Alex pushed forward, deeper into the alien forest.
The darkness here was alive — thick, suffocating, swallowing every sound except his own footsteps.
Every breath left his mouth in pale fog that instantly disappeared into the freezing black air.
He didn't know how long he'd run.
Minutes?
Hours?
Only the beating of his heart kept him company.
Thump. Thump.
A steady drum of survival.
His boots crunched ash and dead leaves.
The branches above him creaked like old bones.
Then—
A faint glow.
At first he thought he imagined it.
A trick of the moons.
But no — there it was again.
Light.
His chest tightened.
Hope.
He pushed himself faster, legs burning.
As he ran, that strange instinct — the new Berserker intuition — stirred in his spine.
Behind you.
Alex didn't look back.
He kept running.
The light grew brighter, flickering like a lantern barely alive.
He burst out of the treeline—
And froze.
Before him stood a village.
Old wooden huts arranged in a circle.
Every window glowing with a dim golden flame.
It should have felt warm.
Safe.
But instead…
It felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Too still.
As if the village was holding its breath.
Alex took one step forward—
And something moved.
Right in front of him.
A girl stepped into view.
She couldn't be more than four… maybe six.
Her skin was pale — almost transparent in the moonlight — and her eyes were far too large, staring straight into him with cold, empty curiosity.
Her hair hung in thin, colorless strands.
Her tiny feet were bare on the frozen ground.
She didn't blink.
She didn't breathe.
Alex whispered, voice cracking:
> "Hey… you okay?"
The girl tilted her head.
And smiled.
It wasn't a child's smile.
It was too wide.
Too calm.
Too knowing.
Alex's instinct screamed.
Move.
He stepped back—
And felt it.
A hand.
A furry, clawed hand clamped onto his shoulder from behind.
The grip was cold and crushing, jerking him backward.
Alex twisted violently — Berserker reflex kicking in — and spun his body away.
The claws scraped his jacket, cutting through cloth and grazing his skin.
A shallow wound — but it burned like fire.
Alex hit the ground, rolling to his feet.
He finally saw what was behind him.
A creature stood there — tall, fur matted with dirt and old blood.
Its face was like a wolf twisted into a human shape, eyes glowing faint white, breath forming fog as it snarled.
And the little girl?
She didn't move.
She just watched.
Still smiling.
As if the forest had been waiting for this moment.
Alex clenched his fists, blood dripping down his arm.
> "Alright… let's dance."
Alex swallowed hard, eyes jumping between the pale girl and the monstrous wolf-thing behind him.
The girl's mouth opened —
But the voice that came out didn't belong to a child.
It was smooth, cold, seductive… and impossibly ancient.
> "Luna…"
"Don't you think it's beneath you to play with toys belonging to the House of Vlad?"
Alex's blood ran ice-cold.
That wasn't a scolding voice — it was a warning between predators.
The beast behind him — Luna — stopped growling.
And then something even more horrific:
The monster spoke.
Its voice was deep, guttural, dragging through its throat like cracked stone.
> "The House of Fenrir had an arrangement… this is neutral ground."
Luna stepped forward, muscles rippling under her dark fur.
Her claws flexed, eyes glowing with a hungry white flame.
> "And as a matter of fact…" the beast continued,
"I want this toy."
Alex's stomach twisted as Luna's gaze locked onto him — not like prey, but like a prize.
> "He is fast."
"He is strong."
"…the strongest so far."
The pale girl's dark voice laughed lightly — a sound like broken glass.
She stepped closer to Alex.
Her feet didn't make a sound on the frozen earth.
> "So that's it," she murmured.
"Luna has chosen her claim."
And I want him too his blood smells chaotic I want it
Luna roared this is not yours to claim Veronica his mine
Alex's heart hammered.
He didn't understand the words — not fully — but one thing was clear:
These weren't random monsters.
These were houses.
Clans.
Powers far older than anything Earth had ever imagined.
And he had just become part of their argument.
The girl — whatever she truly was — leaned in close to Alex's face.
Her eyes were now pitch-black pools.
> "Run if you want."
"It makes the choosing… more entertaining."
Behind him Luna dropped to all fours, muscles bunching, breath steaming like smoke from a furnace.
Alex barely had a second to react.
The beast whispered with chilling hunger:
> "My toy…"
Then she launched.
THE VILLAGE OF COLLARS
Alex sprinted toward the flickering lights of the village, clutching his bleeding arm.
His breath tore from his lungs in jagged bursts.
Behind him, the scuffling of claws echoed — fast, eager, closing in.
He didn't dare look back.
Weapons. Anything. I just need something to fight with…
He burst into the first open street — and what he saw nearly stopped his heart.
People.
Dozens of them.
All kneeling.
Collars of cold metal clamped around their necks—glowing faintly with runes he didn't recognize.
Men, women, even teenagers lined the street like obedient statues.
Not one moved to help him.
Not one lifted a hand.
They merely bowed their heads as he ran past—like they were programmed to acknowledge a new master, or a new sacrifice.
Alex stumbled to a kneeling man clutching two short swords across his palms.
Hope flared in Alex's chest.
> "Please—give them to me!"
The man shook his head slowly, mechanically, eyes empty.
Alex reached—
But the man hissed through clenched teeth, gripping the blades tighter, refusing.
A scream ripped through the street.
A naked girl limped out from an alleyway.
Her skin was pale, ribs visible, wounds all over her body—fresh slashes, bite marks, deep cuts.
But even as Alex watched, the wounds closed, knitting themselves with unnatural speed.
Her hands trembled as she touched her face—her eyes turning blood red, glowing like rubies soaked in fire.
Her voice cracked with exhilaration:
> "YES… THIS IS IT!"
"NO FEAR—THE SMELL OF ANGER… SURVIVAL!"
She shuddered, teeth sharpening like fangs.
Alex staggered back.
Then—
From the opposite side of the street, another figure emerged.
A boy?
A girl?
It was hard to tell.
Her clothes were torn to ribbons, skin scarred, and from her back sprouted two leathery bat-like wings, trembling but powerful.
She tilted his head and smirked.
> "Interesting, isn't he?"
Her voice was calm, almost amused.
"Rather than flee… he chooses to fight."
Alex realized she was talking about him.
The naked, healing girl let out a delighted laugh and pointed at Alex.
> "Give him the blades."
The kneeling man trembled — then slowly extended the swords upward, as if compelled by an unseen command.
Alex didn't hesitate.
He snatched the weapons, metal cold as death in his hands.
The girl grinned wider, blood dripping from her teeth.
> "Let's see if the House of Fenrir's toy can survive the first night…"
Behind him, Luna — the monstrous wolf-beast — snarled, preparing to pounce.
Alex raised the twin blades, heart pounding.
For the first time since arriving in this nightmare world, he felt something stronger than fear.
Purpose.
---