POV ARCEUS PENDRAGON.
More than two years had passed since my reincarnation into this world.
My growth had been remarkably fast, favored by an environment that, although precarious, was better than that of most children who inhabited these gloomy caverns.
Poverty had become a constant companion. However, I had begun to find small glimpses of happiness even amid our scarcity. It was surprising how the mind could adapt to the most adverse circumstances.
The previous month I had made an interesting discovery: this world, like Earth, seemed to be governed by the cycle of the four seasons.
I noticed it mainly through the changes in the harshness of our survival.
Winter was particularly cruel in the underground shelter, with dry and relentless winds that penetrated clothes like invisible blades, cutting flesh with their merciless coldness.
Then came those months where the hilarious cold subtly decreased, announcing what seemed to be spring, bringing a slight respite to our underground existence.
Adelaide had started going out alone in search of water now that I was two years old. She always made me promise not to leave the house during her absence, a promise that weighed on my conscience as the hours passed.
Usually, she made sure not to take too long, but that day something was different. Uneasiness began to grow inside me while I waited for her return.
Why is she taking so long?, I wondered while walking around the house, holding a small wooden stick in my tiny hands.
My steps were cautious as I made sure there was no one around before venturing into the backyard.
The backyard held a precious secret: it was one of the few places where, with luck, one could find animals that hadn't mutated.
Earthworms were an invaluable treasure in our underground world, and the mere thought of other refugees discovering my little secret made me shudder.
The consequences would be truly terrifying.
A man's wealth is his own ruin, I thought as I began to dig with the small wooden stick.
It was knowledge I had acquired early in this new life: keeping secrets was as important as finding resources.
As I dug, I felt my improvised tool hit something. My heart skipped a beat as I nervously looked around, making sure once again of my solitude before examining my finding.
A fat worm writhed in the freshly removed earth, and with the efficiency that only survival can teach, I proceeded to clean it and prepare it for my consumption.
The taste was unpleasant, but the feeling of satiety that followed was worth every moment of disgust. I was about to return to our ruined house when a vibration in the ground stopped me in my tracks.
The rumble that followed resonated through the rock walls like the roar of an ancient beast awakening from its sleep.
An earthquake, I immediately recognized, as I watched the more experienced adults begin to call their children, urging them to seek shelter.
The mild vibrations quickly transformed into violent shakes that made the ground beneath my feet take on a life of its own.
I fell to the ground, but my mind remained clear. Without hesitation, I crawled away from any structure that could collapse, seeking open space.
Once I found a relatively safe place, I lay down following the protocol I had learned: hands behind the head, legs bent, waiting for the chaos to pass.
The sound was deafening: walls creaked as if they were about to give way, rock fragments rained from the ceiling, and the terrified screams of my neighbors resonated throughout the district.
I watched as the makeshift structures we called homes crumbled under the fury of the tremor, while large blocks of rock fell, blocking tunnels and burying entire sections of the district.
The air became dense with the stench of blood and acrid smoke, forcing me to hold my breath. When silence finally settled, a silence more terrifying than the previous chaos, I ventured to slowly raise my body.
That's when I heard it: a thunderous noise resonated, making every fiber of my being shudder.
And the next second, something huge emerged from the ground...
As I turned my body, I found myself face to face with a nightmare come true: a giant centipede, a magical beast in all its terrifying glory.
This monster seemed like an armored battle machine created with the sole purpose of killing living beings.
Its body measured more than three meters wide and fifteen long, decorated with dozens of blade-like legs on each side.
Its armor, a spectacle of dark blue on top and light blue on the bottom, gleamed sinisterly in the shelter's dimness.
The exoskeleton, segmented into three columns, was bristling with spikes that protruded from the central column like a crown of death.
But it was its face that froze the blood in my veins: an anatomical nightmare where one head seemed to be contained within the mouth of another, with two thick bone scythes protruding like demonic jaws.
I'm going to die, the thought hit my mind like a hammer, leaving my expression empty and distant.
My dry lips pressed tightly together as I evaluated my options: flee or fight. Both seemed equally futile.
Fear took hold of me, cold and paralyzing, but a part of my mind kept fighting: Come on... I can't allow myself to die here.
I didn't want it all to end like this, not when there was so much to live for, so much to discover. Desperation clouded my mind as I struggled to stay conscious.
Damn it...
The reality of my situation sank deeper. There was no escape, no matter how frantically my mind worked seeking a solution.
I was trapped, like prey before an immensely superior predator.
Its segmented body undulated with a grotesque and unnatural rhythm as it slid forward.