An unknown forest lay shrouded in silence, broken only by the thick stench of blood saturating the air.
In one shadowed clearing, five human bodies were strewn across the forest floor. Their forms were twisted and broken, clothes torn and soaked in dark, drying crimson.
Deep wounds carved into flesh told a violent story. One that had ended moments ago. Limbs lay limp and lifeless, eyes staring blankly into nothingness, as if frozen in their final moments of terror.
But a little distance away from them lay another human body. He was alive. His chest rose and fell as he breathed.
He was a young man around his twenties. His hair was messy and snow-white in color– smooth, soft, and silky. His skin was fair, and he had an extremely handsome face. His eyes were closed.
After a few seconds, his eyelids started fluttering open. A pair of beautiful crystal-blue eyes tried to see what was in front of him. His crystal-blue eyes struggled to understand what was happening as blurred shapes filled his vision.
Slowly, the haze faded. A clear blue sky came into view, along with tree branches overhead, their leaves gently fluttering in the breeze.
'Where am I?' A sudden pain shot through his body.
"Gah—!" he groaned in pain.
He tried to push himself up. Using his hands for support, he managed to sit upright.
There was a cut on his chest. His grey-colored leather outfit was torn. Warm blood was still streaming down. His face had several scratches. Wounds covered his body.
A scorching pain ran through him.
'What's this?!' he thought in confusion, seeing the fresh blood streaming down from his chest. The deep cut carved across it.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
His heart started to beat faster. Fear crawled over his back.
"I am hurt–!"
Munch!
Munch!
Munch!
Before he could think more about his situation, a munching sound attracted his attention. His head turned to his right.
'What?!'
His eyes widened in shock.Multiple dead human bodies lay there, lifeless and bloodied.
Near them stood a huge bear.
No, it was not any normal bear he had seen on a mobile screen or TV. It was far bigger than any ordinary bear. A huge horn erupted from its forehead. Its fur was dark black in color. Its eyes glowed red.
It was eating one of the dead bodies. Tearing it apart, digging its massive jaw into the stomach and devouring the flesh.
"Keck—!"
Seeing that scene, the young man felt like vomiting. He covered his mouth with his right palm.
But the sound was louder than his muttering.
The monster stopped chewing on its human meal. Its head snapped toward the source of the sound. Its glowing red eyes locked onto the human who was still alive.
GROWLLL!
It growled loudly upon seeing the living human. The man's eyes widened. A primal chill ran down his spine.
'Shit!'
His body was injured, wracked with pain. Yet at this moment, the pain didn't matter. The monster growled at him. It was ready to dash forward.
Just before that, he got up from the ground, spun on his feet, and started to run away from the bear monster in the opposite direction.
Stomp!
Stomp!
Stomp!
He ran through the forest, weaving past tall, twisted trees. He didn't look behind. Just kept running.
While behind him.
ROAAARRRR!
The monster followed with fury, raging.
'Hah!... What's happening? Where am I? How did I come here? Why is there a real monster here?'
The young man had been in his bedroom just a few hours ago. How had he ended up here, in such a dire situation?
The young man running was none other than Aron.
Thump!
Thump!
He had never seen such a thing before, unless it was in movies or games. But now, a real monster was chasing him.
Was he in some kind of dream?
"Ahh!" He groaned in pain. Every step sent agony through his body, making it clear that he was not dreaming.
'This can't be a dream.'
He turned his head back. The monster was much closer now.
"NO!" He ran faster. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. His blue eyes focused straight ahead.
ROAAARR!
The monster was already close. It leapt over his head.
'No! No! I can't die!'
He threw himself to the left.
BOOM!
The bear's claws slammed into the ground where Aron had been moments ago. The impact cracked the earth.
Aron rolled across the ground multiple times, then struggled back to his feet.
"Damn! This body!" He cursed his injured body. It was really hard to move with this body.
He didn't look back and ran in another direction. The monster didn't let him escape. It chased him again, even more furious.
ROOOARRRR!
The bear monster was faster than before. It already catching up to him.
It swung its right arm and slammed it into Aron's right rib cage.
Crack.
The sound of something breaking echoed.
"Arggh!"
The blow was so strong that the young man was thrown aside, crashing into a tree loudly.
Thud!
"Aaarghh!" he screamed in pain. The impact nearly knocked him unconscious. He struggled to stay focused.
His left hand clutched his rib cage where he had been struck.
'My bones… they're broken inside.' The realization chilled him. His head throbbed, veins bulging on his forehead.
He was losing blood as time passed. His breathing was ragged.
He sat there, back against the tree trunk, legs stretched out. With little strength to move.
What should he do? It was becoming hard to think straight. One cheek was swollen. His eyelids barely stayed open.
The monster looked at him.
Growl!
It growled while gazing at the half-dead body in front of it.
The monster opened its mouth wide. Its teeth were large and jagged. They were pointy shaped. They were meant to tear enemies or prey apart.
It brought its gaping mouth down to bite Aron, to end his life on the spot.
'I need to do something… I need to… I can't.' He thought weakly.
He pushed himself up. Fear of death, the last instinct. Surged through his body.
He moved before he could think.His right hand shot forward.
He didn't know what he was doing, but it felt as if his body had done this countless times before.
Something warm circulated through him from his abdomen. It was unknown. Yet familiar, as if it were an essential part of him.
Something formed in front of his hand. The air trembled around his hand. Coldness spread outward near it. He felt it clearly. The chill, the coldness forming before his hand.
Out of nowhere, something like a blue crystal shape appeared. It was long, bigger than his fist, with a sharp, solid tip.
His hand was already inside the monster's wide-open mouth.
Everything happened in just few seconds.
Aron's half-closed eyes snapped open. He could guess it. What was forming in front of his extended hand.
'…Ice?'