Alex awoke.
The ash was gone.
An ordinary cave remained—overgrown with moss, wet stone slick beneath his hands. The violence of it all lingered only in memory.
His body was intact.
No burns. No ruptures. No screaming pain. And fear was gone… somehow.
Nothing in his mind resolved. Exhaustion crept in. But when he turned, relief flooded through him.
Dark violet pierced his vision, a sky blanketed with stars. He had reached the end—one way or another.
Alex stepped forward. His eyes met a maroon pool. The usual ecstasy of sweetness was gone, desire was replaced with fulfillment. Being here pleased him.
The pond did not overwhelm him.
He stared into his reflection.
His skin was… wrong. Scales and feathers intertwined. His eyes had lost almost all color, as if sight itself had thinned. His hair had turned white.
Muscles taut. Tendons alive with strength.
His body overflowed with vitality.
His mind brooded with violence.
Around him were tall trees drained of life. No leaves. No remnants. The ground was even, coarse dirt stretching for miles.
[ ENEMY DETECTED ]
Husk Threat: 0 Existence: 0
Karma: 0
— — —
A deer entered his sight.
Opportunity.
Alex activated Tenebris.
It didn't react.
"…It can't sense me."
He smiled.
He stepped beside the tree. Close enough to feel its breath. Then, for no reason at all, he deactivated Tenebris.
He positioned himself right next to the tree, where it seemed to rest his head. He stood in front of it, then deactivated tenebris for fun.
Alex devoured the wild life to his heart's content, forsaking his spear and magic, instead choosing to ambush and brutalize anything in his path.
Such was the right.
Of the strong.
Of the hungry.
Of the chosen.
— — —
Alex roamed his new hunting ground, searching for threats, anomalies—anything that didn't belong.
He found none
Voices crowded his mind
"What if i just stay here… and eat, nothing can kill me here, this is my territory."
"No, we can't be sure, it's best to plunder this area and move on" another voice interjected
"I want to go home," a frail timid speaker pleaded.
Alex lingered on his dream, He thought of the orcas. What were they? Why did they—?
"There are no gods."
all the voices screeched in unison.
— — —