I slammed my fists into the ground beneath me. A sharp, brittle crack echoed through the void as my knuckles met an invisible surface. The pain was raw, searing through my nerves and dragging me further into despair. My entire being was ablaze with agony, as if every cell in my body was splitting apart under the weight of this unbearable torment.
I couldn't stop the thoughts that spiraled through my mind.
Make it stop. Please. Just make it stop.
I wanted to scream, but my throat felt like it was filled with shards of glass. Instead, my voice cracked into a pitiful rasp, barely louder than a whisper:
"What do you want from me?"
The sound disappeared into the void, swallowed whole by the oppressive silence.
And then, just as suddenly as it began, the agony ceased.
I collapsed forward, my body limp and trembling as relief washed over me like a cool wave. My breaths came in shallow gasps, each one shaking as if I was relearning how to breathe. The stillness that followed wasn't comforting... it was cold, empty. It felt like the eye of a storm, a moment of calm before the chaos returned.
I let out a hollow laugh, the sound dry and bitter in the unending blackness.
"The name... Echoes of Agony," I muttered to no one. "How fitting for this type of story"
If only I had read past the first Chapter before waking up here. If only I'd known what horrors awaited.
My laughter faded into silence. Regret twisted in my chest like a knife, but there was no point in dwelling on it now. I pushed myself up to my knees, the weight of exhaustion making every movement feel sluggish and heavy.
That was when I heard it.
A sound.
A deep, resonant breath.
I froze, my heart thudding against my ribs as the noise filled the void. It was rhythmic, steady, like the breathing of some immense, slumbering creature. I turned my head slowly, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
There, in the distance, was a shape.
At first, it was indistinct, a shadow against shadows. But as I stared, it began to take form... a massive creature standing in the void, its dark fur shimmering faintly with an otherworldly sheen.
It was a deer.
A giant, otherworldly stag, its thick, dark coat shifting like smoke in the dim, unlit expanse. Its antlers were vast and intricate, twisting like gnarled tree branches and glowing faintly at the edges with a ghostly green light. The creature's eyes were what truly captivated me. They were pools of emerald fire, glowing with an strange etherealness, staring into me as if they could see every thought, every secret, every weakness.
With each exhale, a pale green mist drifted from its nostrils, swirling lazily into the air like a living thing.
It wasn't moving. It simply stood there, watching me.
I didn't know if it was a threat. I didn't know if it was real. But I had no choice.
Pushing myself to my feet, I began to walk toward it, each step hesitant, my body screaming in protest.
"Easy," I whispered, more for reassurance than anything else. " I'm not a threat."
The void seemed to stretch and contract with every step, distorting my sense of distance. But eventually, I found myself standing just a few feet away from the colossal creature. Up close, it was even more intimidating. Its sheer size dwarfed me, and its presence seemed to fill the void itself.
I hesitated, my throat dry. Then, summoning every ounce of calm I could muster, I spoke:
"Hey... do you know the way out?"
The stag tilted its head, studying me. Its antlers seemed to hum faintly with energy, the ghostly mist flowing from them like an eternal river. Slowly, it leaned forward, its enormous neck stretching out until its snout was mere inches from my face.
I held my breath.
The stag exhaled, and the green mist that poured from its nostrils enveloped me. It wasn't suffocating or cold as I expected... it was warm, soothing, almost alive. The mist twisted and curled around me, moving with a strange, purposeful grace.
Then, as if deciding I was worthy, the mist seeped into my skin.
A sensation like nothing I had ever felt washed over me. It wasn't pain, nor was it pleasure.... it was transformation. My body felt weightless, yet impossibly dense, like I was being unmade and remade in the same breath. My vision blurred, and the void around me seemed to shimmer with a faint green light.
A familiar Ding! sound broke through the haze.
[EVOLUTION]
FIRST EVOLUTION (100%) – EVOLVING
The stag stepped back, its glowing eyes fixed on me
This was no ordinary creature. It was something ancient, something powerful. And it found me.
The glowing screen lingered before me, its faint light illuminating the void like a beacon in endless darkness. I couldn't help myself, a grin crept onto my face, unbidden and almost childlike. A strange, bubbling sense of happiness erupted in my chest, a warmth I hadn't felt in what seemed like forever.
Then, a thought struck me like a lightning bolt.
If Celia saw this ridiculous grin, she'd pinch me until I apologized for looking like an idiot.
The grin vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with a small, embarrassed sigh.
The deer... a creature I could barely comprehend, moved with a slow, deliberate grace. Its enormous, antlered form shimmered faintly with an ethereal glow as it stepped back, shrinking with every stride. Its body seemed to fold into itself, its massive size collapsing into something more familiar. When it finally stopped, it stood before me as an ordinary deer... still regal, but no longer towering and otherworldly.
Its glowing, emerald eyes never left mine as it walked closer. With a gentle nudge of its antlers against my side, it urged me forward.
"What?" I asked, my voice uncertain as I stumbled back a step.
The deer tilted its head slightly, its movements calm but insistent. It repeated the gesture, pushing me again with its antlers.
"You... you want me to ride you?"
The deer snorted softly, its breath forming faint tendrils of green mist that dissipated into the void.
Before I could say anything more, the system chimed with a familiar ding.
[SYSTEM]
+
YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED:
JUDGE OF FATE
YOUR FATE HAS BEEN CHANGED
+
My breath caught as I read the words.
The Judge of Fate?
I looked back at the deer, my mind spinning with disbelief. This creature, this being standing before me, was far more significant than I'd realized.
"What does this mean?" I muttered, the question slipping from my lips before I could stop it.
The deer didn't answer, of course. It simply stepped closer again, nudging me more firmly this time.
"Alright, alright!" I said, raising my hands in mock surrender. "I get it."
Carefully, I climbed onto its back. Its fur was soft beneath my fingers, almost warm, yet it radiated a strange, otherworldly energy that sent a shiver through me.
No sooner had I settled myself than the deer moved.
And by moved, I mean the world around me exploded.
It bolted forward with a speed that defied comprehension. The void around us twisted and blurred, streaks of light and shadow blending together in a chaotic dance. It felt like I was being carried through time itself, each step the deer took reverberating with an ancient, cosmic rhythm.
Then, the visions began.
Flashes of memories erupted in my mind, overwhelming and relentless. They weren't mine.... they were Agon's.
I saw his life unfold before me, moment by moment, as if I were living it myself.
The memory sharp and vivid. The pain, the fear, the finality of it....it was all there, raw and unfiltered. The visions didn't stop.
The deer ran faster.
The memories blurred together, a dizzying cascade of images and emotions that left me breathless. My vision began to waver, my surroundings fading in and out as if I were being pulled away.
I realized then that I was waking up.
As the world around me began to dissolve, I heard it again.... the voice.
A whisper, soft yet unyielding, like the edge of a blade pressing against my mind.
"Evolve... or Die...."