"So lemme get this straight... this pnet's called Remnant, not Earth?" I asked, still rubbing the back of my head, trying to wrap my mind around it all.

  The guy with the messy raven-bck hair-Qrow, I'd caught someone call him that earlier-let out a low chuckle, like he'd been through way worse and wasn't surprised by anything anymore.

  "Earth? Hah... kid, you hit your head harder than I thought. Never heard of a pce like that." He took a sip from a fsk he pulled from inside his coat, like it was just another Tuesday. "Either you're from way off the grid... or you've been watching too many sci-fi flicks."

  I gave a tired shrug, letting out a sigh. "Honestly? I don't even know anymore. I had memory problems before the fall. That just made things worse."

  Qrow raised an eyebrow, the smirk fading just a little. "Huh... so this isn't some concussion-induced nonsense. You really don't remember anything?"

  "Nah," I said, dragging a hand down my face. "Names, faces, home-nothing. Just vibes."

  He let out a soft whistle. "Well, damn. That's rough." He paused, then gave me a look that was more thoughtful than mocking. "Tell you what, memory or not, you nded in one piece. That counts for something around here."

  I just blinked. "Well, if you think you can sm against a bunch of branches 25 feet in the air in one piece, then I think you should stop drinking, I said, completely fbbergasted by what I just heard.

  Before Qrow could retort, Tai-who I'd learned was Ruby and Yang's dad-interrupted, his voice steady but serious. "How exactly did you end up falling?" he asked, his tone sharp with concern.

  I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I started expining about the creature that had attacked me. The oversized furball was called a Grimm, I found out, but not just any Grimm-it was a Fenrir, a mythical css Grimm

  SLAM!

  Tai's eyes narrowed, and his fist smmed against the table with a force that rattled the room. "No. That's not possible." His voice dropped, cold and intense. "If that's true, we need to evacuate the people of Vale, and we need to shut down Forever Fall Forest. A Mythical-css? If this kid fought one, we're all in danger."

  Mythical Css, as some call them, is a special type of Grimm. Some even treat them like a myth, but they're real. They're unique-mysterious, an anomaly. You don't come across them often, and when you do, it's never a good sign.

  All Grimms are under the command of one person in this world: Salem. The mother of Grimm. An immortal being of darkness who controls them all like puppets on strings. But the Fenrir Css? They're different. They don't fall under her control.

  They're entities that operate outside of her reach. Something that even she can't manipute. They're like camities, supernatural forces brought into existence by the darkest desires of men and the twisted remains of the fallen. Created by nature itself but warped-distorted into something unnatural.

  Think of them like tumors in the body of the world-something that festers until it shows up in the worst possible moment. They're a force of chaos, and when they strike, you know it's the beginning of something far worse.

  Tai marched forward, urgency tightening his voice. "We need to contact Ozpin. Right now."

  Qrow shook his head with a frustrated sigh. "Can't. Ozpin and Glynda already left for Ats. Said they had a meeting with Ironwood and the Council-something important. He didn't share many details, unfortunately."

  "Why don't we just hunt it? You know, what Hunters normally do? It can't be that strong, right? I bet if we fight together, we can-" Yang stopped talking the moment he heard Qrow's voice cut through the room.

  "No!" Qrow barked. "It's too dangerous for you to get involved. Leave this to the Hunters-me and your father. You'll just get in the way. If you really want to help, then take care of Soma and get out of the city. Head to Patch Isnd. That's an order."

  Both Qrow and Tai left the room, off to who knows where. Ruby, who had been silent until now, gave me a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Soma. Me Yang and will protect you! Right, Yang?" Ruby gnced over at Yang.

  Yang's hair was covering her face, making it difficult to read her expression. After a moment, she gave a small nod of her head.

  "Yeah, get dressed, Soma," Yang said, her tone more serious than usual as she quickly turned and left the room.

  I gnced back at Ruby, a bit uneasy. "Is she going to be okay?" I asked, the concern in my voice betraying the calm front I was trying to keep. I couldn't shake the image of Yang, her usually fiery spirit suddenly dampened. She looked like she had something on her mind, something she wasn't saying, and it made me nervous.

  Ruby gave me a small, reassuring smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "She's just a little shaken up, that's all. You know how she gets when things get intense," Ruby said, her voice softer now, almost like she was trying to convince herself more than me. "She'll be fine. But... we should get ready. Things are about to get crazy, and we'll need to stick together."

  I nodded, but my thoughts were still with Yang. Would she really be fine? I hoped Ruby was right, but something about the way Yang left the room told me otherwise.

  After leaving the hospital, I stepped outside for the first time in days. Apparently, I'd been knocked out for two weeks... Two weeks. I couldn't believe it. I never thought I'd be out that long. But what really had me confused was that the damn furball hadn't found me yet. Maybe it just... left? Maybe Qrow and Tai were just being overdramatic, talking about it like it was some creature of myth or something. I mean, really, how could a thing like that be real?

  I paused for a second, looking up at the sky, the sun finally peeking through the clouds. My mind raced with thoughts-questions I didn't have answers to. I'd seen that monster with my own eyes, and yet, part of me couldn't shake the doubt. Could it really have been a Fenrir css Grimm? The stories made it sound like something straight out of a nightmare, and yet, here I was, walking around like it was just another day. Maybe it was too dangerous, too unpredictable, to even think about.

  But still, something nagged at me, a voice in the back of my mind. Why hadn't it come back for me? Would it really just leave me alive after the mess I caused? I couldn't ignore that feeling in my gut. Something wasn't adding up.

  System Notification: You have Mail

  And of course, I forgot about this shit.

  For a second, I thought I was just tripping, like maybe the blow to my head had knocked something loose. But nah. Apparently, I've got this weird-ass personal system that only I can see. Fucking great. As if everything else wasn't already messed up enough.

  I opened the main notification, and of course, it read:

  [Congratutions! You've cleared the quest: Fenrir Onsught. You have received 1 Gacha Ticket and 75 EXP!]

  I stared at it for a second.

  Gacha tickets? EXP? What the actual hell was this? Did I just get rewarded for almost getting my face ripped off by a giant wolf? Was this a sick joke?

  I rubbed my eyes, like maybe I was still loopy from the concussion or some shit. But no, the message was still there, as clear as day.

  This was real. And if that was the case, I had a hell of a lot more to figure out.

  [Do you want to spend your Gacha ticket? (Yes) or (No)]

  "Why not. Yes," I muttered, stretching my arms with a sigh. "Ain't like I got anything better to do."

  The system flickered to life again, bringing up a list of banners-Weapons, Abilities, Artifacts. All glowing with some cheap gacha-game shine like they were trying to seduce me.

  "Let's go with... abilities," I said, tapping it zily.

  [Spinning...]

  Colors blurred. Sparks fshed. I swear I even heard a damn choir sing in the background.

  [Congratutions. You have received: Divine Dividing - Wings of Bance Breaker]

  The hell kinda name is that?

  Before I could even process it, pain shot through my back like I'd been struck by lightning. I staggered, gripping my shoulder, and then-fwsshh-two glowing, mechanical wings erupted from my back. Blue and white, humming with a weird mix of divine energy and cold steel.

  "What the...?"

  I spun around, trying to see them, but they just floated there, fpping slowly like they belonged to me or something. They didn't feel heavy. Just... there. Like they'd always been.

  [Ability Info: "Divine Dividing" - Details unavaible. Please awaken the skill to unlock further information.]

  "...Well, that's vague as hell."

  I stared at the wings, my heart racing, a bit unsure whether I should be impressed... or horrified.

  "I mean, they look dope," I muttered. "But if this thing kills me in my sleep, I'm suing God or whatever admin's running this glitchy-ass system."

  Still, I couldn't help but smirk. Wings or not, things just got a whole lot more interesting.

  I blinked, trying to shake off the haze in my head when Ruby and Yang's worried voices cut through my fog.

  "Soma?"

  I snapped out of it, turning my head to see them both looking at me like I had just sprouted another head. Ruby's face was scrunched in concern, while Yang's arms were crossed, her usual carefree vibe repced with a tightness I hadn't seen before.

  "Uh, yeah?" I said, doing my best to sound like I wasn't drowning in my own thoughts.

  "Are you okay? You've been out of it... and you were talking to yourself," Ruby asked, her voice lighter than it should've been. But there was no hiding that worry behind it. "Everything cool?"

  Yang stepped forward, crossing her arms with that serious look I hated seeing on her. "Rub's right. If something's off, just say it. We're not gonna let anything happen to you."

  I fshed a grin, trying to brush it off. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

  But the smile didn't reach my eyes. It couldn't. Something was coming. I could feel it in my gut, crawling like a worm inside me, gnawing at me until I couldn't ignore it. That damn mark on my back throbbed like it was alive, and it was dragging me closer to something I didn't want to face.

  But even worse? Ruby and Yang were right here with me, and I couldn't let them get wrapped up in this. Not now. Not with that coming.

  I looked over at them again, trying to hide the tremor in my chest. "You guys need to leave Vale. Now."

  They both stared at me like I had just told them the sky was falling.

  "Soma, what are you talking about?" Ruby's voice was full of confusion, her brows knit together. "What's going on?"

  I didn't answer. I couldn't. Instead, I just gnced up at the sky, watching it twist and change like it was alive. It wasn't just the weather. It was the air itself, like something was breathing it in and out, distorting everything.

  That's when it hit me.

  It was here.

  Unaware of us, deep in the shadowed woods of Forever Fall, something stirred.

  Its breath was slow and deliberate, like it was savoring every moment before it hunted.

  Fenrir.

  The beast. The nightmare. The one I couldn't escape.

  Its massive, armored form shifted, the one glowing eye locked on Vale. It knew where I was. It could smell me, feel me like a predator on a hunt. And it wasn't going to stop until it had me.

  My back burned. The mark-purple, twisted, and sickly-pulsed in time with my racing heart. The damn thing was alive, feeding on whatever was left of my humanity, drawing the beast closer with every beat.

  I felt it. The miasma-the bck, suffocating mist that oozed from its body like venom. It crept through the trees, a death sentence for anything caught in its path.

  Birds fell from the sky. Squirrels dropped dead mid-run. Deer, wild boars, and oxen crumpled, their bodies rotting away in seconds, their eyes wide with terror.

  The whole damn forest was dying.

  Fenrir's grin was wide, twisted-a grotesque thing that made me want to puke. Teeth like daggers bared in an unnatural smile. I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there. Watching me. Waiting.

  And it was moving. Closer. Closer.

  I couldn't outrun it. But I had to try.