Previously on Defiance of the Fall...
Zac awoke to a detached system voice announcing the integration of Earth into the Multiverse. He learned of Earth's upgrade and the activation of a new system, but before he could process the information, the system attempted to merge him with a "Herald." After this failed, Zac was forced into a survival roll against the Herald UrKhaz, with seemingly impossible odds. Despite his despair, the system unexpectedly declared him the victor.
Groggy and disoriented, Zac gradually regained consciousness to find himself sprawled face-first on the earth. He spat out several blades of grass and brushed himself off before scrambling to his feet, his muscles throbbing with the lingering ache of whatever ordeal had occurred. The clearing appeared unchanged, decorated with the same scattered rocks and wildflowers, all hemmed in by sturdy, leafy trees and thick brush.
His initial instinct was relief, assuming he had simply collapsed from the intense heat or physical exhaustion. However, several details quickly instilled a sense of dread, suggesting his experience was far more than a sun-induced hallucination. To start, he was currently staring at a sky occupied by two suns, only one of which was the familiar yellow orb.
For a moment, he suspected double vision, but blinking and shaking his head failed to alter the sight. The primary sun was now accompanied by a smaller sibling. Even the original star seemed different—larger and far more radiant than he recalled. Its companion was a much smaller star that emitted a sharp, aquamarine light, hovering near the larger body and seemingly orbiting it like a moon.
The other disturbing sight was the pillar. In the distance, a massive whirlpool of light and energy surged toward the heavens, resembling a gruesome red talon erupting from the earth. It pulsed with a sinister crimson radiance that felt undeniably demonic. Though it appeared to be quite far away, judging the distance was difficult. This pillar was the final image Zac had seen before losing consciousness, and it was the first thing to greet him upon waking.
A savage, bestial roar broke his concentration, forcing him to focus on the immediate reality.
"Hannah," he whispered, a spark of resolve lighting his eyes as he pushed the inexplicable phenomena to the back of his mind. If this nightmare was real, returning to the camp was his top priority. Looking around, he realized the bizarre events he had endured were no dream. The cold, toneless voice in the void had mentioned altering the local wildlife to increase the challenge. For all he knew, that roar belonged to a mutated tiger or bear, meaning his companions were in grave danger.
A sudden fear gripped him that the others might have panicked, jumped into the car, and abandoned him to face whatever was prowling the woods. Despite his confusion, a searing anxiety drove him to act. Refusing to waste another second, he broke into a sprint toward the camp, ignoring the strange noises echoing around him and the thorny brush that clawed at his skin.
The forest became a blur as he charged through the trees like an out-of-control locomotive. It felt as though ten doses of adrenaline were surging through his veins, his legs propelling him at a terrifying speed. Something was fundamentally different; he was running faster than any Olympic sprinter, even across the treacherous, uneven forest floor.
The axe in his hand, which had previously felt somewhat heavy, now seemed weightless, slicing through obstructing branches with effortless precision. Zac had never experienced such strength or agility. The voice had claimed it was upgrading the wildlife; did his newfound power mean he was categorized as an animal too? He wasn't sure whether to celebrate his enhanced physique or be insulted that the mysterious entity viewed him as a beast.
After several minutes of his frantic dash, he spotted a massive boulder split by a growing tree—a landmark indicating the camp was only a few hundred meters ahead.
Tightening his grip on the hatchet, he adjusted his path and sprinted directly toward the campsite. Suddenly, another otherworldly roar thundered through the woods, much closer than the sounds he had been ignoring. His panic fueled even greater speed as he burst into the clearing, his expression a mix of desperation and terror. The familiar scene of the camp met him: the gray Range Rover, the camper, and several folding chairs scattered about.
However, his attention was immediately seized not by the camp, but by a creature rummaging through one of the coolers. It was roughly the size of a Great Dane, but the resemblance ended there; it was a horrific fusion of raw meat and bone. The monster looked as if it had been flayed alive and tossed back into the wild, a grotesque patchwork of red muscle and white bone. It possessed a thick, barrel-like torso with bulging muscles that led down to six short, sturdy legs. Each limb ended in a paw that reminded Zac of a predatory bird rather than a mammal.
Two pairs of legs were positioned at the front of the torso, with the final pair at the rear. Each paw was armed with four terrifying claws—three in front and one in back—with the forward-most set appearing larger than the others. Its head seemed disproportionately large, featuring a wide base and a long snout that opened into an impossibly wide maw. The mouth was reminiscent of a crocodile’s, except it was packed with three rows of jagged teeth. Its small, beady eyes glowed with the same eerie light as the distant red vortex.
The sheer power of its jaws was evident as it crunched through a tin of beans with ease, swallowing the metal and the food together. The horrific sight caused Zac to freeze, his mind struggling to process the scene. He suddenly found himself wishing it had been a normal tiger roaring in the woods, as any natural predator was preferable to the monstrosity before him.
Before Zac could move, the beast sensed him, spotting him standing motionless across the camp. With a furious howl, it charged, moving with a speed that defied its bulky frame. Caught off guard, Zac barely had time to react before the creature reached him. Taking a frantic step back, he swung his hatchet in a wide arc with every ounce of strength he could muster. Though his stance was unstable and the blow lacked proper form, the blade bit deep into the creature's neck, carving a jagged wound and knocking the demon off course.
Zac was once again struck by his own superhuman transformation; even a clumsy strike possessed enough force to repel such a large beast. However, the monster’s front claws had latched onto him. The combined momentum of Zac’s swing and the beast's charge caused the talons to rip deep gashes across his stomach and left leg. Large wounds were torn open, and blood began to spray instantly.
An agonizing pain, unlike anything he had ever felt, flared in his mind, blurring his vision and nearly causing him to collapse. Any thoughts of using his new strength to fight the monster head-on vanished, replaced by an overwhelming instinct to flee. He shook his head violently, trying to clear the mental fog, but with little success.
*What the hell do I do? Should I run?* His eyes darted around desperately for an escape, driven by primal survival instincts. The beast had been knocked over by the force of his blow but was already struggling back to its feet.
"Guys! Are you there? Help!" he screamed toward the camper, desperate for assistance. Silence was his only answer. Had the others already fled into the woods to escape this thing? Lacking options, Zac began to limp toward the treeline, his left leg burning and refusing to cooperate.
Before he could formulate a plan, the beast was charging again, its maw open in a snarl, seemingly indifferent to the blood trailing down its body. This time, Zac was better prepared. He braced himself on his right leg and dove out of the way. He heard a hiss and felt a rush of air pass by before he crashed into the dirt three meters away. Scrambling up, he saw the monster had overshot his position by twenty meters.
Zac realized the creature had incredible straight-line speed but struggled to turn. He began to desperately plot how to exploit this weakness. With a newfound ferocity, he abandoned the idea of running away and instead turned back toward the path he had used to enter the clearing.
"This better work," he grunted, moving as fast as his mangled, pained body would allow.
