Raven staggered forward, his body aching in ways he hadn't experienced before. The jagged ground beneath him scraped his bare feet, a sensation that felt far too real to be a dream or a death-induced coma. His breath came in short gasps as he tried to steady himself, the unfamiliar weight of his new frame throwing him off balance.
His hands trembled as he examined them. They didn't belong to him, not the him he knew. His arms were thinner, his frame lean but wiry. He saw his reflection in a nearby pool of dark, still water, confirming it.
The face staring back was a stranger's: a boy, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, with angular features, a sharp jawline, skin the tone of caramel, and tired eyes that held a hollow intensity.
His hair is a dark and unkempt mess that fell over his forehead in uneven strands. Even his clothing—tattered and threadbare—hung loosely over his slight frame.
"What the hell. What kind of freak dream is this?" he questioned, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke. The sound startled him; it wasn't his voice. This was much younger, lighter, with an edge of desperation he didn't recognize. It was all too unfamiliar and foreign.
Raven stumbled to his feet, his legs unsteady but functional. He took in his surroundings: the alien sky above, swirling with faint hues of violet and crimson, and the ground beneath him, a barren wasteland of jagged stone and glowing fissures. The air buzzed with a faint hum, as if the world itself were alive with energy.
"This... isn't Earth either," he murmured. "And this isn't my body."
A splitting headache assaulted Raven as he stood. What felt like hours later, it slowly began to recede to the point where he could think properly. Memories and images flashed in his mind from time to time. It was all too confusing.
His mind was a jumble of fragments—his life as an actor on Earth, and now... flashes of someone else's existence. A boy, a noble, exiled for reasons even he himself didn't know. Only able to know simply due to the inheritance of memories that even the original host did not remember.
He saw a grand estate, opulent halls lined with gold and silver, and a family he didn't know. A father with a stern, cold gaze. A mother who looked away when she should have spoken up. Siblings—none of whom bore him any semblance of love.
Then came the words were sharp and stung deeply: "For the good of the family, you will be relocated."
Relocated.
"'Relocated', huh? More like a noble's term for abandonment."
He saw from his POV, or rather, the boy's, standing on a private teleportation platform, surrounded by cold stares and servants who didn't dare meet his eyes. The family's banner fluttered in the wind, a symbol of a legacy he was no longer part of.
The teleportation wasn't a gift; it was more like a silent sentence. It could very well mean a goodbye and he may never see these people or be welcomed again.
Unfortunately, something had gone wrong. He'd been flung off course, into this desolate place.
"Why?" Raven growled through gritted teeth. He clutched his chest, his heart pounding. "Why was he sent away? Why me?"
But no answers came.
A low, guttural growl broke the silence, yanking Raven from his spiraling thoughts. He froze, his instincts on high alert. The growl came again, closer this time.
Raven's chest heaved as he sprinted across the jagged, broken landscape, his shoes pounding against the uneven ground.
The low, guttural growl that had sent shivers down his spine earlier was now replaced by something far worse: the sound of massive, thundering footsteps, barreling toward him.
He didn't dare look back. Even the air was heavy and charged with an unnatural energy that seemed to pull at him with every step.
His new body was faster, more agile than his old one; it was much more leaner than his own, and it sure didn't feel like his own either. His movements were clumsy, his balance off, and every stumble felt like a death sentence.
The creature roared, a sound so guttural and primal that it rattled Raven's bones. He felt the vibration in his chest, the beast's proximity was much closer than he liked.
Then came the crash. A creature plowed through a massive structure to his right—a crumbling, twisted remnant of a skyscraper from some bygone era.
Its glass-like claws tore through the reinforced concrete as though it were paper. The entire building groaned, the noise of metal and stone collapsing echoing through the wasteland as debris rained down.
Raven dared a glance over his shoulder and immediately regretted it.
'F*ck,' he says, can't helping but to let out a curse.
The beast was massive—easily the size of a truck, its glowing, sickly green veins pulsating with each heavy step.
Its molten-glass-like skin shimmered under the eerie sky, and its fanged maw dripped with black liquid that hissed and bubbled as it hit the ground. Its eyes, twin orbs of glowing emerald light, locked onto him with terrifying precision.
It roared again, its clawed feet digging into the ground as it lunged forward.
"You've got to be shitting me!" Raven shouted, his legs burning as he forced himself to move faster.
The beast's momentum was unstoppable. It slammed into another structure as it tried to close the gap, sending chunks of rock and metal flying in all directions.
Raven ducked, narrowly avoiding a piece of debris that whizzed past his head and embedded itself into the ground with a sickening thud.
The creature roared in frustration, its claws gouging massive furrows into the earth as it charged after him.
"Shit, go, ro," Raven muttered to himself, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His eyes darted around, searching for anything—ANYTHING—that could give him an edge.
The terrain shifted up ahead. Jagged ground gave way to what looked like the remains of an old street, lined with crumbling buildings. It wasn't much, but it was better than open ground.
Raven veered toward the street, weaving between the remains of rusted vehicles and shattered lampposts. The beast followed, its hulking form crashing through everything in its path.
One of the buildings to his left exploded outward as the creature smashed into it, trying to cut him off. Raven threw himself to the side, rolling across the ground as chunks of debris rained down around him. He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the sting of fresh cuts on his arms and legs.
"This damned thing isn't just chasing me—it's playing with its food," Raven realized, his stomach sinking.
The beast lunged again, its claws swiping inches from his back. Raven dove into the nearest building, his shoulder slamming against the doorframe as he tumbled inside.
The interior of the building was dark, lit only by the faint glow of cracks in the walls and ceiling. Raven pushed himself up, his pulse hammering in his ears as he stumbled deeper inside.
A deafening crash behind him signaled the beast's entrance. It didn't bother with the door—it tore through the wall, its massive frame sending a wave of dust and rubble cascading through the room.
Raven ducked behind a crumbling pillar, his hands shaking as he tried to control his breathing. The beast sniffed the air, its glowing eyes scanning the shadows.
For a brief, fleeting moment, Raven thought he might be able to stay hidden.
Then the pillar he was crouched behind exploded.
The beast's claws had swiped clean through it, sending chunks of concrete flying. Raven rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. He scrambled to his feet, his mind racing.
The building groaned as the creature tore through it, its massive weight and relentless movements shaking the very foundation. Raven darted through the ruins, the beast hot on his heels.
He vaulted over a collapsed desk, weaving through shattered walls and broken furniture. Each step felt heavier than the last, his body screaming for rest, but the beast's roars kept him moving.
The beast slammed into a corner of the building, its claws tearing through the support beams. Raven felt the floor beneath him tilt dangerously as the structure began to collapse.
He threw himself forward, diving through a shattered window just as the building caved in behind him. He hit the ground hard, the air knocked from his lungs as a cloud of dust and debris billowed out around him.
The beast emerged seconds later, its molten claws gouging into the street as it pulled itself free of the rubble.
Raven forced himself to his feet, his legs trembling. His lungs burned, his body aching from the relentless chase, but he couldn't stop now. He could hear the creature's claws scraping against the ground as it prepared for another charge.
"There's gotta be somewhere... anywhere... I can lose this thing," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Ahead, he spotted an old apartment complex that seemed relatively intact compared to the others. Its towering frame loomed like a beacon of hope in the chaos.
Raven didn't hesitate. He sprinted toward it, dodging between debris and ruined vehicles. The beast roared behind him, its thundering footsteps closing the gap.
The creature lunged, its claws raking the ground just inches from Raven's heels. He pushed himself harder, his legs screaming in protest as he dove through the shattered entrance of the apartment building.
The beast crashed into the doorway, its massive frame too large to fit. It snarled, swiping at the walls in frustration as Raven scrambled deeper inside.
The building groaned under the beast's assault, but it held. Raven stumbled into a dark corner, his chest heaving as he finally allowed himself to breathe.
The creature roared outside, its claws scraping against the concrete as it circled the building, searching for another way in.
For the first time since the chase began, Raven felt a sliver of relief. He wasn't safe. At least, not yet. Though, he did buy himself a few precious moments to think.
He leaned against the wall, his trembling hands gripping the torn fabric of his shirt. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat reminding him that he was alive for now.
"I've only seen one monster here in this Void Zone. Am I on the outskirts? Why's it so empty?" he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible over the sound of the beast's frustrated roars.
For now, he didn't have an answer. All he had was the dark, suffocating silence of the apartment building and the knowledge that the hunt wasn't over yet.