A horrible clicking noise came from right behind him.
In-su froze, his body going rigid as dread coursed through him. Slowly, as if time itself was mocking him, he turned his head to look back.
The Wraith was right there, its monstrous maw mere inches from his face.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" In-su screamed at the top of his lungs, scrambling backward so quickly he almost tripped.
The Wraith lunged, its sharp legs slicing through the air as it chased him. In-su bolted, weaving through the trees, barely keeping ahead of the creature.
His panic drove him forward until he stumbled upon an old warehouse. Desperate, he threw himself through the door and slammed it shut behind him, leaning against it as he gasped for air.
"Jesus Christ, what is happening?!" In-su whispered to himself, panting.
The monster's clicking grew louder outside, its claws scraping against the building's metal walls. In-su pressed his back against a stack of crates, trying to stay out of sight.
But then he heard something else—voices. Peeking through a crack, he saw a group of students and their teacher, wandering through the forest on what seemed to be an excursion.
"What are they doing here?!" In-su whispered, his eyes wide.
The Wraith, sensing fresh prey, turned its attention toward the group. In-su's heart sank as he watched the creature weave its acidic web, trapping the students in its sticky, burning threads.
Their screams filled the air, and the teacher's desperate shouts to stay calm only made the situation more chaotic.
In-su's hands balled into fists. His instincts screamed at him to stay hidden, to wait for the monster to leave. But the sight of the terrified students being burned alive was too much.
"Come on, In-su," he muttered to himself. "You've got to do something. You can't just sit here."
He let out a deep breath, steeling himself. "Alright, here goes nothing."
With a yell that was more fear than courage, In-su charged out of the warehouse.
"HEY! OVER HERE, UGLY!" he shouted, waving his arms.
The Wraith turned toward him, its eyeless face tilting as it screeched. It lunged, and In-su barely managed to dodge.
One of its legs slashed across his arm, leaving a deep gash. He stumbled, clutching the wound as blood seeped between his fingers.
"Ah, crap! That hurts!" he cried, but he didn't stop moving.
The Wraith's next strike was too fast to avoid. Its leg pierced through his stomach, and In-su let out a pained gasp, blood dripping from his mouth.
This is it, he thought. This is how I die.
But then, something deep within him snapped, like a taut rope suddenly breaking under immense pressure.
EAT...
The word echoed in his mind, not as a whisper, but as a deafening roar.
EAT.
A guttural growl rumbled in his chest, reverberating through the warehouse like the warning of a predator unleashed. His body convulsed violently, his spine arching as though every nerve was igniting with raw, uncontrollable energy. His vision blurred, then sharpened—except everything was bathed in an eerie, blood-red hue.
In-su's teeth elongated into razor-sharp fangs, gleaming like the blade of a predator poised to strike. His nails extended into curved, jagged claws, dark as obsidian, and his skin seemed to shimmer with a faint, otherworldly glow. His eyes—oh, his eyes—blazed with unholy crimson light, the pupils narrowing into slits like those of a feral beast.
A sound erupted from him, neither human nor animal. It was a screech, guttural and primal, filled with rage and hunger—a sound that made the air itself shudder.
And then he moved.
In a blur of motion faster than he thought possible, In-su launched himself at the Wraith. He collided with it mid-air, the impact shaking the ground beneath them. His fangs sank into its neck with a sickening squelch, tearing into the sinewy flesh like a starved wolf tearing apart its prey.
The Wraith screeched in agony, its spindly limbs thrashing wildly, its acidic blood spraying in dark, sizzling streams. Yet, In-su didn't falter. He was relentless, his movements powered by a feral strength and a hunger that defied reason. His claws slashed through the creature's tough hide with ease, ripping chunks of flesh away and scattering them across the ground.
The Wraith's acidic blood sizzled against his skin, but he didn't seem to notice—or care. Every fiber of his being was focused on one thing: devouring.
Dae arrived just in time.
She froze mid-stride, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes widened in disbelief. The scene before her was something out of a nightmare.
"In-su…?" she whispered, though she wasn't even sure if the creature before her was still In-su.
What she saw was monstrous—In-su, covered in blood, his mouth twisted into a savage snarl, his crimson eyes wild and unrecognizable. He was ripping the Wraith apart with his bare hands, tearing into it with an almost mechanical efficiency, like he was born for this kind of carnage.
Dae's instincts screamed at her to act, but she couldn't move, couldn't process the horrifying transformation she was witnessing. It wasn't until the Wraith managed to fling In-su off with a powerful swing of its limb that she snapped out of her daze.
In-su's body flew through the air like a ragdoll, slamming into the warehouse wall with a bone-shaking crash. The impact sent debris raining down around him. He slumped to the ground, motionless.
The Wraith, now battered and dripping with its own acidic blood, turned its attention to Dae. Its eyeless face twisted in fury, its serrated limbs twitching with murderous intent.
Dae gritted her teeth, her hands trembling as she bit into the flesh of her palm. Blood welled up, thick and warm, and began to glow. The liquid shifted and morphed, forming a massive, ethereal sword that shimmered with an intense crimson light.
With a burst of energy, she leapt into the air, her sword raised high above her head. "Die, you piece of filth!" she roared, bringing the blade down with all her might.
The sword cut through the Wraith like a hot knife through butter, slicing it cleanly in half.
The creature let out one final, ear-piercing screech, its body convulsing violently before disintegrating into a cloud of ash. The air grew silent, save for Dae's ragged breathing.
She turned back toward the students, her voice sharp but steady despite the chaos she had just faced. "The rescue team is on their way. Stay here. Don't move until they arrive."
The students nodded wordlessly, their faces pale and filled with terror, but Dae didn't linger. She strode toward the crumpled figure of In-su, who lay unconscious amidst the debris.
Her breath hitched as she crouched beside him, her eyes scanning his body for injuries. What she saw left her speechless.
The gash in his stomach, the one that had been large enough to expose flesh and muscle, was gone. Not just healed—gone, as if it had never been there.
She reached for his arm, which had been mangled beyond recognition when the Wraith flung him aside. It was whole again, not a single scratch marring the smooth, unbroken skin.
Her eyes narrowed, suspicion clouding her gaze as she whispered, "His hand grew back… What the hell are you, In-su?"
For a long moment, she stared at him, as though willing him to answer despite his unconscious state. The In-su she knew—the awkward, terrified rookie—was no longer here. What lay before her was something else entirely.
Something monstrous.
The rescue teams arrived in their high-tech vans, their sleek surfaces gleaming under the faint light of the flickering streetlamps. The vehicles, with their reinforced exteriors and modular designs, hummed with the energy of cutting-edge technology. As the vans came to a halt, their side panels slid open with a soft hiss, revealing teams clad in state-of-the-art exosuits. The suits, a blend of futuristic armor and bio-enhanced fabrics, glimmered faintly with embedded circuits that pulsed in sync with their movements. Each team member carried an array of specialized tools attached to their suits, from retractable grappling hooks to compact energy weapons holstered at their sides.
"Clear the perimeter!" barked one of the team leaders, their voice amplified through their suit's integrated comm system. The sound was crisp and commanding, cutting through the tense silence like a blade. Responding immediately, the rescuers fanned out in perfect unison, their movements swift and calculated. Some carried energy shields—shimmering, semi-transparent barriers designed to repel even the most aggressive Wraith attacks—while others wielded advanced medical kits. These kits unfolded into portable treatment bays that hovered a few feet off the ground, their surfaces alive with glowing diagnostic screens, holographic interfaces, and auto-sanitizing tools. The soft hum of the equipment created a soothing undercurrent amidst the chaos.
One van, larger than the rest, deployed a containment pod—a reinforced cube of black and silver metal that hovered several feet above the ground. Its surface was etched with a complex web of glowing runes and intricate tech symbols, a fusion of ancient mysticism and cutting-edge science. The pod emitted a faint blue aura, designed to trap and neutralize any residual Wraith energy lingering in the area. As it floated into place, its containment fields rippled outward, creating a protective dome that shimmered faintly against the dim backdrop of the forest.
Dae stepped back instinctively, watching the scene unfold with a mixture of awe and wary appreciation. The rescuers moved like a well-oiled machine, their precision and coordination honed to perfection through countless similar operations. Their efficiency was almost mesmerizing, each member fulfilling their role seamlessly.
One of the rescuers, their visor reflecting the dim light, approached her. The faint hum of their suit's diagnostic systems grew louder as they stopped a few feet away, a scanning device extending from their gauntlet. The soft, pulsing light swept over her, analyzing her injuries in seconds. "You're hurt," they said, their tone clipped but not unkind. "Let me—"
"I'm fine," Dae interrupted, her voice sharp but tinged with quiet gratitude. She straightened, brushing a hand over the dried blood on her arm. "Focus on the kids and the rookie over there." She gestured toward In-su, who lay crumpled and unconscious against the warehouse wall.
The rescuer hesitated for a moment before nodding and turning toward the group of shaken students. Their approach was calm and measured as they addressed the terrified young people. "Everyone stay calm. You're safe now. We're here to help," they reassured, their voice steady and confident. Another member of the team activated a portable holographic barrier around the group, the translucent shield shimmering with a faint iridescent glow. The barrier hummed softly, creating a safe zone that protected the students from any potential threats.
Meanwhile, a second team worked to load the injured students into the vans. Each van's interior was a high-tech medical bay, equipped with adjustable diagnostic beds, automated first-aid tools, and nutrient-infused IV systems that activated the moment the students were secured in place. The rescuers moved quickly but carefully, ensuring each student was stabilized before moving on to the next.
Nearby, one of the rescuers crouched beside In-su, their scanner flickering wildly as it analyzed his condition. The readouts were erratic, the holographic display flashing data that made the rescuer pause. "This one's… different," they murmured, their tone filled with a mix of curiosity and unease. The scanner continued to emit rapid beeps, its display showing abnormal regenerative activity and elevated energy levels unlike anything they had seen before.
Dae overheard the comment and clenched her jaw, her gaze flicking to In-su's unconscious form. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, his face pale but somehow calm despite the chaos. "Yeah. I noticed," she said grimly, her voice low but steady. There was no point in hiding the truth—whatever had happened to In-su wasn't normal, and it was bound to raise questions.
The team leader approached her then, their suit's integrated lights casting a faint glow around them. Their visor tilted slightly as they addressed her, their voice modulated through the comm system. "What happened here?"
Dae's sharp amber eyes flicked to the smoldering remains of the Wraith, its dark ichor staining the ground in jagged pools. The faint stench of sulfur still hung in the air. She glanced back at In-su, her thoughts racing as she considered how much to reveal. "We survived," she said finally, her voice firm and unyielding. "That's all you need to know for now."
The leader hesitated, their visor reflecting the faint blue light of the containment pod, but they didn't press her further. Instead, they gave a curt nod and turned to oversee the containment and cleanup efforts.
The rescue team worked with swift precision, their advanced technology ensuring the scene was secured in record time. As the last of the students were loaded safely into the vans, the area around the warehouse began to quiet. The containment pod emitted a low hum as it finished neutralizing the residual Wraith energy, its glowing runes dimming as the task was completed.
Dae stood by In-su's unconscious form, her thoughts a storm of conflicting emotions. She couldn't shake the image of him tearing into the Wraith with an inhuman ferocity, his eyes blazing red and his body regenerating before her very eyes. Whatever had happened to him, it was beyond her understanding—and it terrified her.
She knelt beside him, her hand hovering over his arm for a moment before pulling back. "What are you, rookie?" she whispered, her voice barely audible as the rescue vans began to pull away, their engines humming softly in the distance.