I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or stuck somewhere between dreams and reality. Everywhere I looked, there were trees—tall and twisted, with branches heavy with bright red leaves, like something out of a fever dream. The sky was a swirl of fiery reds and oranges, looking like it was burning up, but I couldn't tell if it was dawn or dusk. Was the sun coming up or setting? I couldn't even remember.

  More pressing, though, was the question that echoed in my mind over and over.

  Who was I?

  And where the hell was I?

  I wandered through the forest, trying to make sense of it all, hoping for something that might jog my memory or make this pce feel familiar. Eventually, I found myself at the edge of a small spring. The water was still, a perfect mirror, reflecting the chaos of the sky above. I stared at my reflection, searching for some clue—some sign that would help me piece this all together.

  I had braids, held back by a simple hairband. My tank top was pin bck, nothing fancy, but it felt right. But there was something else, hanging around my neck. A locket. I reached up, fingers brushing the cool surface. The question hit me again—who gave me this? Why did it feel so important? But no answers came, only more questions.

  Bending down, I plunged my head into the cool, clear spring water. I did it for two reasons: first, to shake off the groggy feeling that had been weighing me down, and second, to quench the burning thirst that gnawed at my insides. The chill of the water was sharp, jolting me into some kind of crity. It felt good, like a wake-up call, but even as I gasped for air and lifted my head, I couldn't shake the sense that I was still... lost.

  Spsh!

  I lifted my head from beneath the water, gasping for air. I took a deep breath, feeling the cool rush fill my lungs. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was calm—able to see clearly, and, more importantly, think clearly.

  Fragments of memories began to resurface—fshes of my best moments, the ughter, the warmth. But those pieces quickly slipped away, like sand through my fingers, repced by a feeling of deep disappointment.

  There was only one thing I knew for certain now, and it gnawed at me, refusing to be ignored.

  I didn't belong here.

  "My name is Soma, but people call me Ray for short," I said, my voice rough from the unfamiliar feeling in my throat. "That's all I know, the only thing I seem to remember."

  I slowly got to my feet, my tank top slightly stuck to my skin from the dampness. The cool water clung to me, but I could feel it glistening off my skin, the droplets catching the fading light from above. The air was thick, and I still felt like I was trying to wake up from a dream that wouldn't let me go.

  Endlessly walking through the woods, I couldn't shake the chill that had settled in my bones. I called it the Bloody Forest, for the way the trees seemed to bleed with red leaves, even though the name didn't seem to make much sense anymore. It was nightfall, and the temperature had dropped significantly, biting at my skin like a thousand tiny needles.

  I hugged my arms around my body, trying to generate some kind of warmth, though it barely helped. The cold was suffocating. Every step felt heavier than the st, and all I could think about was finding some shelter—a town, a cabin, hell, even a cave—anything where I could rest, get my bearings, and maybe figure out what the hell was going on.

  I needed somewhere to y my head. Somewhere safe.

  *Aooooo!*

  The howl pierced the night, sending a chill racing down my spine. My body stiffened, and without thinking, I whipped around, my eyes scanning the darkened forest for the source of the sound.

  It was like a wolf's howl, but twisted, warped, and far too demonic. It wasn't natural, and every instinct in me screamed that something was wrong. Something far worse than I could even imagine.

  So, I did the only thing that made sense.

  I ran.

  I didn't spare a single second to look back. The ground beneath my feet blurred as I pushed myself harder, faster. My calves burned with every step, and my legs screamed in protest, but I ignored it. I was tired, but that howl... whatever made it? I wasn't sticking around to find out.

  I couldn't.

  Eventually, I stumbled to the edge of the cliff, my heart still pounding from the run. Below, the city sprawled out in front of me, a patchwork of lights flickering against the night. The distant honking of cars echoed up to where I stood, and in the far distance, the familiar hum of an anime pying on a billboard added to the city's chaotic vibe. For a moment, I felt a rush of joy—a brief flicker of normalcy—but it quickly soured.

  How the hell was I supposed to get down there?

  The drop was about 25 feet, a sheer fall that would definitely end in disaster if I tried to climb down. I scanned the sides of the cliff for any way to ease my descent, but there was nothing—just jagged rock and loose dirt, offering no help.

  Disappointment settled over me like a heavy weight. With a frustrated groan, I dropped to my knees, my body finally giving in to the exhaustion that had been cwing at me for who knows how long. I wanted to scream, to throw something, but I just sat there, too drained to do anything else.

  *Stomp, Stomp, Stomp*

  The ground suddenly trembled beneath me like a mini earthquake. My head snapped up, my heart hammering in my chest. The ground shook again, stronger this time, and I quickly scrambled to my feet, eyes scanning the horizon.

  I barely had time to react before a massive shadow loomed over me. The silhouette of a figure towered above me, blocking out the moonlight. Its form was hard to make out in the dark, but its sheer size was enough to send a chill down my spine.

  Before I could move, I was smmed into a tree by the beast's mighty force. My eyes went wide, the pain and impact overwhelming. I gasped, barely able to breathe, and colpsed against the rough bark.

  Coughing up blood, I screamed as a sharp pain seared through my side. My hand pressed to the wound, but blood kept pouring out, soaking my fingers. I screamed again, my body trembling from the intensity of the pain. Tears streamed down my face as the reality hit me—this hurt. It hurt more than anything.

  Was this how it ended?

  My eyes blurred, the world spinning. "I guess this is it," I muttered, my voice raw with pain. "A nobody, with no memories of his past... dying in some damn forest." I gnced up at the overgrown wolf, its massive form looming over me. It looked like something out of a fairytale, but twisted. Its mouth opened wide, revealing teeth like daggers, glistening with saliva.

  I don't want to die, I want to live!

  __System has been activated__

  Stats

  { Name: Soma

  Level: 4

  Age: 15

  Strength: 7

  Agility: 10

  Mp: (Locked)

  Speed:10

  Defense: 7

  Chraisma: 7

  Luck: 7 }

  __ Sembence Activateid__

  Unbeknownst to me, my right arm was broken.The beast's aura—it wasn't just foul; it was corrupting me. Twisting me from the inside out. And then, it started.

  My arm began to shift—violently. Bones snapped, flesh writhed, and I screamed. The pain was beyond anything I'd ever felt. It was like fire and rot tearing through my nerves at the same time.

  With a sickening crack, my arm popped back into pce, but it wasn't the same.

  The skin turned a grotesque red, like blood boiled beneath the surface. Right in the center of my forearm, a mark began to burn through the skin—a cross, glowing a soft, blinding white.

  t pulsed.

  I didn't know if it was holy or cursed. All I knew was... I wasn't a normal human anymore.

  Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the jagged piece of bark that had pierced my side. With a sharp breath, I yanked it out—blood poured freely, but there was no time to focus on the pain.

  The beast saw this as its chance.

  It roared, its muscles tensing as it lunged forward, its cws outstretched, ready to rip me apart.

  I barely had time to brace myself.

  The creature lunged, a blur of muscle and fury. Its cws gleamed in the red-tinted light, slicing the air as it closed in. My body screamed in protest, every nerve raw, but something deep inside me snapped awake.

  BOOM.

  A burst of force exploded from my right arm, white light fshing from the glowing cross etched into my flesh. The impact knocked the beast back mid-air, smming it into the cliffside with a thunderous crack.

  I stood there, trembling. The pain was still there, but it was different now—burning, focused, alive. My arm pulsed again, the white cross fring brighter than before. I looked down.

  The red had spread up to my shoulder, muscles shifting beneath my skin, veins glowing faintly with light. I didn't understand it, but in that moment, I didn't need to.

  I was changing.

  And for the first time since waking up in this nightmare, I had a fighting chance.

  Then it happened.

  Pain shot through my body as my arm began to transform once again. It wasn't just growing—it was changing. My muscles tightened, bones cracked under pressure, and I screamed, my voice raw from the agony. My arm stretched downward, thickening and growing longer, until it reached my feet.

  The air around me crackled as if the very atmosphere was alive, reacting to the violent energy surging through my body. I didn't understand what was happening, but I didn't care. The wolf was still coming, cws sshing through the air, ready to rip me apart.

  "Sembnce: Innocence... Anti-Grimm Weapon. Cross Grave Form A"

  Py ?

  I didn't know what the words meant, but I felt the power, and I was ready to use it.

  The wolf lunged at me, its cws gleaming in the moonlight, aiming straight for my throat. But I wasn't about to let it take me that easily. With a grunt, I swung my arm, now thicker and more powerful than before, and met its cws with a bone-shaking csh. The impact sent a shockwave through my body, rattling my bones, but I held my ground.

  I kicked out, sending my foot crashing into the side of the wolf's ribcage. It yelped and staggered back, but I wasn't done. My arm moved faster than I could think, like a massive whip, swinging through the air with a sickening thud as it collided with the wolf's chest.

  The creature howled, stumbling back with a blood-curdling cry, but I didn't give it a moment to recover. I pressed forward, smming my shoulder into its side, knocking it off bance and sending it stumbling.

  Adrenaline surged through me. I moved with a speed and ferocity I didn't even know I had. I kicked again, this time nding a brutal blow to the wolf's jaw. It snapped its head back, the force of my strike sending a shudder through its entire body, but it wasn't done. No, this thing was relentless. It swiped at me once more, its cws cutting through the air with deadly precision.

  I ducked just in time, feeling the wind rush past me as the cws narrowly missed my face. But I wasn't just dodging. I was fighting—every movement, every swing of my arm powered by the wild energy surging through me.

  Twisting in mid-air, I swung my arm with every ounce of strength I had left. It connected with the wolf's neck, sending the creature crashing into the ground. It y there, twitching, but not for long. It was already getting back up, snarling, blood dripping from the gash I'd left.

  It came at me again, faster this time, more vicious. I had no choice but to meet it head-on. With a roar, I smmed my arm into its body, sending it skidding backward. Before it could regain its footing, I closed the gap, delivering a powerful kick to its side. The wolf yelped and crashed into the earth once again.

  But it wasn't dead. Not yet.

  The wolf lunged at me again, its jaws snapping and cws sshing with deadly intent. I didn't have time to think—I just reacted. My arm whipped out, smming into the side of the beast, sending it flying through the trees.

  All around me, dust clouds exploded as the force of my attack tore through the forest. The trees around us splintered and fell in the wake of my raw power.

  Suddenly, a blue screen popped up in front of me, like a stat screen from a video game. It showed the creature's name... and its level.

  "Level 55."

  The creature's name was "Grimmr," a rare species known as Finir—an evolution of a Beyowlf.

  I froze. My heart skipped a beat as I saw its health. The screen showed a terrifying number: 95%.

  I barely scratched it... Only five percent of its health had been drained.

  Panic surged through me as the wolf growled low, clearly more than ready to keep fighting.

  A psychotic grin spread across my face as I ughed, a mad cackle that echoed through the forest. My body trembled with the wild energy surging through me. My hair—what was left of it—shifted. It transformed into dreadlocks, the color shifting to a dark ash-blond with streaks of white highlights, almost like lightning cracking through a stormy sky.

  "This can't be real. Am I in hell or something?" I chuckled, my voice cracking as the madness took over. "All those attacks... for nothing?" I threw my head back, ughter pouring from me like it was the only thing keeping me grounded. "Hahahahaha! Well, if I'm going out, I'm taking a part of you with me!"

  I stalked toward the beast, the insane gleam in my eyes now matched by the energy flooding my veins. My limbs felt like they were on fire, every fiber of my being screaming for destruction. The creature growled low, but I could see the hesitation in its eyes. It knew something had changed—I had changed. But there was no stopping me now.

  The beast snarled at me, its sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight, but there was hesitation in its eyes now. It was cautious—it should be.

  I could see the uncertainty in its stance, the way it shifted its weight, its massive frame coiling like a spring, ready to strike. But I was done running. Done pying by its rules.

  I took a step forward, my heart pounding in my chest, my mind spiraling into the chaos of the fight. This creature thought it could take me down. It thought it could make me its prey. But I wasn't going down like this. Not after everything.

  "Round 2?"

  End of the chapter.