A deafening clash of steel and roars of monstrous creatures echoed through the darkened stone corridors.
A group of knights sprinted through the dungeon, blades drawn, armor rattling as they fought off the abominations lurking in the depths.
Their leader, a blond knight with a jagged scar over his left eye, gritted his teeth as he cut through a twisted beast that lunged at them from the shadows.
"Hurry! We have to find them before it's too late!" he barked, his voice urgent.
One of the knights, panting as he deflected an incoming strike, snarled,
"What the hell were those fools doing to teleport them into this damned place?!"
"No time for questions!" their leader snapped. "Split up! Make as much noise as possible! Find them! Even if they're crippled, get them alive!"
The knights screamed in unison before obeying, their heavy footsteps pounding in different directions, clashing steel and monster howls filling the air.
Far from the chaos of swords and monsters, another world stirred, one with no knights, or monsters.
The sky cracked open, twisting into strange shapes, colors flickering like a broken screen. The ground shook, no longer solid or stable. Buildings crumbled into dust, their shapes vanishing like they had never existed.
Distorted screams filled the air, voices cut off as if erased.
In this chaos, a massive face appeared on the horizon, as if it were floating in space. Its features were twisted, eyes sinking into darkness, skin peeling away like torn paper.
Its mouth opened, but the only sound was a garbled noise, a mess of broken, glitched-out sound. Then it flickered and was torn apart as if something had erased it.
From the sky, a single eye appeared, huge, ominous.
Surrounded by swirling purple clouds that twisted like a living storm. It pulsed and flickered, shifting like broken data, filled with strange errors. It didn't blink. It only watched, staring as the world around it crumbled into scattered fragments.
Then, from deep in that void, a whisper drifted through the collapsing world.
"Let's meet again… in a wonderful new world."
The young man gasped, jolting upright, his whole body shaking. He took quick, panicked breaths, as if he had been drowning moments before. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his skin cold and damp with sweat.
He was in a deep pit.
The ground was rough and uneven, damp soil sticking to his palms. Small patches of grass grew between cracked stones, the only signs of life in the ruins around him.
Above, a jagged opening in the earth let in a weak glow of sunlight. The light barely reached him, leaving most of the pit in heavy shadows, cold and quiet.
The young man groaned, his body aching as he pushed himself onto his elbows. His breathing was shaky, the nightmare still fresh in his mind.
A world falling apart, a giant eye watching, howlings echoing from nowhere. It made no sense. But the fear? The fear felt real.
He rubbed his forehead, feeling a dull ache between his temples. Slowly, he registered his surroundings. The cold stone beneath him, damp earth sticking to his hands.
The air smelled of dust, decay, and something metallic, maybe blood. He didn't know where he was, but he knew one thing.
He wasn't safe.
Then came the sounds.
Distant but growing louder, clashing steel, heavy footsteps, and inhuman screeches. Monsters. And something else. Voices. Men shouting, boots hitting stones hard.
His breath caught.
"What's happening?"
His body tensed, instinct screaming at him to move, to run, but the noise was coming from the only exit, a jagged hole in the wall, like the entrance to a collapsed cave. His pulse quickened.
"Where am I?"
He crossed his arms, thinking, when something caught his eye. On the back of his right hand, bold red letters stood out against his pale skin.
'Save the world.'
His breath hitched. He reached out and traced the letters with his fingers as if checking they were real. As he touched them, a faint glow followed his movements, light flickering along the letters. A strange warmth spread through his skin, and then... A flood of broken images rushed into his mind.
A city skyline at sunset. A classroom filled with laughter. Faces, some smiling, others angry. Then, someone turning toward him. A silhouette, blurred and distant, but from the shape, it was probably a girl.
Her face was blurry, her mouth opening as if to speak.
The young man flinched as a deep growl echoed through the entrance, closer than before. His thoughts scattered, his focus slipping. His eyes darted toward the jagged entrance, but his mind pulled him elsewhere.
A silhouette again, faint, and distant.
He blinked again, and then jaws, sharp, rushed toward his face.
His instinct kicked in, barely twisting his body in time, the beast soaring past him, its rancid breath grazing his skin.
He hit the ground hard, rolling onto his stomach, his hands scraping against the rough stone. His pulse pounded in his ears as he scrambled onto his elbows and turned to face whatever had tried to take him down.
A wolf-like creature stood before him, its glowing red eyes locked onto him. Dark fur, streaked with blood, matted and torn. It moved with slow steps, a low snarl vibrating in its throat.
The young man pushed himself up, his muscles tense.
The beast was injured. Deep red marks ripped through its side, fresh wounds bleeding into its fur. It looked ready to collapse.
The young man hesitated. Could he just run away?
Then he remembered the sounds behind him, the humans' voices, the monsters' growls. If this place was filled with creatures like this, running blindly into the dark might be a death sentence.
The beast let out a guttural snarl and crouched low. It wasn't done.
"Shit," he breathed, his body tensing.
His eyes flicked to the entrance. He could run, the opening wasn't far, but he wouldn't have the time to consider it thoroughly.
The beast lunged, narrowly missing him as he threw himself aside, rolling out of the way as the monster's claws scraped across the stone.
He forced himself onto his feet and sprinted toward the jagged exit. Heavy footsteps thundered behind him.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" He hissed, pushing himself faster, pushing his legs to move faster, but the beast was faster.
He twisted at the last second, skidding as the wolf's jaws snapped inches from his back. He spun, raising his arms in defense just as the beast collided with him.
But instead of tearing him down, the impact met resistance, his arms locked firm, his stance shifting instinctively.
The beast's momentum twisted, its attack redirected, and it stumbled sideways, thrown off balance.
The young man's breath came sharp, his muscles coiled tight. His mind reeled.
He stared at his own hands, chest heaving.
"What... I... stopped it?" His heart pounded. That attack should have killed him, but he had survived.
For a brief moment, his mind cleared. The fear didn't vanish, but something in him changed. Maybe he didn't have to run. He wasn't powerless, he felt surprisingly good and the beast was injured.
He had survived this, maybe he could do more than just survive? Maybe he could fight back.
The beast snarled and lunged again. The young man's breath hitched, but this time, he stood his ground. His fingers curled into fists, his body bracing for the impact.
He moved, not away, but toward the beast, stepping into its charge. His hands shot forward, but they barely brushed against the creature's thick, blood-matted fur before it twisted mid-air, its weight slamming against him.
The force knocked him back, his shoulder colliding hard with the ground. A sharp sensation ran through his ribs.
The wolf snarled, lunging again. The young man barely rolled out of the way, his body more painful than he thought after all. He had to think quickly.
He couldn't just act recklessly, this thing was bigger, stronger, and more experienced in killing. If he didn't figure something out, he would die here.
He sucked in a breath, forcing himself to stay calm. He studied the beast, its movements, the way it favored its injured side. It was fast, but not as fast as before.
Its wounds were deep, slowing it down. The young man had an opening, but he needed to be able to exploit it.
He lunged forward, aiming for its side. The beast twisted, claws slashing toward his face. He barely pulled back in time, a sharp sting tearing across his forearm.
He gritted his teeth, he couldn't drop his guard, he had to keep moving.
Again, he went for an attack. Again, he failed. The beast battered him back, sending him sprawling onto the cold ground. Blood smeared against his skin, his body becoming a temple of pain. His breath came in short, ragged bursts.
The wolf growled low, its red eyes burning.
The young man forced himself up, his fingers curling into the dirt. His body ached, but his mind was sharpening. He had tried desperately to land a blow, but it never worked.
Brute strength wasn't enough, he had to fight smarter.
The beast lunged once more, a blur of bloodstained fur and gnashing teeth. This time, the young man didn't think, his body moved before his mind did, arms flying up, fingers clawing desperately at the rushing mass.
His hands barely caught hold of the creature's throat mid-leap, its coarse fur burning against his skin as the full force of its weight crashed into him.
The impact was brutal. His feet skidded backward over the rough stone, his back slamming into the pit wall. His bones rattled, his breath knocked from his lungs, but his grip held firm.
His fingers dug in, pressing against muscle as the beast snarled, thrashing wildly.
The beast's claws slammed into his arms and shoulders, ushering him into new heights of pain. His grip faltered for a split second, but as the wolf twisted, snapping its jaws dangerously close to his face, he regained strength.
The heat of its breath, rank, and metallic, sent a shiver through him. If he let go now, he was dead.
He roared, a sound more animal than human, and threw his full weight into the beast. He twisted his grip, yanking the creature to the side and forcing its body down.
The beast crashed onto the stone floor with a sickening thud, but it wasn't finished. It kicked, claws scrabbling, back legs trying to tear through him.
His muscles burned, his wounds screamed, but he refused to loosen his hold. His fingers pressed deeper, tightening around the creature's throat, cutting off its air. The beast's red eyes flickered with rage, then panic. Its snarls weakened into wet, ragged gasps.
It was dying. He was killing it.
Something twisted deep inside him. His fingers should have loosened, his body should have pulled away, but he didn't stop.
His grip only tightened, his breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. The beast's movements slowed, its body convulsing weakly beneath him.
Its heartbeat was now faint.
The young man's hands shook, but he kept squeezing. His blood mixed with the beast's, pooling around them, staining the cold stone. He could feel the last remnants of life slipping away, fading beneath his grip.
Then, finally...
Silence.
His hands trembled, still wrapped around the creature's limp throat. He could feel its lifeless body beneath him, heavy, motionless.
His own breath was ragged, chest rising and falling in unsteady bursts. His blood mixed with the beast's, pooling around them, warm and sticky against the cold stone.
His heart pounded. His vision blurred. His body, covered in wounds and exhaustion, was on the verge of collapse.
Then, a chime echoed in his head.
[System Initialization Complete.]
A stream of luminous text filled his vision, overlapping, distorting, colliding as if caught in a whirlwind of data.
[Conditions Met.] [Host Status: Critical.] [Survival Instinct Activated.] [Combat Potential Unlocked.] [Unique State Detected - Analyzing...] [Synchronization in Progress...]
The young man gasped, his fingers twitching against the cold ground. His entire body felt like it was burning, his wounds pulsing with heat as something surged through him.
[Username: Alter - Status: Awakening.] [Name Accepted.] [Secondary Profile Detected.] [Authorization Level: Incomplete.] [System Override Previous Instance.] [Saved Data: Deleted.] [New Account Linked.]
His ragged breathing slowed. A new clarity settled in his mind, overriding the dizziness, the pain. It was as if something deep inside him had been broken open, something that had been locked away.
[Initialization Complete.]