CHAPTER 2 : The Awakening

After a blinding flash of light, everything turned black.
Silence. Only the sound of heavy breathing and pounding hearts filled the void.

“W–what happened? Did it fail?” Ren whispered, his voice trembling as he squinted through the darkness.

A faint blue glow flickered in front of them — a holographic screen, cracked and glitching.
“C–congratulations,” it buzzed. “Jackpot. One of you will awaken. And… it seems that person is Toma.”

“M–me?” Toma blinked rapidly. His hands were shaking.

“M–my status… it still says Rank F.”

“W–WHAT!?”

Panic rippled through the group. The garage was dim, the air thick with the smell of rust and dust.

Kurogane clenched his jaw. “S–shit… does that mean we’re screwed?”

Before anyone could answer, a loud metallic screech echoed from the corner.
The garage door cracked open slightly — just a small gap, but enough for something to crawl through.

Out from the shadows slithered a centipede-like monster the size of a dog.
Its legs scratched against the concrete, each step wet and disgusting.

“Wh–what the hell is that…?” Mira gagged. “Ugh—HUUEEEKK!”
She threw up in the corner.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Kurogane muttered.

Ren gritted his teeth. Everyone else was frozen — even Toma just stood there, trembling.

“I have to do something,” Ren thought.
He grabbed a metal rod lying on the ground.

“Okay… from behind. Just get behind it… Please, teleport properly this time.”

He focused his vision — the space behind the monster blurred slightly.
Srrumm!
Ren disappeared — then reappeared right behind the creature.

“B–behind it! I actually did it!”
He swung the metal rod down with all his strength.

CLANG!

The rod bounced off.

“Wh–what!? The skin’s harder than steel!”

The monster turned, its mandibles spreading wide. A green liquid sprayed from its mouth.
Ren jumped back, barely dodging. The acid splashed the ground — hissing, melting the concrete.

He lost his balance and fell. The monster crawled closer, hissing.
“This… this is the end,” Ren whispered, closing his eyes.

Seconds passed. No pain.
He opened his eyes — and froze.

Toma was standing between him and the monster.
Holding it back with his bare hands.

And then… he bit into it.
Right into its slick, armored flesh.

Ren’s stomach twisted. “Wh–what the hell—he’s eating it!?”

“REN!! OVER HERE!!”
Kurogane’s voice echoed from behind. He’d managed to clear the debris blocking the garage exit. Mira was already crawling out.

Ren looked back at Toma one last time — then ran.
The three of them escaped the garage, panting.

“T–Toma! What about him!?” Mira gasped.

Kurogane shook his head. “Forget it! He’s gone, Mira! He chose to die!”

Ren looked down, guilt filling his chest. “I’m sorry, bro…”

But fate wasn’t done with them yet.

A loud screech ripped through the air. The ground shook.
They turned — and froze.

A Rank S monster stood at the end of the street. A towering scorpion made of living steel, its stinger dripping with the same deadly green acid.

Splash!
A drop of acid hit a nearby car — the metal hissed and melted instantly.

“RUN!!”

They sprinted down the ruined street. But Mira stumbled, falling hard.

“Ah—my ankle! I can’t move!”

Smaller centipede monsters swarmed behind them. Mira raised her hand, summoning stray cats and birds from the alleys.
“Go! Attack!”

But one by one, they were crushed, eaten alive.

Ren stopped running. “Mira…”

“Ren, don’t! Keep going!” Kurogane shouted.

Ren gritted his teeth. “I won’t abandon my friends again!”
He turned back, ran to Mira, and lifted her onto his back.

“Idiot! You’re gonna die too!”

“I don’t care! I promised—I won’t leave anyone behind again!”

Kurogane sighed, then ran back toward them, grabbing a steel pipe.
“Heh, no way you’re dying without me. I’m in too.”

“Dumbass!” Mira shouted, but her eyes were teary.

The Rank S monster lunged forward. Its stinger glowed, ready to pierce.
Ren shut his eyes.

Srrumm!
Suddenly, they vanished — and reappeared on top of a three-story building nearby.

“Wh–what the—heaven?” Kurogane gasped.

Ren burst out laughing. “I did it! I freaking did it!”

“Did what!?” Mira yelled.

“I can teleport anything I’m touching!”

Before they could celebrate, a deep roar shook the air.

RHHAAAAAACK!!

The building trembled. The garage behind them exploded into rubble.

Kurogane stared. “Guess we’ll need a new hangout spot.”

Mira’s eyes widened. “Wait… Toma’s still there.”

Ren turned toward the smoke. “…Toma.”

Through the haze, a figure jumped into the air — its eyes glowing violet, half its body covered in black metallic armor.

“T–Toma!?” Mira screamed.

A Few Minutes Earlier — Inside the Garage

“Notification?” Toma blinked.

A new system window appeared.

Congratulations! You have awakened. Lost potential restored.
New passive skill acquired: [Predator] — Consume and inherit the traits, skills, and stats of whatever you eat.

“Consume… what I eat?”

He looked up — at the scorpion monster thrashing above him.
Disgust twisted his face. “Gross… but if I don’t, they’ll all die.”

He took a deep breath. “Screw it.”

Then he lunged.

He sank his teeth into the monster’s side, tearing flesh apart.
Green blood splattered across his face.

“R–run… all of you…” he thought.

Another message blinked.
Absorb target? [YES/NO]
“YES!”

Pain.

His body caught fire from the inside out. Every vein, every nerve screamed.
He collapsed, convulsing, as his muscles twisted and bones cracked.

“A—AAARGHHHHHH!!!”

The scream was inhuman. The sound shattered the windows around him.

His skin tore open, revealing black scales underneath.
They spread — hard, sharp, glistening like obsidian steel.

His eyes burned violet, pupils narrowing like a predator’s.
His back split open, forming a metallic shell.

Then silence.
Only his ragged breathing remained.

Across the room, the Rank S centipide hissed.

But it wasn’t facing a boy anymore.
It was facing something else.

Toma stepped forward. The ground cracked beneath his feet.

His right arm deformed — splitting open, bones twisting, flesh morphing into a cannon made of muscle and steel.
Purple energy hummed at its core.

BOOOOM!!!

The beam erupted, annihilating the garage in one shot.
Every smaller monster disintegrated instantly.

Toma roared, leaping out through the smoke.

From the Distance

Ren, Kurogane, and Mira watched in horror.
The shockwave hit them — heat and dust blowing against their faces.

“M–my god… that’s Toma!?” Mira gasped.

Ren’s eyes were wide, sweat dripping down his chin. “I… I don’t even know anymore.”

The Rank S centipide screamed and charged. Its stinger crashed into Toma’s arm.
CLANK!
Sparks flew.

Toma’s blood splattered — black and thick. He didn’t even flinch.

The ground split. Buildings trembled.

Kurogane swallowed hard. “They’re like f***ing kaiju.”

The monster spat acid — Toma dodged, jumping impossibly high. The shell on his back opened, glowing with energy.
He came crashing down like a meteor.

DUAARRR!

Green blood rained from above.

Toma roared and grabbed the scorpion’s jaw, ripping it open.
Then —
CRUNCH!
He bit into its head.

Mira turned away, gagging. Ren covered his mouth.

He chewed through it — gnawing, tearing, swallowing chunks of flesh until half the monster’s skull was gone.

When the creature finally went limp, Toma staggered back.
His breaths came heavy. The light in his eyes dimmed.

The scales on his body cracked, falling off as dust.
His human skin returned — bloodied, covered in holes.

He collapsed.

Ren ran forward, catching him before he hit the ground. “Toma! Can you hear me!?”

No response. Just shallow breathing.

“Holy shit…” Kurogane muttered. “He really did it.”

“Come on, we’re taking him to a hospital!” Mira shouted.

They carried him down the ruined street, sirens echoing in the distance.
The sky above them glowed faint purple — leftover energy from Toma’s rampage.

The Way to the Hospital

The city was silent. Burned cars lined the streets.

Ren groaned, supporting Toma’s limp body. “You’re heavy as hell, man. You better wake up after this.”

Kurogane laughed weakly. “Bro literally ate a monster. He’s probably made of iron now.”

Mira wiped her eyes, voice soft. “He saved us. Even knowing what he’d become…”

Sirens grew louder — distant emergency units, maybe Xentra rescue teams.

“Hang on, man. Two more blocks,” Ren whispered.

Toma stirred. His lips moved faintly.
“R–Ren…”

Ren looked down, shocked. “Toma!? You’re awake!?”

Toma’s voice was hoarse. “...I’m… hungry…”

Both Ren and Kurogane shouted at once, “ARE YOU F***ING SERIOUS!?”

Even in the chaos, they laughed — tired, desperate laughter echoing in the ruins.

Elsewhere

A helicopter landed near the destroyed district.

Xentra Division soldiers poured out — Ranks C through A — followed by a woman with long silver hair, eyes like frozen glass.
Alice, Rank S.

She walked through the wreckage, her boots splashing in green blood.
Half the centipide's corpse lay there — eaten clean.

“Monster Rank S… devoured,” one soldier muttered in disbelief.

Alice knelt, touching a pool of blood. It hissed faintly — still charged with purple energy.

“This isn’t human,” she murmured. “But it’s not a monster either.”

She stood, wind blowing her hair as she stared toward the ruined skyline.
Far away, three silhouettes were seen dragging a fourth under the dying clouds.

At the Hospital

The air smelled like disinfectant. Machines beeped softly.

Ren, Mira, and Kurogane sat beside Toma’s bed.
He was still unconscious, his skin pale but clean — no wounds, no scars.

“...He was covered in holes before,” Ren muttered. “Now it’s like nothing happened.”

"And also, didn’t he was conscious earlier, why did he faint again?" asked Ren.

“Yeah, I don’t know” Mira whispered. “I saw it too. When we found him, he was bleeding everywhere. But once we got here… everything healed.”

Kurogane leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Whatever he awakened into… it’s not normal.”

They fell silent. Only the heart monitor broke the quiet.
Beep… beep… beep…

Inside Toma’s Mind

The sky above was crimson — a sunset that never ended.
The ground was a still ocean of blood, reflecting his face.

“Where… am I?”

His voice echoed endlessly. Each step he took sent ripples across the liquid surface.

From the horizon, another figure approached.
It was him — same face, same body. But different.

Messy hair, glowing red eyes, a calm, eerie smile.

“So, you’re finally awake,” the other Toma said. His voice was lower, deeper.

“Who the hell are you?”

The reflection smirked. “I’m you.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m the part you’ve buried. The fear, the rage, the hunger. The part that kept you alive.”
He raised a hand — droplets of blood floated up, forming the shape of the centipide monster.

“I’m the one who ate it. You just hid inside your head, trembling.”

“That’s not true!” Toma shouted.

“Afraid?” the reflection interrupted. “You’ve always been afraid.
Afraid to fail. Afraid to be left behind. Afraid of being useless.”

Toma’s fists trembled. He couldn’t deny it.

“When you were about to die,” the reflection continued, “you called out to me. And I answered. I protected you. I devoured for you.”
He stepped closer, the blood rippling into waves.

“Now we’re one. One body. One soul. And I’m hungry again.”

Toma glared. “I won’t let you take control.”

The reflection chuckled. “You still think this body belongs to you?”

He snapped his fingers — the world changed.

Toma now stood in a ruined city. Buildings burned.
On the street lay Ren, Mira, and Kurogane — lifeless.

Toma stumbled back. “W–what is this!?”

“A possibility,” said the reflection. “A future where you weren’t strong enough.
And when that happens… I’ll take over.”

Toma clenched his fists, shouting, “I WON’T LET THAT HAPPEN!”

The blood around him rose, swirling into a massive vortex.
White light pulsed from his chest — his awakened mark glowing.

“Oh?” The reflection smirked. “You’d fight me?”

“I’ll control this power,” Toma said firmly. “Not to kill you… but to own you.
From now on, I’m the one who decides when to be hungry.”

For the first time, the reflection’s smile faded.
“…You don’t even know what’s inside you.”

He stepped back, his form dissolving into the crimson sea.

“Enjoy your peace, Toma. Because every time you’re hungry…”
His red eyes flashed one last time.

“I’ll wake up.”

The world cracked. The red faded into blinding white.
A heartbeat thundered through the void.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Back in Reality

Ren jolted upright. “His pulse! It’s going crazy!”

Mira gasped. “It’s spiking! Toma, wake up!”

Ren shook him. “Toma!!”

Suddenly — GASP!

Toma shot up, eyes wide open.
He was breathing hard, drenched in sweat.

Mira froze.
One of his eyes was glowing red.

edit = The monster is a centipede, guys, because I was watching about scorpions, I accidentally wrote about scorpions.