My body felt as if it were levitating, floating in a deep, empty void where only I could exist. I couldn't move, nor could I speak. I tried to reach out and grab something, but I was still paralyzed. After moments of drifting in this dark abyss, a voice spoke to me, echoing through my ears like a sweet melody. “I love you, Firis. Please, remember that for me, my love.” I tried to respond, but I felt my body being dragged away—dragged out of the void I was trapped in. Then, I felt the soft thud of grass beneath me. I opened my eyes, staring into the sky. Birds chirped in the distance, singing their sweet chorus. I raised my hand, making sure I could finally move. I let out a small groan to check if I could speak again. And then, the panic set in. I sat up, looking around me, breathing heavily. Where was I? How did I get here? I searched around for something to answer my questions, something to calm me down. But there was nothing—just grass, trees, and animals. Yet, there was one question I knew the answer to, one fear that had ended. The voice earlier referred to me as Firis… My name was Firis.

  After a while of waiting for something—anything—I sat up again. The area I arrived in felt oddly familiar. I felt comfortable here, but something told me that comfort wouldn’t last. Picking myself up, I started walking in a random direction. I stumbled through the forest, tripping on branches and rocks as I moved forward. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I knew I had to find some sort of shelter. So, with a motivation of unknown origin, I continued walking. About 30 minutes passed before I heard a low growl nearby. I looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. Instinctively, I sped up to avoid the animal. Running in another direction, I heard it sprinting behind me. As I ran, I tripped over a branch. Tumbling to the ground, I reached out to brace my fall but landed incorrectly and sprained my wrist. “Ah—” I groaned, lying on the ground, hearing the animal approach. Then it pounced. A wolf, roughly the size of me, landed with its front paws on my chest, drool dripping from its mouth as it tried to bite at my neck. Using my good hand, I pushed it back just enough to stop it from reaching me. I tried to kick it off, but I was too weak. It eventually managed to scratch my neck with its teeth, and I felt warm blood trickle down. I groaned—it fucking hurt. It continued to press down on me, biting and cutting at my neck. I kept trying to push it off, but it was useless. Tears started to fill my eyes. So many thoughts rushed through my mind all at once: Why was I here? I don’t want to die. Someone, anyone—help me. None of those questions would ever be answered, I told myself. I felt like I was going to die at that very moment.

  That’s when I felt it—a heat coursing through my veins. Every emotion I had burned within me, my anger igniting the hottest flame of them all. I grabbed the wolf’s neck, pulling myself up closer. Avoiding its bite, I clamped my teeth into its skin, causing it to howl in pain. Blood trickled into my mouth as I continued biting, weakening it. I didn’t care if I hurt it—it had tried to kill me first. The heat inside me grew stronger, overwhelming. I screamed as loud as I could, and my hand burst into flames. The wolf’s fur instantly ignited. It stumbled back, howling in agony as it burned alive. And in that moment of clarity, I felt… regret. What had I just done? I couldn’t think straight as the wolf slowly crawled toward me and collapsed at my feet. Its life ended in a fiery, miserable hell. I stood there, breathless and shaking, before falling to my knees, softly crying. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t want this. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

  A year passed in a blur after that. I continued living in the forest, eventually finding a cave to shelter from the rain. I fished from the river and ate birds and bugs to survive. I couldn’t summon flames like that day again, but I learned to create sparks on command—enough to cook food and stay warm. “And so, that’s the story of how we got here. Thanks for listening,” I said to a doll. That doll was my best friend now. I made him a month ago from twigs and dried mud to hold them together. I named him Leaf. I looked out toward the sky from my cave and noticed the sun was setting. Night was approaching. That was the easiest time to hunt small animals, so I began to get ready. I grabbed a sharpened stick I’d fashioned with a rock—I used that to hunt painlessly, for the most part. I also grabbed my old jacket, now used to carry food until I got home.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  After watching the forest around me, I decided I’d need to crawl on all fours to move as quietly as possible. I slipped out of the cave and headed into the woods. A few hours passed, and night had fully fallen. I stalked the forest silently, listening for signs of animals nearby. So far, I’d only managed to collect one bird carcass. But I was greedy tonight—I needed more. Then I heard movement: footsteps, several of them, coming in a group. I followed the sound, hoping I could isolate one of them. I moved through the brush, creeping low to the ground. The figures looked oddly familiar. Even in the dark, I saw that they looked… like me. They were speaking my language too. I leaned in, now more curious about who they were than how they’d taste.

  The first to speak was a male with bright yellow hair and a loud voice. “The guy thought he could escape from me! On a bike! I know we’re not the top-ranking team yet, but we’ve made a decent name for ourselves! How did he not know me?” He was with three others—another male and two females. One of the girls laughed, her tall frame silhouetted by the moonlight, her black hair glinting faintly. She didn’t look very full. Maybe I wouldn’t hunt them after all. “Shut the fuck up, Dasshutsu. You may have caught him, but I’m the one who got the bike chain stuck and made him trip over the wheel. I think I deserve all the credit,” she said, laughing as she smacked the yellow-haired guy. The male with blue hair smacked both of them. “Dasshutsu, Izuki. We’re camping. Enough work talk. I’m tired and want to settle down.”

  Dasshutsu and Izuki laughed. I watched them, captivated. They were having… fun. It was strange—after a whole year, I hadn’t seen anyone like me. I leaned in for a better look, but I was careless. A twig snapped underfoot with a crisp, sharp crack. All four of them turned toward the sound. The yellow-haired male vanished into a streak of lightning. I blinked, trying to follow him, but then heard a voice—right next to me. “Hey, you enjoying the view?” I whipped my head toward him. How did he get here so fast? I didn’t care—I headbutted him and started running. A loud grunt followed behind me, then the sounds of the others giving chase. I pushed myself faster, nearly reaching my cave. I was so close.

  Then a massive wall of frozen water rose in front of me, glittering in the moonlight. What the hell? It was the middle of the hot season. I tried to run past the wall, but the yellow-haired man appeared beside me again, keeping pace like it was nothing. “Who the hell are you? Who sent you?” he shouted. He reached for me, but I twisted away, my foot catching him under the jaw with a solid kick. I bolted toward my cave. I could see it—I was almost home. But then, the air grew heavy—not metaphorically. It pressed me down, slamming me to the ground. I couldn’t move. It felt like the earth itself had grabbed me and held me down. I heard their footsteps approach. The yellow-haired man’s voice rang out again. “Izuki, dart him. I think our vacation’s over. We’re bringing him to HQ.”

  I couldn’t even lift my head. A sharp prick jabbed my neck. The world began to fade, like I was falling asleep. I tried to resist, but it was useless. I wanted to get back to Leaf. I wanted to go home. This feeling… it was familiar. I was back in the black void. My limbs wouldn’t move. My eyes grew heavy, and finally, they closed. The last thought that lingered in my fading mind was one word: “Fear.”