Aric breathed in the cold, refreshing air as he walked toward his destination. It was winter and Aric didn't even feel cold.
He was dressed in grey sweatpants and a white shirt that drew quite a few stares from the passersby. Aric didn't care, he was in high spirits today.
"Must be the perks of not being human anymore, I guess. Wait, was I ever human?"
Contrary to what his friends might say, Aric believed himself to be a very down‑to‑earth, logical person.
Which is why even he was surprised by his quick acceptance of everything, as though this was something he knew deep down all along.
Aric looked up at the old warehouse looming before him. He had arrived at his destination.
An old abandoned warehouse.
It used to be owned by a prominent construction company; however, when the company went bankrupt, the warehouse was abandoned.
It stood exactly as he remembered: a colossal skeleton of weathered wood, its timber skin bleached by years of exposure to the elements.
The boarded windows were jagged with rusted nails, slanted planks hammered without care. A thick sheet of wood reinforced the main doors to keep curious intruders out.
The warehouse was built on the edge of Aric's hometown, and behind the warehouse, a forest swayed in the late‑afternoon breeze.
An array of scents filled the air dirt, bark and wild grass, grounding him in a place that felt more like home than his own house ever did.
Aric liked it here.
It was peaceful. The silence. The breeze brushing his hair. And best of all… for the first time in days, the splitting headaches were gone. Ever since he awakened, his mind felt clearer, sharper, like someone had turned the world's focus up a notch.
"Alright," Aric thought. "Time to do what I came here for."
He moved along the outer wall until he reached a familiar ledge. A raised foundation panel he had climbed countless times as a kid. His fingers found the one plank darker than the rest. It was loose. He shoved his shoulder into it, pushing inward and sideways, creating a narrow crawl space just wide enough for a single person.
He hesitated for just a moment, savoring the nostalgia.
"When was the last time I was here?" Aric thought.
He used to slip into this place whenever he needed to disappear, especially after his mother died. When authorities tried to pull him into a foster home, give him a "fresh start," Aric refused.
His home, the one he shared with her memories, was where he belonged. He was stubborn, a creature of habit. He didn't want new people, new walls, new rules. He wanted the life he fought to keep.
And eventually, the authorities gave up… mostly. They still checked on him regularly, though they never truly understood him. Nobody did. Except his mom.
A thought crossed Aric's mind.
"Wait… did Mum know about me? Was she a Chimera too?"
"Ugh, nothing makes sense," Aric said, rigorously scratching his head.
Aric crawled through, dust coating his palms and clothing, until he dropped into the belly of the warehouse.
Inside, the world widened.
A vast chamber stretched out before him. Towering walls curving into a dome‑shaped ceiling high overhead. Stray beams of sunlight stabbed through cracks between planks, illuminating tiny particles of dust that floated between them. The ground was cluttered with forgotten remains of industry. Broken boxes, tipped shelves, half‑rotten wooden pallets, twisted metal beams, shards of glass, and the abandoned remains of goods long outdated.
It smelled of rust… and mould.
Aric inhaled deeply.
"Perfect. I doubt I'll be seen here. I'd rather not be a test subject for humans."
He shuddered, imagining himself being dissected and injected with thousands of needles daily.
He whispered the command. "System."
A familiar white holographic window flickered to life, hovering crisp and sharp before his eyes.
──────────────────
Aric Ness
Level: 1
Health: 10
Stamina: 10
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Magic: N/A
Species: Chimera
Subspecies: Apex
Abilities:
• Apex
──────────────────
Aric squinted.
"Still confusing as hell," he said, scratching his head.
"Okay… ten. But is ten good or bad?"
"It's probably bad; no point getting my hopes up."
He blew out a breath.
"Oh well only one way to figure it out."
He approached one of the fallen metal support beams. A steel monster easily the weight of a car. He crouched, wrapped both arms around it, and heaved —
The beam lifted.
Not by much, but enough to leave the ground.
His heart hammered, excitement flooding his veins.
"Holy shit!" he whispered, laughing as he let it drop with a thud.
No human alive could budge a metal roofing beam like that.
Aric kept testing. He kicked aside crates and debris, clearing a rough one‑hundred‑meter path. When ready, he inhaled once and sprinted.
He crossed the warehouse in seven and a half seconds.
He stopped, shock lighting up his features.
"That's faster than the world record…"
Sweat beaded on his forehead — not from exhaustion, but exhilaration. He kept going — pushups, situps, pullups on a dangling steel bar — every workout known to man. His body moved like a machine built for combat. Every muscle responded with precise power.
After what seemed like an hour, he collapsed onto a dusty crate and wiped his brow.
"Ok, so if I'm twice as strong — twice as fast — as a peak athlete…" He stared at his hands. "Then an average human must score around five."
He grinned despite himself.
"Holy shit!" he said with excitement this time. "This is all actually real. I am really not a human anymore," he thought.
That thought was terrifying… and thrilling.
"Alright, now let's try this Apex ability," he announced to the empty space. "Let's see what this is all about."
Easier said than done.
He tried roaring.
He tried growling.
He tried imagining claws bursting from his hands.
"An Apex has to be some sort of beast of prey, right? So why isn't it working?" he thought, frustrated.
Not willing to give up, he kept trying to unleash his newfound ability.
Nothing.
Hours crawled by. Sunbeams faded. The warehouse darkened. His breathing grew ragged with frustration.
"…Why isn't it working?" he groaned, collapsing backward onto the cold floor. "Is there a button? A howl? A… I don't know!"
Silence answered him.
"Forget it." He sighed, pushing up to his feet. "I'll figure it out eventually."
He dusted his jeans off and squeezed back through the crawl space into the cooling afternoon air.
It was already past 4 pm.
"Wow… that took longer than expected. I need to get home before sundown," Aric thought.
He turned to head home — but froze mid‑step.
A breeze carried something to him.
A scent.
Familiar and foreign all at once. Raw. Wild. It tugged at something deep inside him — something wild, something inhuman.
His nostrils flared.
His eyes flicked toward the forest.
For a moment… just a moment… he considered exploring.
But the moment passed. He headed home.
---
The front door clicked shut behind him. He stumbled into the kitchen, exhausted and starving, and devoured leftovers straight from the plate.
He wasn't like other people — the strangeness of today didn't frighten him. It excited him. All his life he'd felt misplaced, like the world was a puzzle and he was the only piece carved wrong.
Maybe this was it — his purpose. His reason.
But what now?
What did an Apex Chimera — whatever he was — even do with his life?
"No point thinking too hard," Aric muttered, pushing his chair back. "Tomorrow's problems are for tomorrow's me."
He trudged to his room and collapsed on his bed.
Sleep came quickly.
---
Silence.
Then.
A soft creak.
Followed by another.
Aric's eyes snapped open, heart skipping. He sat upright, listening.
Nothing.
He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Great," he whispered tightly. "Now I'm hearing things."
His eyes drifted to the clock hanging on the wall.
"It's only 5 pm. I only slept thirty minutes," Aric said, irritated.
He stood, stretching as if the movement might shake off unease, and padded back to his room. He sat on the bed and let himself fall backward, staring up into the darkness.
A lot had happened today: the changes to his body, the system, and not being human.
He needed rest.
He closed his eyes.
His breathing slowed.
His mind drifted.
But just as he was about to drift off to sleep, he heard the creaking of footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Right outside his bedroom door.
Aric's entire body went rigid.
The footsteps stopped.
Dead center.
In front of his door.
The doorknob twitched.
Then it began to turn.