Cyan's body plummeted through the darkness.
A thick branch slammed into his shoulder with a brutal crack, spinning him violently midair before another smashed across his ribs hard enough to force the breath from his lungs.
Splintered bark tore across his skin like jagged claws while leaves exploded around him in frantic spirals.
Then—
The ground rose to meet him.
The impact was catastrophic.
The earth convulsed beneath him with a violence that bordered on apocalyptic, a thunderous crash erupting through the forest as though the land itself had fractured open.
Shockwaves rippled outward from the point of impact, rattling nearby trees so violently that entire branches snapped free and crashed through the canopy overhead.
A deafening roar consumed the night.
So loud.
So overwhelming.
It felt as though the sound itself had weight.
The forest trembled.
Birds burst screaming from distant trees while loose stones danced across the soil. The air ruptured beneath the force of the collision, followed instantly by a violent storm of dirt, shattered roots, and pulverized rock that exploded upward into a suffocating cloud.
Dust swallowed everything.
The world vanished into a brown-gray abyss.
Tiny fragments of bark and grit scraped against Cyan's skin as the violent haze spiraled around him.
The scent of wet earth flooded his lungs—thick, damp, ancient, mixed horribly with the metallic stench of blood and the bitter odor of crushed vegetation.
Cyan lay motionless within the shallow crater his body had carved into the forest floor.
His stomach and forehead were pinned against the freezing ground beneath him, mud smearing across his face while jagged pebbles bit into exposed flesh. Every inch of his body screamed in agony. Even breathing felt like inhaling shattered glass.
His mind reeled helplessly.
"What... happened...?"
The thought barely formed.
Then the voice returned.
"Diagnostic protocols engaged."
Cold.
Precise.
Mechanical.
No concern.
No hesitation.
"Critical systemic failure confirmed. Subject has exceeded biological operational thresholds. Muscular integrity compromised. Internal hemorrhaging detected. Skeletal strain approaching catastrophic classification."
Each word landed with horrifying calmness, like an executioner reciting final rites.
Cyan attempted to move.
Nothing responded.
His limbs felt nailed to the earth itself.
A faint twitch traveled through his fingers, but the microscopic motion unleashed a surge of agony so immense his vision blurred white. Pain spread through his nervous system like wildfire, burning through muscle and bone alike.
The pressure around him felt unnatural.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
As though the forest itself was pressing
downward upon his broken body.
"Full-body analysis complete," the voice continued. "Severe degradation detected across multiple physiological systems. Extreme exhaustion, dehydration, tissue rupture, and excessive blood loss have critically reduced survival probability."
Coldness crept beneath Cyan's clothes.
Not ordinary cold.
This was invasive.
Predatory.
Like icy fingers slowly sliding beneath his skin.
His teeth clattered violently.
Then he felt it—
Warmth.
Wetness spreading slowly across his chest and stomach.
Confusion flickered weakly through the haze consuming his thoughts.
"I feel wet...?"
"Correction. Substance identified as blood."
The response came instantly.
"Emergency bio-adhesive sealants applied to chest trauma have failed due to excessive physical exertion during combat operations."
The metallic scent became overwhelming now.
Fresh blood soaked through his torn clothes, warm against the freezing night air.
"Secondary impacts with branches and undergrowth reopened multiple wounds during descent. Hemorrhaging has intensified. Recommendation: minimize movement to preserve remaining life functions."
Cyan's thoughts began fragmenting apart.
The forest around him no longer sounded alive.
It sounded wrong.
The wind had stopped.
The insects were silent.
Even the trees stood motionless beneath the moonlight, their twisted branches resembling skeletal hands clawing at the heavens.
A numb heaviness spread slowly through his arms and legs.
"Malnutrition and dehydration have critically impaired the body's regenerative capacity," the voice continued. "Warning: current mortality probability remains elevated."
A cold knot formed inside Cyan's chest.
"Am... I going to die...?"
The thought surfaced weakly.
Broken.
"But I haven't... done anything yet..."
His voice faded into silence.
Blood continued seeping beneath him, warm
rivers crawling slowly through the dirt.
Time itself seemed distorted.
Every heartbeat echoed louder than the last.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Then—
Crunch.
The sound shattered the silence instantly.
A twig breaking somewhere behind him.
Cyan froze.
Another step followed.
Slow.
Measured.
Crunch.
Rustling leaves whispered across the forest floor.
Every instinct inside him erupted violently.
Something was there.
Something watching him.
Thoughts spiraled chaotically through his fading mind.
A beast?
No.
Too controlled.
Too deliberate.
Humanoid.
Panic slammed into him like a tidal wave.
Desperate, Cyan activated Reaper's Grip.
The result was catastrophic.
Agony exploded through his chest with such intensity it felt as though molten iron had been driven between his ribs. Every muscle in his body seized violently. His heartbeat slammed against his sternum like a beast trying to escape its cage.
A scream tore from his throat.
Raw.
Animalistic.
The sound echoed endlessly through the dead forest before dissolving into silence once more.
The footsteps continued.
Steady.
Unhurried.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Closer now.
Cyan's thoughts became frantic.
"Move."
"MOVE!"
"DAMN IT!"
But his body refused him completely.
The footsteps stopped.
Instantly, the atmosphere changed.
The silence became unbearable.
Heavy enough to crush breath from his lungs.
The hairs along the back of his neck stood upright as an overwhelming sensation crawled across his spine—
A gaze.
Something was staring directly at him.
Watching.
Patiently.
Moonlight stretched faintly across the dirt before
him—
And a shadow appeared.
Long.
Distorted.
Wrong.
The silhouette twisted unnaturally against the forest floor, shifting subtly despite the stillness around it. The surrounding trees creaked softly, bending away as though recoiling from the presence standing behind him.
The air vibrated with pressure.
Not metaphorical pressure.
Real pressure.
Dense enough that Cyan's ears began ringing
beneath it.
Then he felt it.
Breath.
Cold enough to resemble air spilling from an open grave.
Something leaned closer behind him.
Silent.
Patient.
Studying him like wounded prey moments away from death.
Far above the canopy, a night bird released a long, mournful cry.
The sound echoed through the forest like a funeral bell.
As he lay on the cold, unforgiving earth, He forced his trembling right hand forward, fingers clawing desperately toward the fallen blade just beyond his reach.
But his body refused him.
The moment he stretched further, agony erupted through him like wildfire. From his shattered hand to his chest, down his spine and into his legs, pain tore through every nerve with merciless brutality.
His exhausted body had long surpassed its limit, and forcing it to move only invited suffering in return.
"AAAHHHH!!"
His scream ripped through the forest.
Then came silence.
Only the distant chorus of crickets answered him, accompanied by the hollow hoot of an owl somewhere deep within the darkness. Above, the night sky hung like an endless black curtain, the pale moonlight and scattered stars offering the only fragments of hope within the merciless woods.
His scream faded.
A few broken scoffs escaped his lips.
His eyelids grew heavy.
But the presence behind him felt heavier still.
Cyan slowly closed his eyes.
And his final sight—
An ominous shadow stretching silently across the ground behind him.
Whatever stood there made no attempt to move.
No footsteps.
No voice.
Only the calm, rhythmic sound of breathing
echoed through the darkness.
Steady.
Unrelenting.
—