Shad had never seen a bear anywhere near this size.
But its size wasn't even the strangest thing about it.
Its dark-brown fur made it look even more ominous, almost blending into the dark surroundings of the forest.
For a moment, Shad was speechless.
Confusion.
Fear.
Amazement.
Shock.
All of those emotions collided inside him at once.
He didn't even know what he was supposed to feel.
This was simply too unnatural.
But the conflict of emotions lasted only a few seconds.
Shad quickly regained his composure and began trying to make sense of what was happening.
Am I dreaming?
His eyes remained fixed on the creature.
Is all of this real? Or am I somehow being subjected to some kind of psychological experiment by the organization?
He couldn't tell.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Everything felt unreal.
Perhaps this was some kind of nightmare.
Whatever the explanation was, Shad couldn't figure it out.
The creature was now roughly one hundred meters away.
Shad calmed his racing heart and began thinking about what to do.
There was only one option that came to mind.
Run.
His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings.
But where?
Then he remembered the enormous tree in the direction he had come from.
It was several dozen meters away, yet even from his current position, the massive tree appeared much closer than it actually was.
It was easily the largest tree Shad had ever seen in his life.
He didn't waste another second.
Shad turned around and dashed toward it.
The creature immediately noticed.
Its prey was escaping.
A low growl escaped its throat before suddenly becoming a strange, distorted howl.
The sound seemed to carry a deep bass-like resonance that shook the surrounding forest.
It was so disturbing and ferocious that Shad nearly stumbled.
But he didn't stop.
Shad was fast.
Extremely fast.
His top speed was beyond what even the fastest sprinter on Earth could achieve.
As a highly trained Shadow Department operative, he had undergone years of rigorous physical and combat training. He was easily one of the organization's finest personnel.
Not the best.
But among the best.
Not the strongest.
But among the strongest.
Not the smartest.
But among the smartest.
Not the most skilled.
But among the most skilled.
Shad was an all-rounder—a man trained to maintain balance between strength, speed, intelligence, combat ability, and adaptability.
And right now, that training was the only thing keeping him alive.
In less than five seconds, Shad reached the enormous tree.
He stepped beneath its massive canopy.
The tree was truly magnificent.
But he had no time to admire it.
Immediately, he began climbing.
Behind him, the creature charged.
It had not expected its prey to flee so suddenly.
Nor had it expected the prey to be this fast.
But its surprise didn't last long.
The creature accelerated.
Far faster than Shad expected.
What the—?!
Shad barely had time to react before the creature slammed into the enormous tree.
BOOM!
The impact shook the ground.
The creature staggered backward, momentarily stunned by the collision.
Yet the tree didn't move.
Not even slightly.
It didn't bend.
It didn't vibrate.
It was as though nothing had happened.
Shad glanced downward in disbelief.
What the hell?
Even the creature seemed momentarily confused.
After a few seconds, it recovered.
It raised its head.
Its blood-red eyes immediately found Shad climbing higher into the tree.
The creature became furious.
A deafening roar erupted from its throat.
Shad continued climbing.
Higher.
Higher.
He didn't stop until he reached a height where he was reasonably certain the creature couldn't reach him.
Approximately fifty meters above the ground, Shad finally stopped.
He looked down.
The creature stood below, staring directly at him.
There was something almost maddening in its eyes.
A cold shiver ran down Shad's spine.
He quickly looked away.
Don't look at it.
Shad took a slow breath.
Then another.
He closed his eyes and began mentally reviewing everything that had happened.
From the moment he had awakened in this strange forest...
To the mysterious voice...
To the bizarre creature...
And finally, to the enormous tree he was currently sitting in.
None of it made sense.
Shad breathed in slowly.
Then exhaled.
Again.
And again.
Gradually, his heartbeat began to stabilize.
His mind became calmer.
Eventually, his breathing returned to normal.
Shad opened his eyes and looked around.
Now that he was no longer panicking, he could properly examine the tree.
Its leaves were green.
At least, they appeared to be green.
Yet they were noticeably darker than the leaves he was accustomed to seeing.
Shad frowned.
"This tree sure is huge."
He placed a hand against the branch beneath him.
Then he looked toward the surrounding forest.
"Why does everything seem darker?"
He thought about it for a moment.
Then dismissed the thought.
He had more important things to worry about.
Looking down again, Shad saw the creature pacing beneath the tree.
Back and forth.
It was restless.
Frustrated.
And, judging by its expression, extremely angry.
As though sensing Shad's gaze, the creature suddenly stopped.
It raised its head.
Their eyes met.
Those blood-red eyes stared directly into his.
A cold shiver immediately ran through Shad's body.
He quickly looked away.
What is really going on?
He couldn't understand any of this.
"Am I really dreaming?"
He paused.
"Or is this some kind of top-secret experiment conducted by the organization?"
He had never been this confused in his entire life.
No matter how much he thought about it, nothing made sense.
At this point, Shad didn't know what to think anymore.
He was completely lost.
"Argh!"
He clenched his fists.
"Just what the hell is going on?"
His frustration grew.
"This is so annoying."
Shad took another deep breath.
"Calm down, Shad. You're not like this. Think things through."
He paused.
"There has to be a logical explanation."
Another breath.
"I mean, there has to be a reason for all of this."
He sighed.
For a while, Shad simply sat there in silence.
His mind was exhausted.
There was nothing he could think of that made sense.
Eventually, he decided to lie down on one of the tree's enormous branches.
He closed his eyes.
Perhaps resting would help him think more clearly.
But before he realized it, Shad had fallen asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, the forest had changed.
It was dark.
Night had arrived.
For a moment, Shad was confused.
Then he remembered.
I fell asleep.
He looked down immediately.
The creature was still there.
In fact, it was lying comfortably beneath the tree.
"You're still here?"
Shad stared at it in disbelief.
"Damn it."
He rubbed his face.
"Why can't it just leave me alone?"
He looked at the creature again.
"Am I its only source of food in this godforsaken forest?"
After getting some much-needed sleep, Shad finally began accepting the reality of his situation.
This wasn't a dream.
He wasn't hallucinating.
And whatever was happening to him wasn't some ordinary illusion.
This was real.
The forest was real.
The creature was real.
And he was trapped here.
The question was why.
"What is my reason for being here?"
Naturally, there was no answer.
Shad sighed.
"Well, it doesn't matter."
His eyes hardened.
"All I have to do is find the answers myself."
But first...
I have to somehow escape from this abomination.
Shad looked down at the creature.
How am I supposed to escape from that thing?
He frowned.
It's not like I can fight it.
His gaze moved over the creature's massive body.
How am I even supposed to kill it? It's too big... and way too strange.
There was no obvious way out.
Shad was trapped.
Throughout all his years of service as a Shadow Department operative, he had never encountered a situation like this.
His chances of surviving were practically nonexistent.
It wasn't that he had no options.
It was that every option he could think of seemed likely to get him killed.
And deep down, Shad knew the most obvious solution.
He would have to kill the creature.
The problem was...
He didn't believe he could.
For the first time in his life, Shad wondered if this was really where his life would end.
He sighed.
Looking down again, he checked on the creature.
It was still there.
Lying peacefully beneath the tree.
Shad stared at it for a while.
Then an idea came to him.
He reached down and broke off a small twig.
Curiosity got the better of him.
He tossed the twig toward the creature.
The small stick landed against its body.
Nothing happened.
The creature didn't even react.
It simply continued lying there as though the twig were nothing more than an insignificant piece of debris.
After a moment, it raised its head slightly and looked at Shad.
It red eyes met his.
There was no anger in them now. No frustration.
Only patience.
As if it knew its prey would have to come down eventually.
Then it lowered its head again.
It completely ignored him.
Shad whistled.
"I'll be damned."
The creature wasn't even interested in him anymore.
Shad decided to ignore it as well.
If he couldn't escape yet, then there was no reason to waste his energy.
Instead, he decided to meditate.
Not the simple kind of meditation he occasionally used to relax.
This was something deeper.
Something Shad had practiced extensively.
Shad settled himself into position on the broad branch and closed his eyes
At first there was only sound of his own breathing and distant rustle of leafs. Then even that faded
His heartbeat slowed .
His muscles loosened.
His thoughts gradually faded.
The tension in his jaw and shoulder gradually dissolved.
For a long while there was nothing but stillness.
Then he felt it.
But Shad was fine.
This was simply the result of his deep state of meditation.
For what felt like tens of minutes, he remained completely still.
Then...
Something changed.
Shad felt it.
Something subtle.
Something strange.
Something was flowing within him.
He couldn't tell exactly what it was.
It felt as though something was moving through the very depths of his being from his soul, through his mind, and into his body.
The sensation was faint.
Almost imperceptible.
Yet it was definitely there.
And somehow...
It made him feel different.
Shad couldn't explain it.
He had never experienced anything like it before.
His eyes suddenly opened.
"What was that?"
His voice was filled with confusion and surprise.
He looked down at his hands.
For the first time since arriving in this strange world, Shad felt that something within him had begun to change.