The Monster Inside Him
671 Words
The forest was too quiet.
Kai could hear the sound of his own heartbeat as he ran through the darkness, branches snapping beneath his feet.
Behind him—
Something followed.
Fast.
Too fast.
He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, blood dripping from the wound on his shoulder.
The mark on his chest burned like fire beneath his shirt.
That cursed symbol again.
Ever since the attack at Black Hollow village, the strange black veins had begun spreading slowly across his skin whenever he lost control.
And tonight…
They were spreading faster.
"Kai!"
Lena's voice echoed somewhere behind him.
"Stop running!"
He ignored her.
If she caught up to him now, she would see it.
See what he truly was becoming.
A monster.
The moonlight pierced through the trees as Kai stumbled into a clearing.
His breathing turned ragged.
The pain was unbearable.
He collapsed onto one knee, clutching his chest.
Dark energy pulsed violently beneath his skin.
Then—
Voices.
Whispers.
Hundreds of them.
Kill them…
Feed…
Let us out…
Kai covered his ears desperately.
"Shut up…"
The whispers only grew louder.
Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded through his spine.
CRACK.
He screamed.
Black shadows burst around him like smoke, twisting unnaturally across the ground.
His eyes changed instantly.
From deep brown—
To glowing crimson.
"No…" he whispered in horror.
Footsteps approached rapidly.
Lena emerged from the trees and froze.
Her blue eyes widened.
"Kai…"
He turned away immediately.
"Don't come closer."
But Lena stepped forward anyway.
"You're hurt."
"I said stay back!"
Dark energy exploded outward violently, knocking nearby trees sideways.
The ground trembled.
For a terrifying moment, Lena saw it clearly—
A shadow standing behind Kai.
Tall.
Inhuman.
Its glowing red eyes stared directly at her from the darkness behind his body.
Not a hallucination.
Not smoke.
Something alive.
Lena's face paled.
"Kai… what is that?"
His breathing became uneven.
"I don't know."
And that was the truth.
Ever since he was a child, strange things happened around him whenever he lost control.
Animals died near him.
Shadows moved unnaturally.
People disappeared.
His foster father once called him cursed.
Now Kai was beginning to believe it.
The shadow behind him slowly leaned closer.
Its voice slithered into his ears like poison.
She's afraid of you.
Just like the others.
Kill her before she runs.
Kai grabbed his head violently.
"STOP!"
Lena rushed toward him without hesitation.
"Kai!"
The moment she touched his arm—
The shadow exploded.
Darkness swallowed the clearing instantly.
A terrifying scream echoed through the forest.
Not human.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Then silence.
When the darkness faded, Lena gasped softly.
Kai stood frozen in the center of the clearing.
Blood covered his hands.
And around him…
Dead wolves.
At least twenty of them.
Their bodies were torn apart unnaturally, as if shredded by claws.
Kai stared blankly at the scene.
"I… did this?"
Lena looked at him carefully.
"No."
His voice shook. "What?"
She pointed toward the ground.
Huge claw marks covered the earth around them.
Far larger than any human hand.
Far larger than Kai's.
Something else had protected them.
Or hunted for him.
Before either of them could speak again—
A low growl echoed from the trees.
Not one.
Many.
Red eyes slowly appeared within the darkness surrounding the clearing.
Watching.
Waiting.
Kai's heart dropped.
The wolves were not alone.
Lena unsheathed her dagger instantly.
"We need to move."
But Kai couldn't stop staring at the shadows between the trees.
Because among the glowing eyes…
One pair stood higher than the others.
Much higher.
Then the creature stepped forward.
A massive beast emerged from the darkness.
Its fur was black as midnight, covered in glowing crimson markings.
Its eyes locked onto Kai immediately.
Recognition flashed within them.
Not hatred.
Not hunger.
Recognition.
The creature lowered its giant head slowly.
And then—
It spoke.
"You carry the blood of the Shadow King."
Lena's face went white.
Kai felt the world stop.
The beast's eyes narrowed.
"The seal inside you is breaking."
- Writer
