Cullen woke up to a terrible feeling. He was covered in sweat, yet felt a deep coldness down to his bones. It wasn't a headache or anything like that, but a premonition that something awful was nearby. Almost the same as the dreadful Abomination from before, yet this was different.
It was clear that something with terrifying power was close.
He didn't move immediately, as it might give away his position inside the bush he chose to sleep in. Instead, he slowly took out his compass to see the closest Abomination's direction.
'Right behind me…'
Slowly rising to a crouching position, Cullen was cautious not to move the leaves around him. He was already wearing the Eye Amulet, yet he still had to be careful around the more dangerous Abominations.
Making his way to the end of the greenery, Cullen pushed aside a few branches to look at where the compass was pointed.
He froze.
A terrifying creature was hunched over, sending signals to Cullen's mind to cower and hide. It was a small child with burnt skin, slouched over with its hands around its legs and its face buried in its knees. Similar to the Withered Plant, its grey skin was flaking and peeling off.
It was small, it was helpless, but for some reason, Cullen felt one wrong move would get him killed.
He tried to collect his thoughts, run away, do anything, but he couldn't.
Then, even though Cullen was hidden with the necklace, the Abomination slowly lifted its head and looked directly at him. It had no nose or mouth, only empty, hollow eye sockets that cast a horrifying gaze.
"Come."
The Child only whispered, yet its voice rang through Cullen's mind.
He stood up, losing hold of his body, and slowly walked towards the Child. His steps were slow and forced as his will fought against the Child's commands, yet his hope instantly vanished.
Cullen stopped right in front of the Nightmare's monster, gaining some control of his body back. But before he could act, another command came.
"Kneel."
'No!'
His body didn't listen. Bending his left knee, Cullen lowered himself and was now face-to-face with the Child. Staring into the Child's soul, he felt fear that no one should ever have to experience.
"Die."
As soon as he heard the order, Cullen stopped breathing. No matter how hard he tried, it was like his lungs were closed and bound never to open again. Regaining control, he grasped his throat with his hands, trying and failing to gather air.
Cullen could have attacked the Child, but he knew better. This was not something he was prepared to fight. In fact, he never wanted to encounter this again for the rest of his life, assuming he had one.
Still unable to breathe, he reached into his pocket and grabbed the Mini Kamikaze, clenching it with all his strength.
He closed his eyes as the sound of glass shattering echoed through his ears, followed by a deafening explosion.
He opened his eyes one last time, gazing into the expressionless monster as he lost consciousness.
***
Cullen woke to a sense of déjà vu as he lay sprawled across the jungle ground.
'One time was enough…'
Still shaken from that encounter, he took a minute before finally rising to his feet.
'Luckily, I wasn't injured. But I still need to be careful since I'm not sure if the Mini Kamikaze could also transport Abominations.'
Cullen wouldn't take any risks after that. He immediately took out his compass and ran around for a bit, confirming that no Abominations were too close to him.
After his lucky escape from the Child, Cullen had to reconsider many of his plans. It put into perspective just how vast The Island's Abominations were, and how weak Cullen was.
He also grew annoyed. After all that hard work, the Mini Kamikaze dissapeared just like that.
'It is clear now that my biggest weakness is my mental fortitude. Twice now, I have been helpless against mental attacks. But training that is difficult and dangerous.'
Cullen had one way he could train his resilience, yet it would be excruciatingly painful. He didn't want to do that unless he absolutely had to, which the Child had proven so.
'First, I need to find a Wolf.'
Since Cullen had lived in the jungle alone for over a week, he was used to traversing it safely. He utilized his compasses while simultaneously avoiding vines, ensuring his safety from The Island's threats.
He also kept away from the center since he didn't know who would be there looking for him. If a strong Gifted was sent to The Island to capture Cullen, his Eye Amulet may not be powerful enough to stop them.
With that said, Cullen didn't know how much longer he had. Whether it was someone from the government or an unstoppable Abomination, he could very well die at any second. This uncertainty encouraged Cullen to grow stronger faster.
So, Cullen decided to use Lucas's method to train his mental strength.
'Push yourself to your limits over and over again.'
Once he found a Wolf, Cullen could hopefully create a compass that would lead to the horrifying Abomination he had run into with Lucas, Flora, and Henry. Being near that dreadful creature would certainly train his mind, but it would be torture. However, he didn't have much of a choice.
Cullen glanced at the Abomination compass and started in the direction it pointed.
'I can only hope it isn't a deadly one. I'll have to keep doing this until I find a Wolf… It's like playing russian roulette.'
Back in the city, Cullen often joked about that game with Arbor. Who would ever want to do that willingly? Even for any reward, that high chance will never be worth taking unless it's for something you value more than your own life. But now, Cullen was constantly taking chances that could get him killed.
The old him was gone. Although he was an orphan, Darron and Charlotte were his parents. People he could trust and rely on, someone he could tell anything. Arbor was his best friend, someone who understood and grew up with him.
Cullen realized that there was no one he could talk to at this very moment. Lucas and Flora were probably in the city, but even so, he didn't know if he could trust them. Charlotte was in a hospital, and it would be impossible for Cullen to reach her without being recognized. In fact, he bet they would already be looking for him there.
'I guess I'm truly lonely now. I thought I was before, but it's clear things have gotten a lot worse. I would trade my powers in a heartbeat for my life to be back to normal.'
But even though Cullen regretted the past, a part of him still had hope for the future. He had hope that Lucas and Flora would take his side, that they would once again be together. He had hope that killing The Island wasn't impossible, and that he might save lives in doing so.
Perhaps he could even attend school one day.
This was half of what pushed Cullen forward.
The other side was the hatred he had for Abominations. The fact that they kill for no reason. The fact that the Devil chooses the most desperate people, and God only gives a certain few Gifts. The fact that even Gifted heroes weren't noble, they kept powerful Abominations alive for their own benefit.
Cullen knew this world was wrong, but he might be able to do something if he gained the power of a Class-E.
Cullen finally ran into an Abomination, but was let down to hear the rustling of leaves above him. The bird was by far the weakest Abomination on The Island, so Cullen had almost no use for it. The only reason he would kill it was to make his compass work again.
After dealing with the bird, the compass reset to a different target, and Cullen began traveling again.
'This is to get stronger. If I die, then…'
Cullen was afraid that running into a terrifying Abomination, such as the Child, would crush his resolve.
But it only made him more determined.
So when Cullen felt the overwhelming presence of that Abomination again, he didn't run away.
After slowing down, he found that his mind was already made up.
But this time, Cullen didn't cower in fear. He had hidden behind Lucas like a child, but that wouldn't happen now.
Actually, Cullen was glad. He didn't have to go through the pain of finding another Wolf. His target was right here, like fate told him what to do.
'Guess I got lucky…'
He wanted to close his eyes, turn around, and run away. Maybe they wouldn't arrest him in the city, or perhaps they didn't even know about his past.
But instead, Cullen looked in the direction his compass pointed and marched forward, like treading through a blizzard.