ARCEUS'S POV
More than two years had passed since my reincarnation in this world.
My growth had been remarkably swift, aided by an environment that, though precarious, was better than that of most children inhabiting those gloomy caverns.
Poverty had become a constant companion. Yet, I had begun to find small glimmers of happiness even amidst scarcity. It was surprising how the mind could adapt to the most adverse circumstances.
The previous month, I had made an interesting discovery: this world, like Earth, seemed to be governed by the cycle of the four seasons.
I noticed it mainly through the changes in the harshness of our survival.
Winter was particularly cruel in the underground shelter, with dry, relentless winds that pierced clothing like invisible blades, cutting into flesh with their merciless cold.
Then came those months when the biting cold subtly lessened, heralding what seemed to be spring, bringing a slight reprieve to our subterranean existence.
Adelaide had started going out alone to fetch water now that I was two years old. She always made me promise not to leave the house during her absence, a promise that weighed on my conscience as the hours passed.
Normally, she ensured she didn't take too long, but that day something was different. Unease began to grow within me as I awaited her return.
Why is she taking so long? I wondered as I paced the house, clutching a small wooden stick in my tiny hands.
My steps were cautious as I made sure no one was around before venturing into the backyard.
The backyard held a precious secret: it was one of the few places where, with luck, you could find animals that hadn't mutated.
Earthworms were an invaluable treasure in our underground world, and the mere thought of other refugees discovering my little secret made me shudder.
The consequences would be truly terrifying.
A man's wealth is his own ruin, I thought as I began to dig with the small wooden stick.
It was a lesson I learned early in this new life: keeping secrets was as important as finding resources.
As I dug, I felt my makeshift tool hit something. My heart skipped a beat as I nervously glanced around, ensuring my solitude once more before examining my find.
A fat worm writhed in the freshly turned earth, and with the efficiency that only survival can teach, I proceeded to clean and prepare it for consumption.
The taste was unpleasant, but the feeling of fullness that followed was worth every moment of disgust. I was about to return to our dilapidated house when a vibration in the ground stopped me dead in my tracks.
The roar that followed echoed through the rock walls like the bellow of an ancient beast awakening from its slumber.
An earthquake, I recognized immediately as I saw the more experienced adults begin calling their children, urging them to seek shelter.
The gentle vibrations quickly turned into violent tremors that made the ground beneath my feet come alive.
I fell to the ground, but my mind remained clear. Without hesitation, I crawled away from any structure that might collapse, seeking an open space.
Once I found a relatively safe spot, I lay down following the protocol I had learned: hands behind my head, legs bent, waiting for the chaos to pass.
The noise was deafening: the walls creaked as if about to give way, rock fragments rained from the ceiling, and the terrified screams of my neighbors echoed throughout the district.
I watched as the makeshift structures we called homes crumbled under the tremor's fury, while large rock slabs fell, blocking tunnels and burying entire sections of the district.
The air thickened with the stench of blood and acrid smoke, forcing me to hold my breath. When silence finally reigned, a silence more terrifying than the previous chaos, I dared to stand slowly.
That's when I heard it: a thunderous noise resounded, shaking every fiber of my being.
And the next second, something enormous emerged from the ground…
As I turned my body, I came face to face with a nightmare made real: a giant centipede, a magical beast in all its terrifying splendor.
This monster looked like an armored war machine created solely to kill living beings.
Its body measured over three meters wide and fifteen meters long, adorned with dozens of blade-like legs on each side.
Its armor, a spectacle of dark blue on top and light blue underneath, gleamed sinisterly in the shelter's dim light.
The exoskeleton, segmented into three columns, bristled with spines protruding from the central column like a crown of death.
But it was its face that froze the blood in my veins: an anatomical nightmare where one head seemed contained within the mouth of another, with two thick bone scythes jutting out like demonic jaws.
I'm going to die, the thought struck my mind like a hammer, leaving my expression blank and distant.
I pressed my dry lips tightly together as I weighed my options: flee or fight. Both seemed equally futile.
Fear gripped me, cold and paralyzing, but a part of my mind kept fighting: Come on… I can't afford to die here.
I didn't want it to end like this, not when there was so much to live for, so much to discover. Desperation clouded my mind as I struggled to stay conscious.
Damn it…
Reality hit me with the force of an enraged bull. There was no escape, no matter how frantically my mind searched for a solution.
I was trapped, like prey before a vastly superior predator.
Its segmented body undulated with a grotesque, unnatural rhythm as it slithered forward.