Chapter 11 A Song Beneath the Chaos
Six years after entering this world, the man had changed. His face was adorned with a rugged beard, and his body—muscular and honed—was built for war.
The morning sun pierced through the gaps in his burrow, rousing him from slumber. He grabbed his spear, stepped out into the cool air, and made his way to his second burrow. Inside, his armor awaited.
“This is it,” he muttered, his gaze fixed on the crude, battle-worn armor. It was cobbled together from animal bones sewn over thick hides, lined with elegant cursive runes etched for protection. Piece by piece, he donned the armor, his heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and unease. After packing essential supplies into a small waist bag, he smeared his skin with purple markings. Though purely cosmetic, the act gave him a fleeting sense of confidence—an old ritual from a life long past, even if there was no one left to see it.
Stepping outside, he strode toward the purple lake. His dark fur and bone-plated armor glinted in the early light, and his spear—crafted from the horn of a giant rabbit—gleamed faintly. He cut an imposing figure, every movement precise and predatory.
“Damn, I look badass,” he murmured, grinning at his reflection in the lake. He struck a dramatic pose, mimicking the Spartans from the movies he’d watched in his old world.
“Are you done posing?” came a sudden, sharp voice.
“WHAT THE—!” The man spun, clutching his spear as his heart jumped. “Say something before you pop out!”
“I did,” Jeffry replied, floating lazily in the air, his Cheshire-like grin gleaming.
“Well, stop doing it! It’s not cool,” the man grumbled, still gripping his weapon.
Jeffry’s grin widened. “Don’t you have rabbits to hunt? Or are you planning to strike poses all day? Because I’m not staying here to watch you look like a washed-up seaweed.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” the man snapped. “And my armor looks nothing like seaweed, you stinking cat.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Seaweed,” Jeffry teased, his grin unwavering.
“I’ll show you,” the man muttered under his breath as he marched off toward the hunt.
Behind him, Jeffry’s gaze darkened, his grin turning sinister. "I will be watching" He muttered, the yarn ball floating beside him spun faster and faster, as if time is slowly reaching its end. “The pupa is growing,” he sang softly before vanishing into thin smoke.
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The man soon stood atop a high cliff, scanning the valley below. A pack of horned rabbits—each the size of a man—grazed in the lush flatlands. Their numbers were staggering, a writhing sea of fur and horns. For the past month, he had studied their movements, analyzing their patterns, defenses, and reactions.
He knew their nature. These creatures were crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk. This afternoon lull was his chance to strike.
Then, from a larger burrow, a massive black rabbit emerged. Towering over the others, it moved with unsettling speed for its size. Its single horn pulsed with a sickly purple glow, and its crimson eyes burned with authority. This was the leader—the alpha.
The man’s pulse quickened, fear and excitement colliding as he whispered, “You’re mine, Rabbit King.”
Reaching for his bow, he nocked an arrow and aimed at a distant mechanism, over 1,700 meters away on the cliffside. He steadied his breathing and released the arrow. It sliced through the air, striking its target with precision.
The impact triggered a chain reaction. A stone axe fell onto a taut rope, releasing a massive boulder. It thundered down the slope, gathering speed before crashing into the valley below with a resounding BOOM.
The noise sent the pack into chaos. Territorial instincts kicked in as they swarmed toward the source of the disturbance. Amid the frenzy, the alpha was left exposed.
The man seized his chance. Pouring mana into his spear, he watched it glow faintly with purple light. Gripping the rope he had prepared, he leapt off the cliff, plunging into the chaos below. Wind howled around him as the ground rushed closer. His heart raced, but he steadied his breath and focused. He had one shot at this.
“Die,” he growled, his eyes locked on the alpha.
BOOM!
The ground shook as he landed, dust and smoke billowing into the air. But as the haze cleared, dread gripped him. Beneath him wasn’t the Alpha Rabbit—it was one of its smaller kin. The creature had shoved the leader to safety, sacrificing itself.
“No way… SHIT!” the man cursed, staggering back. A sharp pain shot through his leg—it was broken. He gritted his teeth, frustration mounting. His plan had hinged on killing the alpha in one strike. Now, he was surrounded, injured, and out of options.
Sweat dripped down his face as the smaller rabbits began regrouping he needs at least thirty seconds to regenerate his broken leg and by that time the rest of the rabbits would have arrive. Desperation clawed at him, but he forced himself to focus. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a pouch of powdered irritant—harvested from a toxic plant he had discovered years ago—and flung it toward the advancing pack. The powder filled the air, causing the nearest rabbits to recoil, their sensitive eyes burning.
He used the momentary reprieve to back away slowly, hopping on one leg, clutching the rope still tied to the cliff. With a sharp pull, he triggered another trap. Rocks tumbled from above, crashing down on the rabbits and sending plumes of dust skyward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
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The chaos scattered the pack, and the man quickly dispatched the few rabbits that managed to break through. His spear found its mark with deadly precision, each strike swift and deliberate despite his injury n.
"GUAGH!" he grunted as he deflected one of the rabbits horn. "I need twenty seconds more, please give me twenty seconds more" he thought his heart beating with fear as he looked around for the alpha if ever it tried to attack him, while being careful not to be hit by the falling rocks.
But then, within the thick smoke of battle, two glowing red eyes burned through the haze. They locked onto him, radiating malice.
“Shit…” His hands tightened around his spear as his heart pounded. He still needed time—fourteen seconds more to fully heal his broken leg. But the Alpha was gone from sight. He scanned the battlefield, searching desperately.
The red eyes vanished.
“DAMN IT!” Mana surged through his armor as its protective runes flared to life. He steadied himself, taking a defensive stance. The battlefield fell eerily silent. The rabbits stopped their assault, their behavior unnervingly coordinated. The air grew heavy, cold sweat trickling down his back.
“Eight more seconds…” he thought, every nerve on edge.
Then, without warning, a purple blur slammed into him with the force of a freight train.
“GUAAAH!” The impact sent him flying. Blood filled his mouth as he was hurled through the air, crashing into a tree with bone-shaking force. The ground beneath him cracked, and pain shot through his body like lightning.
Groaning, he struggled to his feet. The runes on his armor had absorbed most of the damage, but he was still bruised and battered. His leg was fully healed now, but he had no time to celebrate. Fear clawed at him as he realized the truth: he had underestimated his prey. The Rabbit King was no mere animal—it was a monster beyond his imagination.
Despite the searing pain coursing through his body, the man managed to hold tightly to his spear, his lifeline amidst the chaos. He glanced back, realizing with shock how far he had been thrown—several hundred meters. The forest around him blurred as he forced himself to his feet, his legs trembling beneath him.
Breathing heavily, he sprinted away from the pack. “Hah… hah…” his breaths were ragged, his chest heaving. Sweat poured down his forehead, dripping into his stinging eyes. “I’ll get them next time,” he muttered, more to convince himself than anything.
But as he ran, a cold chill crept down his spine. His instincts screamed at him to stop. Something was wrong. He cast a quick glance behind him.
There, atop a distant hill, the Rabbit King stood, its silhouette framed against the setting sun. Its cold, burning red eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, the man felt smaller than prey. The creature’s gaze radiated utter indifference, as if he were nothing more than a speck of dust waiting to be wiped away.
His heart raced. He stumbled forward, desperate to break the creature’s sightline. But just as quickly as it appeared, the Rabbit King vanished.
Relief washed over him, his body sagging as he found a large rock to collapse against. “Finally…” he whispered, his chest still rising and falling. The forest around him seemed almost peaceful now, with streaks of afternoon light piercing the canopy.
He let out a bitter laugh. “Three months of preparation,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Gone. Just like that. Haha…” His laugh turned into a weak chuckle, his voice heavy with exhaustion and despair.
But then—light. A faint, ominous glow appeared behind him, casting long shadows across the forest floor. His heart sank, his blood running cold. He turned, his movements slow, as if in a nightmare.
The purple blur struck before he could react.
BOOM!
The ground around him exploded, splinters of earth and stone flying in all directions. The force sent him hurtling through the air again, pain ripping through his body. His armor cracked, chunks of bone breaking beneath the impact. His eyes widened in horror as he realized his arm—his right arm—was gone, severed cleanly at the shoulder.
“GUUUUGH!” he screamed, his voice raw with agony. He crashed into the ground with a sickening thud, mud and blood splattering around him. Dazed, he tried to push himself up, his vision swimming.
Through the haze, he saw it—the Rabbit King. Its jet-black fur shimmered in the fading light, its purple horn glowing faintly. The creature loomed over him, its crimson eyes staring with unrelenting malice.
“EEEKEEKEEEK!” The Rabbit King’s growl echoed through the forest, a triumphant cry that sent shivers down the man’s spine.
His body refused to obey him as he tried to crawl away. “No… no, I can’t die. Not again. Not here!” he thought desperately, his fingers clawing at the muddy ground. The pain in his shattered body was unbearable, like shards of glass slicing into his every nerve. His teeth clenched, a silent vow forming in his mind: I’m going to get stronger… I’ll survive this… and I’ll get out of this damned place.
The creature’s shadow loomed over him, growing larger as it slowly approached. Its presence was suffocating, the air itself growing heavy. In the stillness of the forest, the man felt it—the weight of inevitability. This world was not his to conquer. He wasn’t the predator. He was the prey.
As despair crept over him, a sound pierced the silence—a distant humming. A melody. Soft, like a lullaby carried on the wind. It felt out of place amidst the carnage, yet strangely familiar.
His body froze. The humming tugged at something buried deep within him, a long-forgotten fragment of another time. Flashes of memory began to flood his mind, unbidden and overwhelming.
“What… what is this?” he whispered, his voice trembling as tears spilled down his cheeks.
Suddenly, the world around him seemed to blur. He was no longer in the forest but somewhere colder, darker. A young girl’s hand, small and trembling, reached out, clutching a mother’s rough, calloused palm. The light of three glowing moons illuminated the dense underbrush as they stumbled forward, their breaths ragged and fearful.
“Mommy, I left my stuffed cat at home,” the girl cried.
Her mother’s voice was soft but firm. “We can’t go back, my dear. It’s not safe here. These people will never accept you.” Her face was pale, her eyes hollow from exhaustion.
Ahead of them, the orange glow of torches appeared, and angry voices pierced the night.
“MONSTERS! FIND THEM!”
The mother extinguished their lamp, pulling her daughter close. “We’ll find somewhere safe,” she whispered. “Somewhere they can’t hurt you. I promise.”
They reached a raging river, its current roaring in the darkness. The mother knelt down, her hands trembling as she picked the girl up. “Hold on tight, my love,” she said, her voice breaking. “The water’s strong.”
They crossed, the icy water biting into their skin. Somehow, they made it. But as they reached the other side, an arrow flew.
The mother gasped, blood soaking the fabric of her dress.
“MOMMY!” the girl screamed, clutching at her mother’s clothes.
Another arrow struck. The mother stumbled, her grip tightening around the child. “Run…” she whispered, her voice fading. “Run, my dear…”
The girl fell to the ground as her mother collapsed, her lifeless body shielding her from further harm. “Mommy, no!” the girl sobbed, shaking her. “Please, wake up!”
Another arrow flew, narrowly missing the girl. Panic overtook her as she forced herself to run, biting back the pain in her leg.
But then, an arrow struck her.
She screamed as she fell, her small body crumpling to the ground. Blood and mud coated her face as she looked up to see the mob closing in.
“MONSTER!”
They surrounded her, their faces twisted with hate. Wooden bats and spears rained down on her frail body.
“STOP! Please!” she cried, her voice cracking. “Why are you doing this to us?!”
Her words were drowned out by their laughter. A spear drove into her chest, and gasoline soaked her small frame.
“This is what monsters deserve,” one of them sneered, striking a match.
The flames consumed her, her screams tearing through the night. The mob’s laughter faltered as the fire raged, her cries turning into silence.
And then… the air grew heavy. A sinister energy gathered, radiating from her charred body. The villagers froze, their triumph turning to terror as a dark force began to stir.