Selene sat in a dark, dirt shack, trying to remain alert. She had to listen, to learn if her pursuers were getting close, but she heard nothing. The sun was about to set, and she needed to wait for darkness. It would increase her chances, she felt.

As she sat on the floor, she couldn’t help remembering her recent events. As the adrenaline faded away, she was no longer able to distract herself as easily, and the memories crashed back, along with their trauma.

Her hands shook, her heart raced, and her breaths came in shallow rasps and gasps. Tears formed and streamed down her face, and gentle sobs escaped her lips.

The sobs grew worse. Louder, and louder, until she sat wailing in the shadows. Once again, the sound seemed to echo strangely, and the room grew cold. This time, despite the state of her mind, she heard whispers in the air around her. Whispers of despair, sadness, sorrow, and hate swirled around her, digging into her consciousness, and driving her to cry louder. Images of her friends, and her family flashed through her mind. She couldn’t help but remember the visceral sorrow she felt when she found her parents’ unmoving forms in their bed.

She pulled her knees up and wrapped her trembling hands around them. She buried her face between her knees, as her tears streamed

They’d been giving her their food for days, and one night went to sleep and didn’t wake up. They passed peacefully by all accounts, unlike most others.

Her friends who got on the wrong side of the Kin’Tai, who got taken into that palace, never to return. The one boy who bravely tried to stop them from taking his sister…

Memories flashed through her mind, robbing her of her will, and her strength until all she managed was to sob.

She was exhausted by the time her sobs stopped, and her body stopped trembling. It was all she could do to curl into a ball before she fell into a restless sleep.

***

Shapes moved sluggishly along an ancient bridge. Black, cracked stone made up its construction. A thick, freezing mist surrounded them, but the figures didn’t seem to notice, or pay it any mind. They simply trudged on.

Ahead stood an imposing gate with a strange symbol. It appeared to be the goal of those walking along the bridge.

In front of the gate stood a large figure shrouded in shadows, rendering it, apparently, featureless.

An ominous feeling passed over the bridge, causing all those walking along it to kneel and cover their heads. The figure in front of the gates didn’t kneel but lifted its head. A deep, rumbling howl sounded through the fog, shaking the very air around the gate.

A shadow passed above, and all went dark.

***

Selene woke up with a gasp and found herself covered in a sheen of sweat. Dirt and dust clung to her skin as she sat up, shaking her head.

“What was that dream?” she thought before her eyes widened. “I fell asleep!”

Her head spun around, toward a window. Outside, it was pitch black, and Selene sighed.

“It’s nighttime. I didn’t sleep through it. I need to leave immediately.”

She stood up, brushed off most of the dust, and made her way outside.

Nighttime in Lon Lon Town was silent as the grave. No one ventured outside at night. Mostly because they’d be worked til exhaustion most days, but also the lack of protection against the beasts that thrived in the dark.

Selene had heard tales of these beasts, how many were mutated versions of pre-integration animals, and others were drawn from fantasy and fiction. The most horrific ones were the ascended humans who had fallen to corruption and turned feral.

That was a remnant from the Tutorial earthlings received once the System arrived. The search for power was fraught with danger. Death was the less nefarious risk they faced.

“I never expected that to apply to me,” Selene shook her head and smirked. “I’ve ascended!”

She rode the feeling of triumph as she quickly made her way out of the town. She unbound the sword and clutched it tightly as she ventured into the dark night.

The area around the town had been stripped bare. No trees, no plants, nothing. Only bare dirt and rock remained for miles.

The night was dark, but Selene’s skill Spirit Echoes seemed to grant her slightly better night-vision, so she could travel with decent speed through the night.

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She’d travelled for less than an hour when she stopped and scrambled into cover behind a tree.

She had reached a forest after around fifteen minutes of travel, which reduced her line of sight dramatically and almost caused her to charge into whatever she now heard.

There were deep grunts, and puffs of air coming from ahead, and Selene heard heavy footfalls as something moved through the forest. Selene held her breath and tried to calm her beating heart, but it proved futile as the beast kept coming closer.

“It already noticed my approach,” she sighed internally. “It’s coming to check out the noise, I think. I’ll have to fight, or escape it.”

She pondered her options for a few seconds as she tried to track the approach of the creature, based purely on the sounds it made. Eventually, she could sense the presence of a decently strong spirit and knew it would be a difficult fight.

“I can’t afford to be too injured here, but I also need to get stronger,” she closed her eyes and focused on her Spirit Echoes skill. “Now that I have access to the System, I can’t make the same mistake as we did in the past.”

She’d been told how the people of Earth failed to rise to the challenge of the System and the Integration. How they clung to their past and tried to restore their former lives, instead of embracing their new reality and adapting.

“I need power, and the fastest way to get it, is through taking risks,” she silently steeled her resolve. “I’ll be hunted, and there won’t be any safe havens for me, not until I can make one myself. I can’t run forever, and my path starts here.”

Having made up her mind, she waited for a few more seconds as she listened to the creature. It had also become clearer to her Spirit Echoes skill, and she saw the shape of it in her mind’s eye.

It was huge, furry, and walked on four thick legs. It was large, bulky, and appeared tough. It had slowed down as it got closer and was now sniffing the air before it turned toward her hiding spot.

In the last second, Selene jumped and grabbed a branch above her. She just managed before the large creature swung a claw through the space she stood in before. Deep grooves were left on the tree, evidence of the sharp claws of the beast.

She didn’t dare take any time to inspect the monster and activated Chill of the Grave and Shadow Strike.

She coated the shortsword in shadows, enhancing the edge, and dropped.

The beast roared at the effect of her aura skill, as the cold dug into it, and sapped its strength.

The slight reduction in its speed, and strength, allowed Selene to land on top of it, and drive the blade between its shoulder blades. The enhanced edge caused it to dig deep, but it was deflected off something and got stuck.

The beast started thrashing, and Selene was thrown off, leaving the sword stuck in the beast's back. She rolled a few metres before coming to a halt and scrambled to her feet.

Now, she got a good look at it and realised it was a mutated bear. It had grown abnormally large, and its fur had torn in several places. Pulsing flesh and muscle could be seen in the tears, and the teeth and claws of the creature were unnaturally long. It didn’t look like it could fully close its mouth, and frothy saliva dripped from its lips.

It was thrashing, seemingly trying to remove the painful sword, and hadn’t spotted Selene yet, which gave her a chance.

“The fur and muscles are thick along its back, and sides,” she quickly summarized in her mind, compiling what she saw as it thrashed around. “But, its belly looks far softer. I don’t have the sword, so let’s hope my hand will be enough.”

She rubbed her left shoulder, which had hit the ground hard before she activated Shadow Strike on her hand. She formed a fist and shaped the shadows into a blade that extended from her knuckles.

She could only extend it a few centimetres, but it would have to do.

Just as Selene spotted the muscles tensing along the beast's legs, she dashed forward. As she got closer, the beast stood up on its hind legs and started to grind its back against the tree, and Selene got her chance.

Leaping forward, she punched forward, driving the knife into the beast's belly. It roared and finally noticed Selene.

Just as it shifted its weight, to land on her, she dragged her fist down, cutting through the softer tissue on its belly.

It created a long, deep wound that gushed blood, and Selene felt a strange sensation. A wave of cold washed through her, but rather than feel uncomfortable, she felt great. The pain in her shoulder faded, and her mind felt sharper.

She used the movement of the cutting motion, and followed through, by rolling between the legs of the beast.

“Now, I wait,” she thought, as she regained her footing, and dashed away. The beast was strong and tough, but it was slow. “It should weaken as it loses blood, and if it doesn’t die, I should be able to kill it a lot easier.”

The bear lumbered toward her, frothing from the mouth, and roaring wildly. It swung its claws, but Selene managed to keep her distance until the beast stumbled. It lost strength in one of its legs and fell to the ground, and Selene took the opportunity.

She dashed forward, and once again shaped the shadows around her hand, and went in for the killing blow. She’d wound her fist back to strike as she got close enough, but in the last moment, the bear surged forward.

Its massive jaws widened unnaturally and snapped shut around her torso.

“Gah!”

She screamed as the teeth of the bear dug into her, and her vision swam. Her one free warm was flailing wildly, striking the bear, but she’d lost concentration on the skill, and the shadows had faded.

She threw up blood, as the bear thrashed, swinging her around like a rag doll, and her bones creaked and cracked.

Her vision started to fade, but as she was fading, the pain lessened. She summoned the last remnants of her will, activated Shadow Strike, and punched into the bear's eye. The knife edge of shadows dug deep, and the bear slumped to the ground after a few spasms.

Selene couldn’t maintain consciousness, but the last thing she noticed was the same feeling as before. A pleasant cold suffused her body and lulled her to sleep.