Eugene panted heavily as he raced through the dark, empty street, how he got there was a mystery, all he could recall was him lying down to sleep. But this wasn't a dream, everything thing felt real, his tiredness, the fear that coursed through this veins. He looked over his shoulder behind him but couldn't see who was chasing, but it felt as though it was imprinted deep in his soul that if he stops running, he would die! The street was was empty, no lights. The only consolation for his path was the red hue from the half moon high up in the sky.
Time was running out! the adrenaline rushing through his veins slowly waned with every step. He could feel it in his blood, his death was drawing near.
"No!! I can't die like this!!, you damned legs move faster!!" He let out a muffled scream amidst gasping for air.
But just then he felt it
Time slowed down as a cold subtle breeze swept over him.
His face instantly became pale, his eyes stood wide unblinking
His heart sunk and jerked loudly
He couldn't breath, it felt as if the air in his lungs was frozen
And in that moment, the adrenaline that was waning rushed back with full force
"Damn it!! Move!! Please I can't! I can't die, at least not yet!" He screamed, raw desperation etched in his tone
With as much strength as he could muster, he increased his speed, but just then he noticed the faster he ran the less he made any advance, it felt as if he was returning back to his original position.
The whole situation felt surreal, inexplainable.
He was in shock, in utter disbelief but no matter how much he tried to reason what was going on, time was running out!
He tried and tried and but to know avail
With each passing moment, he felt his death drawing near till it right behind him.
When he turned he saw it, a dark silhouette racing at him at high speed, it's presence was welcomed with another drop in temperature, the atmosphere instantly became chilly
It was slow, dramatic from his shoulder to his feet, goose bumps rushed over his body, his hair stood straight as fear took the better part of him.
"No!! No!!!" Eugene screamed in disbelief, wearing a crazed expression.
His legs wasn't listening anymore, they stood firmly rooted to the ground, he tried desperately to move, but he couldn't.
All the adrenaline, the desperation, the desire to live was all sucked up into an abyss——the abyss of despair!
All he could think, all he could feel was despair——in its purest form.
"Is this- is this how I die?"
"Is this how my life ends?"
He let out a crazy laugh, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably as his life flashed before his eyes.
His desires, his dreams, so many memories, so many people he had to say goodbye to but he never got the chance.
He thought about his mom, how he would never see her again.
The pain she would have to go through reminiscing his death
How?—how did it come to this? he asked himself even if he knew he didn't have the answer.
His line of thoughts was quickly interrupted when the figure stood right in front of him.
He couldn't make out its features, the humanoid figure was dressed in a large overcoat and was wearing a hoodie. The only thing that stood out was it's icy blue eyes that menacingly stared at him, piercing deep into his soul.
"You are just a pawn in the system" the humanoid creature said, its voice distorted and deep
"Do you know what happens when a pawn no longer meets its usefulness?"…
A thousand and one thing was going was going through Eugene's head—— me a pawn? What system? What the fuck is actually happen? But just then his thoughts seemed to stop when the humanoid creature reached for something on its waist, it was the hilt of a sword!
The finality of the situation struck deep into Eugene's being
He was going to die here and now
But just as he was about to accept his predestined fate he heard it!
A whisper, soft, subtle but audible, dark, haughty
He didn't hear it with his ears , it was deep within his soul.
"Why do you fight it?"
"Your powers, why do you bury it?"
"Let it feel your desperation, let it feel your deepest desires."
"Let the fire burn from within you!"
"…they are gotten rid" of the humanoid creature continued as he grabbed the sword but just as he was about to cleave is head in two, Eugene let out a high pitched scream
He couldn't make sense of the whisper nor what it meant——powers? In fact, he couldn't make sense of anything that had happened that night, but he knew one thing for sure——he wouldn't just let himself get killed like that, he couldn't. And as much as breath existed in his nostrils, he would fight to see another day.
And which much desperation and conviction as he could muster, he screamed echoing the voice of the whisper
"Let the fire burn from within me!!"
And just then he felt it, in the very fiber, in the very essence of his being, he felt chains breaking, unlocking ancient mysteries and in that moment, he exploded into a sea of raging flames.
The flames erupted from Eugene's body in a cataclysmic surge, a roaring inferno that devoured the darkness around him. The humanoid figure recoiled, its icy blue eyes widening in shock as the searing heat lashed against its form. The cold, oppressive atmosphere shattered like glass, replaced by a blistering wave of fire that turned the night into an ocean of gold and crimson.
Eugene's scream transformed into a primal roar as power—raw, untamed, and ancient—coursed through his veins. The fear that had paralyzed him moments before was incinerated in the blaze, replaced by a terrifying, exhilarating clarity. He could feel the fire as if it were an extension of his own will, dancing at his fingertips, hungry and alive.
The hooded figure staggered back, its distorted voice hissing in frustration. "Impossible… You were never meant to awaken!"
Eugene didn't respond. He didn't need to. The flames answered for him, surging forward in a torrent, swallowing the creature whole. A deafening shriek pierced the air as the thing writhed, its form dissolving into smoke and embers.
And then—silence.
The street was empty. The chase was over.
Eugene collapsed to his knees, the fire receding back into his skin, leaving no burns, no scars—only the lingering heat of something awakened. His breath came in ragged gasps as the reality of what had just happened crashed into him.
Powers? A system? A pawn?
None of it made sense. But one thing was certain—this wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.
And whatever force had marked him for death tonight…
Would soon learn what it meant to fear him.