The sky was black as ink.
The air felt stretched — like a string about to snap.
With every step, Russo felt the ground grow less solid beneath him, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
He walked a familiar forest path — one he'd traveled countless times. It felt almost like home.
In his hands — a rifle.
On his back — the weight of duty.
In his head — the low hum of war, drawing closer once again.
Then everything changed.
Thunder. Light.
And the world split open.
Pain didn't come like fire or knives.
It came like divine wrath — a blinding force that tore through every nerve, every thought.
He didn't scream.
He couldn't.
The lightning struck not the trees. Not the ground.
It struck him — as if some god had chosen him for execution.
Then came silence.
Not death.
Something stranger.
⸻
He woke on the ground. But this wasn't the world he knew.
The sand was gray.
The air was thick, heavy — like breathing smoke.
Trees stood twisted, diseased.
The sky above bled red.
And in the distance, something roared — deep and unnatural.
Russo jolted upright, gasping for air.
His uniform was scorched. His body throbbed.
But he was alive.
No burns. No wounds.
Just a scar — shaped like a serpent — crawling from his neck to his collarbone.
And then it began.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Identity: Subject of non-native origin
Protocol: SURVIVAL
Access Level: Initial
"What the hell…?"
The words didn't fade.
They weren't in front of him — they were inside him, burned into his vision like a brand on his retina.
He staggered to his feet, breathing hard.
Then — movement in the brush.
A crack.
A growl.
He wasn't alone.
⸻
The creature stepped into view.
Shorter than a man, but broader.
Its body was covered in dark armor plates.
Its mouth — full of bone-like spikes.
It froze.
So did Russo.
He had no weapon.
Just instinct.
The first lunge — he dodged.
The second — he grabbed a broken branch.
The third — he struck, hard, right at the unarmored part of the neck.
The beast screamed — then fell.
Russo stood over it, shaking, blood dripping from his hands.
His heart pounded like war drums.
Monster killed: [Lesser Beast — Ironfang]
Function initializing: "Bloodline Extraction"
Result: [Essence: Pure] acquired.
He dropped to his knees, chest heaving.
And then — a voice in his mind:
"You survived.