The morning run had started like any other.
Ethan Hale's shoes hit the pavement in a steady rhythm, the sound blending with the faint rustle of leaves in the early breeze. His breaths came evenly, every inhale and exhale measured. Dawn light spilled across the empty streets, painting the asphalt with soft gold.
Running was more than training it was meditation. At eighteen, Ethan was already the fastest sprinter on his high school team, with times that had caught the attention of college scouts. His coach called him a natural. It was years of early mornings like this, pushing through fatigue when everyone else was asleep.
He turned the corner toward the park trail, legs loose, stride smooth.
Then, without warning, pain exploded in his chest.
It was sharp at first, then crushing like a hand squeezing his heart. The air shot out of his lungs in a single gasp. He stumbled, his foot catching the edge of the sidewalk. His knees slammed into the ground.
"What the---" His voice was strangled. He gritted his teeth, clutching his shirt over his sternum. Every breath burned. For a few seconds, all he could do was kneel, hunched over, willing it to stop.
And then… it did.
The pain bled away as quickly as it had come, leaving him gasping and disoriented.
Ethan opened his eyes and froze.
The park trail was gone. The road was gone. No houses, no sidewalk, no familiar skyline. Instead, a dense wall of towering trees surrounded him, their trunks thick and rough, their leaves forming a canopy so high it blotted out most of the sky. Moss clung to bark and stone. The air was cool, damp, and thick with the earthy scent of soil and leaves.
"What…" His voice came out as a whisper. He turned slowly in place. The forest stretched in every direction, an unbroken sea of green.
It didn't make sense. One moment he'd been in his neighborhood, jogging toward the park. Now he was… here.
He checked his phone. Dead screen. Not even the faint glow of standby mode.
Ethan's breathing slowed. He forced himself to think. Maybe he'd blacked out. Maybe this was some kind of dream. But the ground felt solid under his palms, the air chilled the sweat on his skin, and every sound distant creaks of swaying branches, the occasional rustle of leaves felt real.
Minutes ticked by. He scanned the trees for a landmark, anything to orient himself. Nothing. Just more trees.
Then it came a sound that cut through the stillness.
A scream.
High-pitched female scream that is closed by.
Ethan's muscles reacted before his mind did. He took off toward the sound, pushing through thick undergrowth. Branches slapped against his arms and legs. Twigs cracked under his shoes. His heart pounded not from exhaustion, but from the raw urgency in that scream.
It came again, sharper this time.
He broke into a clearing and stopped.
A tall, thin man straddled a girl pinned to the ground. His frame was wiry, his limbs oddly long, his posture hunched in a way that made his presence feel predatory. His clothes were ragged, smeared with dirt. He pressed one hand to the girl's shoulder, the other gripping her wrist to hold her down.
She fought like a trapped animal, her free hand scrabbling at the ground until her fingers closed around a rock. With a guttural cry, she swung it up and smashed it into the side of his head.
The crack was sickening. The man grunted, his grip loosening. She shoved him hard, rolling out from under him. Dirt streaked her clothes and face. Her eyes were wild with terror.
Without looking away from him, she bolted straight toward Ethan.
She didn't see him.
Her eyes were still locked on the man as she ran full-speed. Ethan stepped forward to intercept her, raising a hand. "Hey, wait---"
She slammed into him.
The impact jolted through his chest, knocking him back a step into a tree trunk. His shoulder thudded against the bark. Instinctively, his hand shot out to steady her, gripping her arm.
She tried to push past him, but in her frantic movement, her elbow clipped his jaw hard enough to split the skin. He hissed at the sting, reaching up to touch the spot. When his fingers came away, there was a thin smear of red.
She stumbled over a root, pitching forward again. Her hand shot out to catch herself, smearing across his forearm where the blood had trickled down. Her lips parted in a sharp inhale then, without thinking, she dragged the back of her hand across her mouth.
Her lips parted in that sharp inhale then she froze.
Ethan's breath caught. A sudden hollowness rippled through his chest, like the air and heat were being sucked out of him. His knees buckled. His fingers loosened on her arm.
It wasn't just fatigue it was like something vital was flowing out of him. He glanced down and his gut clenched. His forearms looked leaner, his veins standing out. His shirt, damp with sweat, hung a little looser across his shoulders.
The girl straightened as if a weight had been lifted from her spine. Her eyes widened, but not in fear in wonder. She flexed her fingers, turning them palm-up, then curling them into fists. Her chest rose with slow, measured breaths.
"What the hell…" Ethan murmured. His voice was thin, weak.
She didn't answer. She was staring at herself at the muscle definition swelling faintly in her forearms, the sudden power coiling in her stance.
Behind her, movement blurred.
Ethan's fading focus sharpened just in time to see the tall, thin man lunging his long legs eating the distance in seconds, his mouth twisted into something animal.
The girl didn't even turn until he crashed into her, sending both of them to the dirt. They hit hard, his hands clawing at her wrists, trying to pin her again.
But this time, she didn't flail.
Her arms resisted his like steel cables tightening. She pushed slowly at first, then faster, her muscles surging under the strain. His thin frame began to tremble. Confusion flickered in his pale eyes.
With a violent twist, she rolled him beneath her.
Then she snapped.
Her fist drove into his jaw with a crack, his head whipping sideways. She didn't stop. Again bone on bone, dull thuds mixing with wet impacts. His nose shattered, blood spraying across her knuckles. His teeth clinked against each other as his head bounced from the force.
He tried to scream, but her next blow cut it off. Then another.
Ethan wanted to look away, but couldn't. The forest filled with the sound of fists hitting flesh, the rhythm vicious and relentless.
Finally, she grabbed the side of his head, fingers digging into his matted hair, and slammed it against a flat rock beside them. The crack was sharper this time. His body jerked once, then went limp, his chest still.
Her breaths were heavy now, not from exhaustion, but from something more primal. She stayed over him for a moment, knuckles dripping, eyes locked on the ruin of his face.
She finally tore her gaze from the man's body and looked at Ethan.
For a moment, her expression was unreadable. Then her brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing as if she were seeing him for the first time. Her gaze flicked over his frame his hollow cheeks, the way his shirt hung loose now.
She stepped closer.
"Are you… okay?" Her voice was low, roughened by the fight, but there was a strange edge to it almost curiosity.
Ethan swallowed. Up close, he noticed what had changed. She was taller than before by at least three inches. Her limbs were no longer wiry but solid, muscles defined beneath her dirt-streaked skin. Her face was more sharper. And… yeah, her chest had changed too, fuller now beneath the laces of a tunic that looked nothing like modern clothes. Thick wool, rough stitching.
"I'm… somewhat fine," Ethan said, though his voice came out uneven.
What the hell keeps happening? His thoughts spun. That weakness he'd felt it hadn't just been exhaustion. It was like she'd drained the strength right out of him.
And if she could take it… could he take it back?
His gaze fixed on her. He thought about the way his body had felt minutes ago solid, powerful, fast. He pictured that strength returning, willed it back into himself.
The air between them seemed to tighten.
The girl's eyes widened. "Wait---"
She staggered, her frame subtly shrinking. Her shoulders narrowed. The muscle in her arms softened. Ethan felt something rush into him heat in his chest, tension coiling back into his muscles. His breath deepened. His vision sharpened.
But something was wrong.
She wasn't just losing size her face was changing. Lines etched at the corners of her eyes. Her skin sagged slightly at her jaw. Her breaths grew shallow, fast.
"Please sto---" she gasped, clutching at her ribs.
Ethan's gut twisted. He released the pull.
He shoved the thought of strength away, pushed back whatever strange connection he'd made. Immediately, the tide reversed. Color returned to her face. The lines smoothed. Her body filled out again.
She collapsed to her knees, sucking in air like she'd been drowning.
Ethan stood there, chest heaving, his own frame already feeling lighter, weaker again but not getting older. Just… himself, only diminished.
They stared at each other, breathing hard, both clearly shaken.
"What…" she started.
"…the hell," Ethan finished.
Silence settled, broken only by the faint drip of blood from her knuckles to the moss.