In a moment where time itself seemed frozen, Azure stood still, trembling with fear, eyes locked on the creature before him.
It hadn't moved… not yet.But its silver eyes, fixated on him without blinking, were enough to freeze the blood in his veins.
It towered over him, its hind legs thick like stone pillars, ending in curved claws dripping with a grayish fluid that evaporated before touching the ground.
Its skin wasn't like that of a reptile—rather, it looked as if its body was covered in shards of ancient, cracked glass, etched with scars, reflecting the moonlight like cursed symbols carved by forgotten hands.
Then, it opened its mouth.No… it wasn't a mouth.
It was a grotesque gaping maw that stretched to the middle of its cheek, lipless, revealing rows of long, twisted teeth—some growing inward, others outward.
It made no sound.Yet Azure felt a subtle pressure in his skull, as if the silence itself was screaming.
"This isn't... a natural being," he whispered to himself, unable to hear his own voice.
Every cell in his body screamed at him to run, but his legs wouldn't obey.
And then...The creature moved.
One slow step. The ground quaked beneath it.
Azure gasped and ran—without thought, without direction.Behind him came the sounds—scratching, heavy breathing, claws tearing through stone.
One nearly caught his back, but he ducked just in time, crawling beneath a collapsed beam, bursting out of the building.
He hadn't gotten far.
Suddenly, the wall behind him shattered with force.The creature emerged as if the concrete had never existed.
Azure kept running. Each step crunched against the debris. Behind him—something like a muffled roar, followed by the crash of glass and falling stone.
He looked back.
The beast had leapt over the rubble.Its massive body moved with a speed that defied logic, claws slashing the air, searching for his fragile human frame.
He sprinted through half-destroyed walls, slipping on dust and sand, stumbling, getting up again, panting hard.
Every time he bent or squeezed through a narrow gap, a crash followed behind—The creature didn't dodge anything. It simply crushed everything in its path.
A concrete pillar collapsed. A wooden ceiling fell.The creature's roar grew louder, as if rage itself was splintering within it.
Its silver eyes still locked onto Azure. They glowed in the shadows. They never blinked. They never wavered.
One claw scraped against a rusty car, sparks flying. A piece of metal struck Azure's heel. He dropped to his knees.
He felt himself slipping away.But something inside him screamed, "Get up."
He leapt between two cars—Looked back—The monster was right there.
But it didn't leap.Instead, it rammed the car aside with its body, flipping it toward him.
Where do I go? There's no way out...He slid under the rolling wreck at the last second, his body scraping against the scorched ground. His jacket tore down the back.
There's no place left... Every path leads to it. Why is it looking at me like that… like I'm prey?
Running wasn't enough.The more it failed to catch him, the more unhinged it became.
Azure's mind began to fracture.It's going to catch me. I'm going to die. This is it.
But then—a tilted building.He dashed toward it, forcing his body through a tight opening that led to the basement. He crawled like mad, hands digging forward, gasping for air.
Then—Silence.
He stopped.Held his breath.
Maybe… maybe it lost him.
But then—
The ground trembled.The wall next to him exploded. Claws ripped through the concrete violently.
One almost slashed his thigh, but he rolled through just in time, tumbling down the basement stairs, landing hard on his side.
Pain.His shoulder slammed into the wall, a wound opened on his left side. Blood began to leak.
He crawled, trying to get up.The beast's footsteps echoed from above.
Real pain… I need to run. Just a few more seconds, a few more steps!
Then the ceiling cracked—The creature's head appeared above him, drooling from its gaping maw, teeth grinding against each other as if moving on their own.
Azure was gasping, bleeding, his vision shaking.Everything grew pale—like the very air was turning heavy in his eyes. Shadows moved without shape. His ears rang from blood and fear.
It's here. This is death. This is what it feels like right before you're eaten whole.
No… I don't want to die. Not yet. Not now!
He grabbed a piece of rusted metal beside him—sharp at one end—and waved it blindly as he rushed for the far side of the basement.
The beast jumped in.
Dust filled the room.The echo spiked.Something shattered.
And Azure—
He took a breath—then hurled himself through a broken window.Glass ripped his arm open. Blood poured faster.But he rolled, stood, and kept running.
Move! Just keep moving! Even if everything hurts… death is worse.
Cold air slapped his face. But there was no time to feel relief.Every breath he took tasted like iron, every gasp like a scream.
He ran—Or tried to.
His right leg betrayed him, stumbling every few steps.Blood trickled from his arm down to his fingertips.
Behind him—the beast roared again.
But this time, it was different.
Not a roar.A mournful, angry wail—rising from deep within the chest of a creature born only to kill.
It smashed a wall beside him with both arms, collapsing it into dust and rubble.It wasn't just chasing anymore.It was punishing the world for letting Azure escape.
I… I can't… My legs… Not now…
His eyes darted wildly.Looking for anything. Any hope.
A small building, half-sunken in shadow. Its door was broken. The roof slanted, but it still stood.
He rushed toward it.Tripping.Falling.Getting up again.
Debris slipped under his feet.The sound behind him grew closer.
He slammed the door shut behind him—pointless as it was—Then hurled himself behind a pile of shattered furniture in a dark corner.
His body shook.His heart was about to burst.
And then—He froze.
Not by choice.
Something inside him… changed.
A terrible pressure crashed into his skull.Dozens of voices erupted inside his head.
At first, they were just noise—echoes in a deep, distant well.
Then—
A voice. Clear. Calm. Arrogant.
"…This isn't my place. What is this body?"
Azure's eyes snapped wide."Who… Who's there?!"
No reply.
But another voice followed—Deep. Wild. Dry.
"I was fighting. Killing. Then… darkness. Death. And now? This isn't my body either."
Azure's breathing quickened."What's happening to me? Am I… going insane?!"
The beast-like voice muttered,"The last thing I remember… is dying."
The calm voice spoke again, after a long pause."So do I. It seems… we've been transferred into this boy's body."
The two voices began to argue—faint and overlapping.Azure could no longer distinguish their words.His vision blurred. His mind spiraled into static.
The beast voice said,"The boy won't last long. What happens if he dies?"
The calm one replied,"Maybe fate or chance has kept us alive… but chance doesn't repeat itself. If he dies, we may die with him."
Outside—The creature moved again.
It leapt, crashing through the ceiling.Landing in the center of the room.
Staring at Azure with rage.
The beast-like voice:"This is bad… Can you still hear us, boy?"
Azure was on the verge of collapse.He could barely hear anything.
The calm voice didn't answer.Instead, it began subtly controlling the blood in Azure's body—slowing the bleeding, redirecting flow to vital organs.
"Listen to me, boy," the calm voice said coldly."There is no time. Move. If you stay still, you'll be dead within seconds."
The wild voice growled,"If you want to live, move like your body is mine. Give me control, and I'll save you. Now!"
The calm voice chuckled softly,"I could say the same. You have no real choice. Either give your body to one of us… or die. Simple."
Azure thought quickly.The creature's right in front of me. I won't outrun it. I'm already at my limit. These voices—they don't seem like hallucinations… but they're dangerous. They want control. And if they get it… I doubt they'll just hand it back. But between them… and this thing in front of me… I have to gamble.
Then he asked aloud,"There's no other way? I really have to let one of you take over?"
The calm voice replied,"Yes. You won't survive as you are. Your wounds are proof enough."
The creature took a step forward, spreading its claws.
Azure could barely stand.
He looked at the monster… then spoke to the voices in his head.
"…What happens if I die?"
The voices hesitated.And in that moment—
Azure smiled.Looked the beast dead in the eye.
And whispered,
"Hey, you ugly lizard… come kill me."