*Crash*
Solonar stirred from his sleep, jolted by what sounded like a lamp falling to the floor.
"Shit." he whispered under his breath, looking around the dark room. A slight fear was creeping into his chest.
'It's probably just the wind.' he thought, mustering the courage to investigate.
Solonar slowly got up from the couch. Leaving the lights off, he moved silently toward the bedroom where the sound had come from.
Standing in the hallway that led to their single bedroom and the kitchen, he paused to pick something up—a shiny metal baseball bat they kept near the couch.
Neither Solonar nor Misty played baseball. The bat was meant for home defense, for nights when Misty wasn't home.
The outer city, where Tier 3 citizens lived, had a very high crime rate. Rape, drug trafficking, murder, and robbery were all commonplace. Firearms like pulse rifles were heavily regulated, so it was unlikely a burglar would have one.
His grip on the bat tightened. He held it firmly—ready to swing at anything in his way.
As he inched closer, he stepped into the kitchen. A cold wind from outside hit him.
A window was wide open.
Adrenaline surged through Solonar's veins. The tension hung in the air.
Meow~~~
Solonar flinched. The sound came from the bedroom.
'Maybe a stray cat just entered through the window.' he reassured himself.
Within two steps, he was out of the kitchen and back in the hallway.
He noticed something—the bedroom door was open.
'Cats can't open doors… right?'
He stepped closer.
Meow~~~
He heard it again, but it sounded different this time. Sinister. Not like a regular cat.
Something felt deeply wrong.
Every cell in his body screamed at him to step away from the door. His palms were sweaty. His heart was pounding.
Fear. That was what he was feeling. His heart thumped like his worst nightmare was waiting behind that door.
'Breathe.'
Solonar reminded himself. With two deep breaths, he gathered his thoughts and pushed the door open with his foot.
The broken lamp was in front of his feet, but his mind didn't register it. Something he couldn't explain was right in front of him.
Goosebumps rose across his skin. His eyes widened. He started shaking all over.
Moonlight poured through the window, illuminating the creature in front of him. Its back was turned.
Its frame had human proportions—but beastly features. Pure nightmare fuel. Long, metallic-looking claws stained with a reddish substance. Only its forearms were covered in fur. Irregular patches of fur and human skin peeked through shredded clothes that vaguely resembled a white button-up shirt and black pants.
"C-C-CORRUPTED!!!"
Solonar screamed, his voice echoing through the dark night.
An unnerving silence hung in the air—like nobody heard him.
Nobody except the corrupted in front of him.
It turned toward him.
The face of the corrupted was filled with morbid features—hollow sockets where eyes should have been, a row of sharp, jagged teeth exposed for the world to see. It lacked skin around its mouth, and saliva quietly dripped down its chin.
Meow~~~
It opened its jaws and let out the now horrifying sound.
It was a mystery how it could make that sound with a mouth like that.
Solonar froze.
How was he supposed to fight something so insane?
Fighting was out of the question. He had to escape.
Horror was painted across his face as he tried to compel his wobbling legs to back away and run.
'MOVE!!'
Solonar screamed at himself internally. It felt like death was staring him in the face. The dread was so thick he could almost taste it.
His eyes were fixed on the corrupted. He couldn't look away—as if its grotesque features commanded his attention.
'JUST FUCKING MOVE!!!'
He finally managed to take a single step back.
The grotesque creature bent its head slightly, as if puzzled by the fact he was able to move.
Solonar blinked—
In that instant, the creature vanished from where it stood. For a single second, it seemed like it wasn't anywhere in the room.
Then its chest appeared directly in front of him.
The metallic stench of blood hit him hard—thick, nauseating, undeniable. Upon closer inspection, Solonar confirmed what he had feared: the reddish substance on its claws was, in fact, blood.
The corrupted was much larger up close—at least seven feet tall.
His eyes rose slightly and finally met those hollow sockets. There was just darkness where there should have been eyes.
Solonar was experiencing elevated levels of fear that shouldn't be humanly possible.
His heart rate spiked. His breathing turned shallow and rapid. He was reaching critical levels—a bit higher and a heart attack was within the realm of possibility.
But before his condition could get worse… something changed.
A strange energy began flowing within him.
It wasn't coming from his emocore. He could feel that—it was dormant, untouched. This was something else. Something deeper.
It started in his spine, crawling upward like liquid fire.
His vision sharpened.
The corrupted's grotesque features became clearer, more defined. The metallic stench of blood hit harder.
Time didn't slow. His perception just received a strange boost.