Kaelith barely had time to register the movement before the creature lunged.
It came from the ruins like a shadow torn from reality, its elongated limbs twisting unnaturally as it closed the distance in an instant. The air around it warped, as if the thing itself refused to be fully perceived.
Veym reacted first. His instincts took over, and with a snarl, he threw himself forward, claws outstretched.
The impact was brutal.
Veym's enhanced strength sent the creature skidding backward, its body twisting unnaturally to recover. But something was wrong. No blood. No injury. It was as if Veym had struck smoke.
"That should've crushed something," he growled.
Kaelith's mind raced. What were they even fighting?
Before anyone could move, the creature shifted. One moment, it was crouched low, its body barely distinguishable from the surrounding shadows—the next, it was behind Orin.
Orin didn't hesitate. Instead of dodging, he did something unnatural. He dissolved.
For a split second, his entire form flickered into shadow, and the creature's attack passed straight through him. He reappeared a few feet away, his expression unreadable.
Solrin's hand shot up, fingers curling instinctively. A burst of searing white light flared from his palm, illuminating the battlefield.
The creature screeched.
It staggered backward, its warped form twisting violently against the sudden radiance. The light was hurting it.
Edrin's eyes widened. "Light it can't handle it!"
Kaelith didn't waste a second. If light was its weakness, they had a chance.
He moved—faster than he ever had before. His body felt like it had been designed for precision, his muscles responding effortlessly. He shot past Veym, claws flashing. This time, his strike connected.
A deep gash tore through the creature's side. For the first time, it bled.
A thick, inky substance oozed from the wound, writhing unnaturally before dissolving into the air. The creature let out a horrific sound, a mixture of a shriek and something that almost resembled... words.
"—yoU do nOt belOng—"
Then, without warning, it collapsed into itself, its body unraveling like threads pulled from a tapestry. Within seconds, it was gone.
Silence.
No one moved. The only sound was their own breathing, heavy and uneven.
Kaelith clenched his fists. That thing spoke. Not clearly, not fully—but it had tried. That meant it wasn't just some mindless beast.
Veym let out a slow exhale. "What the hell was that?"
No one had an answer.
But Kaelith knew one thing.
They weren't alone in this world. And whatever else was out there?
It already knew they existed.
Kaelith tightened his grip on his claws, his body still thrumming with the lingering echoes of adrenaline. His enhanced senses told him the battle was over, yet something deeper, more primal, whispered otherwise.
Orin stood motionless, his silver eyes scanning the ruins, his form still flickering between shadow and flesh. "That thing wasn't hunting. It was testing us."
Veym let out a slow, measured breath, shaking out his hands, the remnants of the fight still pulsing through his veins. "If that was a test, I'd hate to see what comes next."
Solrin took a step forward, the faint golden glow beneath his skin dimming. His light had been their only real weapon against the creature. Whatever it had been, it feared light.
Edrin glanced at the spot where the creature had collapsed in on itself, his jaw tightening. "It spoke." His voice was quiet, but edged with something deeper. Fear? No. Recognition.
Kaelith turned toward him. "You heard that too."
Edrin hesitated, then nodded. "Not just the words. The way it spoke. Like it wasn't used to speaking. Like it wasn't supposed to."
That sent a chill down Kaelith's spine.
The way the thing had **warped through space, twisted through shadows—**it wasn't natural. Even the way it reacted to their attacks, the way it only bled when Kaelith struck it after the light had weakened it, suggested something stranger than just a mindless predator.
Orin exhaled sharply. "We need to move. Now."
Veym frowned. "Why? It's dead."
"Is it?" Orin's gaze was cold. "Because I don't think it died. I think it left. And I think whatever sent it knows everything it saw."
A heavy silence followed his words.
Kaelith wanted to dismiss the thought, to cling to the idea that they had won. But deep down, he already knew Orin was right.
That thing hadn't died. It had simply left.
And that meant it or whatever commanded it would be back.
And next time, it wouldn't come alone.
The ruins were silent as the group moved cautiously through them, keeping their senses sharp. The battle had left them shaken, but the overwhelming instinct to survive pushed them forward.
The world they had woken up in was alien yet familiar. The sky was the same vast black expanse as before, yet the constellations above twisted in ways Kaelith couldn't quite grasp.
The ruins themselves were remnants of something ancient. Not stone, not metal—but something in between. Structures that should have crumbled long ago still stood, their surfaces etched with symbols that shifted when looked at too closely.
It felt wrong. Like they were walking through a place that refused to acknowledge time.
Edrin ran a hand over one of the strange glyphs, his expression unreadable. "This writing… I don't recognize it."
Veym scoffed. "You wouldn't. We just got here."
Edrin shook his head. "That's the thing. It feels familiar. Like I've seen it before but can't remember when."
That sent another chill through Kaelith's spine.
Their transformations, the strange new abilities coursing through them, the instincts they shouldn't have had but suddenly did—
Had they really changed? Or had something simply awoken inside them?
Solrin exhaled. "Let's not waste time trying to understand things we don't have answers for. We need shelter, food, and a plan."
No one argued.
Survival came first.
—
They moved carefully through the ruins, navigating the strange, maze-like pathways that twisted and turned unpredictably. At times, Kaelith swore he saw movement in the corners of his vision—shadows shifting where they shouldn't.
But every time he turned to look, there was nothing.
The others felt it too. He could tell by the way Orin's form flickered more often, by the way Veym's claws remained partially extended, by the way Edrin's eyes darted toward every shadow.
This place wasn't abandoned.
It was watching them.
Hours passed before they found what they were looking for. A structure, still mostly intact, its roof barely caved in, its walls sturdy enough to act as a temporary refuge.
Inside, the air was thick with dust and something Kaelith couldn't name. It wasn't rot or decay—it was absence. Like nothing had ever lived here.
Veym collapsed onto the nearest intact slab of stone, letting out a long exhale. "Well, we're not dead. I'll call that a win."
Orin leaned against the far wall, his shadow shifting unnaturally beneath him. "For now."
Kaelith sat down, stretching his muscles, testing his new limits. His body was… different. Stronger, yes. But also lighter. Sharper. Like it had been rebuilt with purpose.
Edrin sat across from him, fingers idly tracing unfamiliar symbols into the dust. His expression was distant.
Solrin was the last to sit, his gaze flickering to the entrance of their makeshift shelter. "We'll take turns keeping watch. I doubt we're safe."
Kaelith nodded. They all knew it.
This was only the beginning.
The ruins whispered around them, unseen things moving beyond the veil of perception.
Something had changed the moment they arrived. Something was waiting for them to remember.
And Kaelith wasn't sure he wanted to know what.