Theo stood at the edge of the jagged cliff, panting as he surveyed the alien terrain stretching endlessly before him. His hands rested on his knees, his muscles burning from the grueling trek that had brought him here. The sun—if it could be called that—cast a pale, bluish light over the landscape, illuminating towering crystalline formations and dense, bioluminescent forests.

The cliff had given him a temporary vantage point, but it wasn’t enough. He needed a better view to find his way back to Erasmus’s hideout. His gaze swept over the terrain until it landed on a massive tree-like structure, its spiralling branches stretching toward the sky like coiled tendrils. It was the tallest thing in sight, promising the best vantage point he could hope for.

“Perfect,” he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. “Or a suicidal disaster, actually. Jury’s still deliberating.”

Shaking off the exhaustion, he made his way down from the cliff, skirting loose rocks and uneven ledges. His boots slid against the gravel as he descended, the sharp sting of overworked muscles protesting every movement. By the time he reached the base of the colossal plant, his breath was ragged.

The bark was smooth yet pulsing beneath his fingertips, an unsettling reminder that nothing here was truly familiar. With a deep breath, he began to climb, using the spiralling branches as footholds. Every handhold was a test of balance, each movement calculated. Sweat beaded on his forehead, dripping down into his eyes, but he ignored the sting and kept climbing. His forearms screamed in protest, but he forced himself higher. “Look, if you’re gonna be a carnivorous tree, at least wait until I get to the top. I’d like a dramatic last view.”

As he ascended, the landscape unfolded beneath him. Rivers of molten silver wove through jagged rock formations, and strange, lumbering creatures roamed below, oblivious to his presence. His breath hitched as he caught sight of distant movement—colossal beasts as tall as the tree he was on. This was normally the point Theo would attempt to alleviate stress with a joke, but none came. Genuine fear strangled him, a rare feeling for him before the system changed everything. He feared no man alive, yet in the face of such towering bulk, he knew he could do nothing.

When he reached the highest branch sturdy enough to hold his weight, he perched on it carefully, scanning the horizon. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the distant glow of the mineral deposits Erasmus had tasked him to retrieve. They shimmered like frozen lightning embedded in the cliffs beyond the ravine—the final piece of his scavenging errand.

But the view also revealed something worse.

Movement.

Shadowy figures prowled the perimeter of the ravine, low to the ground, moving with an unsettling, predatory grace. More of the raptor-wolves, their luminous eyes scanning the terrain, sniffing for something—him. Theo’s stomach twisted. They knew someone had been nearby, and if he wasn’t careful, they were going to figure out exactly where he was.

His fingers tightened around the branch. He had two choices: head back empty-handed and deal with Erasmus’s inevitable disdain, or push forward despite the risk. His pride screamed at him. He’d barely earned any respect from the cranky old bastard, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start looking weak now.

“Alright, Theo,” he muttered, shifting his grip on the branch. “Time to be stupid.”

He descended with careful precision, eyes locked on the pack below. The moment his boots hit solid ground, he moved swiftly, keeping low and silent as he made his way toward the mineral deposits. Every step sent a fresh wave of pain through his back, but he pushed through, driven by sheer stubbornness. The foliage around him rustled with unseen creatures, their eerie clicking sounds setting his nerves on edge.

What the hell am I doing? I’m not a survivalist or a hunter. Screw that old bitch—I don’t care if he thinks I’m soft. Just as he finished the thought, he reached the edge of the ravine where the largest deposits were embedded, the air shifted.

A growl.

Theo froze. One of the creatures had peeled away from the pack, sniffing at the air mere meters from him. Its nostrils flared, its claws flexing against the ground as its head tilted in his direction. The others followed suit, their movements slow, deliberate. A deep, instinctual fear knotted in Theo’s gut. He had seconds before they realized he was there.

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For fuck’s sake. I’m dead then. I’ve been killed. Raz, I swear, if ghosts are real, I’m haunting your workshop and breaking all your shit, he thought to himself, fear boring into his mind as he began to grasp exactly how futile his situation was.

Then—

A crack split the silence. A sharp, unnatural bang echoed through the air, followed by a rustling in the distance. The raptors snapped their heads toward the noise, their predatory focus diverted as they bounded off to track the mysterious sound.

After a few moments, when he felt the area was clear, he lunged forward, swinging the pickaxe against the crystalline surface of the rock. The impact jarred his already aching limbs, but he gritted his teeth and struck again.

His nerves were electric as the sound of metal clanging against the minerals reverberated through the distance, almost begging the creatures to come back and claim their meal. “Should’ve legged it, Theo. What are you doing?” he thought to himself.

Chunks of minerals cracked free, their glow intensifying as he worked. He stuffed as much as he could into his pack, fingers fumbling in his rush. His breath was quick and uneven, adrenaline spiking.

After securing his pack, he turned and sprinted in the opposite direction of the distracted beasties.

The run back was a mess of burning lungs, screaming legs, and the deep, unshakable fear of being something’s next meal. Every step sent bolts of agony through Theo’s legs, his breath coming in ragged gasps as sweat blurred his vision. He crashed through the dense foliage, branches slapping against his arms and face, leaving thin, stinging welts. The jungle felt more alive than before, like it had taken offense at his intrusion. Every rustling leaf, every shifting shadow in the undergrowth sent his heart pounding against his ribs, primal fear gnawing at the edges of his sanity.

The cliff gap loomed ahead, the same one he had precariously crossed earlier. Only this time, he didn’t hesitate. His boots barely touched the ground before he launched himself forward, the height advantage of his current side making the leap easier—but not easy. For a split second, he was weightless, his stomach flipping as the void stretched beneath him. Then his feet slammed into the rocky ledge, his knees buckling on impact. He stumbled, but he didn’t stop.

He didn’t stop until he reached the threshold of the old man’s fortress.

Panting, hands braced on his knees, he risked a glance behind him. No movement. No snarling, clawed nightmares tearing through the trees—just eerie silence, broken only by the hammering of his pulse in his ears. It should have been comforting. Instead, it set him even more on edge.

The jungle didn’t feel empty. It felt like it was watching.

He shuddered, forcing himself to straighten. He was safe. For now.

And yet even the sight of harmless, fluffy miniature bunny creatures hopping about the entrance sent a full-body shiver through him. One of them twitched its nose in his direction, its beady black eyes locking onto his. Theo took an involuntary step back.

“Yeah, no,” he muttered, running a hand down his face. “Not today, Satan.”

With a final, wary glance at the bunnies—because screw this place—he turned and stepped into the relative safety of Erasmus’s domain, resisting the urge to collapse right then and there.

His knees nearly buckled as he collapsed against the entrance, gasping for breath as Erasmus was waiting, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He looked Theo up and down, noting the scratches, the torn clothing, the blood.

“Did some sight-seeing then?” Erasmus said dryly.

Theo, still panting, managed a grin. “Sure did, lovely area. The neighbours seem like dicks though.”

Erasmus snorted, stepping forward to pluck a chunk of the glowing mineral from Theo’s pack. He studied it for a moment before nodding in approval. “Huh. You didn’t die. Unfortunate. Now I owe myself a bet.”

Theo’s grin widened sarcastically, despite the exhaustion pulling at his limbs. “Damn right I did. Thanks for all your help in that regard.”

Erasmus turned back to his workbench, an odd expression briefly crossing his face, already analysing the mineral samples. “Clean yourself up,” he said over his shoulder. “Next time, try not to look half-dead when you return.”

Theo let out a short, breathless laugh and dropped onto a nearby bench. His whole body ached, but the victory was his. He had proven himself. And despite Erasmus’s gruff demeanour, Theo could tell—the old man was impressed.

But one thought lingered at the back of his mind as he caught his breath.

Who—or what—had caused the distraction that saved him?