see, couldn't move—just pain, nothing but pain.
Slowly, agonizingly, the pain began to fade, leaving a dull ache behind. Eryx gasped for breath, his chest heaving as his senses returned to him, though weakly. His thoughts, scattered and fragmented, began to coalesce.
Where am I?
Wait... no. Who am I?
What's going on? Why am I here?
The questions came unbidden, each one sharper than the last, driving needles into his mind. He clutched his head, trying to suppress the rising tide of confusion and anguish. But the more he tried to think, the worse the pain became.
"AHHH! MY HEAD! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO MUCH!"
Desperation took over, and he stopped struggling against his thoughts. Instead, he forced himself to focus on his surroundings—or the lack thereof. The darkness around him was suffocating, endless, and formless. Yet amidst the void, his eyes caught something. A tiny speck of light.
A faint glimmer.
Eryx's heart raced. It was small, barely noticeable, but it was there—a singular point of hope in this suffocating emptiness. Summoning what little strength he had, he tried to move toward it, only to collapse almost immediately. His body was weak, his limbs unresponsive, and even the smallest movement sent sharp jolts of pain through him.
But he couldn't stay here.
Gritting his teeth, Eryx began to crawl. The rough, unseen ground beneath him scraped against his skin, each movement sending fresh waves of discomfort through his battered form. The closer he got, the brighter the light grew. It was warm, inviting, and relentless in its radiance, cutting through the oppressive blackness.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Eryx reached the source. He squinted as the light overwhelmed him, and the void peeled away like an unraveling curtain. The world beyond was nothing like he could have imagined.
A blazing red sun hung high in the sky, its hue unnatural and menacing yet mesmerizing. The light it cast bathed the land in a crimson glow. For a moment, Eryx felt a strange sense of peace—a fleeting, fragile serenity. Tears welled in his eyes and slid down his cheeks as though his soul recognized something deeply buried within him.
But the peace didn't last.
A voice echoed inside his head, deep and cold, dripping with malice.
"Welcome to Hell, User."
The words sent a chill down Eryx's spine. His breath caught as an inexplicable dread gripped him, and his eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings.
It was a wasteland.
Ruined buildings lay scattered across a vast desert, their skeletal remains jutting out like accusing fingers pointing toward the heavens. The air smelled of ash and decay, and a faint, unsettling growl rumbled in the distance. As Eryx's gaze swept across the horizon, he froze.
Monsters.
Horrific creatures, their forms grotesque and twisted, roamed the city's ruins. Some crawled, others slithered, and a few flew overhead, their dark silhouettes blotting out the sun for fleeting moments. They moved with a predatory grace, their presence exuding a suffocating aura of terror and despair.
Eryx's heart sank. His hands trembled as he took in the scene before him. A pit of hopelessness opened in his chest.
"What... is this place?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the distant howls of the creatures.
The voice returned, colder and harsher than before.
"This is your trial, User. Survive or perish."
A guttural roar erupted nearby, snapping Eryx out of his stupor. His eyes widened as one of the monsters turned toward him, its many glowing eyes locking onto his frail form. It was massive, with jagged limbs and a maw filled with countless rows of teeth.
"Run," the voice commanded.
But Eryx couldn't move. Fear paralyzed him as the monster began to charge, the ground trembling beneath its weight.
"Run!"
This time, something inside him snapped. Fueled by sheer survival instinct, Eryx scrambled to his feet and bolted toward the city ruins. His legs wobbled, his breath came in ragged gasps, and his entire body screamed in protest.
But he ran.
Behind him, the monster roared, and the chase began.