Chapter 4

I jolted awake, chest pounding, still intact. Same bed. Same room. No flames. No fog. No strange figure. Just silence.

I sat upright, cold sweat dripping down my back. It felt too real. My throat still ached. My hands trembled. I moved toward the window and scanned the village below. Moonlight bathed the quiet houses, calm and untouched. A cold breeze brushed past my face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm inside my heart.

Phew... So it was just a nightmare?

I opened my eyes a second time and scanned the village below for a while. Expecting the inevitable to happen any moment, but nothing changed. Everything stayed the same. That was a relief. Still, I felt my bladder fill up, so I decided to go pee.

I walked down the hallway. Just like in the dream, all the doors were closed except the one at the end, the bathroom. I confirmed it as I got closer. A strong sense of déjà vu washed over me.

While I relieved myself, my mind drifted. What if that wasn’t a dream, but a vision of what’s about to happen? It's too coincidental. But if that's the case, what can I even do about it? In the first place I'm not strong, I don't possess any overpowered abilities. Hell, I tried stabbing that guy and it didn't even do anything, dream or not. A simple thing like stabbing! Point, lunge, pierce. Basic, yet it was like I was stabbing into air.

I finished my business and decided to head downstairs to check on the knife. There on the couch, I spotted Leron sound asleep. I stepped closer, but he didn’t stir. He appeared to be completely out cold.

I stood there for a moment, watching him sleep. And then it hit me. Wait, I must look like a total creep. Uuuuugh, what if he woke up right now and finds me just hovering over him while he’s asleep? He’d probably be startled and swing that axe of his or something! Still… I can't bring myself to look away. I've never seen a person this close sleeping and being.... vulnerable?

It's strange. (￣ー￣)

He was the first person I encountered ever since waking up into this strange world. And despite all the suspicion, the danger, the weirdness… he treated me with nothing but kindness. Sane people definitely don't do that.

I slouched down next to the couch and rested my head on my knees, still watching him. Huh. So he sleeps without a shirt on. I tried not to look, really, I did! But my eyes betrayed me. Broad chest, strong arms, those ridiculous muscles. One, two, three, four… seven? Seriously? Who the hell has a seven-pack? Is that even real?

I shook my head, half in awe, half in disbelief. What’s a guy like him even doing, helping someone like me? Still… I am grateful. God knows what would’ve happened, had he not stumbled upon me in that forest. 

Heh. He just muttered something in his sleep, barely audible. His brows twitched a little, lips parting for a second before settling again. I couldn’t help but smile... Aww, babbling like a little sleepy pup in his sleep, so cute.

I did that little finger wiggle at him, y’know the one you’d normally do at a baby or a dog. Seriously what's wrong with me. Okay, it just felt right in the moment. It is dumb, but so is this whole situation. I mean honestly, who the hell would be in their right mind in the first place, after spawning out of nowhere into another world without any memories to work with? And now there's some weird ass prophecy of what's going to happen? What the hell am I supposed to do with that!

I sighed and pushed myself to my feet, brushing off my pants as I scanned the room for the knife. If nothing else, at least it could be useful. I spotted it on the shelf and reached for it.

That’s when the explosion hit.

I see...

A deep, thunderous boom echoed from outside, rattling the windows. A distant scream followed, sharp, terrified, and unmistakably human. My chest tightened, heart thudding, but somehow my body moved on its own. There was no time to panic. I knew it. That dream, it wasn’t just a dream. It was a warning and soon to become reality.

“Hey,” I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. I gave it a light squeeze, trying to reassure him. “It’s starting.”

He stared at me, bleary-eyed. Poor guy, I probably dragged him out of a nice dream. However we can't afford losing any more time or the shadow guy might appear.

His hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, chest rising fast, unfocused. I spoke, frantic, but the words bounced off him. Ah, it's pointless, he doesn't understand.

Then-
BOOM.

The walls shook. A muffled explosion rolled through the air like thunder cracking the earth open. His eyes widened. He stumbled toward the window, still dazed, and pulled aside the curtain.

His breath hitched. Whatever he saw out there, the fire, mist, shadows, it snapped something into place. He muttered something sharp under his breath, backing away, blinking hard like trying to wake himself up faster.

I didn’t wait, I tried my best with my hands to mimic swinging and chopping with an imaginary axe. Then I pointed at him.

His gaze followed my movement sluggishly at first... then landed on his axe, leaning against the wall.

Another distant scream. Something roared.

Although, he didn’t quite get my words, he still got the point. He moved.

A moment later, footsteps pounded down the stairs. The man and woman, Leron’s parents, I assumed, descended in a rush. They were speaking fast, overlapping each other in panic. I couldn’t understand a word, but their tone said enough: something was wrong, and they were blaming me for it.

The man’s eyes locked onto the knife in my hand. His face twisted in fury. Before I could react, he stormed over and grabbed me by the collar, yanking me forward. His mouth moved fast, angry and accusing while looking back at the woman, as if shouting “You did this! I told you not to trust him!”.

I didn’t fight back, just stood there wide-eyed. I couldn’t explain myself, even if I wanted to. But once again, Leron came back and stepped between us. He grabbed the man’s arm, trying to pull him off me, speaking in that same unfamiliar tongue. The older woman stepped in as well, surprisingly calm, considering the chaos.

She placed a hand on the man's chest and said something firm. Her voice didn’t shake.
The man finally let go, though his glare didn’t soften. He looked toward the front door, then said something to Leron and the woman, sharp, commanding. She nodded.

The woman rushed upstairs, presumably to get dressed, while the man threw on a jacket, grabbed his rifle, and stormed out the door without a word. I looked at Leron. He looked back, his face tight, uncertain. Concern was there, sure, but something else flickered behind his eyes. Doubt. Maybe even suspicion. And honestly? I couldn’t blame him.

I wasn’t acting scared. Not visibly, anyway. I was too calm, too collected for someone who just predicted a disaster. From his perspective, I probably looked... off. Just a stranger he dragged out of the forest — someone who doesn’t speak the language and can’t explain anything — and now, the moment I show up, this happens?

I turned away and stepped through the front door without saying a word. A moment later, I heard footsteps behind me. Leron was following me, like he’d made an important decision.

Outside, the village burned.

Smoke stung my eyes as heat slammed into me. Screams echoed in every direction. The mist had thickened, glowing orange from the flames. Shadows moved between buildings, twisted, monstrous shapes I couldn’t name.

Then I saw it. A massive beast, it's appearance that of a wolf but far from normal. Its dark, shadowy fur seemed to absorb the light around it, edges shifting like smoke. It moved with terrifying speed, charging straight at a little boy frozen in place.

I sprinted toward the boy before I could even think. Just as I glanced back at Leron, another wolf lunged out of the smoke, this one headed straight for him. He grunted and swung his axe, the clash of steel and snarls echoing through the chaos.

I tore my eyes away and locked back on my main target. Part of me hoped Leron would hold his own, but honestly? My biggest concern was me, I might die. Seriously, what was I even trying to accomplish?

I sprinted forward and slammed into the beast shoulder-first.

It snarled, stumbling a step, but I hit the ground harder. The impact knocked the wind out of me. Pain bloomed through my side, familiar in a way I hated.

Ah. Right.
Falling hurts more when you're heavy.

Before I could breathe, it was on me.

Its full weight slammed down on me like a boulder. My back hit the dirt again, ribs compressing under the weight. Hot breath and sharper teeth. Claws tore into me, raking across my chest, arms, everything. The fabric didn’t stand a chance and neither did my skin.

I felt it. Every rip. Every tear. It hurts.

Pain exploded through me. My ribs lit up like shattered glass. My side screamed. Flesh burned where the claws dug deep, too deep. Blood spilled fast, thick and hot. I choked on it, the taste metallic and awful in my mouth.

It fucking hurts, so much.

I tried to shove it off me, anything to stop it from tearing me apart. My hands pressed against its body, slippery with my blood, pushing with what little strength I had. It wasn’t enough. Its claws kept digging in, shredding me bit by bit.

My body screamed to shut down. My vision blurred, tunneling at the edges.

Is this how I die?

I don't want it to end like this. Not alone. Not useless. I just got here. PLEASE, ANYBODY. HELP ME.

Yet no one came. So I held on, I had to.

Buy time. Buy more time. Let the kid run. Please let me be enough. He needs time to run, he looked no more than 10 years old. God, let this be the only creature after him. Leron, is he okay? I need to help him. No, I need to help me first.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Hot. Stinging. Yet underneath the fear, anger also boiled up inside me. A raw, desperate heat rising with the adrenaline.

Why?
Why do I have to go through this?
Why must I suffer like this?
I never wanted this.
I just wanted a quiet life…

A memory surfaced. Uninvited. Old. Heavy.

“I want to die.”

Not from now. From before.
Words I’d whispered a hundred times in silence.
In the dark. In my old life.
Back when I thought nothing could ever change.

But now-
Now I was clawing, bleeding, fighting to live.

“I want to live.”

The two thoughts collided in my skull.
One old and cold.
The other one, more present than ever and everburning.

It fucking hurts, you asshole.

I clutched the knife in my shaking fist. No technique. No finesse. Just rage and fear. I stabbed wildly. It's neck, eyes, chest, anywhere the blade could reach and sink into.

Die.
Die.
Die.Die.
Die.
Die.Die.Die.Die.
Die.Die.
Die.
Die-

It shrieked, inhuman and furious. I drove my knee into its lower jaw, forcing its snapping jaws away from my face. Black, viscous blood gushed from its wounds, thick and sticky, mixing with mine until I couldn’t tell where I ended and it began.

It soaked me. Burned in my cuts. Blinded me.

But I didn't stop.

I couldn't.