Chapter 2

I climbed over another ridge, the camp's watchtower coming into view. Different questions popped up in my mind as I approached the camp. What exactly happened to me? My body felt as good as new, no scars from the incident with the chimera were on my body. A small stone smacking me square in the forehead snapped me back to reality as I realized I was already a few paces from the outer gates. Looking up with a wince as rubbed my forehead, I spotted the idiot friend of mine, a hunter- humans with an affinity for mana that use parts of the beasts as weapons -and the one responsible for my current irritation.

"Yo! You good, Chan-yeol?" Yonghoo called with a wave and an annoyingly wide grin. I frowned at his antics, pausing a moment after. The air was tense and there was every right for it to be. The camp had seen its share of beast attacks in the past and the guards had always been the cautious types. So, the fact I had supposedly gone on a scavenging mission and I returned alone and leisurely was enough for them to find the entire situation suspicious.

"Chan-yeol, you ok bro?" Yonghoo asked, but there was something about the sincerity in his words. I clenched my fists and frowned, several thoughts raced through my head on how I could escape this situation. "We were told that something had happened to you and the rest of the team" he said solemnly, walking out of the gates towards me. I froze up for a moment- Told? Had someone survived? Or did one of the team members radio in? -before relaxing with a chuckle. "I survived, it's crazy and you won't believe it" I said giving a tired smile as I rubbed the back of my head. I really didn't know I'd be happy to see his messy haired and fully bearded face again. Yonghoo placed his left hand on my left shoulder and leaned forward to whisper into my ear "Monster, the biggest mistake you made was approaching this camp in the form of my brother, the one your ally killed. So, I'll give you the chance to transform back to your original form before I tear you apart". His words and the aura he emitted sent chills down my spine, cautiously glancing at him, a few sweat drops found their way down my face. I always thought Yonghoo was joking when he called himself the strongest hunter in the region but at that moment I felt a presence similar to what I felt from the bastard who killed me. I gulped knowing one wrong move could have been my end.

"Yonghoo, it's really me and we need to talk" I stated as earnestly as possible but the glare I received from our brief eye contact told me that he didn't believe me. I couldn't die again, much less at the hands of this idiot. Steeling myself, I turned to face Yonghoo "You shouldn't do something you're going to regret for the rest of your life. Because when you do find out that you killed the one you call your brother, we both know the guilt will consume you and as much as that stupid smile of your pisses me off, I wouldn't want my friend to become a hollow shell of himself". Yonghoo locked his eyes with mine as he gestured the other guards forward.

I facepalmed with a sigh "You can be mature at the unnecessary moments, Yonghoo" the guards surrounding me, guns in hand.

"You can't expect me to believe you that easily and even if it's you Chan-yeol, you could be under hypnosis or some mind control and you aren't aware of it" Yonghoo explained earning another sigh from me. Why couldn't he be an idiot when it benefitted me. With another gesture he led the guards as they guided me to a makeshift cell not so far from the guardroom. Opening one of the cells, I was guided inside, the door swiftly shutting after me.

"You'll be kept here in the meantime until any evidence proves that you really are Kim Chan-yeol" Yonghoo solemnly stated, his gaze not leaving mine the entire time. Waving him off nonchalantly, I flopped onto the small bed at the corner of the room, banging my knee on the way down. Waiting till the guards had left me, I glanced back to see Yonghoo standing right on the other side of the bars.

"You don't have any reason to stay here you know right?" I commented refusing to meet his gaze

"You're not even going to try and explain what happened?" Yonghoo asked, his tone reflecting pitiful concern, the type that I despised. Turning to him, my curiosity had finally gotten the better of me leading to my question "How exactly did you guys find about what happened with the team and all? because I can't remember anyone even having the chance to radio back". Yonghoo frowned and replied sternly "One of your teammates survived". I was baffled, someone actually escaped the chimera, How? I rubbed face tiredly, turning back to Yonghoo I sighed.

"Alright then, I guess I'll fill you in" I stated, the questions and doubts exhausting me as they clouded my mind. "We ran into a chimera and even though the only ones I've seen are behind a screen, I could tell this one was a fully matured one and it fucking played around with us..." I paused afterwards.

"You don't have to say anything if it's too hard" Yonghoo stated, that pitiful concern still emanating off his words. But it made me realize something, I wasn't scared at all, not of the fact that I died or that the chimera was still out there, in fact I wanted to get stronger so I could get back at that bastard. I noticed that Yonghoo was staring at me and I continued speaking "I'm fine, I just feel a bit different. I guess the saying that near death experiences change a person is actually true" - I couldn't tell him everything, hell I didn't even fully understand what had happened to me. There was no reason to sound like a crazy person especially in my position and even if I considered Yonghoo an idiot, he had a strong influence on the camp whereas I couldn't care less what they said about me.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose "What about your mana? How did you accumulate so much?"

I chuckled with a shrug "I have no idea. I passed out and the next thing I know when I wake up is that I'm all healed and I felt stronger than before." I was strangely exhausted by the questioning especially since I felt it had no use. Gazing at me once more, his eyes searching for answers- ones I believed he didn't find -and shaking his head sighing again.

"Go get some sleep dude you'll hurt your head thinking so much" I said with a wave as I flopped back on the bed. I waited for him to leave but being the persistent idiot, he stood there still watching me.

I tiredly opened my eyes, body aching from my messy sleeping position. I glanced around the cell, unsure of what time it was, I sat up on the bed, tiredly rubbing at my eyes. The memories of the incidents resurfaced one more and I let out an angry sigh. Not knowing where to start or how far I had to go to access that power, I took off my shirt and began a set of push-ups. I wasn't muscular but I was quite fit if I would say, months of being a scavenger coupled with my time in the military had helped build my endurance. Dropping to the ground in exhaustion, I felt a hunch that this was far from enough, my goal was getting back at that bastard and I needed to be much stronger. A rattle of dishes caught my attention as turned towards the hallway that led to my cell. A familiar guard- well, his bald head and Viking beard were unforgettable -stopped in front of my cell holding a tray of food.

"Face to the wall with your hands up" he stated, his gruff voice echoing across the cell. Turning away with a chuckle, a jingle of keys broke the silence, the gate to my cell opening as the tray of food slid into the room. The gates hurriedly shut as the guard backed away from the wall, studying me for a moment before leaving. I picked up the tray, noting the small portion of food and the single glass of water alongside it. Sitting cross legged on my bed after the unsatisfying meal, I meditated. I had no idea how that would work but for some reason a hunch of some sort guided me in that direction. "How long do I have to keep all this up for?" I muttered with a sigh.

The rattle of the gates distracted me, glancing at Yonghoo entering, the bucket of water and the towel in his hand surprised me. "Why didn't you let the other guards bring it like they've been doing for days?" I asked dipping the towel into the bucket.

"It's been months actually" Yonghoo stated surprising me as I dropped the towel back in the bucket.

"Months?" I asked peeking at the small window above my bed, the darkness outside startling me

"Six weeks to be exact" he replied glancing around

"How's the talk with the leaders going?" I questioned, dabbing my face and body with the damp towel

"It's not going anywhere. There's no solid evidence to prove you're who say you are and your increasing mana levels aren't helping"

"What does my mana level have to do with anything?" I asked, brow raised

"Kim Chan-yeol the scavenger didn't have any mana, now you show with more mana than an average hunter." Yonghoo stated turning back to him. Yonghoo himself wasn't entirely sure if I was truly Kim Chan-yeol, so he searched and waited for signs, things that could help him confirm my identity.

"Well the leaders can go screw themselves if they think I won't get any stronger just to please them." I said flicking out my middle finger. Yonghoo chuckled and I realized that was the first genuine smile I had seen from him since I arrived at the camp. Tapping his shoulder, I faced him with a frown "Quit doing troublesome stuff". Frowning suddenly, he held up his hand.

"What is it?" I whispered

"Monsters. They're here" he said rushing out of the cell, about to rush after him a sudden chill made me pause.

"What the hell is out there?" I muttered. A scream from just outside the cell window and continuous gunfire caused me to fall into a sort of trance, by the time my focus returned there a strange circle before me and a pointed piece of wood in front of my open palm. The word summon kept ringing through my head for some reason and I instinctively cut my hand. The shadow on the wall before me felt more ominous and a pair of yellow eyes stared directly at me from within.

TO THINK YOU WOULD BE THE HUMAN TO CALL OUT TO ME

The voice echoed in my head. Massaging my temple, I recalled a similar voice; the one that brought me back to life and gave me this power. But I knew that the one then and this one were different. A growl from just outside the gates distracted me.

THE SMELL OF DEATH…IT SEEMS THEY KNOW THAT YOU'RE STILL ALIVE

"Huh? Who's they?" as if on cue a beast poked it's head into my cell. It was a tall humanoid beast; its shriveled skin was pulled tightly over its bones. Its bones pushed out against its skin which was covered in disheveled fur and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets. Its flesh was falling off and its organs were exposed, the beast gave off a strong odor of decay. It was no different from the books and sites I researched when I had an interest in it.

THE WENDIGO HUH? The voice sounded in my head once more as the wall was blown back. I shielded my face from the rubble, the wendigo that entered the cell was crushed by a large grey paw. Looking up, a large wolf stood above me. It stared down at me, the yellow eyes I saw in the shadows looking much bigger.

Its mouth opened slightly as a surprisingly smooth voice made it's way to my ear "Human, fire is their weakness. So whatever tool you humans use and set these things ablaze so I don't have to smell them anymore". My expression went from astonishment to that of disgust as the sharp rotting smell hit me. I bent over holding my nose, waves of nausea hitting me. I spared a glance at the wolf to note its widened eyes. I closed my eyes and channeled mana towards my nostrils, the putrid smell dying down.

NOW GO

"Hu…man wit…h ma..na deli..shusss" its slurred words and its spilling organs made me grimace. I stared down at my hand, breathing slowly- a sort of blue light stretched out from my knuckles, running out to my wrist and fingertips -and clenched it. Focusing on that feeling, I studied the creature as it darted side to side, approaching me.

It's fast I thought as I blocked a hook skidding to a stop a few paces from the beast, my arm ached as I opened and closed my fists returning my gaze to the monster. With quick breaths, I focused once more, channeling my mana to my fingertips, dashing forward afterwards. Ducking low under the wendigo's swing, I landed a jab on its exposed ribcage knocking it back not before I was temporarily blinded by something that got in my eye.

I froze in place, slowly reaching to wipe the liquid that had splashed on my face. The foul odor made it difficult for me to deny but I wished to confirm, slowly sniffing my finger my face squeezed up.

"I'll kill you!!" I yelled angrily. The bastard had sprayed pus and blood all over me. Turning angrily to the beast, I charged at it, grabbing a metal rod I presumed was from the gate. It sprung up and swung its right hand in a wide arc, spinning under it, I struck its elbow and continued with another swing- one that I put as much force and mana I could -sticky cold blood splashing on me as its skull cracked open in front of me. Sighing, I raced to the storage area closest to the outer fences, moving from one section to the other as I packed up the leftover gasoline kegs.

If the wendigo horde are mainly by the outer gates then if I surround the camp with fire, that should keep them away for the time being. I packed the kegs into the trunk of a pick-up truck and drove. Circling the camp while making the occasional stops to set down another keg to spill out, I skidded to a stop and emptied the last keg forming a trail away from the circle. I tossed the keg aside, cautiously glancing around- none of the beasts were in sight.

HUMAN WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG? The wolf's voice rang out in my head, the lighter nearly dropping from my hand.

"I'm working on that" I frowned, picking up the lighter. I dropped the lighter on the trail and in a matter of seconds roaring flames surrounded the camp.

Yes! I pumped my fist in celebration as shadows- ones that I believed were the monsters -scampered away the flames.

IT IS TOO EARLY TO CELEBRATE HUMAN, FOCUS AND YOU'LL NOTICE IT

I closed my eyes, looking up and focused, amidst the smell of corpses, burning grass and that of death, a faint and familiar smell. "R…ra..in?" I muttered, baffled as a few drops landed on my face. The thunder echoed across the plains, the rain falling almost immediately. The flames sputtered weakly against the rain then they died off along with any hope of saving the camp.