I woke up again, the dull ache in my body reminding me that none of it had been a dream. The pain wasn't as sharp as before, but it lingered deep inside, like something my body refused to forget. My eyes stared at the ceiling for a moment before I slowly clenched my fists.
Mal's face appeared in my mind. That smug expression. That look of superiority.
"I can feel it…" I whispered under my breath. "Killing intent… coming from somewhere strange… but I'll get my revenge."
The words felt heavy, almost foreign, yet they carried a strange certainty. I didn't know where that feeling was coming from, but it was there, crawling under my skin, refusing to go away.
The clan was calm that morning. Too calm.
I walked through the open grounds, feeling the cold air brush against my face. Every step reminded me of how weak I was, of how easily I had been beaten. Yet something felt off. It was subtle, almost impossible to notice at first, but the longer I walked, the clearer it became.
Everything felt familiar.
Not in the normal sense, but deeper… like I had already lived through this exact moment before. The way the wind moved, the position of the sun, even the sounds around me—it all felt like a memory I couldn't fully grasp.
I trained alone.
I threw a punch. Missed. Tried again. Missed. My movements were clumsy, my body slow, unrefined. I fell to the ground, dirt sticking to my skin, pain shooting through my arms.
But I got up.
Again.
And again.
And again.
My body screamed for me to stop, my muscles trembling under the strain, but I ignored it. I had to. There was no other choice.
Something inside me was changing. Slowly. Quietly. I couldn't see it, couldn't understand it, but I could feel it.
By evening, I saw him.
Mal stood with a few others, laughing like nothing in the world mattered. Like I didn't exist. Like everything he had done meant nothing.
My chest tightened.
Without thinking, I stepped forward.
"Mal."
He turned, his smirk appearing instantly, as if it had never left.
"Back for more?" he said casually.
I didn't answer.
I moved first. Faster than before. My fist shot forward, aiming straight for his face—
The ground trembled.
Everything stopped.
A low growl echoed through the air, deep and heavy, sending a chill down my spine. It wasn't normal. It wasn't something that belonged here.
My body froze.
That feeling…
Killing intent.
But it wasn't coming from Mal. It wasn't coming from anyone in the clan.
It was something else. Something far worse.
I looked up.
A massive shadow covered the ground, swallowing everything beneath it. My breath caught as I saw it—something enormous, something unnatural. Its eyes glowed with a terrifying light, and its presence alone felt enough to crush me.
Mal stepped back, his voice shaking.
"W-what is that…?"
I couldn't move.
My body refused to listen. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to escape, to do anything—but I couldn't.
It was too late.
The creature moved.
Faster than anything I had ever seen. The air itself seemed to tear apart as it struck. The ground shattered beneath the force, sending debris flying everywhere.
Pain exploded through my body.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
And then—
Everything went dark.