A sharp gasp tore through Kaelith's throat as he jolted awake. His entire body ached, as though he had been torn apart and stitched back together with unsteady hands. His vision swam, his mind struggling to grasp the impossible sight above him—a sky unlike any he had ever known.
It churned in slow, mesmerizing waves of crimson and gold, neither day nor night, an endless canvas that seemed to stretch beyond reason. The air was thick, charged with something unseen yet suffocating. He could feel it pressing against his skin, whispering through his bones.
He tried to move, but the moment he pushed himself up, something felt wrong. His limbs were heavier, his balance slightly off. His breathing was slow—too slow. A creeping unease slithered through him as he raised his hands to his face.
His fingers—claws.
A cold shock ran down his spine. His nails, once ordinary, were now black and sharp, resembling polished obsidian. His skin felt smoother, almost unnatural. The sensation was so alien that he had to squeeze his hands into fists just to ground himself.
He swallowed hard, scanning the landscape around him. Ruins stretched as far as the eye could see. Crumbling towers jutted out from the earth like the ribcage of a long-dead beast. Fog slithered between the remains of forgotten structures, twisting unnaturally.
A faint groan reached his ears. His head snapped to the side, heart pounding. He wasn't alone.
Not far from him, four others stirred.
Edrin was the first to move. His chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths before he suddenly tensed, fingers gripping the broken stone beneath him. When he pushed himself upright, Kaelith noticed the veins of glowing emerald tracing his arms, his hair now a deep shade of green. His ears—long and pointed—twitched as he inhaled sharply, his golden eyes wide with confusion.
Veym groaned as he sat up, far larger than before. Thick, scale-like ridges lined his forearms, his once-short hair now wilder, more untamed. The moment his eyes opened, Kaelith flinched. Slit pupils. A burning, golden hue flickered in their depths—like a predator waking from a long slumber.
Orin was quieter, his form unnervingly still. His body seemed to blend into the shadows around him, edges flickering like a mirage. When he finally moved, it was too smooth—too silent.
And then there was Solrin.
Kaelith had to squint against the faint glow radiating from his skin. It wasn't blinding, but it was unnatural. His presence alone made the air feel lighter, as if he didn't fully belong to the same space they occupied. His once-dark hair now held streaks of silver, his eyes gleaming with a strange, ethereal light.
No one spoke.
Kaelith forced himself to his feet. He was surprised by how effortless it was. His body felt stronger, sharper, as if it had been reforged into something beyond human limitations. He knew, instinctively, that he was different now. They all were.
Veym was the first to break the silence. He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. His claws scraped against his skin, and his expression darkened. "This… isn't normal."
Kaelith let out a bitter chuckle. "No shit."
Edrin was gripping his own arm, watching the veins of green pulsing beneath his skin with quiet disbelief. "We… changed." His voice was softer than usual, edged with unease.
Solrin stared at his own hands, flexing his fingers. "Not just changed," he murmured. "This is… something else."
Orin remained silent, but his gaze flickered between them, calculating.
Kaelith took a steadying breath. "We need to figure out where we are."
Veym frowned. "And how we got here."
No one had an answer.
Kaelith racked his brain for memories of the last thing he remembered. The sky splitting open. A voice calling out. Falling. But nothing made sense.
Before anyone could say another word, a scream pierced the silence.
It wasn't human.
Kaelith's blood ran cold.
From the shadows of the ruins, something moved.
A shape—twisted and wrong. Its body was hunched, its limbs too long, too jagged. A pair of hollow, gleaming eyes locked onto them from the darkness.
Then, it lunged.
Kaelith barely had time to react before it was upon them.