I woke up again.
The bruises throbbed.
The pain… still there.
Mal's face flashed in my mind.
That smug, cruel face.
I clenched my fists.
"I can feel the killing intent… coming from somewhere strange… but I will get my revenge."
The clan was quiet that morning.
I moved through the fields, feeling the cold wind cut my face.
Every step reminded me of how weak I was.
Every heartbeat screamed at me.
He beat me.
I will make him regret it.
I trained.
Alone.
Day after day.
I failed.
I got up.
Failed again.
Felt pain.
Got up again.
Something inside me… something dark… kept growing.
It whispered.
"They will pay. They all will."
One evening, I saw him.
Mal.
Laughing with a few others.
My chest tightened.
My fists burned.
I stepped forward.
"Mal!" I shouted.
He turned.
Smirked.
"Back for more?"
I didn't answer.
I moved.
Fast.
I struck…
But before I could land a hit—
The ground trembled beneath us.
A low growl rolled through the air, deep and terrifying.
The wind shifted.
Mal froze, eyes wide.
"W-what… is that?"
I looked up.
A shadow fell over us.
Massive. Towering. Eyes glowing like coals.
Its roar shattered the silence.
Every instinct in my body screamed…
Killing intent.
Unfathomable, raw, pure.
It wasn't Mal.
It wasn't anyone from the clan.
It was something else. Something beyond.
Before I could react, it lunged.
Its claws tore through the ground, scattering dirt and stones.
Mal screamed.
I tried to move—
Too late.
Pain exploded.
I was thrown aside like nothing.
The world spun.
Air left my lungs.
My vision blurred.
And then—darkness.