The rustling of trees and the chirping of birds filled the air as a warm breeze swept through the forest, rousing Derkile from unconsciousness.
His eyes flickered open, only to be blinded by the blazing sunlight. He winced, then struggled to sit up. To his surprise, his body obeyed with ease. That was when the memories of the previous night surged back like a crashing wave.
"What? How… how come?!" he exclaimed, alarmed.
He should have been dead. If not from the lion's fangs, then surely from blood loss. Instinctively, his hand flew to his chest yet the wound was gone.
Panicked, he checked his body. Every bruise, every cut had vanished. Not only that he felt stronger, as if power now coursed through his very veins.
"How is this even possible…?" he whispered, both excited and terrified.
But the lion was gone. The yellow stone too. All traces of the battle had vanished, leaving behind only his bloodstained clothes.
For a moment, Derkile stood frozen in disbelief. But the realization quickly hit him he was still in the forest. If he lingered, another beast would surely find him. He forced himself to move, not searching for home, but for any way out. Anywhere was safer than here.
Yet as he walked, a strange energy surged within his body, urging him to run. The moment he broke into a sprint, the world around him blurred.
He stopped instantly, chest heaving, his eyes darting back. The place he had started running from was now impossibly far behind.
"What the hell is happening to me?!" he shouted, staring in disbelief. In seconds, he had crossed a distance that should have taken minutes.
Driven by curiosity, he decided to test this newfound strength. He approached a nearby tree, pulled back his fist slowly, and struck.
BANG!
The tree exploded, roots ripped from the ground, crashing lifelessly to the earth.
Derkile stumbled back, wide-eyed. His fist was unscathed. "I… I destroyed it with one punch…" His lips curled into a shaky smile. A thrill ran through him. He wanted to test more.
Scaling a tall tree with ease, he perched among its highest branches. His vision sharpened he could see further than ever before, though only endless forest stretched in every direction.
Not stopping, he leapt from tree to tree with uncanny agility, moving like a predator of the wild. Eventually, he landed softly on the forest floor, when another sensation struck him his senses.
Every sound sharpened. The flutter of wings above, the scuttling of insects in the soil, even the faint rustle of leaves in the distance. His nose twitched at scents he'd never noticed before. damp earth, resin, wildflowers carried by the breeze.
"I think… I might have gained strange powers," he said aloud, grinning to himself.
Then, exhilarated, he dashed through the forest once more. The ground trembled under his speed, leaves and dust swirling violently in his wake. Everything blurred around him. He laughed wildly.
"Wohoo!"
And then a thought struck him. Could I… fly?
He had always dreamed of soaring over his village, laughing as the people below gawked in awe. Now, with this strength, perhaps it wasn't so impossible.
With renewed determination, he climbed the tallest tree he could find. The sun blazed down on his back as he gazed below. He had never jumped from this height before, but today, he was willing to risk it.
"Here goes nothing," he muttered, closing his eyes. He stepped off.
For a fleeting moment, he felt weightless, rising higher than he'd ever leapt before. His heart soared. I'm flying!
But reality struck fast. His ascent slowed, and gravity dragged him down with brutal force. The ground rushed toward him.
BASH!
He crashed into the earth, dirt and dust erupting around him. Pain seared through his legs—both twisted horribly, swollen and broken.
"Ahhh! Damn it!" he screamed. "Idiot! Why would I think I could fly?!"
He writhed in agony. "Now… how the hell am I supposed to get out of here?"
But then, before his eyes, his shattered legs began to shift. Bones cracked back into place, flesh mended, swelling vanished. Within moments, he stood again, whole.
This time, he wasn't even surprised. He simply pressed forward.
Still, questions gnawed at him. What am I now? A vampire? No… the sun doesn't burn me. A werewolf?. .... ,Don't be stupid. He shook his head. None of those fit.
Then the thought struck him the lion. The yellow stone. Perhaps it had transformed him… into something lion-like.
He was lost in thought when his eyes caught something ahead. A… door.
In the middle of the forest.
"A door?" he muttered. As he drew closer, he noticed a stone engraving at its top, glowing faintly. This was no ordinary door it radiated power. A magical doorway.
His heart quickened. Salvation?
But before he could reach it, three beasts burst from the shadows.
They looked like dogs, but twisted. Pitch-black fur. Long ears. One glaring eye each, glowing with malice. Their fangs gleamed as they growled, circling him.
Derkile smirked. He knew the rule of the wild. The more eyes, the stronger the beast. With only one each, these creatures were no threat. In fact, they would be his test.
The first lunged, snarling. Derkile barely moved. He swatted it aside with a single slap.
CRACK!
The beast slammed into a tree, its body breaking, black blood splattering across the bark.
The other two froze, fear flashing in their lone eyes.
Unfazed, Derkile advanced. One finally leapt in desperation. Derkile caught it mid-air by the throat, squeezing tight. The beast writhed, yelping, its single eye glowing with strange dark energy.
Something within him stirred. His right eye glowed yellow, and to his shock, the beast's energy was drawn into him consumed. The dog whimpered, then collapsed limp as Derkile released it.
The remaining one fled into the shadows, tail between its legs.
Power surged through Derkile's body, hotter, stronger than before. He grinned.
At last, he reached the door. The rusted knob turned with a creak. Light engulfed him, swallowing him whole.
When it faded, he staggered into a bustling street. People moved about in crowds, chattering, trading, living. He had appeared in a narrow corner beside a house, unnoticed.
His eyes darted upward and froze.
A colossal castle loomed in the distance, towering over the city. Recognition struck instantly.
"This… this isn't my village." His heart pounded. "This is…"
His breath caught.
"The King's Palace."
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End of chapter 2