I never knew that every star in the sky would be my enemy.
As they approached, I stood on the mountain, unmoving.
Behind me, Emma's voice broke the silence.
"Are you ready?"
"Whenever you are," I said.
A pause. Then my own voice, calm, detached.
"How it happened… well, we have to go a few years back for that."
.....
The alarm rang.
I woke up, as usual.
The sunlight barely reached my small, cramped room.
I got ready. Breakfast was nothing special.
I liked this place once.
I chose it. I wanted it.
The streets smelled of smoke and alcohol.
People staggered around, shouting. Careless. Loud.
I didn't notice it before. I thought I belonged.
Now… it felt like a cage.
Every step toward school reminded me of it.
I never wanted to be trapped here.
A hand grabbed my leg.
"Please… money… just a little… drugs…" a boy muttered, desperate.
I looked down at him. Blank. Cold.
I didn't say a word. I didn't care.
I moved on. This place had chosen me, or maybe I had chosen it.
Either way… I was here.
.....
remember the first day came here. My parents had helped me settle in. Boxes stacked in my small room. Curtains hung. Everything in place.
They hugged me tightly before leaving. My mother's hands shook. Her tears fell freely as she pressed me against her chest. "Take care... please." she whispered. stayed still. Neutral. Blank. No words. No tears. Nothing.
remember the first day came here. My parents had helped me settle in. Boxes stacked in my small room. Curtains hung. Everything in place.
They hugged me tightly before leaving. My mother's hands shook. Her tears fell freely as she pressed me against her chest. "Take care... please." she whispered. stayed still. Neutral. Blank. No words. No tears. Nothing.
didn't move. I didn't flinch.
-At least the school is fun
I sat alone on the roof, eating my tifin. The wind ruffled my hair. The city below was noisy, but I didn't notice.
No one came to talk. No one cared. Neither did I. When school ended, I went home. The room was quiet. Empty. Still. lay on the bed again, staring at the ceiling. Nothing had changed. And yet.. everything felt heavier.
Evening came.
I was studying when it hit me.
I hadn't printed my assignment yet.
The deadline was tomorrow.
I sighed.
It was dangerous to go out after dark.
The streets weren't safe. But it didn't matter.
I needed that print.
I grabbed my bag and stepped outside.
The sun had set. Shadows stretched across the alleys.
The streets reeked of smoke and alcohol.
People staggered around, shouting. Careless. Loud.
I had to go.
I asked a shopkeeper if there was a printing shop nearby.
He gave me directions.
I followed them. Or tried to.
At some point, I must have taken a wrong turn.
No matter how far I walked, the sun sank lower.
Darkness swallowed the streets.
I stopped.
It was too late. I decided to turn back.
Then they appeared.
A group of men blocked the alley.
My heart skipped. Fear prickled through me.
"What do you have?" one of them demanded.
"Nothing," I said.
They didn't believe me.
They forced me to hand over everything.
My hands shook.
I had a steel water bottle.
I swung it at one of them. Hard.
He stumbled back.
I ran.
Slamming the bottle in my path.
For my life.
The dark streets swallowed me as I ran.
I ran.
And ran.
Until I reached the edge of the forest.
They caught me.
Fists slammed against my face. Pain exploded in my skull.
Then… one of them. His head… snapped.
Blood splattered everywhere.
I froze. My stomach turned.
One by one, they fell.
Killed by something… something I couldn't understand.
I screamed. My voice echoed in the dark.
And then I saw it.
A black, slime-like thing.
Big teeth. A gaping mouth.
It devoured the bodies it had killed.
My legs refused to move.
I couldn't run.
Four of them were gone.
One remained.
My hand trembled as I touched the dead body.
It… changed. Became like that thing.
I screamed louder.
I threw rocks. They did nothing.
It growled. Deep, low, threatening.
I thought it would eat me.
But then… it stopped.
Turned. And left.
I collapsed.
Passed out.
---
I woke up.
The air was cold. Damp.
I was in a cave.
I froze.
It wasn't moving.
Maybe it wouldn't. Maybe it had saved me.
I reached out my hand.
Boom.
Pain. Sharp. Exploding.
My hand… ripped apart.
I screamed.
I ran.
Faster. Faster.
The thing was behind me.
Faster than I could imagine.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Nothing but black.
No ground. No sky.
I stumbled. Fell.
Everything spinned.
And then… I felt something inside me.
A strange warmth. A pull. A glow.
I had no control.
All I knew was fear.
---
I woke up.
Sunlight filtered through the trees.
The forest stretched around me, green and alive.
When was the last time I saw something this… beautiful?
When was the last time I even noticed?
Then I looked at my arm.
It was… whole.
The break was gone.
My injuries… vanished.
I froze.
Nothing like this had ever happened before.
But something wasn't right.
A voice. Not in my ears, but inside my head.
Clear. Cold. Commanding.
It told me where to go.
I tried to resist.
Tried to ignore it.
It didn't listen.
It pushed. Hard.
And I realized… it would force me, if I didn't follow.
I obeyed the voice. I walked inside.
The house smelled of rot. Shadows clung to every corner.
My feet made no sound on the broken floor.
There, in the dark, something glowed.
Blue. Cold. The same light from the fall.
I stepped into the room. The light surprised me.
A sword sat on a broken table. Black blade. Blue stones set along the spine.
Everything else in the room was ruined. The sword looked untouched. New.
The voice commanded again. Grab it.
I did.
Pain hit my chest like a hot iron.
My stomach turned. I doubled over and vomited.
Something clawed inside my head. A thought that was not mine. Loud. Clear. Demanding.
Then I saw him.
Not the slime. A man. Human enough. Empty smile. Eyes sharp and calculating.
He walked in slow. Hands relaxed. Like a predator enjoying the hunt.
"Oh boy," he said, smiling wide. "You've done a massive crime. I'm afraid… you must die."
He pulled a dagger.
My hands shook. My breath hitched.
The sword in my grip pulsed. It felt alive.
The blue stones glowed brighter, reacting to something inside me.
I backed up. Heart racing.
The man's smile never left his face. He stepped closer, dagger ready.
I didn't know if I could fight him.
All I could do was hold the sword.
And wait.
---
I gripped the sword tighter.
The man lunged.
Instinct took over.
I threw the blade.
It cut him.
Pain exploded in my own arm.
A fire that burned deep. I stumbled, almost falling.
I wanted to run. My legs… didn't obey.
Then… something happened.
The small cuts on my body began to close. Slowly.
The big wound… still bleeding, still burning. But it was healing.
The man laughed. Cold. Sharp.
"Ohh, you can heal… like him," he said, eyes glinting. "But don't worry. Healing won't work when I cut you into pieces."
My chest tightened. Fear surged through me, sharp and real.
I clenched the sword again.
I didn't know what I was yet.
But I knew… I had to survive.
---
My breath tightened.
The black, slimy being… it was inside the house.
The man didn't flinch. Didn't even seem surprised.
A cold smile stretched across his face.
"Ohh… a Selementh," he said.
In one swift motion, he swung.
The creature's head… gone.
I froze. My stomach turned.
But the creature… it was healing.
Already.
The man's eyes glinted.
He reached inside the creature's body.
His hand closed around something that glowed.
A core.
He crushed it.
The blue light shattered.
The Selementh… perished.
I couldn't breathe.
Everything inside me screamed.
This man… was something else.
---