Rustling awake, I wondered, Am I dead? No… I'm alive. But how?
Opening my eyes, I looked around, my blurry vision struggling to focus. All I could see was green, as if I were in a forest of some sort. But that couldn't be—I was just in the city, trying to hold up a building to save my family.
WAIT. My family!
"Michelle!!" I screamed. "Where are you?!"
As my vision cleared, I hurriedly looked around, but no one was there—nothing but… trees.
"Where am I?" I wondered as I struggled to my feet.
The sky was dark with a faint red glow. The wind blew softly, carrying a slight burning smell. Why does it smell like something's burning? But I don't see a fire…
At that moment, I realized there were voices coming from somewhere in the distance, so I moved toward them.
"Maybe my family is there," I said, hope creeping into my voice.
Limping in the direction of the voices, I felt the heat grow stronger. A bonfire, maybe?
After about two and a half minutes, I reached a clearing—and heard something unsettling.
A scream.
My heart began racing. I pushed forward, brushing past the last bush blocking my view.
Then I saw it.
A group of men, laughing and cheering.
I couldn't help but yell to get their attention.
"HELP! Is anyone a doctor? I'm hurt, and I can't find my family!"
The entire area fell silent. All eyes turned toward me.
"Who might you be? Hey guys, I think we missed one," said a bearded man, his voice rough and crackling.
He wore what looked like a plated chest piece, leather pants, and carried a greatsword on his back. In his hand, he held something round, dripping a thick red liquid.
Wait… is that a head?
I froze, unsure how to react, and unconsciously took a step back.
Looking closer at the scene, I realized I had made a grave mistake.
Bodies were everywhere.
Children lay lifeless on the ground. Women, beaten and stripped, lay dead. The men… dismembered in brutal ways.
The people accompanying the bearded man wore masks and were covered from head to toe in black. They slowly spread out, surrounding me.
I wasn't ready to die.
I turned, adrenaline surging through my veins, and ran. I ran as fast and as hard as I could.
The last thing I heard as I burst into a full, life-or-death sprint was:
"Get him."
I'd like to say I ran for hours, but in reality, it had only been about five minutes.
I had always been fast—faster than most regular humans—and more athletic, too. I always chalked it up to my grandpa's intense training. Because of that, I was able to stay ahead of them… for a while.
But they were gaining on me.
I thought maybe I'd get away. Maybe I'd find someone—anyone—who could help. A hero, perhaps.
That hope vanished when I nearly ran off a cliff.
I stopped just in time, my feet skidding near the edge.
Turning around, I saw them standing there… calm, as if they hadn't been chasing me at all.
"Please… I just want to find my family!" I yelled.
"Your family is dead," the bearded man said, a sardonic smile spreading across his face. "And I'm the one who killed them."
Before I knew what came over me, I lunged forward, my fist flying toward his chin.
He only grinned.
Then—
A crushing force hit my chest.
His kick sent me flying backward. I reached out to brace for the ground, but it wasn't there.
Right.
The cliff.
I was falling.
I'm as good as dead.
My only wish was to kill the bastards who dared harm my family… to make the man who killed them suffer a fate worse than death.
But this was my end.
At least… I'd see my family again.
But something was wrong.
I didn't hit the ground.
Something caught me.
It wasn't hard or soft—it felt like I had landed on some kind of bubble. The surface beneath me shimmered, emitting soft waves of color as it bent around my body.
The air distorted.
A cracking sound echoed.
Light bent unnaturally.
Then—
Thud.
I hit the ground.
Somehow, I was alive… and I had no idea how.
I looked around and saw a figure standing with their back to me.
I opened my mouth to speak—
But they vanished.
Then I felt pressure on my neck.
And everything went black.