Jack's heart pounded against his ribs as he staggered near the pond's edge, his blood dripping into the once-luminous water. He could still feel the raw power of the pond's energy flowing through him, but it was fading the bear was absorbing it.
He had to act fast.
The mist around him swirled violently, moving unnaturally, as if alive. It wasn't just concealing the bear—it was an extension of it. A weapon.
Jack's body tensed. His sharpened senses barely caught the whisper of movement before the beast struck again.
A shadow lunged from the fog
" it's too fast"
Jack gritted his teeth, pivoting just as the bear's claws slashed at where his neck had been a second ago. The air hissed as the force of the attack carved through the stone behind him, leaving deep, jagged gouges.
"That would've torn me in half."
Jack retaliated without hesitation. He thrust his palm forward, a surge of lightning erupting from his fingertips.
The energy cracked through the mist, forcing it to momentarily disperse, revealing the bear's hulking silhouette.
But instead of dodging—
The bear charged straight through it.
Jack's eyes widened.
"It didn't even flinch!"
Before he could react—
BAM!
A massive claw struck his side, the force lifting him off the ground and slamming him into the cavern wall.
The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, his vision flashing white from the pain. He barely registered the sound of crumbling rock as cracks spread across the stone behind him.
Jack's body slumped forward, dazed. His arms screamed in protest as he tried to push himself up.
Then—he heard it.
"Groo..."
The bear was laughing.
A low, guttural sound that sent a chill down Jack's spine.
The mist thickened again, coiling around the beast like a living thing. Its already massive form began to shift, to expand. The glow from the pond pulsed, then dimmed even further.
Jack's breathing was ragged as he forced himself to his feet. If this keeps up, I'm dead.
He wiped the blood trickling down his chin, eyes narrowing.
Then his gaze flickered to the pond.
A plan began to form.
Jack inhaled deeply, centering himself. The five elemental pulses within him—**fire, water, earth, metal, and wood—**resonated, waiting.
He focused on lightning.
Jack raised a trembling hand, channeling the last of his strength. This had to work.
If the bear was absorbing the pond's energy, then Jack would use it against it.
As the bear prowled closer, its figure flickering between the mist, Jack smirked.
"Come on then, you bastard. Let's see if you can take a direct hit."
The bear roared—and lunged.
Jack dove into the pond.
The instant his body hit the water, he felt it—the raw, electric current of the pond's life force coursing through him, amplifying his power.
Jack clenched his fist, eyes glowing with raw energy.
The moment the bear followed him in—
Jack unleashed everything.
A storm of lightning erupted from his body, surging into the water and turning the entire pond into a death trap.
The chamber lit up as arcs of electricity danced across the surface, crackling like a raging thunderstorm.
And then—
A deafening howl of agony.
The bear convulsed, its massive form thrashing as electricity tore through it from the inside out.
Jack gritted his teeth, keeping the surge going. More. More. More.
The bear's fur blackened, smoke rising from its body as it struggled against the current.
Then—
With one final, earsplitting roar—
The beast collapsed.
The mist dissipated.
Silence.
Jack gasped for air, his limbs shaking as he crawled onto the rocky shore. His entire body felt like it had been burned from the inside out, but—
He was alive.
He forced himself to his feet, swaying slightly. His eyes locked onto the massive form of the demon bear—motionless.
"Heh i did it."
But just as the relief began to settle in—
The bear twitched.
Jack's body went rigid.
" No. That's impossible."
Slowly, ever so slowly, the beast began to rise.
Its scorched fur peeled away, revealing something beneath—something thicker, denser.
A new coat of fur.
Jack's breath caught in his throat.
The pond's power—it hadn't just healed the bear.
It had evolved it.
The bear's golden eyes snapped open, now burning with an even more feral intensity. Its body pulsed, stronger than before. The very air seemed to tremble around it.
The Unyielding Beast
Jack swallowed hard, his body trembling as he watched the colossal figure climb out of the pond. Water cascaded down its massive form, rippling over **newly grown fur—**thicker, darker, bristling with raw energy.
The bear stood taller than before, its muscles denser, its presence suffocating. The cavern itself seemed to tremble beneath its weight. And then—
It grinned.
Wider. Sharper. Hungrier.
Jack's breath caught in his throat. That same twisted grin. The same mocking expression.
Only this time, it wasn't just arrogance.
It was excitement.
Jack took an unsteady step back, his mind racing. He had poured everything into that last attack, using the pond's power to electrocute the beast. It should have died.
But instead—
It had adapted.
The bear rolled its shoulders, steam rising off its newly transformed body. Jack's sharp eyes caught the subtle changes—the thicker hide, the faint glow coursing beneath its fur, like veins pulsing with stored lightning.
It had absorbed his power.
Jack's stomach twisted. I made it stronger.
The bear took a step forward, the ground shaking beneath its weight.
Jack's instincts screamed at him to run. But his legs felt like lead. His body, already battered and burned, refused to move.
"Tch." Jack clicked his tongue, forcing his aching limbs to stay firm. No. Not like this.
His mind flashed back to his old life—endless hours in a gray office, mindlessly following orders, breaking his back for a company that never even remembered his name.
He had died once before. Forgotten. Replaceable. Powerless.
Jack's fingers twitched, electricity sparking weakly at his fingertips.
"I still have fight left."
The bear snorted, amused.
Then—it vanished.
Jack's eyes widened. Shit—
A blur of movement. The air rippled as the beast appeared in front of him in an instant.
Jack barely had time to throw himself to the side before—
BOOM!
The ground where he had just been shattered, stone exploding outward from the force of the bear's attack. A deep crater formed beneath its claws.
It's even faster now!
Jack rolled to his feet, wincing as pain flared through his ribs. I can't fight it Not anymore.