A cool breeze whispered through the towering trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and ancient wood. Belle stirred, her body heavy, her limbs sluggish, as if she had been asleep for centuries. The sensation of cold, damp soil against her skin sent a shiver up her spine. A dull ache throbbed at the edges of her consciousness, but as she pushed herself upright, it faded into an unsettling numbness.
Her silver hair clung to her face as she blinked, taking in her surroundings. Towering trees stretched endlessly in every direction, their gnarled roots twisting over one another like coiled serpents. The forest floor was blanketed in a thin mist, and patches of bioluminescent plants pulsed faintly in the shadows, casting an eerie glow over the landscape. Shafts of sunlight speared through the dense canopy in fractured beams, illuminating swirling dust motes in the air.
Something felt… wrong.
The air carried a strange charge, a barely perceptible hum that prickled against her skin. A metallic tang lingered at the back of her throat, sharp and unnatural. It was as if the very atmosphere was infused with something foreign, something waiting.
Belle furrowed her brows. Where… am I?
The last thing she remembered was the fight—the overwhelming power, the flood of energy surging through her veins—and then… nothing. Had she lost? Had she died?
She lifted a trembling hand, flexing her fingers. They felt normal, yet not. A faint pulse of energy stirred beneath her skin, like a caged current waiting to break free. Then—just for a moment—circuit-like patterns flickered across her arm, glowing with an ethereal blue light. The energy pulsed once, warm, before vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
Belle's breath hitched. That wasn't normal.
She clenched her fist, exhaling slowly, forcing herself to focus. Panic won't help me. I need to figure out where I am.
One thing was certain—she couldn't stay here.
Belle took cautious steps forward, her breath slow and measured. The forest was too quiet. No birdsong. No distant rustling. Just the occasional gust of wind through the towering trees. The silence pressed down on her, thick and unnatural, amplifying the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears.
The trees loomed high above, their twisted branches reaching out like skeletal fingers, casting warped shadows along the ground. Thick vines curled around their trunks, some pulsating faintly, as if they were alive.
Glowing flowers dotted the undergrowth, shifting hues in response to the air's movement. The damp scent of moss and earth filled her lungs, but beneath it lingered something metallic, something... foreign.
She moved carefully, noting how unnaturally light her body felt. Her balance was sharper. Her movements, more fluid. Each step sent subtle vibrations through the moss-covered earth, and she could feel them, as if the ground itself whispered its secrets to her.
Belle paused, listening. At first, there was nothing—only silence. Then, she heard it. Faint disturbances in the distance. Leaves shifting. A presence she wouldn't have noticed before. Her enhanced hearing traced the movement instinctively, her mind processing the sound with startling clarity.
Her gaze shifted toward a tree several meters away. Before, she would have simply seen rough bark and shadows. Now, she could make out every intricate detail—the fine lines of age, the way a tiny spider wove its web between the branches, even the faint shimmer of moisture along the wood's surface. It was as if her vision had sharpened beyond human limits.
Then, something even stranger happened. As she stepped forward, she saw them—faint, glowing trails lingering in the air, like wisps of movement left behind by something unseen. The moment she focused, the traces became clearer, flickering and shifting, as if guiding her toward something unknown.
Belle narrowed her eyes. I can see… energy?
Her breath hitched as she clenched her fist. The sensation felt alien yet familiar—like an echo of that moment against the dragon, when raw power had surged through her veins.
She exhaled slowly. Had the dragon power changed me? A flashback of the echo she heard in her mind before collapsing came back to her. Aetherion… was his name?
Despite the confusion, Belle took a steady breath, her fingers curling slightly as she focused inward. A strange energy thrummed beneath her skin—alive, potent, waiting to be unleashed.
She shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet and pushed off the ground. In an instant, her surroundings blurred. The wind roared past her ears as she shot forward, her body moving faster than her mind could process. Before she knew it, she had covered several meters, skidding to a stop with perfect control.
She stared down at her feet, chest rising and falling.
That speed—was that really me?
Testing further, she crouched low and leaped. To her astonishment, she soared high into the air, her body almost weightless before gravity pulled her back down. She landed without effort, her muscles absorbing the impact with ease.
Her heart pounded.
Speed… agility… and now this? What else can I do?
Clenching her fists, she focused on the energy coursing through her. With a swift strike, she punched the air. A powerful shockwave erupted from the motion, rustling the leaves and bending nearby grass. She blinked.
She hadn't even hit anything.
Belle turned to a moss-covered boulder nearby. Experimentally, she placed a hand against its surface and gave a slight push. The rock—far heavier than anything she should be able to lift—tilted and rolled over as if it were weightless.
She stepped back, staring at her hands, her fingers trembling slightly.
Enhanced senses. Superhuman speed. Strength beyond anything she had ever known.
What… am I now?
Despite the uncertainty twisting in her chest, something deeper stirred beneath it.
Excitement.
A low, guttural growl shattered the silence.
Belle's breath hitched. A deep chill ran down her spine, an instinctive warning flaring in the back of her mind. Something was watching her.
Then, from the darkness between the trees, a pair of glowing crimson eyes flickered to life.
A hulking beast emerged from the shadows, its blackened hide marred by jagged scars. Muscles coiled beneath its skin, rippling with terrifying strength. Its serrated teeth gleamed as it curled back its lips in a snarl, saliva dripping onto the forest floor. Clawed feet dug into the earth, leaving deep gouges in the dirt.
Belle's body tensed.
It wasn't just its monstrous size or lethal presence—it was the energy radiating from it, thick and unnatural. The very air around it seemed to distort, vibrating like a mirage.
This thing was beyond an ordinary predator.
Then it moved.
The beast lunged, closing the distance in an instant.
Belle's instincts screamed. She twisted to the side just as the creature's massive claws slashed through the air where she had stood. The sheer force of its strike sent a shockwave through the ground, and behind her—
CRACK!
The tree behind her exploded into splinters, shards of wood cutting through the air like daggers. The impact sent a violent gust rippling through the forest, forcing Belle to brace herself.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
This was different from the dragon's overwhelming power—raw, untamed, a brutal force of nature.
And it wasn't finished yet.
A guttural snarl tore through the air as the beast lunged, its hulking form a blur of muscle and blackened hide.
Belle moved with purpose.
She sidestepped the charge at the last second, wind whipping past her as the creature's claws slashed through empty air. The sheer force of its attack carved deep gashes into the ground, sending dirt and stone flying.
Her mind raced.
I need to test my limits. I need to see what this body can do. Maybe this is my chance.
The beast didn't stop. It twisted with unnatural speed, its glowing red eyes locking onto her. Snarling, it swung again—its claws whistling toward her with deadly precision.
But this time, Belle was faster.
She bent backward, her body moving on instinct. The razor-sharp talons missed her by inches, tearing through the air above her face. She felt the wind of the strike, the raw power behind it.
A second later, she rolled back onto her feet.
The moment her foot hit the ground, she exploded forward—a blur of motion. Her speed was unnatural, almost inhuman. Her body blurred as she launched herself forward, twisting mid-air to evade the incoming strike. As she landed on the beast's exposed flank, her leg snapped out in a lightning-fast kick.
IMPACT.
A loud crack echoed through the forest as the beast was sent skidding backward, claws digging trenches in the dirt as it fought to stay upright.
Belle's eyes widened.
I'm… stronger. Faster. I can win this.
The realization sent a thrill through her veins.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
The beast steadied itself, its deep growl vibrating through the air. The strange energy around its body flared, and Belle felt the shift. It wasn't just a wild animal—it was something more. Something dangerous.
Then it charged.
This time, it was faster.
Belle barely had time to react as it closed the distance, its jaws snapping toward her neck.
Her eyes widened.
She ducked at the last second, feeling the heat of its breath graze her skin. But before she could counter, its massive tail whipped around from the side—too late.
The force of the blow sent her flying.
She crashed through the underbrush, rolling across the dirt before slamming against the base of a tree. Pain shot through her body.
But she didn't stay down.
Her fingers dug into the soil as she pushed herself up, exhilaration thrumming through her veins.
The beast came again—this time, going for the kill.
Belle met it head-on.
She lunged forward, matching its speed. The world blurred around them as they clashed in a frenzy of strikes—claws and fists colliding in bursts of raw power.
A claw grazed her shoulder, but she twisted, using the momentum to slam her knee into the beast's stomach.
It reeled back, snarling. But before it could recover—she struck.
Her silver blue eyes flickered with something primal.
With a sharp exhale, Belle shifted her stance and slammed her palm into the beast's chest. The sheer force of the strike rippled through its massive frame, sending a deep, resonant shockwave through the air.
Bones shattered.
The creature's snarl turned into a strangled yelp as it was launched backward, crashing through the trees with a deafening boom.
A cloud of dust and splintered wood rose into the air.
Then—silence.
Belle stood still, her hand trembling slightly, her breath ragged. Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from an intoxicating, electric exhilaration.
She had won.
She had overpowered it.
She stared down at her own hands, fingers curling into a fist.
What… am I?
The question echoed in her mind.
But for now—she had her answer.
She was something more.
The forest was silent again.
Belle stood over the fallen beast, her breath slow but controlled. The rush of battle still pulsed in her veins, but now that the fight was over, a deeper realization settled in.
Even with her newfound strength, it hadn't been easy.
She glanced down at her trembling hand—the same hand that had caved in the creature's chest with a single strike. The raw power coursing through her body was undeniable, but against a foe like this? It had taken everything she had just to keep up.
She knelt beside the beast, fingers brushing against its still-warm hide. Thick. Armored. Too strong for a normal animal. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't just some oversized predator.
Then—a pulse.
Belle's eyes widened as a strange sensation surged through her fingertips. Something was still there. Not life, but an energy—faint, lingering, unnatural.
A spark flared beneath her skin.
For a split second, glowing circuits flickered across her arm, the same intricate patterns that had surged through her when she first awakened. The air around her crackled, charged with something she couldn't fully grasp.
Then, just as quickly, the light faded.
She yanked her hand back, staring at her palm.
What… was that?
Her heartbeat quickened. That power… was inside me too.
She clenched her fist. What did this mean? Was the beast tainted with the same energy? Was that why it had been so powerful? And if so… how many more like it were out there?
The realization hit her like a cold wave.
She wasn't just trapped in a dangerous forest.
She was in a place where monsters like this existed.
And she was being hunted.
A branch snapped.
Belle's head snapped up.
The silence, which had lingered just moments before, was gone—replaced by something else. A pressure in the air. A presence.
Then, from the twisted remains of the forest, something moved.
A low, guttural growl rumbled through the darkness.
The red glow of not one, but multiple pairs of eyes flickered to life in the shadows.
Belle's breath hitched.
One figure emerged from the gloom. Larger. More powerful. Its hulking frame dwarfed the first beast, its hide even darker, rippling with unseen energy. The faint embers of something far more dangerous coursed beneath its skin.
But that wasn't what made Belle's stomach tighten.
It was the others.
From the depths of the forest, more figures stepped forward—their glowing eyes piercing through the dark like waiting specters.
The first beast… had only been a scout.
A slow, sinking dread pooled in Belle's gut.
She had barely won the first fight. Now she was outnumbered.
Her silver eyes burned.
But if this was a test of survival…
She would need to face it head-on.
End of Chapter 2