Silence.
Not the heavy silence of pressure.
Not the suffocating stillness of power.
Just… silence. Cold.
That was the first thing I felt.
Not pain. Nor fear.
Cold.
My eyes opened slowly.
The sky above me was unfamiliar.
Not shattered or torn.
Just… wrong.
Gray. Muted.
Like the world had lost something it couldn't replace.
I didn't move.
Not immediately.
Because for the first time since everything began—
I couldn't feel it.
The mark.
My chest tightened.
I forced my hand upward—
Slow. Heavy. Shaking.
There. Still there.
But faint. Dull.
Like a dying ember buried beneath ash.
"…No…"
My voice came out dry.
Weaker than I expected.
I pushed myself up.
Pain answered instantly.
Not sharp. Not explosive.
But deep.
Every muscle. Every bone. Every breath.
"…Tch."
I dropped back slightly, exhaling through clenched teeth.
So this was the price.
*"…You're alive."*
The voice. Faint. Distant.
"…Barely," I muttered.
No response came this time.
Not immediately. Not like before.
That alone told me everything.
It wasn't gone.
But it wasn't here either.
Good. Or maybe not.
I sat up slowly, forcing my body to obey.
The ground beneath me wasn't stone.
Not sand.
Roots. Twisted. Ancient.
I looked around.
Forest.
But not a normal one.
The trees were too tall.
Too still.
Their bark dark—almost black—and their branches stretched unnaturally high, blotting out what little light filtered through the gray sky.
The air felt thick.
Not heavy .
Watching.
"…So this is where I ended up."
No answer. No guidance. No voice correcting me.
For the first time—
I was alone.
A faint breeze passed through the trees.
The leaves didn't rustle.
Didn't move.
They simply… existed.
My grip tightened slightly.
Something about this place wasn't right.
Not dangerous.
Not yet.
But wrong.
I exhaled slowly and tried to stand.
My legs responded—
Barely.
I rose. Unsteady.
But upright.
"…Good enough."
Step. Pain.
Step. Worse.
I stopped.
Breathing uneven now.
So that was it.
No power. No reinforcement. No safety net.
Just me.
"…Good."
I steadied my breath.
"…Then I'll learn what I can do without it."
A faint sound broke the silence.
Behind me.
Soft. Measured.
I froze.
Another step.
Closer.
My instincts screamed.
Not the overwhelming surge from before.
Not power.
Something simpler.
Older. Survival.
Slowly—
Carefully—
I turned.
It stood at the edge of the trees.
Low to the ground.
Lean.
Covered in dark, coarse fur that seemed to absorb the dim light around it.
Its eyes—
Pale.
Too pale.
Not reflecting light—
Absorbing it.
A beast.
Not massive. Not overwhelming.
But dangerous.
Hungry.
"…Great," I muttered.
It stepped forward.
No growl. No warning.
Just intent.
I steadied myself.
Adjusted my footing.
My body protested immediately.
"…Yeah…"
I exhaled slowly.
"…This is going to be annoying."
The beast lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
I moved—
Late.
Its claws grazed my side—
Tearing through cloth and skin in one clean motion.
I staggered back, teeth clenching as pain flared sharply.
Not deep. But enough.
Blood began to drop.
Warm. Real.
The beast didn't stop.
Didn't hesitate.
It circled.
Precise. Patient. Testing.
"…So even this is a fight now."
I lowered my stance slightly.
No power surged.
No mark responded.
Good.
Then I wouldn't rely on it.
The beast lunged again—
This time—
I moved first.
Not faster or stronger.
But earlier.
I stepped inside its movement—
Twisted—
And drove my elbow into its neck.
Impact. Solid.
The beast recoiled slightly—
Not injured.
But surprised.
"…Got it."
It wasn't about strength.
It was about timing.
The beast recovered instantly—
Claws swinging toward my chest—
I dropped low—
Too slow—
The strike clipped my shoulder—
Sending me crashing to the ground.
"…Tch—!"
Pain flared again.
Sharper this time.
My breathing hitched.
Vision blurred—
No.
I forced it steady.
The beast approached.
Slow now.
Certain.
It thought it had won.
Good.
I pushed myself up—
Just enough—
And waited.
Closer.
Closer now.
I lunged forward ignoring the pain—
Grabbing its jaw—
And slamming its head into the ground.
Once. Twice.
Three times—
It thrashed violently—
Claws tearing into my arm—
But I didn't let go.
I couldn't.
Not now.
With a final motion—
I twisted—
Hard—
A sharp crack echoed.
Then—
Nothing.
The resistance vanished.
Just like that—
It ended.
Silence followed.
The beast went still.
My grip loosened.
Slowly.
I sat back.
Breathing heavy.
Uneven.
Blood dripped from my arm.
My side burned.
My entire body screamed.
But I was alive.
"…Heh…"
A faint, breathless laugh escaped me.
"…So this is how it is now."
No overwhelming power.
No reality bending.
Just survival.
I looked down at the beast.
"…Good."
Because this—
This I could work with.
A faint pulse echoed in my chest.
Weak. Distant.
But there.
Not gone. Just waiting.
I closed my eyes briefly.
"…Next time…"
I muttered under my breath.
"…I won't break."
A pause.
Then—
Something shifted.
Not behind me.
Deeper.
The forest.
Watching. Waiting.
And now—
Aware.
My eyes opened slowly.
"…Yeah," I said quietly.
"…I felt that too."
The silence returned.
But it wasn't empty anymore.
Something in this place—
Had noticed me.
And unlike before—
It didn't look away.