If you've ever woken up after turning into a giant rage-beast and possibly tearing through an enemy facility like a biological bulldozer, let me give you some advice:
Step one: Don't look in the mirror. Seriously, you don't want to see what your face looks like after sprouting claws and probably chewing on someone's exoskeleton armor.
Step two: Get your best friend out of a war zone.
Step three: Figure out how not to lose your mind when the beast inside starts pacing again like it wants round two.
So yeah. No pressure.
Adrian and I barely made it out of the underground complex before it exploded into a chaos parfait. Smoke, gunfire, and the distant howling of Hollowed made for one of the worst mixtapes I've ever heard. We were sprinting down cracked streets, ducking under collapsed signs and skidding past burning cars like we were in some messed-up parkour challenge from hell.
"Any idea where we're going?" I panted.
Adrian threw me a look that was half grin, half panic. "Away from everything trying to kill us?"
"So everywhere, basically."
Something exploded behind us, sending a shockwave that lifted both of us off our feet. I tucked and rolled, came up coughing and covered in dust. Adrian landed next to me with all the grace of a dropped suitcase.
"Okay," he wheezed. "That was too close."
"Welcome to my life."
We stumbled into an alley that smelled like mold, motor oil, and disappointment. I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath.
And that's when it started again.
My skin prickled. My spine buzzed. That internal "System" – you know, the voice in my head that used to be just annoying and was now somewhere between helpful AI and chaotic neutral overlord – chimed in with its usual dramatic timing:
System Update: Combat Evolution Unlocked. Beast Form Tier 2 available.
WARNING: Stability protocol not fully integrated. Emotional volatility may affect transformation integrity.
"Oh, great," I muttered. "Now it tells me."
Adrian glanced over. "System stuff again?"
"Yeah. It wants me to go full beast mode. Again."
"After what happened last time?"
"Apparently, it thinks now is a good time to see if I can avoid ripping out anyone's spleen."
We didn't have much time to debate, because that's when the Hollowed showed up. A pack of them.
They came screaming from the shadows, their skin stretched tight over twitching muscle, eyes glowing like angry flashlights, and mouths filled with way too many teeth. And of course, one of them was the size of a small truck. Because why not?
"Run?" Adrian asked.
I cracked my knuckles, my heartbeat thudding like a war drum. "No. We stand."
And then I let it in.
I didn't fight the transformation this time. I didn't try to crush it down or deny the beast. I just breathed in and let it rise like a tidal wave. The pain came fast and hard – bones shifting, skin hardening, muscles twisting into something that would make a bodybuilder cry.
I grew claws. My vision sharpened. My sense of smell exploded. I could smell blood, sweat, adrenaline... and fear. Not mine.
The Hollowed paused.
They recognized one of their own.
Too bad I wasn't on their team.
I lunged.
The first Hollowed went down in a blur of teeth and claw. The second tried to dodge, but I moved like lightning wrapped in muscle. I tossed one against the wall with enough force to make a crater.
Adrian shouted something behind me, but I couldn't hear. The beast roared through my mind, primal and wild, but this time, I was steering the ship.
Mostly.
The big one – Truckasaurus, I called him – barreled at me. I ducked low, drove my claws up into its chest, and threw it over my shoulder like a bag of laundry. It landed hard, cracked the pavement, and didn't get up.
The alley fell silent.
Then I blinked.
And realized Adrian was staring at me like I'd just sprouted a third head.
"What?" I rasped. My voice was half human, half throat cancer.
"That... was new. You weren't just fighting them. You owned them."
I stumbled back against the wall, shaking. The beast was retreating, but it wasn't happy about it.
System Note: Partial Synchronization achieved. Memory encoding stabilized. Cognitive override successful.
Translation: I didn't eat anyone. Hooray for small victories.
We moved again, cutting through side streets until we reached what used to be a police precinct. Most of it was rubble, but a hidden passage in the back opened into a safehouse—a temporary refuge run by survivors.
And that's where I saw her again.
Dr. Adrienne Voss.
She looked like she hadn't slept in a week, her lab coat streaked with soot and her eyes bloodshot, but she rushed over the second she saw me.
"Elias! You're alive!"
"Last time I checked."
She hugged me. I didn't hug back at first.
Because I was scared I might crush her.
Adrian filled her in while I sat and tried to stop twitching like a bomb about to go off. She examined me like a scientist with a very confused lab rat.
"The transformation… you controlled it?"
"Sort of. It was like holding back a tidal wave with duct tape."
She gave a shaky laugh. "But you did it. That means the neurological override pathway works. Elias, this could change everything."
Before I could tell her how much I hated being a science project, alarms screamed. Again.
One day without alarms. Is that too much to ask?
"They found us," Adrian snapped. "Black Sun troops incoming."
Adrienne grabbed her datapad. "We have to evacuate."
I stood. My hands flexed into claws without me even thinking about it.
"No. I'll buy you time."
"Elias, no! You just stabilized!"
"Exactly. Let's find out how stable."
She grabbed my wrist. Her hand was warm. "Don't lose yourself."
I gave her a tired smile. "Too late for that. But maybe I can find something else along the way."
I walked outside, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing. Black Sun troops had already swarmed the courtyard. Drones buzzed overhead. Mechs stomped forward, glowing like evil Christmas trees.
"Target acquired," one of them said. A red laser dot appeared on my chest.
And the beast laughed.
"Let's dance," I growled.
Then I ran into the fire.