Gray stared at the head to his right.
It rested only a few feet away, the eyes still open, still wet, still frozen in the moment of death. Her mouth was slightly parted as though she had tried to scream but had no time to make a sound. Blood continued to leak from every orifice, forming dark pools that crept into the cracked soil. The trail of red stretched out beneath her like the fingers of something unseen.
His breath caught in his throat.
Every part of him locked up. His arms. His legs. Even the muscles in his face refused to move. His eyes remained fixed on her lifeless gaze, unable to blink, unable to look away. A bitter cold rushed through his spine.
This could not be real.
It had to be a nightmare. Some terrible side effect of fatigue, of shock, of whatever this place was doing to his mind.
A chime sounded by his ear. Familiar. Mechanical.
A blue screen shimmered into view before him. Smooth and glowing faintly in the mist-draped air.
[Status: Analysing…]
His eyes flicked to it, mind slow to process.
[Status analysis complete]
[You are not dreaming]
The words cut through his thoughts like a knife. His breath turned shallow. The screen blinked once before vanishing, leaving nothing but silence and the wet sound of blood dripping onto soil.
He slowly turned his head forward.
The creature still stood there.
It was no more than twenty feet away. Its frame shifted continuously, as if its flesh were made from smoke and nightmares. Its limbs bent in unnatural ways, and its skin looked stretched and raw. It dragged itself forward with jerky movements, long fingers clawing across the road.
Gray's body finally began to respond.
He reached for the sword he had dropped. His hand shook violently, fingers struggling to wrap around the grip. He could barely lift it. But he pointed it anyway, holding it before him like a lifeline.
He was still trembling.
He had never felt this kind of fear before. Not the fear of hunger, or of being alone, but the primal kind. The kind that came when death was not a distant thought but thing that stared you in the face.
Then, behind him, someone screamed.
"No. No, forget this. I'm not dying here!"
A man ran past him, eyes wide with panic. He charged straight into the treeline, past the purple roots and gnarled bark. His sudden flight broke the fragile composure of the group.
Another ran.
Then another.
The illusion of control collapsed.
Gray shouted after them, voice strained and desperate.
"Wait. Stop. Don't go into the forest. There might be—ukh!"
A massive force slammed into his gut, launching him into the air.
His back smashed against a nearby tree. He slid to the ground in a crumpled heap, coughing and gasping for air. Something in his ribs cracked. His vision blurred, spinning wildly before it focused on the shape that approached.
He tried to scream, but blood filled his throat.
Pain pulsed through every inch of his body.
Then came the system alerts. Rapid. Cold.
[System has detected an anomaly]
[Safety suit integrity compromised]
[Seed of Corruption detected]
The messages blinked one after the other, painting the air blue around him. He could not move. His sword had fallen again, too far to reach.
The monster loomed over him.
It reached down slowly, its long fingers twitching with anticipation. He could not run. Could not even flinch.
'Is this really how it ends'
His lips curled into a broken, bitter smile.
Then something whistled through the air.
The monster paused.
A spear embedded itself in its upper shoulder. The weapon vibrated from the impact, and purple ichor leaked down its arm.
Gray looked up weakly.
The boy with the spear stood several meters away. He was trembling, barely able to hold himself upright, but his eyes burned with defiance.
Gray's fingers curled.
'Nows my chance!'
He crawled, grabbed his sword, and pushed himself up with everything he had. His muscles screamed, but he ignored them. He ran forward, breath ragged, teeth clenched.
He leapt onto the creature's back.
The monster shrieked. A sound unlike anything Gray had ever heard. Like glass screaming underwater. Arms lashed at him, some missing, some clawing at his legs.
He swung his sword down.
Once.
Then again.
And again.
Purple blood splashed over his arms. The blade sank into raw flesh, met little resistance, and carved deep. He stabbed until he could no longer feel his arms. Until the blade caught in bone and refused to come out.
The monster collapsed beneath him.
Gray rolled off, breath heaving. His clothes were soaked in the creature's blood. His hands trembled, not from fear but from adrenaline.
He looked at the body.
It was still.
He stumbled closer and raised his sword one last time.
Nothing moved.
He lowered the blade and laughed quietly.
"I did it."
His voice was soft. Disbelieving.
"I actually did it!"
The laughter turned rang out through the forest.
Then came the rustling.
He turned around, instinct on edge.
Lyleen... she had stood up.
Gray's entire body went cold.
Her head had been cleanly severed. He had seen it. He had stared into her lifeless eyes. But now she stood tall. Her movements stiff at first, then smoother. Like something inside her had figured out how to control the body.
Her face was empty. Eyes dull, mouth slack.
Then the roots moved.
They rose from the earth like veins breaking through skin. Coiling. Slithering. They wrapped around her arms and spine. Some pierced into her back. Her flesh accepted them.
A voice whispered through the air.
"You let her die."
Gray's eyes widened.
"You let her die."
The roots dragged her forward. Her feet did not touch the ground. The forest pulsed with each word. The trees twisted inward. The very air became heavier.
Lyleen raised her hand.
Gray stepped back. Fearful.
Then she moved.
Fast.
She closed the distance in a blink of an eye and slammed him into the same tree he had hit earlier. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs. His sword fell again.
A fist connected with his face. Then another.
He slumped. She stabbed him in the side.
The pain exploded through his nerves. His vision blurred with tears.
And then it happened.
Something deep inside him stirred.
A pressure built in his chest. In his spine. In his head.
Then the screen appeared.
[Seed of Corruption has begun integration...]
[Strain Awakening: Pending…]
His body lit with heat. His heart pounded. Something ancient stirred beneath his skin.
And then erupted.