The ground beneath me shook.
Not violently. Not enough to knock me down.
But enough to make me notice.
I froze for a second.
The creature was gone.
Not defeated. Gone.
And that… was worse.
Because now I had no clue where it was.
No warning.
No sign.
Just silence.
Too quiet.
My hands trembled. The sparks flickered weakly.
"Where are you…" I whispered.
No answer.
Of course not.
I took a slow step forward.
Nothing.
Another.
Still nothing.
Then—
A shadow flicked across my peripheral vision.
I reacted instantly.
Spark shot forward.
The thing shrieked.
A sound that twisted my stomach.
It moved again. Faster this time.
I stumbled back.
My boots scraped against the dry cracked ground. Pain shot through my side. My chest burned like I'd been running for hours.
I'd only taken a few steps.
This place… it's different.
No. Not just different.
Impossible.
Everything here felt impossible.
Another lunge.
I barely dodged.
Barely.
The spark flared wildly, uncontrolled.
It hit the creature.
A loud crack.
It recoiled.
Just a little.
Not enough.
Never enough.
I took a deep breath.
Focus.
Try.
Again.
It lunged.
I blocked.
Blocked poorly.
But it worked.
A step back.
Pain.
Adrenaline.
Fear.
All mixed.
And I… I was still standing.
Small victory.
I clenched my fists.
"This… this is nothing," I muttered.
Liar.
It was everything.
Every step I took here, every spark I used, every heartbeat screaming… it was survival. Pure survival.
And I wasn't trained for this.
Not really.
I could feel the spark pulsing in my palms.
It was unstable.
Dangerous.
Wild.
Like me.
Maybe… exactly like me.
A loud roar cut through the silence.
Closer this time.
I froze.
Then it appeared.
Not one.
Two.
More than I could count.
Twisted shapes. Hollow eyes. Cracked skin. Limbs bending wrong.
They weren't just hunting.
They were surrounding.
I swallowed hard.
"Shit…"
My chest burned.
Pain shot through my arms as I raised both hands.
Sparks flared violently.
Unstable.
Dangerous.
Uncontrolled.
I didn't care.
I had no choice.
They lunged.
I dodged.
Blocked.
Blocked poorly.
Flared sparks.
Some hit. Some missed.
Some hit me.
Pain everywhere.
I staggered, barely holding myself upright.
And then I realized…
I can't do this alone.
Not like this.
I had to move smarter.
Not stronger.
Not faster.
Smarter.
I backed up slowly.
Leading them.
One step.
Then another.
They followed.
Careless.
Confident.
I wasn't.
Good.
The ground cracked under my boots.
My heart pounded.
Adrenaline screamed.
Pain screamed.
I raised both hands again.
Sparks flared wildly.
At them.
Some hit. Some missed.
A few flew past, scattering sparks into the dirt.
One of them hissed.
Good.
At least they're reacting.
I forced myself to think.
Plan.
The unstable sparks could be my advantage.
Messy. Chaotic. Unpredictable.
Exactly like me.
I dodged again.
Hit another.
Step back.
Step sideways.
Step forward.
The sparks kept cracking.
Sparks… pain… fear… all mixed.
And somehow… I was surviving.
That was new.
I had survived longer than I expected.
Longer than anyone probably expected.
My chest heaved.
My arms screamed.
My hands burned.
But… I was alive.
And for the first time here…
I felt something else.
Hope.
Tiny.
Fragile.
But real.
"…I'm not done yet," I whispered.
The creatures circled me.
Watching. Waiting.
I stared back.
Not brave. Not strong.
Just… defiant.
And that's enough.
For now.
One spark.
One step.
One heartbeat at a time.
I'm still here.
I'm still fighting.
And tomorrow…
I'll survive again.