The roar tore from Skylar’s throat, raw and passionate. Naked, coated in filth, and wielding a heavy bone club, he brought the weapon down again and again. Beneath the rhythmic, brutal impacts, the carapace of the giant red terrestrial insect shattered, spraying fluids onto the forest floor.
Skylar didn’t stop until the twitching ceased.
He paused, breath heaving, wiping sweat from his brow. It had been a long time since he mistakenly headed away from the ancient river and found himself here: a hellscape of titanic proportions.
He stood amidst a forest of gigantic black herbs, their stems towering over eighty-five meters into the gloom. It was a place where reality felt warped. The black stems were arrayed with thorns the size of spears, and the leaves—black, metallic, and sharp as guillotines—blocked out the sky. High above, some plants groaned under the weight of blood-red, hideous fruits.
Skylar, an ant in this garden of giants, had spent an eternity here. The experience had been harrowing, but as he looked at his kill, he felt no regret.
...
Survival had been a harsh teacher. At first, his "Sixth Sense" had been his crutch, until the day it failed. He had stumbled directly into a nightmare: a King Rat. A monstrosity of black metallic scales, blood-red eyes, and a spiked tail, feasting on a buffet of horrors.
Skylar had run like a punctured balloon losing air—frantic, chaotic, desperate.
But the chase had taught him the rules. When he scrambled up a towering stalk, ignoring the thorns shredding his skin, he learned that the King Rats—the apex predators—could not climb. They were stubborn, though. They would camp at the bottom for days.
Skylar had waited them out, his body burning from the plant’s toxins. But the pain brought clarity. He adapted.
The lessons were carved into his mind:
-
Camouflage: Paint yourself black. The rats are unnaturally intelligent, but they don’t see black as food.
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Resilience: Let the thorns cut you. Your body adapts to the poison; eventually, the pain becomes fuel.
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Shelter: Trade with the Giant Spiky Worms. They dig deep burrows. If you make fire for them, they crave the warmth enough to let you sleep in the dugout.
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Food: Hunt the Red Giants. They are slow, flightless, and their necks are soft. Hit them until they burst.
"The meat... the flavor has upgraded," Skylar muttered, chewing on a piece of roasted insect meat he had seared over a small fire. "It's almost palatable."
He sat in the dugout of a Spiky Worm, the creature chilling at the far end, basking in the heat. Skylar checked his supplies. He took a sip of water from a canteen fashioned from a hollow white bone.
I should head in that direction, he thought, eyeing a gap in the brush. It has the east activity. I just hope my senses aren't lying to me again. Heaven help, I’m running out of water.
He packed his meager belongings, left the fire burning as payment for his landlord, and stepped out of the burrow. His spirit was high. He had conquered the Black Garden. It was time to move on.
...
Time lost its meaning as Skylar traveled. Eventually, the oppressive canopy of the black herbs gave way.
A massive blue moon hung low in the sky, illuminating a new, suspicious landscape. Skylar stopped at the edge of the dark bush, staring at what lay ahead.
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"No matter how I look at this," Skylar muttered, "this looks like an elaborate trap. Or the lair of something I can’t sense."
Before him lay an ocean of black flowers. Unlike the wild bush, this was manicured. Regular, well-spaced tracks led into the unknown depths. The flowers glowed in vibrant, hypnotic colors, swaying gently as if waving to an audience. A sweet, intoxicating aroma drifted on the wind, masking the silence.
It was too quiet. The invasive tranquility screamed of danger.
"Fuck it. Who cares?"
Skylar ignored the warning bells in his head. Embracing the artificial peace, he dragged his bone club and baggage behind him and dove into the moonlit vegetation.
As he jogged down the pristine tracks, the atmosphere shifted. The further he went, the larger the flowers became. The vibrant glow faded, replaced by a gloomy, dull purple light. The leaves turned brown and needle-thin, the stems thickening into vine-like creepers.
"I knew something was up," Skylar whispered, looking skyward. "Not a single living creature."
Towering above him was impossibly gigantic daisy-like flower. It center was a deep, abyssal purple, blocking the sky like a solar eclipse. It seemed to gaze downward, watching the interesting little speck moving through their domain.
Skylar failed to notice the smaller details. The sunflower-like plants beside him slowly peeled open their centers, revealing serrated rings of black teeth bordering blood-red maws. They dripped hot, viscous liquid. Long, curled black tongues tasted the air.
He also failed to notice the colossal monstrosities ahead opening it enormous purple eyes, swimming in scleras of red fluid.
The light is dimming... Skylar realized, muscles tensing.
A sea of purple fog rolled in like a tide, drowning the world.
"What are they?"
Figures emerged from the mist. They possessed a human silhouette but were skinned in pitch black. Their hands and feet were clusters of sharp spikes. Where a face should be, there was only a vertical mouth rimmed with teeth, a long tongue lolling out.
They surrounded him.
Idiots, Skylar thought, a cold calm washing over him.
He moved like a cheetah. He pounced on the nearest creature, his fist connecting with the thing's head. It burst instantly.
So weak.
Skylar didn't stop. He tore through the horde, creating a path of carnage. He left his burdens behind, sprinting naked through the purple fog, seeking an exit that wasn't there.
Fuck, I need to dodge—
Attacks came from everywhere. Invisible blades sliced at him from the mist. He dodged most, but cuts accumulated on his body—bleeding gashes that would have felled a lesser man.
I understand now, he thought, hyper-focusing as he ran. My body heals when my adrenaline peaks. I just need to stay angry. Keep the heart rate up.
"Hihihi... eheh... you, cut, prey, fight, stupid..."
A voice echoed directly inside his mind, causing Skylar to skid to a halt.
Something completely inhuman... I couldn't even sense it.
From the swirling purple fog, a hooded figure skipped forward. It stopped, removing its hood to reveal a young girl of cosmic beauty. Her hair and eyes glowed purple, her features delicate and unrealistically perfect. Her skin had the sheen of plastic, reflecting the daisy's glow.
Her expression was playful. Malicious.
Where is she—?
The girl vanished. Instantly, a deep cut appeared on Skylar's shoulder.
"Fuck!"
She flickered in and out of existence, faster than sight. Each disappearance brought a new wound. Skylar groaned, dropping to one knee as a heavy blow struck his stomach.
"Hihi Not me like you! Spirit go, go..."
the voice mocked in his head.
Pain coursed through him. This was unbearable.
Then, the voice changed. It became soft. Familiar.
"Little Solo... my little Solo..."
Skylar froze. He raised his head. The monster was gone. In her place stood a familiar young girl, arms spread wide, waiting for him to dive into them for comfort.
How is she here? No...
"Come to me," the image beckoned.
Skylar’s breathing slowed. The blood dripping from his face went cold.
"Hey, motherfuckers," Skylar said, his voice deep and laced with a vibrating, dangerous warning. "I don't do this kind of play."
"Why, my little king? Why..." The pampering voice continued, the girl stepping closer.
"Why will people do foolish things that will just get them destroyed?" Skylar muttered, bowing his head as if in defeat.
The creature, confused by his reaction, stopped right in front of him. She leaned down, mouthing the words, "My..."
Skylar lifted his head.
"Hey. Do I look like I am playing to you?"
The voice did not come from Skylar’s vocal cords. It originated from beyond the cosmos, a sound that reverberated through the fabric of reality. It struck the creature’s spirit like a hammer, shattering her disguise instantly.
The cosmic beauty stood paralyzed, her plastic face twisting in bewilderment. She looked into Skylar’s eyes.
She saw a pair of eyes that contained nothing. And yet, they contained everything. The beginning and the end of all creation swirled within his pupils. It was a sight no finite mind could comprehend.
Terror—primeval and absolute—squeezed her mind. She had caught a glimpse of forbidden knowledge—the eternal's decrees.
She screamed. The sound carried the weight of her shattered sanity, traveling across the land, over the endless ocean, and into the worlds beyond.
Skylar—or the entity deep beneath—spoke one final word.
"Idiot."
And then, the cosmos collapsed.