Merir could barely breathe.
He leaned heavily against the gnarled trunk of an ancient tree, sweat dripping down his face and mixing with the sticky blood on his arm. The forest pressed in on all sides, dark and menacing. Every shadow seemed alive, every rustle of leaves a claw swiping at his fraying nerves. The snarls of the three beastlings prowling outside his cover sent waves of panic writhing through his chest.
His muscles screamed in protest as he struggled to catch his breath, an aching heat radiating from his body like invisible chains. The unyielding cold voice of the system echoed faintly in his mind, as cold and distant as ever.
"Lie Gauge: 35% remaining."
Thirty-five percent. Merir grimaced, clenching his fists. That wouldn't be enough—not sustaining multiple lies in a pitched fight like this. If he tried, he wouldn't just fail—he'd collapse. He had already pushed his body harder than he ever had. The teleportation, the blade, the shield—it was too much.
He glanced at his trembling hands. Summoning anything else would sap the last dregs of his Lie Gauge. He could feel it in the marrow of his bones, and even thinking about pulling from it made his already pained breaths hitch.
The memory of the system's earlier warnings rang like a bell in the back of his head:
"Attempting lies with less than 10% gauge remaining causes severe strain. Pushing beyond 0% may destabilize surroundings or cause unconsciousness."
Merir wiped his brow and sank deeper into the shadows of the tree, lowering himself to a crouch. He would need time. Time to think, time to plan—but more importantly, time for his Lie Gauge to recharge.
"You just need to hold out. Just wait it out."
The beastlings, still licking their wounds from the earlier exchange, circled the clearing cautiously. They snarled to one another, pacing restlessly, orange eyes burning like embers in the fading light as they searched for the human who had disappeared in an impossible flash of light just moments ago.
One of them caught the scent of his blood—a sharp, primal growl erupted from its throat as it turned its head toward the massive tree shielding Merir. The chase wasn't over.
---
Recharge Requires Stillness
Merir knew nothing about meditation. He barely understood how to even *rest. His life had been a constant cycle of struggling to survive, enduring humiliation, and now, clawing for power somewhere in a dark forest with monsters at his heels. And yet, if he didn't find a way to let the Lie Gauge recharge, he'd die here.
He closed his eyes tightly, kneeling in the wet dirt under the roots of the tree, and forced his body still. His hands fell to his lap, his injured arm throbbing as beads of fresh blood dripped from the length of torn fabric covering it. Every instinct screamed at him to move, to act, but he gritted his teeth, biting down the panic, and whispered softly:
"Just focus. Just breathe."
His breaths slowed, his chest rising and falling faintly as he forced himself to center his thoughts.
---
Outside, the first beastling dug its claws into the bark of the tree, growling as it traced its prey's hiding place. The other two circled wide, snapping at each other over ground lost to the man who had slipped from their grasp over and over again.
Merir could hear them—each growl and thundering snarl slicing through the silence and pulling his focus. He didn't dare move. One wrong step, one flicker of light, and he'd give himself away.
Slowly, the tension in his muscles loosened, though the aching soreness lingered. He fell deeper into a meditative rhythm, breathing in slowly, then out until time began to lose its shape.
---
Minutes Passed: [5]
Updated Lie Gauge: 50% Remaining.
---
Merir's heart eased when the system updated his capacity in the back of his mind. Not by much, but enough to give him tools again.
The first lie he'd use was obvious—something that had kept him hidden before. Slowly, he opened his lips and murmured so softly that his whisper sank into the breeze.
"My footsteps make no sound."
The golden ripple moved outward faintly, quietly infusing reality. He flexed his legs experimentally against the dirt, shifting his weight. Silence gripped every movement like a seamless rhythm.
---
The larger beastling roared suddenly, its snarl piercing through the quiet. Its glowing eyes locked onto the tree shielding Merir, and the pack charged.
His entire body stiffened, death inches from claiming him.
---
"I am NOT ready for this,"* Merir thought frantically. His legs coiled as the beasts closed in faster than his exhausted instincts could process. One slashed at the length of the tree trunk where he hid, barking madly. They were going to tear him to pieces.
Despite every nerve in his body screaming, despite the fatigue gnawing at his soul, he whispered:
"The light bends."
His form shimmered, the light warping and bending him from sight entirely. The tension in the air grew thick with distortion, hiding him just in time as the first beast's glowing eyes swept wildly over where he should've been.
The coursing mark left by his blood on the bark of the tree only confused it. It sniffed wildly, black nostrils flaring. But to the beastlings, he was now just... gone.
Merir crouched low, clutching his injured arm and shifting silently toward a broader patch of cover. Each step bit into his stamina, but his lies worked.
---
For now.
The beastlings barked angrily, circling and snapping at the empty patch they swore had once held his scent. Their confusion would only last so long.
Somewhere deep in Merir's mind, another thought burned. He couldn't distract forever. This was just another borrowed second, and they'd adapt. His body wouldn't hold out if he ran forever.
He stepped further into the growing shadows and gripped his bruised hands tightly. The next strike would need to count. It wouldn't be pretty, but it could level the field if he dared.
"This isn't a game anymore. If I screw this up, I'm meat."
The plan formed slowly as the air beneath him thickened. Lying wouldn't be enough without striking first.
The snapping of jaws and the guttural growls of the beastlings stirred the dying light of the forest into chaos. The first beastling clawed at the empty space where Merir should have been, its jagged black claws tearing furrows into the base of the tree. The light-bending lie had made him invisible to the naked eye, but Merir knew it wouldn't last.
The heavy, burning sensation in his chest spread wider with each strained breath. His injured arm throbbed under a makeshift bandage of ripped fabric, slick with blood that dripped and pooled faintly beneath him. He couldn't stay hidden. The pack could still smell him—it was only a matter of time before they locked onto him again.
Merir clenched his fists, golden light flickering faintly for a fraction of a second before dissipating entirely. His eyes locked onto the snarling pack in the clearing ahead.
If I keep running, I'll collapse. If I wait any longer, they'll find me, he thought bitterly, his gaze darting between the hulking shapes. The largest one—the leader, judging by its larger, broader body and the orange hue of its burning stare—was charging closer to the tree where he crouched. The others mirrored its movements, flanking wide.
Merir swallowed hard, forcing down the knot of fear in his throat. Running wasn't an option. Hiding couldn't last forever. It was time for something reckless.
Time to finish this.
His body shook as he crouched lower, fingers brushing against the rough ground beneath him. He didn't let himself overthink it—the plan was crude, risky, and more dangerous than anything else he'd attempted. But it forced the world into his favor just long enough for him to survive.
He closed his eyes briefly.
And then, he whispered, his voice steady despite the tremor in his body:
"I say, therefore I am… I am there, not here."
---
The ripple of golden light that burst from Merir's body felt like something tearing through him. His vision spiraled into chaos as the air warped—trees, dirt, and growling beastlings folding into strange fractals of color and shadow all at once. A heavy pressure gripped his body, yanking him violently forward, and for a breathless second, reality seemed to disappear completely.
Then it snapped back.
He stumbled into existence behind the leader of the beastlings, his boots sliding in the damp earth as he clutched his ribs. The sudden teleportation left him winded and disoriented as blood pounded loudly in his ears. The golden glow around him flickered and vanished, raw exhaustion dragging heavily at his limbs.
The leader—caught completely off guard—snarled in confusion, its claws slashing at the empty spot where Merir had been moments earlier.
Merir didn't hesitate. He forced himself upright, gritting his teeth as a surge of adrenaline pushed him into action.
"This light is a blade!"
The jagged golden energy flared in his hand again, sputtering faintly as it struggled to maintain its form. He ignored how unsteady the weapon felt, lunging forward and driving the crude blade straight into the beastling's exposed flank.
The creature roared in fury, its deafening cry shaking Merir to his core as the golden edge bit deep into its corrupted flesh. Black ichor spilled freely, splattering the ground in thick bursts. The leader staggered but didn't fall. Its massive body twisted in rage, claws swiping toward the boy who dared to wound it.
Merir ducked low, narrowly avoiding the sweeping claws as they carved through the air above him. Adrenaline burned through the fatigue like fire, keeping him just ahead of the beast's violent counterattack.
One of its flanking allies, snarling in fury, charged toward him next. There was no time to think—just raw instinct, built from days of action and moments of survival.
"This light is a shield!"
The second lie ripped from his lips unsteadily, the shield forming just in time to catch the second beastling's slash. The crude golden barrier shimmered faintly but held long enough for Merir to shove it forward, forcing the creature's claws to skid harmlessly across its uneven surface.
But his legs buckled under the weight of the impact. The shimmering shield dissipated, the strain of maintaining another lie pressing like steel bars against his chest.
Before he could react further, the pack leader recovered and turned, its burning orange gaze locking onto him with unrelenting fury. Black ichor dripped from its wound as it roared, the sound shaking the very trees around them.
Merir staggered backward, his golden blade flickering dangerously as he struggled to keep balance. His breaths came in short, labored bursts; every part of his weary body screamed at him to stop, to let go, to just collapse beneath the exhaustion.
And yet, deep in his chest, determination flared.
"I'm not dead yet," he thought bitterly, forcing a small smirk even as his vision blurred.
---
The final charge came faster than he had anticipated. The leader lunged forward, claws extended, its deranged orange eyes narrowing with predatory focus. Merir clenched his crude flickering blade, his knuckles white as he planted his back foot against the ground and braced himself.
Closer. Let it get closer.
The beast roared again, swiping wildly as it closed the distance. Merir ducked to the side, the claws barely missing his bloodied arm.
His fingers flexed sharply.
"I am there, not here!"
---
Reality warped again, collapsing inward with a jarring pull as Merir disappeared from the beast's reach entirely. This time, he reappeared directly above it—golden light shimmering around him as gravity seized hold.
The sudden strike left no time for the beast to react.
Merir drove the flickering golden blade downward with all his remaining strength, the jagged edge biting straight into the back of the creature's neck. Black ichor gushed forth in a sickening spray, the beast crashing to the ground with a guttural cry that shook the clearing.
Merir hit the ground hard, the impact rattling through his knees. He rolled out of the way just as the hulking body of the pack leader collapsed beside him with one final, broken snarl.
The remaining two beastlings hesitated, their snarls faltering as they watched their leader fall. Merir forced himself to his feet, his body trembling violently. The golden blade, still unstable, shimmered faintly in his bloodied hand.
"You want more?" he growled hoarsely, his voice ragged but defiant.
The beastlings exchanged glances before slinking back into the shadows, their orange eyes fading as they disappeared into the forest.
Merir exhaled sharply, his strength failing as he collapsed onto one knee. The golden blade flickered one last time before vanishing completely.
The system's voice echoed faintly in his mind, though he barely registered it:
"Lie Gauge: 15% remaining. Recommended: Rest Immediately."
Merir's lips curled into a weak, bitter smile as he stared up at the darkened trees. Blood still dripped from his arm and thighs, and every muscle in his body felt like it had been ripped apart and patched back together, but somehow, he was still alive*.
"What now?" he muttered wearily to himself, laughing faintly as his vision began to blur.
The forest murmured in response, the wind carrying his exhaustion far into the vast, unfeeling distance.