"Rin" slowly opened his eyes, as if they had been sealed for centuries. His body lay on cold ground, damp with a strange-smelling dew. There was no light, except for a faint pale glow in the gray sky—like a world whose sun had died long ago.
He tried to get up, but his body felt heavy, as if gravity had doubled just for him. What puzzled him even more... was the faint glimmer of something beside him, nestled among the withered grass.
With a trembling hand, he reached out and grabbed it.
A rusted sword.
Its hilt was cracked, its blade corroded by time.
But in this unknown place, Rin had no choice.
"What is this place…?" he whispered, his voice tired, its echo fading between twisted trees.
Suddenly, a strange scream echoed through the forest. It was more of a roar than a scream. His heart pounded, but he tightened his grip on the sword, turning toward the source of the sound.
Out of the mist, a creature emerged—unlike anything he had ever seen.
A massive body, glowing blood-red eyes in multiples, and limbs shaped like blades. It breathed heavily, growling as if the earth itself boiled beneath its feet.
"Is... this a living thing?"
There was no time to think.
The beast charged with terrifying speed, its claws slicing through the air.
Rin dashed to the side, barely dodging the first strike. The sword was hardly of any help. Another strike, a jump, a cracking sound in his shoulder… everything felt like a nightmare.
But Rin… resisted.
The beast attacked again and again, using multiple abilities:
Toxic fog from its mouth, energy blades that cut the air, lightning-fast lunges that defied physics. It was a desperate fight.
Every wound, every dodge, every second of survival was a miracle.
And in a fleeting moment, as he fell to the ground exhausted, he caught a glimpse—
A weak spot on the creature's neck.
He screamed with all he had, lunging forward with his worn-out body, thrusting the rusted blade into that point. It didn't pierce easily, but he pushed, pressed, screamed—until he felt the beast's body freeze.
One second… two…
Then the monster collapsed.
---
Rin sat there, gasping, still clutching the embedded sword.
But then, he felt something strange… a heat creeping into his body.
His veins burned. His eyes widened.
Something had entered him.
Unfamiliar visions… sounds… images of fighting styles… powers he'd never known before.
"What… is happening to me?"
Then he understood.
He had absorbed the creature's abilities.
Everything it had… was now his.
But that power… did not come easily.
If he had been any weaker… it would've burned him alive from within.
---
He sat in silence, staring at his trembling hand.
"I… can take their powers?"
He chuckled faintly, bitterly.
"If this world is one of strength… then I'll claim all of it. To the end."