“You’ve lived quite a life, young lady.”

My barely intact consciousness struggled to discern between the hallucinations and the voice. For an instant, I thought I imagined it, the last attempt of a dying mind to make sense of the world crumbling around it. Then, I heard it again.

“Do try to remain alive for just a moment longer.”

What was first a whisper at the back of my awareness quickly turned into an almost tangible presence, a pressure that threatened to burst my head open.

Who or what was this voice?

“You have noticed the signs of their betrayal since a while ago. I suppose you ignored your instincts and swept them under the carpet.”

What was it talking about? I struggled to open my mouth and ask it questions of my own, but nothing ever came out, however hard I tried.

“Here.”

A bright light flooded my vision. Then I found myself sitting at the planning table in the meeting hall of the Red Hand, the mercenary company I was leading until not long ago.

“I think we should consider their offer, Nuk.” I turned to my left to see Ahri standing over me, pointing at several papers spread over the table. I immediately leaped out of my seat, stumbling over myself and crawling as fast as I could into a corner.

“He tried to warn you about some potential competitors, but you dismissed him all too easily without even studying his report properly. Also, this.”

The scenario suddenly changed again. Now, I was sitting in a transport vehicle, with Ahri driving beside me. This time, I jolted backward, pushing my body into the locked door. Seeing him so close made my body jerk away, panicked.

“Three dead this week. You ignored my request to increase security on our convoys, now that team is dead, and the cargo is lost.”

“Do you want me to bring back the dead, Ahri? It’s unfortunate, but we need manpower at the resource extraction sites. It’s your fault for taking escort missions in the first place. You needed the pocket money that bad?”

I heard my voice saying all those hurtful things to Ahri, but my mouth didn’t move. It was like a recording playing itself in front of my eyes. I noticed Ahri’s expression darken.

The vehicle suddenly stopped in its tracks. Not only did the vehicle stop, but Ahri didn’t move either. He stood petrified, along with everything else outside.

“A classic story, the underling was backed into a corner by his incompetent boss. He probably felt he had no choice but to act before it was too late. Or so he must've justified it for himself.”

I felt anger for a moment, but it immediately went away as if swept under the waves of a vast ocean.

“No need to get angry. I think it’s quite a fair assessment.”

The scene changed. I was in a big city. A vast, white stone building stretched high into the sky. Its intricate design was covered in smaller structures, bridges, platforms, walkways, and whole buildings, tightly hugging the prominent stone architecture.

“Your parents lived somewhere around here, but it seems like you don’t really remember yourself.”

I tried to force myself not to think about them. The thought of having whatever this thing was to look through my childhood memories unnerved me.

“Quite sensitive… Fine. What should we watch then? You choose.”

The voice suddenly felt distant, as if my head went underwater momentarily before returning to the surface.

“That was close.”

Considering my wounds from the fight with Ahri, I was surprised I lasted this long. If this being hadn’t dragged me into this mind realm, I would’ve had to spend my last moments all alone, looking up from the dark elevator shaft. I was somewhat glad about this.

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“No need to worry about that. You’re not dying. I want you to spend some more time with me. You wouldn’t believe how long I have been stuck under all this rubble. To be honest, even I don’t know.”

I felt a sudden pressure in my head before the scene changed again. Trees grew from the ground around me, and a structure formed itself in the middle. At a closer inspection, it was the ruin I had entered earlier, but it looked a bit different.

My body also became material, and I regained my senses. Immediately I was assaulted by all sorts of feelings, sounds, and sensations that overloaded my mind for a moment. As I returned to my senses, I looked ahead, noticing a person standing in front of the main entrance of the ruin. A little girl with short hair, no older than 12. We locked gazes, and I noticed the same overwhelming pressure from earlier trying to creep into my mind. Her golden-colored eyes were beautiful, but they exuded an ominous feeling. I looked away, bent on never making eye contact again.

Despite my body giving me all its signals to get away from this being, I was lured closer by an unknown attraction.

“Come.”

Hearing its voice entranced me further, and before I realized I was standing in the middle of the elevator shaft room. I looked around, trying to find the bodies of the people I had killed earlier, but the two of us were the only people in this place.

“Your story amused me. I expect things to be just as exciting from now on. Do try your best, Nuk.”

Before I could react, she disappeared from my field of vision and reappeared behind me. With a single touch of her little finger, I felt my body being subjected to an immense force that immediately sent me flying into the elevator shaft. I fell in the dark pit for much longer than should’ve been possible then I jolted awake at the bottom of the hole.

“Ugh… It hurts…”

My voice was raspy and weak, but at least I could speak. The pain I felt throughout my body was an indicator that this must be the real world. I slowly raised my hand and touched my face. Everything seemed to be in its place, though the skin was bruised and hurt like hell. My eye seemed to be intact, but the eyelid refused to open for now.

I tried to get up, but the pain was too intense, forcing me to rest for a few minutes before attempting a second time. Nothing seemed broken, but I felt as if I was mauled by a pack of Wilders.

The light at the top of the shaft was much dimmer now. After regaining some of my strength, I grabbed the metal cable connected to the top of the elevator shaft and dragged my battered body up toward the light.

Once I was back on the surface, I noticed the absence of the dead bodies. I feared for a moment that the dream I had earlier hadn’t actually ended, but then I saw the bloody marks on the ground as if the bodies were dragged away after the fight. Since the light was much dimmer now, I figured it was close to dusk, meaning I was at the bottom of the shaft for at least a few hours.

I looked around for a while, trying to find at least one of my weapons, but the place had already been cleared.

“What do I do now?” I whispered to myself as I limped out of the room. As I was about to step into the hallway, I stopped abruptly. From across the hallway into the next room, at least four pairs of glowing eyes were locked on to me. Before I could register the danger, a deafening howl echoed through the ruin, sending my body into another panic.

I fell backward and dragged my body as fast as I could back toward the shaft. The creatures were faster than me. In mere moments I was surrounded and pulled out of the room through the hallway and outside of the ruin. They threw me on the ground outside and formed a circle around me.

Cursing my luck, I tried to get back up, but as I did, a force strong enough to break bones pushed me back down, knocking the air out of my lungs. A heavy leg held me down as the other creatures snickered around me, talking in strange animalistic language.

The commotion from the fight must’ve alerted a nearby Wilder pack. After Ahri left, these guys swooped in to investigate and scavenge whatever was left. Usually, a pack of a few Wilders wouldn’t dare get close to a heavily armed convoy but getting caught by them alone in the forest meant death.

I racked my brain, thinking of any way of getting out alive. The best thing I could do was to rile them up and force them to kill me right here. Having a pack take their time tormenting you would be worse.

While still pinned to the ground, I reached out and grabbed the creature’s other foot, trying to get it to lose balance. I pulled with all my might, and it resisted with no effort. It was like trying to move a mountain. My attempt attracted its attention, though. It lifted its foot, allowing me to breathe again, but it immediately grabbed me by the neck. It lifted me and brought me close to its face.

As I saw its entire frame, my whole body was stricken with fear. A colossal creature, at least 4 meters tall, with canine features. Its glowing yellow eyes pierced through me. Then it dawned on me. This was no ordinary monster.

“Wilder Lord…” I muttered meekly, held by its powerful grip. Then without warning, the grip tightened. It gradually enveloped me, threatening to crush me at any moment. I struggled as much as I could, eliciting no reaction from it. Its gaze was fixed on me, enjoying every moment of my torment.

In moments I felt the bones of my arms crack, and the pressure around my torso threatened to collapse my ribcage at any moment. The second time I was about to die today, but I wasn’t any more used to it than the first time.

As a last act of defiance, I weakly raised my chin and tried to look down on the Wilder Lord, meeting his gaze with mine. At that moment, my right eyelid suddenly forced itself open, and I noticed the Wilder Lord visibly wince.

The strength of his grip immediately softened until I was released entirely, falling to the ground and blacking out.