It moved again.
Fast.
Too fast to think.
I barely reacted, throwing myself to the side. My shoulder slammed into the ground. Pain shot through my arm, but I didn't stop. I rolled, scrambled, forced myself up again.
"Too fast…"
My breathing was already out of control.
The creature didn't rush this time.
It circled.
Slow. Careful.
Like it was testing me.
That made it worse.
Way worse.
It wasn't just attacking.
It was learning.
"…why is it watching me like that…"
My hands shook, sparks flickering unevenly. I tried to steady them, but my chest was too tight. My thoughts too loud.
I can't keep up.
I'm too slow.
I'm going to die.
"No…"
I forced the words out.
"Stop thinking like that…"
The creature twitched. Then—
It lunged.
Again.
I reacted late.
Too late.
Something slammed into me. Hard.
I hit the ground, breath knocked out of me instantly. My vision went white for a second. My ears rang.
"…I can't breathe…"
I tried to move. My body didn't respond right away.
The creature stood over me.
Close.
Too close.
I saw it clearly now.
Cracked skin. Hollow eyes. Its body bent wrong, like it wasn't meant to exist.
My chest went cold.
This is it.
This is how I die.
Right here.
On the ground.
Like always.
Weak.
Useless.
Forgotten.
"…no."
The word came out small.
But something inside me…
It refused.
Not loud.
Not strong.
Just… refused.
"I'm not done…"
My hand twitched.
The spark flickered. Weak. Almost gone.
The creature raised one of its twisted limbs.
It was going to strike.
End it.
And I…
I didn't move.
For a second.
Just one second.
That same feeling came back.
The heavy one.
The one that tells me to stop trying.
To just let it happen.
It would be easier.
No more pain.
No more fighting.
No more failing.
My eyes started to close.
"…no."
Stronger this time.
"No."
My fingers clenched.
Pain shot through my hand.
Good.
Pain means I'm still here.
"I'm not dying like this…"
The spark flared.
Not big.
Not powerful.
But angry.
Wild.
Real.
I didn't think.
I just moved.
My hand shot up.
Spark—
No.
More than that.
It burst out.
Messy. Out of control.
It hit the creature at point-blank range.
A sharp sound.
A reaction.
It jerked back.
Not hurt badly.
But enough.
Enough for me to move.
I rolled away, coughing, dragging in air like I'd been underwater.
"MOVE…" I forced myself.
I pushed up. Stumbled. Almost fell again.
But I stayed up.
Barely.
My chest burned. My vision blurred. My arms felt heavy.
But I was still standing.
Still here.
"…I had no choice…"
I looked at my hands.
The spark wasn't normal anymore.
It wasn't steady.
It wasn't controlled.
It was… unstable.
Flickering hard.
Like it could explode or disappear any second.
The system pulsed violently in my head:
[WARNING]
[Energy Instability Detected]
[New State Triggered: Overload Spark – Incomplete]
"…what?"
I didn't have time to understand.
The creature came again.
Faster.
Angrier.
I reacted on instinct.
My body moved before my mind.
I stepped forward.
Not back.
Forward.
"What am I doing—?!"
Too late.
The spark surged.
Exploded from my hands.
This time…
It was different.
Bigger.
Wilder.
It slammed into the creature.
A louder impact.
A real reaction.
It got pushed back.
Actually pushed back.
I stared.
"…I did that?"
My hands were shaking violently now. The spark was unstable, jumping, crackling, burning hotter than before.
It hurt.
A lot.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
The creature recovered quickly.
Of course it did.
But now…
It wasn't just watching.
It was cautious.
That look again.
That hesitation.
I saw it.
And something inside me held onto that.
Hope.
Tiny.
But real.
"I can fight it…"
Not win.
Not yet.
But fight.
That's enough.
For now.
My breathing slowed just a little.
Still messy. Still rough.
But not panicked.
Not frozen.
I raised my hands again.
The unstable spark crackled.
Dangerous.
But stronger.
"Okay…" I whispered.
"Just don't lose control…"
Even though I already was.
The creature moved again.
Slower this time.
Careful.
So was I.
Two broken things.
Both trying to survive.
I took a step forward.
Then another.
Pain shot through my arms, but I ignored it.
"I'm not running anymore…"
The words came out quiet.
But solid.
The creature lunged.
I moved.
Spark clashed against it again.
Messy.
Painful.
Unstable.
But real.
This wasn't clean.
This wasn't skill.
This was survival.
And I was still in it.
Still fighting.
Still standing.
"I had no choice…"
And maybe…
That's why I didn't break.