The world had changed so quickly, Lina barely recognized it anymore. One minute, humanity was going about its daily life, and the next, it was as if the very earth itself had decided to rebel. Monsters, beasts from the depths, had torn through cities, while the air itself carried the sickening scent of decay.
Lina had always been the quieter twin. While Mira, her older sister by just a few minutes, was bold, confident, and always ready to face whatever came their way, Lina was content to stay behind, to think things through, to make sure every decision was the right one before acting. It was no surprise, then, that when the lottery drew Mira's name for the new soldier recruitment initiative, their parents panicked.
Lina could still hear her mother's voice, pleading.
"Lina, you can't let her go. She's our only hope, our strength! You know how hard the world is now…"
"But Mom, Mira's strong. She can do it," Lina had said, trying to reason with her.
"You don't understand!" her mother snapped, the fear in her eyes undeniable. "She's our daughter too. But you—you're different. You can stay safe, Lina. You can be the one to survive."
Her father had said little, but his stern gaze had said everything. *Mira's the warrior, but you... you're not built for this.*
"Lina, we need you to go in her place," he said. "It's not just a lottery. It's a chance. You have to take it."
Lina had felt something heavy weigh down on her chest as she agreed, forcing a smile and nodding, though her heart was racing with dread. But what could she do? She couldn't deny them.
*I'll do it for them. I'll do it for Mira.*
Her first mission was a disaster.
Standing among a team of hardened soldiers, Lina had been sent to hunt one of the newly emerged creatures—massive, terrifying serpentine beasts that had torn through entire cities. The mission was an S-class operation, far above the level of any novice soldier, and yet there she was—unprepared, terrified, but determined to prove herself.
As they neared the monster's lair, Lina could hear her heart pounding in her chest. The air was thick with tension. The monster was near, and she had no idea what to expect.
"Stay close," one of the soldiers muttered, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Got it," Lina replied, trying to steady her shaking hands.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled. The soldiers stiffened, preparing for combat.
"Stay sharp," another soldier warned, but it was too late.
The creature burst from the ground with terrifying speed, its massive coils shaking the earth. Lina could barely register the chaos. Her team tried to fight back, but the beast was too strong. The air was filled with the sounds of screams and gunfire, and Lina felt herself being thrown backward, her body hitting the ground hard.
In that moment, she saw her team falling one by one—her comrades, who had once seemed so invincible, were being overwhelmed.
"Get up, Lina!" a soldier yelled, but his voice was cut off as the creature's tail swung through the air, sending him flying.
Panic gripped Lina. She had no choice but to run. Her heart was in her throat as she sprinted, her breaths ragged. She stumbled and fell into a dark, narrow hole in the earth, the world above fading from her sight.
Everything went black.
---
When Lina regained consciousness, she was lying on cold, uneven ground, the sound of a distant, eerie growl echoing in her ears. She blinked, trying to focus. The monster—where had it gone?
Her eyes scanned the darkness, and then... the faint blue glow of eyes pierced the blackness. They were the same eyes she had seen in the beast, but somehow, now they were different. She sat up slowly, her body aching.
"Please," Lina whispered, her voice hoarse. "Don't kill me."
The growl stopped. A strange silence fell.
Lina hesitated, but then she spoke again. "I don't want to fight. I just... I don't want to die."
The creature shifted. It was... watching her. The blue glow in its eyes softened.
"Why?" a deep voice rumbled from the shadows. It was a voice unlike anything Lina had ever heard—a mixture of pain and curiosity.
"I..." Lina swallowed, unsure of what to say. "I'm not like them. I'm not here to fight you. I—I just want to survive."
There was a long pause. The air around them seemed to grow heavy, the tension almost unbearable.
"I've never met a human who doesn't want to fight," the voice finally said. "Why are you different?"
"I don't know." Lina shivered, feeling an odd connection to the voice. "I just... don't want to be a part of all this anymore."
There was another pause, and then a strange sound filled the air—a rumbling, a shifting, almost as if the creature was... changing.
The ground beneath Lina trembled, and she braced herself, but then... the creature's form began to dissolve, its massive, terrifying body turning into something else. Something more human.
Lina's breath caught in her throat as the beast's shape morphed, revealing a man—tall, dark-haired, with eyes that still held the faintest glow. His features were sharp, his jaw clenched, and he towered over her, but there was something strangely familiar in his gaze.
"You're..." Lina whispered, her mind racing. "You're... not what I thought."
The man—no, *Kael*, as he revealed his name—stepped closer, his eyes still on her with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine.
"I am not," Kael said softly. "I am... something else. But I do not wish to harm you, Lina."
Lina stared at him, too stunned to speak. He wasn't a monster. He wasn't anything like the creatures that had destroyed cities.
"W-what are you?" she finally managed, her voice trembling.
"I was once a beast, yes," Kael replied, his voice dark and heavy. "But now... I have become something else. Something you have awakened."
Lina swallowed. The moment felt surreal. The thing that had tried to kill her... had become a man. *A man who wasn't human.*
Just then, the rumble of engines could be heard above—the military, coming for both of them.
Lina's heart pounded. "They're coming! You have to leave. They'll kill you!"
Kael looked up, his gaze hardening. "I will protect you, Lina. They will not take you from me."
"No—no!" Lina protested, shaking her head. "You can't fight them. They'll never accept you—*you're not human.*"
"But you are." Kael's voice softened. He stepped forward, reaching out and gently lifting her chin. "And that is why I will not let them take you."
Lina's eyes locked with his, her heart racing. She could feel his words, not just with her ears but deep within her chest. For the first time, she wasn't just trying to survive.
For the first time, Lina felt like she wasn't alone.
The sound of soldiers closing in grew louder, but instead of fear, a strange sense of calm washed over her.
"I trust you," she whispered.
Kael gave a small, knowing smile. "Then trust that I will protect you, Lina, no matter what happens."
Lina looked at the soldiers coming toward them. This was the beginning of something she hadn't expected—a fight for her life, and perhaps something more.
And in that moment, with Kael by her side, she knew that whatever came next, she wasn't going to face it alone.