The wind shifted, carrying the scent of rain from the mountains. I sat beside the lake, my silver hair catching the last slivers of sunlight. The water before me was still, like a perfect mirror, reflecting the emptiness inside me.
It had been one of those days. One of those days where you feel like the world's weight is pressing down on you, suffocating you, until there's nothing left but the hollow ache in your chest.
The argument with my father kept replaying in my mind, like a constant echo. His words, harsh and cutting, had burned deep.
"You're just like your mother. Weak. Useless."
I gripped the stone in my hand until my fingers ached, the cold smoothness of it a small comfort against the fire of those words. I was used to his disappointment. Used to never being good enough. I was just a villager, a man with nothing to offer. No Essence. No power. No special abilities. Nothing that made me worth more than the dirt I walked on.
I didn't have a purpose.
I had left home for the solitude of this lake, a place where I could clear my mind and forget the suffocating weight of my father's expectations. The breeze blew through the trees, but it didn't bring me any peace. It didn't wash away the frustration, the guilt. The ache of knowing I would never be enough.
I wasn't like the others. The Awakened. Those chosen by the gods to wield Essence—the power that shaped the world and gave its bearers abilities beyond anything a normal person could dream of. Some could shape the elements, some had strength that rivaled monsters, and others had abilities that were far stranger. But not me. I was just Rolan. I was nothing.
I let out a sigh, tossing the stone into the water. The ripples spread across the surface, distorting the calm, like how my life felt—fractured and uncertain.
Then, something changed.
A shadow.
I froze. My heart skipped a beat as I felt it, even before I saw it. The air around me shifted, growing heavy, as if the world had suddenly taken a deep breath and held it.
I looked up, my eyes scanning the trees, the ground around me.
And there it was.
A shape moving between the trees, something far too large to be natural. At first, I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me. But then the shape became clearer—taller than any man, with limbs that stretched unnaturally long, and claws that gleamed in the fading light. Its eyes burned red, glowing like embers in the darkening woods. It didn't move like any animal I knew. It moved like it was born of nightmares, its every step predatory, calculating.
My pulse thundered in my ears. What the hell was that?
No. This couldn't be real. It had to be some kind of trick—some illusion, maybe. I was just losing my mind.
But then, it snarled.
A sound so deep, so guttural, that it rattled my bones. And that was when I realized: this wasn't a dream.
It was real.
My legs felt like they were rooted to the spot. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. It was coming for me. I didn't know why. I didn't know what it wanted. But I knew one thing for sure.
I couldn't outrun it.
I didn't have Essence. I didn't have any special abilities to defend myself. I wasn't one of the Awakened. Hell, I wasn't even strong enough to fight a wild animal.
But I had my legs.
I didn't hesitate. I turned and ran.
I heard the creature behind me, its steps gaining ground, the sound of its claws scraping against the earth. I didn't dare look back, my focus solely on the ground in front of me. The trees, the rocks, the roots—they all seemed to be trying to trip me up. But I pushed forward, my body burning with effort, my mind screaming at me to keep going, just keep going.
There was no way I could outrun it forever, though. It was faster, stronger—everything I wasn't. I needed to get higher, get out of reach. The trees were close. Maybe I could climb.
I threw myself at the nearest tree, my hands grasping for any hold. My fingers slipped, but I kept going, my body straining, every muscle screaming in protest. I could hear it behind me, the creature's growls echoing, growing louder as it closed the distance.
But then, something I never expected happened.
It leapt.
The sound of its claws scraping across my back was like a thousand needles piercing my skin. I cried out in pain, the shock of it throwing me off balance. I lost my grip, my fingers scrabbling uselessly against the bark as I tumbled backward.
I hit the ground with a sickening thud, the air forced from my lungs. My vision blurred as pain shot through me. I could feel the warmth of blood on my back, mixing with the dirt. My heart was racing, but I couldn't get up. My legs were too weak, my body too broken.
The creature didn't rush me. It didn't need to. It was taking its time, stalking me, savoring the moment before it struck.
I wanted to scream, to beg, but all that came out was a raspy breath.
I didn't want to die. Not like this. Not now.
Please, I just want to live.
The beast's eyes were upon me, its slow, deliberate steps nearing. It was going to kill me. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't fight it.
And then, just as the creature loomed over me, everything went quiet.
The world around me faded to nothing, like the sound had been ripped from the air. I couldn't hear the creature's steps. I couldn't hear the wind. It was like I had been plunged into a void.
And then, a voice.
A woman's voice. Soft. Sweet. The kind of voice that felt like it belonged in a dream, one that soothed your soul even as it terrified you.
"Child, do you want to live?"
I blinked, my mind scrambling to make sense of the question. Was this real? Was this some last illusion before I died?
"Yes," I managed to rasp, my voice barely a whisper.
"Yes. Please. I want to live."
The warmth came then. Not just a physical sensation, but something deeper. It surged through me, filling me with a power I had never known. My wounds began to heal, my body becoming stronger, as though I had just been reborn.
The creature stopped in its tracks. It snarled, its eyes narrowing, sensing something had changed. But I didn't care. I could feel it now. The power. It was in me.
"Then live."
The light that filled me was blinding, and for a moment, everything disappeared.
But I wasn't the same anymore.
The strange warmth spread from my chest outward, filling my limbs with strength I never thought possible. I could feel it thrumming under my skin, as though it were alive. The pain from my back—the scratches, the bruises—was fading, replaced by a pulsing energy that made me feel... unstoppable.
The beast, however, wasn't backing down.
It watched me with cautious eyes, its posture tense, as though it sensed something had changed. It growled, its deep voice vibrating through the air. Slowly, step by step, it began to circle me. I didn't move. I couldn't. My body was still trying to process the sheer force of what was happening.
And then, with the speed of a flash of lightning, the beast lunged.
I barely registered the movement before I saw it. A blur of motion, claws slashing the air, jaws snapping. I threw myself to the side just in time, feeling the wind from its massive limbs whip past my face. The ground beneath me shook with the force of its landing.
The beast growled again, its eyes narrowing. It was analyzing me. Trying to figure out why I wasn't a helpless victim anymore.
It lunged again. And again. Every time, I dodged. My body was moving faster than I could think. I was aware of the creature, aware of the space between us, aware of every muscle in my body working together in perfect harmony. But no matter how quickly I avoided its strikes, I had nothing to strike back with. I had no weapon, no way to fight.
I couldn't just keep dodging. I needed to do something.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, the adrenaline flooding my system. This was it. This was where I either lived or died.
I calmed my breath, clearing my mind. Focus. If I had no weapon, then I had to use what I had. I had to rely on myself.
The beast came again, faster this time, its claws aimed straight for me. For a split second, my mind blanked. But then, something clicked.
I ducked under its swipe, feeling the rush of air as the beast's claws barely missed me. It was a close call, and I knew I wouldn't get another chance.
With a burst of speed, I moved into its path. No more dodging. This time, I had to hit it. I threw my fist forward with everything I had, landing a blow square into its chest.
The impact wasn't enough to bring it down. It barely even staggered, but I could see it. The beast's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise. I had its attention now.
It roared, swiping at me with both claws. I ducked again, this time catching its arms with my hands. The beast struggled, but I held on. I didn't have the strength to overpower it, but I didn't need to. I needed to find another way.
In that instant, I saw it—the beast's face was so close now, I could feel the heat of its breath, smell the foul stench of its fur. Without thinking, I slammed my forehead into its skull. The impact was brutal. My head spun, but I didn't care.
The beast recoiled, but it didn't fall. It snarled and tried again, and again, and again. My forehead bled, the pain was almost unbearable, but I kept at it. Headbutt after headbutt. My vision blurred, the blood mixing with sweat as I pounded my skull into the creature's.
How many times had I hit it now? Three? Four? Ten?
It didn't matter. My body was screaming, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't think. I just had to keep going. Keep hurting it. Keep pushing.
And then, finally, it happened.
With one last, sickening thud, the beast's body went limp. It crumpled to the ground in a heap, its eyes wide and unseeing.
It was dead.
I stood over it, my chest heaving with ragged breaths, my body trembling from exhaustion. Blood dripped from my forehead, staining my silver hair. I stared at the beast's lifeless body, disbelieving.
What the hell just happened?
I didn't know how long I stood there, staring at the creature. I didn't know what I was supposed to feel. I was alive. I had killed it. But for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
I took a hesitant step toward the beast's chest. There, glowing faintly beneath its fur, was a strange blue light. It pulsed gently, as if it were alive.
I reached out, my hand trembling, and touched the light.
The instant my fingers made contact, a surge of foreign energy coursed through me. My mind exploded with visions—fragments of memories not my own.
I saw the beast's birth, a grotesque creature emerging from a dark, alien landscape. It struggled and fought, its instincts sharp, its hunger endless. I felt the rage of its existence, the hunger for survival. The desire to fight.
I saw it kill, using its Essence—its power—the very thing that made it what it was. I felt the strange, cold power running through it, the way it shaped the creature's movements, its life.
And then, the beast's last moments, its final thoughts. The fleeting realization that something had changed.
It had been dying, not from the blows I'd landed, but from something else. Something deeper.
It died because it had fulfilled its purpose.
The memories faded as quickly as they had come, leaving me gasping, my head spinning.
I blinked, trying to steady myself.
So… is this my power? Reading memories?
I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do with what I had just experienced. But one thing was clear—whatever had just happened, it wasn't normal.
And somehow, I knew this was just the beginning.