The Cyclops sobbed.
Its huge body shook, curled over itself, tears dripping
onto the dirt. The ground rumbled beneath it with each heavy breath
.
I stood there, frozen.
This didn't feel like a monster anymore. It looked… broken.
I took a slow step forward.
"Who told you to come here?" My voice wasn't sharp anymore. It was softer now, careful.
The Cyclops sniffled, rubbing at its eye with a huge, clumsy hand.
"He… he said I had to."
I moved closer.
"Why?" I asked. "Why does he want me?"
The Cyclops hesitated.
Then, it lifted its head.
"He's watching."
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
The air felt heavier.
Something was wrong.
Too late.
The Cyclops lunged.
A massive hand shot forward, closing around my waist.
The ground vanished beneath me.
Caught
Pain.
That was the first thing I felt.
The pressure of its fingers crushed my ribs, squeezing me so tight that my lungs couldn't expand. It felt like my body was caught in a steel trap, my insides pressing together as the air was forced out of me.
I gasped, but there was no breath to take.
Panic set in, fast and brutal.
I kicked wildly, but it was useless—the Cyclops's grip was like iron. My arms were trapped, my fingers going numb from lack of blood flow.
I thrashed, twisting, but every movement sent a fresh bolt of fire through my ribs. My bones felt like they were on the verge of snapping.
And then—I heard it.
Laughter.
Soft. Amused.
Wrong.
The Cyclops was grinning.
A slow, twisted grin, stretched wide.
Its eye glowed brighter, locking onto me with eerie delight.
Its voice had changed.
The crying? Gone.
Now, it was mocking me.
"Run, run, little human. You're not so fast now, are you?"
The words came out high-pitched, childlike, but dripping with something cruel.
I tried to answer—to say anything—but my throat was locked tight.
The Cyclops lifted me higher.
The world tilted. The forest below blurred, nothing but twisting shapes and patches of darkness.
I felt weightless—like I wasn't even part of my own body anymore.
Then—it pulled me close.
So close that I could see my own reflection in its massive, golden eye.
I was pale. My lips parted in a silent gasp, my face twisted in pain.
The Cyclops giggled.
"Look at you," it whispered. "So weak. So dumb."
Its breath hit my skin, hot and sour.
"You thought you could trick me?"
My lungs screamed.
I could feel it—my ribs grinding together under the pressure. The dull, wet ache of something straining, stretching too far.
My vision swam. My head felt light.
I had to do something.
I swung my fist—hard.
Crack
CRACK.
The Cyclops howled.
Its head snapped back.
Its eye turned red, veins bulging, a roar of pure agony ripping from its throat. Its massive hands flew to its face.
For a second, I thought it might drop me.
Then—the pain turned to rage.
Its fingers squeezed.
Too tight.
A sharp, sickening crack.
My rib.
Fire shot through my chest. A wave of pain crashed into me, stealing the air from my lungs.
I gasped, but every breath felt like knives slicing through my ribs.
A scream ripped from my throat—sharp, broken.
My whole body locked up, shaking. I tried to move, but the agony was too much.
It felt like something inside me had shattered.
I was slipping—my grip on reality loosening.
The Cyclops grinned.
"That hurt, human."
Then, it raised me higher.
I knew what was coming.
It was going to slam me into the ground.
I braced for impact, my mind scrambling for a way out.
Then—
The Cyclops froze.
The Change
Its body jerked.
A shudder ran through it, its whole frame stiffening. Its eye flickered, its grin twisting into something else.
Confusion.
Fear.
Then—it happened.
The Cyclops grabbed its head.
And dropped me.
I crashed onto the dirt, pain exploding through my ribs. But I barely had time to recover,Because the Cyclops was shaking.
Its hands clawed at its skull. Its chest heaved.
And then—it spoke.
"Stop—stop! It hurts! I'll do it! I'll bring him! I'll bring Ethan!"
My blood ran cold.
I barely had time to process what it said before it collapsed to its knees.
Its body twitched.
Then—it started crying.
Real tears.
Tears poured down its face, its massive form hunched over, rocking back and forth.
"I'm sorry," it whimpered. "Please don't hurt me. I won't disobey again."
It clutched its head, sobbing, shaking.
I lay there, breathing hard, chest burning.
And for the first time since the fight started, the Cyclops wasn't my enemy anymore.
It was terrified.
But of who?
And why did they want me?