Branches clawed at his face.
Thorns tore at his clothes.
But Noah didn't stop.
He couldn't stop.
"Huff—! Huff—!"
His breathing turned ragged as his legs burned, pushing past their limits. The ground beneath him was uneven, roots twisting like traps, yet he ran blindly through the dead forest.
Behind him—
"KRRRRKKK—!"
That sound again.
Closer.
Too close.
Noah's heart pounded violently against his ribs.
It's catching up.
Panic surged.
He didn't dare turn back.
Didn't dare slow down.
His mind screamed only one thing—
Run.
A sudden force slammed into his back.
"UGH—!"
His body was thrown forward, rolling across the rough ground before crashing into a tree trunk.
Pain exploded through his body.
His vision spun.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then—
A shadow loomed over him.
"Krrrr…"
That grotesque rabbit.
Standing there.
Watching him.
Its lips curled upward, revealing blood-stained fangs.
It wasn't just hunting.
It was enjoying this.
Noah tried to move.
His arms trembled.
His legs refused.
Pain chained him to the ground.
I… can't move…
Fear crept in.
Cold.
Paralyzing.
The rabbit stepped closer.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like it was savoring his despair.
Noah's pupils shook violently.
This is it…
I'm going to die… again?
His mind flashed.
A memory.
His sister.
Her trembling figure.
Her tear-filled eyes.
"Run…!"
His own voice echoed in his head.
Something inside him snapped.
"…No."
The word came out low.
Unstable.
"No… I didn't die… just to die again…"
His fingers dug into the dirt.
His body trembled violently.
Not from fear—
But from something else.
Rage.
The rabbit lunged.
Fast.
Its jaws opened wide—
Noah moved.
"AAAAHHHHHH—!!"
A scream tore out of his throat as he forced his broken body forward, barely dodging the bite. The creature's fangs snapped shut inches away from his neck.
He didn't think.
Didn't calculate.
He just reacted.
His hand grabbed the rabbit's neck.
Tightly.
Desperately.
"What the hell… ARE YOU?!"
His voice cracked into a roar.
The rabbit thrashed wildly, its strength monstrous for its size. Its claws tore into his arm, ripping flesh open.
Blood splattered.
Pain surged.
But Noah didn't let go.
Instead—
He tightened his grip.
Harder.
Harder.
"DIE!!"
The rabbit twisted violently, its jaws snapping toward his face—
And without thinking—
Noah bit down.
"—!!"
His teeth sank into its flesh.
Warm blood flooded his mouth.
The taste—
Metallic.
Rotten.
Disgusting.
For a moment—
He froze.
Then—
Something changed.
A strange heat spread through his body.
Burning.
Hungry.
Primal.
His eyes widened.
What… is this…?
The rabbit struggled weaker now.
Its movements slowed.
Its strength fading.
Noah didn't stop.
He couldn't.
He tore into it again.
And again.
And again.
Blood covered his face.
His hands.
His clothes.
The forest fell silent.
Watching.
Minutes passed.
Or seconds.
He didn't know.
When it was over—
The rabbit stopped moving.
Dead.
Noah remained frozen above it.
His chest rose and fell violently.
Blood dripped from his chin.
Then slowly—
He looked down at what he had done.
Silence.
"…What…"
His voice came out hollow.
"…did I just do…?"
His hands trembled.
His entire body shook.
He had eaten it.
A monster.
Raw.
Alive.
"…Am I… still human…?"
No answer came.
But deep inside—
Something stirred.
Something that didn't feel human anymore.
And far away—
Unseen.
Unknown—
Something had begun to watch him.