Pain.

It was the first thing Ethan felt—a raw, searing agony spreading across his chest like fire. His breath caught, his vision swam, and then… nothing. A chilling darkness swallowed him whole.

An eternity seemed to pass in the void. His thoughts dulled, his senses numbed, and for a brief, terrifying moment, he wondered if this was it. If this was what death felt like—an endless abyss where time had no meaning.

Then, suddenly, a spark.

A flicker of awareness.

His eyes snapped open, and he gasped for air as if he had been drowning. His lungs burned, his heart pounded erratically, and the sensation of solid ground beneath him was almost jarring. The pain was gone, replaced by a strange weightlessness, as though reality itself had been reset.

And in a way, it had.

Ethan sat up with a groan, his fingers instinctively brushing against the fabric of his shirt—except it wasn't his shirt. Gone were the familiar polyester and tie of his office uniform. Instead, he wore a rough, brown tunic made of unfamiliar cloth, secured at the waist with a leather belt. His pants were equally foreign—sturdy, made for travel, paired with boots that looked worn but reliable.

"What the hell…?" His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in ages.

Slowly, he took in his surroundings. He was in a vast field of golden grass, rolling hills stretching as far as the eye could see. Above him, the sky was wrong. Two suns—one large and blazing orange, the other smaller and a deep, eerie blue—hung low on the horizon, casting an otherworldly glow over the landscape. The air smelled crisp, tinged with something unfamiliar, something unnatural.

Then, a sound—clear, cold, and inhuman.

[Welcome to the Infinite Simulation.]

Ethan flinched. The voice hadn't come from around him. It had echoed inside his own head.

A shimmering blue screen flickered to life before him, floating weightlessly in the air.

[Simulation Core Initialized.]

[User: Ethan Vale]

[Objective: Survive, Evolve, Conquer.]

[Warning: Death results in a reset of the current simulation.]

His breath caught in his throat.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be.

Hadn't he just been in his office? Hadn't he been working overtime, his fingers flying over a keyboard as the dull hum of fluorescent lights buzzed overhead? There had been a sharp pain in his chest—a heart attack, maybe? Then the darkness. And now… this.

A simulation?

Ethan swallowed hard, his mind racing. He knew games. He had played hundreds of them, lost himself in virtual worlds countless times. But this wasn't a game, was it?

Before he could fully process the situation, the earth trembled beneath him. A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the air, sending a chill down his spine.

Instinct took over. Ethan turned toward the sound, his muscles tensing.

Emerging from the tall grass was a beast—a monstrous, wolf-like creature unlike anything he had ever seen. It stood nearly as tall as a horse, its fur a dark, matted black, its eyes glowing a furious crimson. Saliva dripped from its maw, its razor-sharp teeth glistening in the strange sunlight.

Ethan's pulse skyrocketed. He had no weapons, no armor—nothing. And the way the beast locked onto him, its gaze hungry and unrelenting, told him everything he needed to know.

He was prey.

Move!

His body reacted before his mind could catch up. He turned and sprinted, his legs pumping against the uneven terrain. The tall grass slapped against him as he ran, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

The beast roared—a deafening, guttural sound that made Ethan's bones tremble. A moment later, he heard it.

Pounding footsteps.

It was chasing him. And it was fast.

Ethan risked a glance over his shoulder, just in time to see the creature closing in. It moved with terrifying speed, its powerful limbs propelling it forward effortlessly. He wasn't going to make it.

No. No, no, no—

Pain.

A blinding, excruciating pain exploded in his back as the beast's claws tore through him. He felt himself lifted off the ground, his body weightless for a split second before he crashed into the dirt. His vision blurred. His ears rang. Every nerve in his body screamed.

Somewhere in the haze of agony, he realized something.

He was dying.

The beast loomed over him, its breath hot and rancid against his skin. He barely had the strength to move, let alone fight back.

Then, darkness.

The world dissolved.

A moment later, a familiar voice rang in his mind.

[Simulation Resetting… Loading New Scenario.]

Ethan gasped.

He was back.

His hands shot to his chest—no wounds. No pain. His breath came fast and shallow, his heart hammering against his ribs. He was in the field again, lying in the tall grass, staring up at the two suns.

Exactly where he had started.

The realization struck like a thunderbolt.

He had died.

And then he had been reset.

Ethan sat up slowly, his hands shaking. His mind reeled as the implications hit him all at once. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't some bizarre afterlife.

This was real.

And this world—it followed rules.

His fingers curled into fists. He had been thrown into a game-like reality, one with clear mechanics. The Simulation Core had told him as much. Death resulted in a reset. Meaning he had another chance.

A grin—small, hesitant, but undeniably present—curled his lips.

He could work with this.

Because if this was truly a simulation, then he had just been given the ultimate cheat code.

The power to start over.

And this time, he wouldn't run.