Aurex ran. Even though he knew he couldn't die, he ran anyway. Dargan's actions had been unsettling, unnatural and Aurex wanted nothing to do with him. But Dargan was fast. Faster than Aurex. Within moments, Dargan caught up, grabbed Aurex, and threw him to the ground.
"See?" Dargan said. "That's why you're different. You don't understand how long it's been since I've seen someone like you. Someone who isn't like them. Come with me. I'll take you somewhere."
Aurex tried to fight back. He threw punches, kicks, anything he could manage. But to his shock, it felt like he was striking an iron wall. None of it made a difference.
Dargan looked down at him. "You only managed to hit me that day because I let you," he said. "But don't worry. If I can become strong, so can you. And don't worry, I won't hurt you."
Right after saying that, Dargan drove his fist into Aurex, knocking him unconscious. The last thought Aurex had before losing consciousness was simple: Dargan isn't human. No human could be that fast, that strong. There was no way someone like that was just another person in this town.
As Aurex's vision faded to black, Dargan looked down at his limp body and said, "Don't worry. I'll make you strong, strong enough to face this world."
Aurex woke up in a vast, empty room. The space felt hollow, almost unnatural, no furniture, no windows, just cold walls stretching into shadows. His stomach twisted with unease. If Dargan's true intention was to trap him here and kill him permanently, then he was in real danger. Aurex couldn't even choose to end his own life; heavy chains bound his wrists and ankles, keeping him from doing anything. As the day dragged toward its end, a thought kept repeating in his mind: I might not survive this one.
Just as Aurex was struggling with his thoughts, the door creaked open. Three, maybe four figures shuffled inside, men and women, all in their fifties and sixties. Their movements were strange, twitchy, like they were on the edge of losing control. From the faint glow slipping through the cracks of the walls, Aurex realized it must be sunset. They weren't fully violent yet, but they radiated that same restless madness he'd seen before.
He yelled at them, his voice echoing in the empty room. "Help me! Break these chains!" But none of them responded. Their eyes darted around, unsteady and wild, like they were fighting against something boiling inside.
Then Dargan entered. His calm presence cut through the tension, but not in a way that reassured Aurex.
"What do you want? What's your plan?" Aurex demanded.
Without answering, Dargan crouched down and snapped the chains off Aurex's wrists and ankles like they were brittle twigs. Aurex immediately bolted toward the door, but before he could take two steps, a heavy fist crashed into his ribs. One of the old men had struck him, and the others were closing in.
Dargan turned, his expression unreadable, and walked toward the exit. "I'll be waiting outside," he said flatly. "Kill them, Aurex. I know you're strong enough to handle this." And with that, he left, the sound of the door locking behind him.
The moment the door slammed shut, the room erupted.
The old man who had struck Aurex lunged again, swinging wildly. Aurex stumbled backward, barely keeping his balance as another body slammed into him from the side. Pain flared through his ribs. He fell hard; the breath knocked from his lungs.
Get up.
He rolled just as a foot came down where his head had been. The floor scraped his skin as he pushed himself away, scrambling to his feet. His heart pounded violently in his chest.
They were faster now.
The woman closest to him moved with a sudden jerk, her hands clawing for his throat. Aurex barely raised his arm in time. Her grip closed around his forearm instead, and she squeezed.
Too strong.
Aurex cried out and twisted, driving his elbow into her chest. He expected resistance, pain, maybe to hurt himself.
Instead, she flew back.
She crashed into the wall with a dull thud and slid down, unmoving.
Aurex froze.
What...?
There was no time to think.
Another man charged, eyes wide, teeth bared. Aurex reacted without thought. He stepped forward and swung.
His fist connected with the man's jaw.
There was a sharp crack.
The man collapsed instantly.
Aurex stared at his hand.
It didn't hurt.
The others hesitated, but only for a second.
They came at him together.
One grabbed his arm. Another tackled him low, driving him to the ground. Hands pressed against his shoulders, his chest, his neck. Their strength was uneven, some weak, some terrifyingly powerful, but all of them were desperate.
Aurex struggled, panic flooding his body.
I am going to die.
Something inside him snapped.
He shoved upward.
The bodies on top of him were thrown aside as if they weighed nothing. Aurex surged to his feet, breathing hard, vision blurring at the edges. One of the men rushed him again.
Aurex ducked.
He didn't remember deciding to move that way.
His fist drove into the man's stomach. The impact echoed through the room. The man folded and dropped, gasping, then went still.
Only one remained.
The last figure stood shaking near the wall, eyes darting wildly between Aurex and the fallen bodies. He screamed and charged.
Aurex braced himself, raising his arms instinctively.
The man struck him, hard.
Pain exploded across Aurex's side. He cried out and staggered, crashing into the wall. For a moment, his legs threatened to give out.
Blood filled his mouth.
I cannot.
The man raised his arm again.
Aurex moved.
He stepped inside the swing and drove his shoulder forward.
The impact sent both of them to the ground. Aurex landed on top, stunned, ears ringing. He barely felt his hands moving, barely registered the struggle beneath him.
Then it stopped.
Aurex stayed there, breathing heavily, his body trembling.
Silence filled the room.
Slowly, he pushed himself up and looked around.
They weren't moving.
None of them were.
His chest rose and fell violently. Every muscle burned. His hands shook as he looked down at them, uninjured, steady, strong.
Too strong.
I should not have survived that.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.
Only then did it hit him.
Not fear.Not relief.
Confusion.
When did I get like this
The door on the far side of the room creaked open.
Aurex barely had the strength to look up.
And somewhere deep inside him, a quiet, terrifying thought took shape:
Dargan was right.