Darkness wrapped itself around me, heavy and never-ending.
Nothing held me down but the gentle echo of my heartbeat as I floated aimlessly through emptiness. Slow. Fading.
For a moment, I thought this was the end for me.
But then, something unexpected occurred .
A gentle warmth trickled through the void. It was gentle but persistent like a motionless water. My chest opened, the air rushing in sharp and cold. My fingers twitched, my senses slowly coming back.
With a strangled gasp, I opened my eyes.
IAs I lay on the uneven stone floor, I could make out weak light veins that wound their way across the cavern walls. Wet and chilly, the air had an odd metallic odour. Groaning, I pushed myself upright, my body heavy and uncooperative. "damn the room service really gone down hill" i mutter to myself. As I looked around confused.
"What the hell happened?" I muttered, clutching my chest. Last thing I remembered was being turned into a shish kebab.
The pain was gone, but so was something else, something more important. My mana core. I couldn't feel the faint hum of energy that had always been there, weak as it was. It was as if a part of me had been ripped away, leaving only an empty hollow in its place.
I got to my feet, then stabilized myself against the wall. A sliver of light glowed faintly through a crack in the stone at the far end of the cavern.
"Alright," I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow. "Let's go on an adventure."
I somehow managed to fit through the crack and emerged into the open air.
The world that stretched before me, vast and endless, more beautiful and terrifying than anything I could've imagined. "Something tells me i might be dead" as i mutter to myself while pinching my cheeks. "Ouch" i yelled. I guess I haven't kicked bucket yet.
This world is something else.The grass glistening beneath a dusk sky, rolling fields of green and gold stretched forever into the horizon. Towering trees looked like sentinels, their shining silver leaves only dimly lit. Odd animals rushed amongst the trees, their forms too quick and strange to really understand.
For a moment, I wandered around aimlessly, my fear giving way to awe. I plucked strange glowing fruits from low
hanging branches, biting into their juicy sweetness. I watched small, winged lizards flit between flowers and startled a rabbit-like creature with scales instead of fur.
I ran through the forest with a smile on my face, leaping over roots and soaring through soft patches of moss as I went after tiny creatures. I filled my mouth with delightful, succulent fruit, smiling as the juice ran down my cheek. Goblins waved back as I called out to them, and bunnies scattered, their little hops making me laugh with joy. Everything felt like an unlimited journey, an exciting escapade waiting to be discovered. But then the air shifted.
The warmth of the world turned cold. A chilling breeze swept through the field, cutting through my skin like knives.
The cheerful chatter of creatures vanished, replaced by something unnatural, deafening silence as something was coming, something dangerous.
I stopped, my chest tightening.
And then I saw it.
At the edge of the forest,a silhouette merged out the shadows, its massive form hunched and rippling with every step. Its black fur shimmered like smoke, its ember-red eyes glowing with a familiar, terrifying light.
"The wolf," I whisper.
My breath caught in my throat as memories flooded back its claws digging into my chest, the agonizing pain, and the abyss that had engulfed me entirely.
With every step it took closer, a heavy weight started to press down in my chest. My hand trembled as it instinctively where the wolf had stabbed me. The pain wasn't real at least, not physically. But I could feel it, like a phantom wound flaring to life.
"No," I whispered, taking a step back.
The wolf's growl was low and uneven, vibrating in the air as its ember eyes locked onto mine.
A chill ran down my spine. I didn't wait.
Without thinking, I turned around and ran toward the forest.
Branches whipped against my arms and face as I pushed deeper into the forest, my lungs burning with every desperate breath. Behind me, I could hear its slow footsteps following.
It wasn't rushing at all. It didn't need to.
I didn't once look back. My mind raced, panic squeezing my chest as the phantom pain got worse .
It's going to kill me again. "Someone help me," I yelled out loud.
The thought struck like lightning, and my legs gave up for just a second.
Realization hit me. It doesn't matter how far I run. I can't outrun it.
The wolf was stronger, faster, and relentless. It had already killed me once, therefore it will have no issue doing it again.
I straightened, every muscle exhausted as I turned to face the damn creature.
The wolf emerged from the shadows, its ember eyes burning brighter as it closed the distance between us.
"Are you stalking me or something," I said, my voice calm but steady. "If you are, it's kinda weird man."
The wolf stopped, tilting its head slightly, as if it understood me.
"Alright," I muttered, grabbing a thick branch from the ground. "Let's finish this."
The wolf's growl rumbled deep and menacing, vibrating through the earth under my feet. It crouched, muscles coiling like springs, and then lunged.
I dove to the side, the wolf's claws ripping through the air where I had just been. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, and I barely managed to roll to my feet.
"Not bad, Fluffy," I said, gripping the branch tighter. "But you're going to have to try harder than that."
The wolf snarled, its ember-red eyes narrowing. Its smoky fur rippled unnaturally as it prowled forward, stalking me with slow, deliberate steps.
I backed away, scanning my surroundings for anything I could use. Rocks. Fallen branches. Anything.
The wolf lunged again, faster this time. I swung the branch with all my strength, and it connected with a loud crack against its head. "yea you like that you damn mut," i said out loud. The wolf staggered slightly, growling in irritation, but recovered almost instantly.
"That's it," I muttered, stepping back. "Come on. Keep it coming damn ugly mutt."
The wolf furiously leapt forward, and I ducked, its claws grazing the air above my head. It landed heavily, its claws digging into the tree.
I ran to gain some distance then I threw a rock at its face, and it let out a furious growl.
"Fetch!" I shouted, grabbing another rock.
The wolf's growl deepened, its eyes blazing with fury. It charged, its movements had gotten wilder and reckless now. I dodged at the last second, and its body slammed into a tree. The trunk cracked and splintered under the force, and leaves rained down as shook the tree dangerously.
"You might want to see a chiropractor for that," I said, circling around to the other side of the clearing.
The wolf turned on me, growled, and it lunged again. I ducked and rolled to the side, grabbing a pointed branch from the ground.
Its claws struck another tree, ripping through the bark like paper. The wolf let out a furious roar of frustration, shaking its head as it turned to face me again.
"You're really bad at this," I said, waving the branch like a sword. "Don't they teach wolves how to catch their prey?"
The wolf's eyes blazed with even more anger, and it let out a deafening roar.
It charged again, faster this time, but its wild movements made it sloppy. I dodged at the last second, and the wolf crashed into another tree, shaking the ground with the impact.
"You're Not the sharpest tool in the shed, huh?" I said, grabbing a longer, and thicker pointed branch from the ground.
The wolf snarled, shaking itself as it turned to face me. Its growl was lower now, more guttural, its body visibly twitching with rage.
"That's right," I said, gripping the makeshift spear tightly. "Keep coming, Fluffy. Let's see how this ends."
The wolf crouched, its muscles coiling as it prepared to pounce. As it lunged at me once more. I rolled to the left, as its claw slightly ripped through my right arm, in exchange it head smashed against a giant rock,
I took that chance to sprint toward a large tree, my fingers clawing at the bark as I climbed upward. My arms were on fire, my legs shaking as I climbed higher, the jagged branch still clutched in my hand.
The wolf roared below, ramming the tree with its head. The impact shook the branches, and I gripped the trunk for my life .
"Alright, Big Bad," I said, steadying myself on a sturdy branch. "Come and get me."
The wolf crouched again, its ember eyes locked onto me. Then it leaped.
Time seemed to slow as it flew upward, its claws outstretched. I waited until the last possible second, then jumped.
I launched myself from the branch, aiming for the wolf's back. My spear struck first, plunging deep into its skull. The force of the impact sent us both crashing to the ground. But I didn't stop. I stabbed my wooden spear branch over and over again, "Die you damn dog," as I screamed.
The wolf let out a final, guttural growl, its body twitching before going still.
I rolled off of it, gasping for breath, my chest heaving. The spear slipped from my trembling hands, falling to the ground beside me.
I stared at the wolf's motionless body, my mind racing. Its ember eyes flickered one last time before fading into darkness.
"I did it," I whispered, my voice raw. "I actually did it."
For a moment, I lay there, unable to move, the adrenaline still coursing through me. Then, something weird happened.
The wolf's body began to dissolve, shadowy tendrils rising from its form like smoke.
And then I saw it.
A faint glow in the center of the dissolving shadows.
A mana core.
It hovered in the air for a moment, glowing faintly with an eerie light.
I reached out without thinking, my fingers curling around the core.
Before I knew what I was doing, I bit down.
The taste hit me immediately—bitter, metallic, with an undercurrent of something wild and untamed. It was like biting into raw power, the energy coursing through my veins as I devoured it.
A wave of heat surged through me, radiating outward from my chest. My vision blurred, my limbs trembling as the core's energy flowed into the space where my own mana core had been.
I collapsed onto my back, clutching my chest as the last remnants of the wolf's shadows disappeared.
The forest was silent again, the oppressive weight of the wolf's presence finally gone.
"Okay," I muttered, letting my eyes close. "Maybe just… a little nap…"
And then everything faded to black.