Kamcy

  I stood in the river just beside my cave, right where the waterfall spilled down into a wide, churning pool.

  Cold water rushed around my calves, pressing against my skin with constant force, numbing and sharp at the same time. I closed my eyes and let the sound of the waterfall drown out everything else—the roar of falling water, the hiss of foam as it smashed against stone, the distant calls of creatures deeper in the forest.

  Both hands were wrapped around my spear.

  I slowed my breathing.

  In.

  Out.

  I let everything around me fade away. Didn't think about the forest. Didn't think about its monsters. I focused only on sensation—the vibration of the spear shaft against my palms, the subtle shift of water as fish passed beneath the surface, the faint pull of energy humming quietly within my body.

  Then—

  I moved.

  My body snapped into motion with blinding speed. The spear thrust forward so fast that the old me would barely have registered its movement. The water split apart in a sharp V, rippling outward as the tip vanished beneath the surface.

  I pulled the spear back up.

  Two fish writhed on the shaft, skewered clean through their bodies.

  I blinked once.

  Then I ughed under my breath.

  I'd been fast before, but this was different. The enhancement felt smoother now—more natural. I hadn't thrust twice. I had, technically, but the movements were so perfectly chained that it looked like a single strike. My control over the energy had sharpened, refined into something precise instead of explosive.

  Stepping out of the river, I shook the water from my legs and walked toward the cave entrance. I grabbed the woven basket I'd left there earlier—its design a little crude but sturdy, with straps looped over it so I could wear it across my back like a school bag. Inside were several fruits I'd gathered over the past few days, some bruised, some still fresh.

  I slung the basket on and reached for my whip, securing it around my waist in a makeshift belt holster, the braided length coiled neatly against my hip. My dagger followed, bone-white and sharp, tucked securely where my hand could find it without looking.

  Only then did I head back into the cave.

  The fish were cleaned quickly. Blood ran over my hands and dripped onto the stone floor as I worked, the smell of raw flesh sharp in the enclosed space. I roasted them over the fire, turning them slowly until the skin blistered and cracked.

  I tried to season them with crushed leaves and dried pnt spices I'd found. I even managed to find pepper after a long search—nothing close to salt, but it added better taste and a faint aromatic bite that made the meal more bearable.

  I ate slowly, chewing thoroughly, letting the warmth settle into my stomach. When I finished, I reached for my water pouch—animal skin stitched together with fibers—and took a long swig.

  Five days.

  That's how long it had been since I'd stopped throwing myself at death nonstop and started trying to build something resembling normalcy inside this nightmare of a simution.

  Maybe it was a form of subconscious therapeutic process, a way to heal from the recent events I'd been through.

  After cleaning up, I moved deeper into the cave, toward the back wall.

  That's where my test project waited.

  Bat guano was piled carefully to one side, dried and powdered as much as possible. Bamboo segments y nearby, hollowed and sealed at one end. I'd scavenged resin, fibrous binding material, and fragments of stone to act as crude shrapnel.

  Explosives.

  Not refined ones. Not anything modern. But functional.

  Bat guano was rich in votile compounds, especially when dried and processed correctly. On its own, it was unstable—unreliable. But combined with pnt resins that burned hot and fast, and compressed within a sealed container like bamboo, it could produce a violent release of pressure.

  Not true gunpowder.

  But close enough to rupture flesh.

  The bamboo acted as both casing and pressure chamber. When ignited, the internal gases would expand rapidly, splitting the casing apart and sending fragments outward in every direction.

  Perfect for emergencies.

  I assembled one carefully, packing the contents tightly, sealing it with resin, and leaving a short improvised fuse made from treated pnt fiber.

  I stared at it for a long moment.

  Then I nodded to myself.

  Satisfied, I set it aside and returned to the cave entrance, sitting just behind the curtain of falling water. The constant roar filled the space, vibrating through my bones. Mist clung to my skin, cool and calming.

  I sat cross-legged and exhaled.

  "Heh… I feel like one of those monks or xianxia cultivation protagonists," I muttered.

  Just thinking about the situation I was in—trying to master a new form of energy to "transcend my mortal coil."

  I burst out ughing, loud and uncontrolled, the sound echoing off the stone walls. I smacked my cheeks with both hands as I forced myself to focus.

  "Get serious."

  I closed my eyes.

  And dove inward.

  The world fell away.

  I reached for that familiar internal space within me. I observed the internal flow of the energy—it was time for another attempt. The process was the same as before: isoting the flow, compressing it, guiding it into rotation.

  A sphere.

  That was the goal.

  I hadn't been scking these past few days. I'd been observing. Testing. Every failure had taught me something—how anxiety caused instability, how force without intent led to colpse, how hesitation introduced reversal.

  The energy stirred.

  It began to spin.

  Too fast.

  I forced myself not to panic.

  I cleared my mind, pushing everything else aside. Hunger. Pain. Fear. Doubt. I focused only on will—on intent. The sphere resisted, pressure mounting as the energy strained against containment.

  My body screamed.

  Muscles tore microscopically. Bones vibrated. Blood vessels strained as the force threatened to rip me apart from the inside. The all-too-familiar but excruciating pain that had ended my life a few times surged through me, sharp and consuming.

  I held on.

  Held the sensation.

  I exerted my will in an effort to force it to obey.

  The reverse spin, like a rebellious child, continued. It began siphoning my energy and the energy from my surroundings. I felt like I was losing control, but like previous times, I didn't let go.

  I continued exerting control over the energy. If that creature with little intelligence could find a way to accomplish this, then of what use was I if I was incapable of it? The sensation built on. I felt the pain increase as control slipped from my fingers.

  It was like attempting to stop an out-of-control speeding vehicle when the brakes had been cut.

  Just as it felt like I was going to die again, something happened.

  It reversed.

  Then—stopped, before beginning to stabilise, like it was actually turning solid.

  The pressure vanished instantly.

  A euphoric sensation flooded my body, so sudden it almost made me gasp. The energy stabilized, locking into pce as if it had always belonged there. It was a small blue orb that spread energy across pathways in my body—its effect immediately noticeable.

  My body felt lighter.

  Stronger.

  An imperceptible aura of blue energy shimmered around me, faint arcs of electricity crackling across my skin. The dull ache in my healing arm vanished completely, repced by warmth and strength.

  For a moment, I felt unstoppable.

  Like I could tear a mountain apart with my bare hands.

  ROAAAAAAR!!

  The sound shattered the moment.

  One roar—then another. Then more, echoing across the forest from every direction.

  I masked my presence instantly.

  Heart pounding, I thanked every lucky star I had that I'd reacted in time. When the sounds faded, relief crashed over me.

  Then excitement.

  I ughed, breathless and wild.

  I'd done it.

  Finally.

  Now it was time to test what this really meant.

  Mr. Adeyemi

  Mr. Adeyemi stood in his office beside Dr. Moritemi, both of them staring at the screen dispying Kamcy's progress.

  Pride curved their smiles—soft, satisfied, almost parental.

  "This is unbelievable progress," Dr. Moritemi said, her voice buzzing with excitement. "The speed at which he's accomplishing this is almost unprecedented."

  "Well, we can't say that for sure," Mr. Adeyemi replied calmly. "Given how little contact we have with the rest of the world at the moment. But yes—this is wonderful."

  He paused, then added lightly, "Now I wonder if all the subjects would benefit from going through this as well."

  "Please, sir, don't even consider that," Dr. Moritemi said sharply. "We lost too many subjects attempting this method. The success-to-colpse ratio was practically us throwing things at a wall and hoping something stuck, and we—"

  "Calm down, madam. Sheesh," he interrupted with a chuckle. "I'm just pulling your leg."

  His tone shifted.

  "Tell them to accelerate his time flow. He needs to serve his sentence and join his siblings quickly. He caused this mess—he should help fix it."

  She nodded and exited.

  Once alone, Mr. Adeyemi finally turned his attention to the blinking red dot on his desk. He pressed the button.

  Static.

  Then a voice.

  "I heard there was an incident at your b," the man said. "Bad enough that you've lost two sectors within the week."

  "Well, if you must know, that is indeed true," Mr. Adeyemi replied evenly. "But everything will be in order within the week."

  "Are we just going to be hearing bad news from you and your team while the rest of us twiddle our thumbs in your incompetence, or are we going to see actual results?"

  "Now, now, Mr—control yourself," Mr. Adeyemi said calmly. "The results you so want have been achieved by a subject, which means our methods work. And within the week, we'll have our first field testing to see their effectiveness. So yes—you and your lot can sit and twiddle your thumbs and await results. They'll be sent to you shortly."

  There was a short burst of static accompanied by silence.

  "Mhm," the man cleared his throat. "You mean one of them awakened? Virtual or real?"

  "Virtual," Mr. Adeyemi replied. "The files will be sent shortly."

  "And you're certain this conditioning can be trusted?"

  "You'll see results soon," he replied calmly.

  "Well, we'll be awaiting news, Mr. Adeyemi."

  The line went dead.

  Mr. Adeyemi stared at the speaker, shook his head, then turned back to Kamcy's feed, a smile returning to his face.

  Kamcy

  I stepped into the forest fully armed.

  Whip. Daggers. Sword. Bow and quiver. And a trusty spear.

  I didn't bother masking my energy at first, trying to attract trouble.

  Nothing came.

  Disappointed, I masked my presence, heightened my senses, and started following the pull toward danger—not the overwhelming you will die kind, as I wisely chose to avoid those, but the kind that felt like it promised a good fight where I had a chance to learn what I was now capable of.

  Eventually, I slowed.

  Found a rather tall tree and climbed.

  I notched an arrow and took aim.

  Two hundred meters out, I spotted it.

  A wolf-like creature—six feet tall, sturdy, white-furred. Its head was wrong. Like members of its species, it had a crown of mushroom-like fungal growths spreading outward, and five glowing blue-spotted feelers writhed from its neck.

  Just as I prepared to fire my arrow, I felt another presence fre from behind me.

  I flipped and turned to look at what had attacked me.

  It was a second one with the same wolf-like design. A single bite from it had bitten clean through the branch I'd stood on—mind you, that branch was as thick as a grown man's torso.

  I didn't g behind. I fired mid-air.

  The arrow, reinforced by my energy, punched through its skull, and it dropped.

  Landing in a squat, I knocked another arrow. I could sense them.

  More danger.

  A quick count told me they numbered twelve.

  I ughed.

  "Is this the hunter becoming the hunted?" I said, backing up slowly. I couldn't let them surround me.

  "Hahaha… this is more than I bargained for."

  I exhaled.

  "Well…"

  "It is what it is."