Kai's first breath in this foreign world felt nothing like his last. His lungs, which once filled with the crisp air of Earth, now found themselves suffocated by the thick, humid atmosphere of an unknown place. His body—no longer the one he had known—felt foreign and frail, an alien prison that left him disoriented and vulnerable. His senses were heightened, but they were bombarded with a cacophony of strange sounds: the chirping of unseen insects, the rustling of leaves in a wind that whispered unfamiliar words, and the distant growls of creatures that made his skin crawl.
He tried to move, but his limbs—a pair of tiny, scaly appendages—could barely lift him off the ground. The ground itself was soft beneath him, the soil slick with moisture, the air thick with the scent of wet earth and something... metallic. Was it blood?
Kai blinked, his vision fuzzy as his eyes struggled to focus. The light was dim, filtered through an overgrowth of trees whose leaves were more vibrant than anything he'd ever seen in his old life. Their colors defied logic—greens so vivid they seemed unreal, bathed in a surreal light that made everything seem... alive.
A strange sense of panic gripped him. What was this place? How did he get here? He had been... dead. At least, he thought he had been. The last thing he remembered was the accident—the crash, the blinding pain, the overwhelming sensation of his body being ripped apart.
He tried to reach up and touch his face—his human face—but his hand... or what was left of it, was nothing but a tiny, useless claw. A sharp gasp escaped his throat, but it wasn't his voice. It was a raspy, guttural sound that startled him. The realization hit him like a wave.
He wasn't human anymore. He wasn't even close.
The body he inhabited now was the size of a small rodent, covered in pale, slick scales. His back arched involuntarily, and he hissed as he tried to adjust, the sensation of his new form alien and uncomfortable. He was some kind of... salamander. It was the only way to describe it. The sleek, lizard-like body, the long tail twitching nervously behind him—everything about this body screamed weakness, fragility.
Kai tried to stand, his legs buckling beneath him. His tail flailed behind him, trying to find balance, but his limbs were simply too weak, too unfamiliar. He could feel the raw, primal fear tightening in his chest. Where was he? What was this place?
Before he could answer those questions, something else happened—a change that made everything around him seem sharper, clearer, like a sudden rush of adrenaline.
A voice—cold, mechanical—echoed in his mind.
[Mythical Evolution System Activated.]
[Devour to Evolve.]
The words pulsed in his head, each one a hammer strike against his senses. The voice was neither warm nor comforting. It was indifferent, clinical. But it was real. His mind raced to comprehend the meaning of what had just occurred. Devour? Evolve? The words hung there, intangible, but undeniable.
Before he could think further, an overwhelming sensation flooded him. Hunger. It wasn't just an ordinary hunger, either. It was an insatiable craving that gnawed at his very essence. His new body felt weak, helpless, and the emptiness inside him screamed for sustenance. He knew—instinctively—that the only way to survive was to feed.
He wasn't sure what to do, but something inside him urged him forward. A natural instinct, perhaps, or maybe the voice in his head—his "system"—was directing him. There was no time to waste.
Kai's newly enhanced senses led him to a small clearing, where a tiny, winged insect buzzed lazily near a patch of glowing mushrooms. Its body, a bright orange hue, seemed almost... inviting. His mouth watered as he fixed his gaze on it, the hunger gnawing deeper.
Without thinking, he lunged.
His movements were clumsy at first, his limbs barely coordinated. His small body skittered along the ground with awkward speed, and he felt the soft crunch of the earth beneath him as he darted forward. His jaws snapped shut around the creature in a moment of instinctive precision, and he devoured it whole in a series of frantic gulps.
The insect's life force rushed through him, its essence flooding his senses. There was a strange, euphoric sensation that followed—the feeling of something inside him awakening. His vision sharpened, his muscles twitched with newfound energy, and the air around him seemed to buzz with static.
Then, it happened.
[Evolution Successful.]
[New Form: Salamander, Level 2.]
The words echoed in his mind, and the weight of them hit him with a dizzying force. He had evolved? How? What was happening?
His body felt different now—stronger. Not by much, but enough to notice. He could feel the slight shift in his scales, the way his limbs now moved with greater ease. A surge of warmth flowed through him, making him feel alive in a way he hadn't felt moments ago. But it wasn't just physical. Something within him had changed—a spark of awareness that wasn't there before. It was a fleeting sensation, but it left him wanting more.
The hunger had lessened, but it had not disappeared entirely. If anything, it had grown more refined, more focused. Kai knew deep down that the voice, the system—it wasn't just offering him a chance at survival. It was offering him power. He could feel it now, like a siren call, urging him onward.
And then, like a sudden thunderclap, another realization struck him. He wasn't alone.
A rustling noise to his right broke through his thoughts, and Kai froze. He wasn't sure what to expect, but his instincts flared in warning. The bushes trembled, and a low growl emerged from the shadows.
Something was coming. Something bigger. And he was just a tiny, fragile salamander, alone in a foreign world.
Kai's heart raced. He had barely made it this far, and already, danger was closing in on him. The primal instinct to flee surged through him, but his legs felt weak, too slow. He could feel the presence of the creature growing closer, its predatory intent seeping into the air like a tangible force.
There was no time to think. His survival instincts screamed at him, urging him to act.
Without a second thought, Kai dove into the underbrush, his tiny body slithering between the tangled roots and foliage, hoping to lose his pursuer. His heart pounded in his chest as the shadow of a massive, lumbering beast passed over him. He held his breath, trying to stay as still as possible.
The predator—some kind of large, furred beast—sniffed the air, its nostrils flaring. The creature's eyes glowed with an unnatural hunger as it searched the clearing, but it did not find Kai. The beast prowled for a moment longer before it gave a frustrated growl and turned, retreating back into the darkness of the forest.
Kai exhaled shakily, relief flooding through him. He had survived... for now.
But the terror of that close call was not lost on him. This world was dangerous. There was no guarantee that the next creature he encountered would be so easily avoided.
And yet, there was something else—a fire igniting within him. He wasn't ready to die. Not yet.
His hands trembled as he gripped the soft earth beneath him. This was just the beginning. The forest held endless dangers, but it also held untold power. Kai was no longer a helpless human—he was a beast in a world that would devour him if he let it.
And he wasn't about to let that happen.