The air was thick with tension, the scent of blood and decay hanging like a suffocating fog over the ancient ruins. The massive Aberration loomed before us, its crimson eyes gleaming with something far too intelligent for a beast.
It wasn't attacking recklessly like the others.
It was waiting.
Studying us.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
My father stood beside me, his breath steady, eyes locked onto the creature. His blade, still coated in the black ichor of the previous beasts, trembled slightly in his grip—not from fear, but from pure readiness.
I had barely gotten back on my feet, my body aching from the blow I had taken. But I had no time to recover.
Because the moment we moved, the creature attacked.
The True Strength of an Aberration
One second, it was still. The next, it was upon us.
I barely had time to react as it lunged forward with terrifying speed. My father shoved me aside at the last second, taking the brunt of the impact. The creature's claws raked across his arm, tearing through leather and flesh, but he twisted away before it could fully impale him.
I landed hard, but forced myself back to my feet, gripping my dagger tightly.
I couldn't hesitate.
The Aberration turned toward my father, recognizing him as the greater threat. It slashed again, but this time, my father was ready.
He ducked under the blow, shifting his stance to drive his hunting knife into the beast's side. The blade sank deep, but instead of recoiling, the Aberration twisted unnaturally, snapping its head toward him with jagged fangs bared.
I saw it before my father did.
"Move!" I shouted.
He reacted instantly, yanking the blade free and rolling away just as the creature's jaw snapped shut where his throat had been.
It wasn't just fast.
It was adapting.
I clenched my jaw. We weren't fighting a mindless monster. This was something else.
Something predatory.
A Desperate Plan
"We can't fight it head-on," I muttered, shifting into a lower stance. "It's learning from us."
My father nodded. His breathing was heavier now, his wounded arm slowing him down. "Then we change the game."
Change the game…
I scanned the ruins around us. Crumbling stone pillars, deep shadows, jagged edges of broken walls—a battlefield waiting to be used.
A plan began forming in my mind.
"I'll distract it," I said.
My father shot me a sharp look. "You just got your ribs nearly shattered, and now you want to play bait?"
I smirked despite the situation. "Not bait. A hunter."
His eyes flickered with something unreadable—then, a slow nod.
"Don't get yourself killed," he muttered.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Then I moved.
The Hunt Begins
I rushed toward the ruins, keeping my footsteps quick but controlled. The Aberration whipped its head toward me, sensing movement. It snarled and charged, claws tearing through the ground as it gave chase.
Good.
I needed to lead it away from my father.
I zigzagged between the ancient stone structures, forcing it to maneuver around obstacles. I could hear its clawed feet scraping against stone, hear the way its breathing grew more erratic.
It was getting frustrated.
I took the chance to strike first.
I vaulted over a broken pillar, twisting mid-air to hurl my mana-infused dagger straight at its eye.
It reacted instantly, swiping its massive arm up to block the attack. My dagger embedded deep into its forearm, causing a violent hiss as dark ichor splattered across the ground.
It stumbled.
That was my opening.
The Killing Blow
The Aberration roared, its form flickering strangely, as if its body was trying to shift into something even worse.
I didn't let it.
I surged forward, mana flaring in my legs as I closed the distance in a blink. My second dagger was already in my grip, energy pulsing through the blade.
I aimed for the throat.
But it was ready for me.
At the last second, its massive tail whipped around, slamming into my side with brutal force. I barely had time to register the impact before I was hurled backward, crashing hard against one of the stone ruins.
Pain exploded through my body, my vision blurring.
No. Not now.
I fought against the darkness creeping at the edges of my mind, forcing myself to stay conscious. But the Aberration was already moving toward me, its mouth curling into a grotesque mimicry of a grin.
It knew I was weak now.
And it was going to finish me off.
A Father's Fury
Before it could strike, something whistled through the air.
A flash of steel—a thrown hunting knife—buried itself into the creature's skull.
The Aberration jerked violently, its entire body locking up.
My father appeared out of the shadows, moving with the fluid grace of a seasoned killer.
He didn't hesitate.
His blade sliced deep across the Aberration's throat, mana crackling along the edge. The creature shrieked, its body convulsing violently—black ichor pouring from its wounds like molten tar.
Then, finally…
It collapsed.
Dead.
For several long moments, neither of us moved.
Then, my father exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "You good?"
I groaned, forcing myself to sit up. "Define good."
He smirked. "Alive."
I grinned, despite the pain. "Then yeah. I'm good."
A Dark Revelation
We didn't linger in the ruins.
The moment we were certain there were no more Aberrations lurking nearby, we retrieved our weapons and prepared to leave.
But before we could—
I felt it.
A faint, whispering presence, lingering just beyond my senses.
I turned sharply, eyes scanning the ruins. "Did you hear that?"
My father tensed. "Hear what?"
The whispers grew louder, crawling into my mind like tendrils of cold air. It wasn't a voice, not exactly. It was… something deeper.
Something old.
I took an unsteady step forward, drawn to the center of the ruins—to a partially collapsed archway covered in strange, glowing runes.
I didn't recognize the symbols.
But they recognized me.
For a split second, the world around me flickered.
I saw something—a figure, cloaked in shadows, standing where the archway once stood intact. Their eyes glowed like twin stars, their form shifting, changing, too vast to comprehend.
Then—
Pain.
A sudden, piercing pain shot through my skull, forcing me to my knees.
"Sylas!" My father's voice was distant. "What's wrong?"
I squeezed my eyes shut, the image fading as quickly as it had come. The whispers ceased.
The ruins were silent again.
I took a shuddering breath. "I don't… know."
But something told me—
This was only the beginning.