The next day, Leon steps out of the shelter, pulling his blue jacket tighter around his shoulders as he squints into the light. His hair is messy, falling loosely around his face, and the stubble on his jaw is a few days old. His eyes, though, are sharp, scanning the forest ahead.
His outfit is simple—a blue jacket he wore before he found himself here, a plain shirt underneath, and pants that have seen better days. His sneakers are worn but still functional, though not ideal for the rough terrain. It's not much, but it's what he has, and for now, it'll do.
Wooly follows closely behind, snorting and shaking its massive head. Leon gives the creature a quick look, then refocuses on the wilderness before him.
"Alright, time to see what's out there," Leon mutters under his breath, checking the small stash of leftover food from last night's fire. He's got enough to keep him going for a little while longer, but he'll need to find more soon.
Leon gives his stomach a reassuring pat as if to thank it for holding up so far. The water had been a gamble, but it hadn't let him down yet. He was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, his luck was changing—or at least, holding steady.
"Here's hoping it stays that way," he mutters, pocketing the last of his food and standing up straighter. The day is still young, and there's plenty to explore.
He chuckled, rubbing his belly. "I'd kill for a nice, greasy burger right now. And maybe a big ol' mountain of fries."
With a final glance at the shelter, Leon trudged through the dense forest, his worn blue jacket brushing against the undergrowth, his sneakers crunching softly with each step.
He glanced at his hands, flexing his fingers as the shadows around him stirred in response.
"Okay, so... there's gotta be something good out here," he muttered, scanning the trees. "Maybe some wild fruit or, I don't know, a convenience store just popping up out of nowhere. Wouldn't that be nice?"
He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the low-hanging branch. It wasn't until it smacked him across the face that he realized his mistake.
"Ow!" Leon yelped, stumbling back and flailing his arms. "Dude, what was that for?!" He swatted at the offending branch, which, naturally, swung back at him. "Oh, you're really asking for it now, huh? Is this how it's gonna be today?"
Wooly snorted, probably laughing at him—or maybe just sniffing the air. Leon wasn't sure. Either way, he wasn't in the mood for it.
"Great," Leon muttered. "Now I'm fighting trees too. And here I thought they were the peaceful ones in this whole survival thing."
Wooly's head suddenly perked up, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. Leon's eyes darted around, noting the sudden shift in the air.
"Uh… you smell something, buddy?" Leon asked, voice a little tense.
Wooly's ears flicked back. It was always the quiet moments that made Leon the most nervous.
And then, out of nowhere, a deep growl echoed through the trees. The sound was low, guttural, and distinctly... angry. Leon froze, looking over at Wooly.
"That's… that's not the usual forest animal noise, is it?" he asked, swallowing hard.
Before Wooly could answer—because, of course, Wooly couldn't talk—there was a rustling in the underbrush. Leon tensed, ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. But then, the rustling grew louder, and suddenly, a creature emerged from the trees.
It was a huge, hulking mass of fur and muscle, with glowing yellow eyes that seemed to pierce through the dim light of the forest. Its mouth was a wide, twisted grin filled with sharp teeth that looked like they could tear through steel. Its paws hit the ground with a heavy thud, and its claws—way too big to be anything remotely friendly—scratched against the bark of the trees.
It looked familiar.
"Okay, well… that's new," Leon muttered, taking a small step back. "And that's definitely not a rabbit."
The creature growled again, its breath steaming in the cool air, and it took a step forward. Leon's heart raced, but then he realized something—it wasn't charging him. Not yet.
"Okay, buddy, look. We don't have to do this. I mean, I don't really have a reason to fight you, right? You seem cool… just, uh, a little... aggressive? Maybe you're just having a bad day," Leon said, trying his best to sound casual.
The creature tilted its head, like it was trying to figure out whether Leon was worth the effort.
Leon, sensing the opportunity to talk his way out of this, put his hands up. "Look, I'm really just out here for a casual stroll, y'know? I don't even have any snacks on me to offer you. I'm kind of low on supplies. But—hey, maybe you like sunlight or something. There's plenty of that over there." He pointed off in the direction where the sun filtered through the trees, trying to distract the creature.
The beast didn't seem particularly moved by his words. Instead, it let out a ferocious roar, shaking the trees and causing a few birds to take flight. Leon flinched, then scrambled to pull his jacket tighter around him as if that was going to help.
"Okay, okay. I didn't want to do this, but you're leaving me no choice!" He reached out, focusing on his shadows. The familiar, comforting feeling of power surged through him, and the shadows around him began to writhe and twist.
The creature growled louder, charging forward with surprising speed for something so massive. Leon barely had time to react as it lunged at him. Wooly charged in front of him, letting out a roar of its own, causing the monster to hesitate for just a moment.
Leon used the opening, casting a thick wave of shadow in front of him. The shadows formed into a large shield, just in time to block the creature's attack. The monster collided with it, but the force caused Leon to stagger backward, almost losing his balance.
"Okay, okay, I definitely need to work on that," he grumbled, trying to keep the shield steady. He gritted his teeth, focusing harder. "Come on, Leon, you've got this. Don't let the giant, angry furball eat you today."
The creature seemed momentarily stunned by the shadow barrier, but it quickly recovered, letting out a roar that rattled the trees. Leon, still struggling to hold his ground, clenched his fists. His shadows responded, wrapping around his arms like armor, and for a moment, he felt a surge of confidence.
"Alright, buddy. If you want a fight, let's give you a fight," Leon muttered, his voice low and steady.
The creature lunged again, but this time Leon was ready. With a flick of his wrist, a series of sharp shadow tendrils shot out from his side, slamming into the beast's legs. The creature howled in pain, stumbling back.
Leon took a breath, realizing that, for the first time in a while, he actually had the upper hand.
"Not so tough now, huh?" he said with a grin, despite the fact that his heart was pounding in his chest. "Maybe I should be the one making the growling noises."
The creature, now clearly enraged, shook off the tendrils of shadow still wrapped around its legs. It growled deeply, its yellow eyes locked on Leon with a murderous glare.
Leon, still standing firm, wiped the sweat from his brow. This is it. Time to step it up, he thought, feeling the weight of the situation hit him. This wasn't just some wild animal anymore—it was a fight for survival.
He extended his hand, his fingers flexing as the shadows around him stirred, responding to his will.
In an instant, a long, wickedly curved sword formed from the shadows. The black blade shimmered ominously. It felt right—like an extension of himself. Leon's eyes narrowed, focusing on the beast before him.
"Alright, time to end this," he muttered under his breath.
The monster lunged again, its claws reaching for him with lightning speed. Leon wasn't quick enough to dodge, but he didn't need to. With a swift, fluid motion, he swung the shadow blade down across the creature's chest. The blade cut through its fur like a hot knife through butter, leaving a trail of blackened shadow in its wake. The beast howled in pain, staggering back, but Leon wasn't finished.
He gripped the sword with both hands, his arms shaking with the strain. But then something surprised him—something that hadn't been there before. The movement felt… fluid. Like he was more in tune with his body. His swing came quicker, sharper, more precise than it had any right to be. He didn't stumble or hesitate as the blade cut into the creature's side, tearing through its flesh.
What the hell? Leon blinked, almost surprised at how easily he moved.
He felt stronger, faster, like he was finally shaking off the rust of whatever had happened to him in this world.
The creature, though bleeding heavily, wasn't done yet. It snapped at him with its massive jaws, but Leon reacted instinctively.
With one last movement, he closed the distance and swung the shadow blade across the beast's neck, severing its head clean off. The creature's body crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud, blood pooling around it as its life drained away.
Leon stood over the fallen beast, breathing heavily, sweat trickling down his face. He still couldn't quite wrap his mind around it—the way his body had just moved. He let the shadow blade dissipate into nothingness, the dark energy swirling and evaporating into the air.
Wooly, standing nearby, nudged the beast's body with a snort.
He glanced at Wooly, giving the creature a small nod. "Alright, buddy, you get a break now. I need to test something."
Leon crouched beside the beast's body, his heart still pounding in his chest as the adrenaline slowly faded.
He reached down, his hand hovering just above the lifeless creature. Closing his eyes, he felt the pull of the shadow surrounding him, and then, like an invisible hand, he gripped it.
"Arise."
Slowly, dark tendrils began to crawl from the monster's corpse, twisting and curling around his fingers. They formed into a familiar shape—a shadowy version of the creature itself, its yellow eyes glowing faintly.
The shadow beast, now his, stood up, its form shifting and rippling like smoke. He was in control. The beast moved at his command, its eyes locked onto him like an extension of his own will.
"This is incredible," he thought, barely able to contain the grin spreading across his face.