Chapter 3 Taken by surprise
After what seemed like hours, he was finally satisfied. He had gone deep enough into the forest that the mountain was now only a tiny speck on the horizon.
Suddenly, a piercing screech split the air. A bone-mouthed bear the size of a small building tore into a wolf with terrifying ease. The wolf had been in a second-stage resonance. Vandal somehow knew that now.
His expression turned solemn. More fragments of Elizabeth’s stolen knowledge bubbled up, twisting his stomach. He still didn’t fully understand them, but he could vaguely sense the resonance radiating from the animals.
The bear’s power dwarfed the wolf’s. It felt like third-stage resonance at least. The realization unsettled him deeply. How could he just know these things?,
His stomach growled loudly. The hunger felt sharper than fear for a moment. Fighting instincts he didn’t recognize flared to life.
Claws lengthened from his small fingers with a sickening wet sound. He clutched the viper fang tightly in his other hand. The ease of it sent a fresh wave of unease through him. This isn’t mine. None of this is mine.
He leapt like a leopard, aiming for the bear’s back.
Thud.
His claws sank deep into the thick hide. He stabbed ruthlessly into the ribcage with the fang. His small body moved faster than it had any right to, but the motions felt borrowed, like someone else was puppeteering his limbs. The wrongness of it made his skin crawl.
The bear roared, a sound so powerful it pressed against him like thick mud, forcing him to pause. He twisted the fang deeper.
The bear suddenly lunged backward, slamming into a tree. Vandal barely jumped free as the trunk exploded into thick splinters.
“What?!”
A massive paw swung like a falling wall.
BAM.
Vandal’s body skipped across the forest floor and smashed into another tree. For a second, the world went silent except for the ringing in his ears. Warm blood filled his mouth.
“Damn… too… fast…”
He tried to stand, but his legs refused. Breathing hurt. His ribs felt cracked. This body was still too weak, too slow for what his mind demanded.
The bear turned slowly toward him, saliva dripping, beady eyes locked on its helpless prey. It lunged.
Then, without warning, it lost momentum and crashed to the ground just short of him. The massive creature struggled. Confusion flashed in its eyes as it tried to crawl closer but couldn’t. Its limbs were failing..
Vandal stared wide-eyed, chest heaving.
“The poison…”
He lay there, watching as the green venom melted through the bear’s wounds. The beast roared weakly one last time before falling still.
An echo mark rose from the corpse like golden smoke and flowed into his body. Strength flooded his limbs. His thin frame filled out slightly. Muscles became more compact and defined. Bruises faded. His skin took on a subtle, healthy glow.
But instead of relief, a cold shiver ran down his spine. What the hell is happening to me? His body was changing too fast, healing too fast. It felt alien. Wrong. Like something inside him was rewriting who he was.
Even as fresh energy coursed through him, unease gnawed harder. His stomach still screamed with hunger, but the thought of cooking hit him immediately. A fire this big could draw Elizabeth or worse things. The mountain wasn’t that far. The smoke and light would be visible for miles in this dense forest.
He hesitated, breathing hard, staring at the massive carcass.
But the hunger won. He had no real choice if he wanted to keep running. He couldn’t travel on an empty stomach in this state.
With shaking hands, he gathered some dry splinters scattered from the shattered tree and started a small fire, keeping it as low and shielded as possible. Every crackle of the flames made him flinch and glance over his shoulder.
The flames steadied.
Vandal crouched low beside them, dragging the bear’s massive carcass closer inch by inch, his breathing still uneven. “…you’re not getting wasted,” he muttered.
He snapped off a long splinter, sharpened the tip with a rock, and skewered a thick slab of meat. The smell of roasting fat soon filled the air. His stomach growled louder than before.
He yanked the meat off the fire while it was still dripping and took a desperate bite. It burned his mouth, but he didn’t care. He chewed with reckless abandon, feeling the warmth spread through him, nourishing his aching muscles and bones. Bruises continued to heal slowly. A subtle glow lingered on his skin.
Deep inside, he could sense his resonance core growing, feeding on the echo fragments still dissolving within him. He wished he could see it, see what color it was, how it pulsed. But that kind of inner vision was for skilled Echo warriors, and right now he was anything but skilled. The thought only reminded him how lost he was.
He lay back on the grass, staring at the blue sky through the canopy. Small hands raised as if he could touch the clouds. I need to get stronger. Somehow. Some way. He had the means now, even if it terrified him.
Suddenly, a subtle movement to his left.
Grass pressed down, then released. Too precise to be wind. Soft footsteps circled him.
He stayed perfectly still as shadows of unknown figures formed a loose ring, slowly tightening.
“Playing dead won’t help.”
The voice was low and amused.
Vandal let out a small breath through his nose.
“…shit,” he muttered, eyes shifting slightly. “Couldn’t even finish one meal in peace.”
A quiet chuckle came from his right.
“You should’ve picked a better place to eat.”
“Or learned how to hide your fire,” added a deeper voice from behind. “Get up. Keep your hands raised, palms exposed.”
Vandal didn’t move right away.
“…if I say no?”
“You won’t get to say anything after that.”
Silence stretched.
He rose slowly, lips pressed into a thin line, hands open and empty. Inside, his mind raced frantically for any way to escape, even as his face stayed calm on the surface.
A heavy blow struck the back of his head. White stars exploded across his vision, and his consciousness faded.