The last thing I remembered was the blinding light. A flare that seemed to tear through my soul, shattering the walls of my existence into dust. One moment, I was kneeling beside my mother's grave, the weight of years and regret pressing heavily on my chest. The next… nothing.
I woke to darkness. Not the kind that comes with the absence of light, but the kind that surrounds you, holds you. It was cold, too cold, and for a moment I thought I had died.
I wasn't sure how much time had passed before I regained my senses. My body was... different. Heavier. Broader. My fingers twitched, the bones creaking and shifting as if something ancient was awakening inside me. I blinked, trying to focus on my surroundings, but the world around me was distorted.
I lifted my hand—no, it was a claw, thick and powerful, with dark brown fur sprouting from it like a second skin. Panic flared, a familiar sensation that flooded my chest. What was happening?
The air tasted foreign, sharp and tinged with the scent of earth. The ground beneath me was rough, uneven stone. A labyrinth? I tried to stand, but my legs—my hind legs—were not the ones of a man. They were… different, muscled and thick, supporting the weight of a creature I didn't understand. I ran my hands over the fur that now coated my chest and shoulders—tough, bristling like an animal's.
I staggered to my feet, feeling the weight of massive horns curl from my skull. Panic bubbled in my chest, but it was smothered by something else. An instinct. A presence.
Who… or what, was I?
In the dark recesses of my mind, something stirred, a faint memory of being human. My name. My memories. A life that had once been mine. But now, I was... this. A beast. A monster. The eerie silence around me only heightened my unease. What was the point of all this? Why had I been reborn into this form?
Then, a voice. Not a sound, but a whisper inside my mind. You are not the first, nor will you be the last. But you will not be weak. Remember who you were. Remember your power.
A pulse of heat spread through me, igniting something deep within, like a forgotten flame being stoked. The labyrinth was no longer a prison. It was a challenge. And I would rise to meet it.