Young Man

Meanwhile...

Munch. Munch. Munch.

A young man, roughly Jax's age, sat by the bonfire. His eyes fixed on the skewered tentacle of a massive red octopus as it sizzled and crackled in the flames. He held another tentacle in his hand, devouring it with ravenous abandon, as if the world was about to end and this was his last meal.

As he finished off the tentacle in his hand, he plucked the second one from the bonfire. The charred flesh of the meaty octopus glistening in the firelight. With a few swift bites, he devoured the remaining tentacle, his hunger seemingly insatiable.

"Burp! I need some water," the young man said, glancing around without much enthusiasm. Not seeing any water, he let out a lazy sigh and stood up, ambling off in no particular direction to find something to drink.

Looking at the young man, he appeared unremarkable. His pale purple shoulder-length hair was disheveled, and his clothes were even more worn and tattered than Jax's, giving the impression that he had been living a rugged, wilderness lifestyle for some time.

But despite his rough appearance, there was something intimidating about him. He stood tall, and his piercing purple eyes seemed to have seen it all — the good, the bad, and everything in between. It was as if he'd already experienced all life had to offer. And yet wasn't impressed.

But then, as he walked, something seemed to click and his carefree expression changed in an instant. Frustration took over, and his face twisted with annoyance.

"Damn it," the young man growled in a low tone. "How the hell am I supposed to get out of this crappy place?" He thought again about the only way out, but it only made him more and more frustrated.

In the end, he let out a deep sigh and slowly shook his head. There was nothing he could do now. Maybe, if fate allowed it... then...

''Aaahhhhh!!!!''

The young man was still in the midst of his hopeful thoughts when, suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a panicked shout coming from up ahead. He stopped in his tracks and squinted to see what was happening. That was when he saw another young man running desperately towards him.

"What the...? Another person? Here? How?" The young man's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the other human, who looked frail and vulnerable.

But more than that...

The young man's gaze shifted to what was further behind the desperate runner, and his eyes went wide with shock. The runner was being chased by a massive school of pufferfish, their hungry eyes fixed on their prey.

The young man's eyes narrowed in skepticism. How could this kid be so reckless as to attract such a massive swarm of those annoying things? Did he have a death wish or something? Was he an idiot?

The young man he was talking about was obviously Jax in the actual flesh.

Jax's lungs burned as he raced through the twisted, overgrown foliage, his feet pounding against the uneven ground. Behind him, the eerie, gurgling cries of the Cute Puffy grew ever louder, their puffy forms surging forward in a relentless pursuit.

Thankfully, Jax was quick at his feet. He managed to runaway earlier even before those Cute Puffies could surround him and give him no room to escape.

But it didn't mean that the Cute Puffies had already lost track of him. On the contrary, they chased him with even greater ferocity, as if determined to catch him dead this time.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why won't they just leave me alone?!" Jax growled, his teeth clenched in the mix of frantic and frustration. "I thought they were afraid of sunlight! Why are they chasing me in this broad daylight now?!'' His eyes darting left and right, desperate to spot the elusive sanctuary he sought. ''I must find a Cave of Concealment as soon as...''

Just as Jax was about to finish his thought, his eyes landed on something that made his heart skip a beat. He blinked three times, wondering if he was seeing things, but the image remained the same.

Gritting his teeth, he yelled at the top of his lungs and said, "Hey, you! Over there! Get out of here, now! Don't get caught up in this swarm of pufferfish!"

Jax's mind reeled in shock. He hadn't expected to find another human being in this desolate place, let alone someone around his own age. The stranger's presence raised a flurry of questions. Was he a native of this unforgiving land? Or was he, like him, on a mission that had led him to this remote spot?

Jax didn't know. And he didn't care about that right now.

However, that young man was on the way. He needed to warn him, or else he would get killed.

Step. Step. And more and more furious steps.

As Jax sprinted forward, his footsteps pounding the ground in rapid succession. Step by step, he narrowed the distance between himself and the young man. Yet that young man remained rooted on the same spot, seemingly unaware of the danger hurtling towards him.

To make it worse, the young man's eyes were fixed on Jax, his expression a picture of confusion, as if a giant question mark hovered above his head. He looked utterly perplexed, and Jax couldn't help but feel like he was the one who was crazy here.

Damn it! What kind of gaze was that? Jax couldn't help but grit his teeth even tighter in annoyance.

Swoosh!

Jax finally sprinted past the young man, but his surprise turned to astonishment when he glanced back to see that the stranger still hadn't moved.

Gritting his teeth, Jax's feet skidded to a stop as he hesitated, then spun around to face the young man. His voice hoarse with urgency, as he bellowed, "What's wrong with you?! Can't you see those things closing in?! Run, you idiot, or you'll be toasted!"

''Huh? Why?'' The young man spoke with a careless response, as Jax's eyes widened in incredulity. The young man's expression remained serene, utterly disconnected from the danger lurking ahead of him. Without even bothering to turn around, he scratched the back of his head as he added, "I don't see any problem here, though."

''Ugh...'' Jax's eyebrows twitched wildly as he struggled to respond. It was like trying to reason with a brick wall.

For a moment, he wondered if the young man was somehow sent by fate to aid in his own escape. A cynical thought crept into his mind. With this oblivious stranger as a distraction, Jax's chances of getting away had just increased exponentially.

But would his conscience allow him to see an innocent young man die because of his ignorance?

"..." Jax thought for a moment.

Of course, his conscience would! He didn't even need a conscience in this shitty place.

Jax's resolve hardened. In a place as unforgiving as this, conscience was a luxury he couldn't afford. Survival was all that mattered. And also, he'd already warned the young man. If he chose to ignore it, that was all on him now.

With that in mind, Jax turned his back on the young man and took off in a sprint. As he fled, a ruthless thought crossed his mind, "You'd better buy me some time to get out of here."

''Begone, you insects.''

Jax had barely covered a few meters when a cold, sinister voice cut through the air and sent forth chills down his spine. His feet seemed to move of their own accord, slowing to a stop as he turned his head to gaze back over his shoulder.

But when Jax met the absurd reality, his eyes widened as he spun around with his feet rooted to the spot. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Cute Puffies, those furious and relentless pursuers, now lay on the ground, twitching and convulsing. The sudden and drastic change was both astonishing and terrifying.

As their lives seemed like slipping away, their bodies that looked more like corpses piled one after another. It was as if a devastating scourge had ravaged them, inflicting a fate far more horrific than mere slaughter.

"What the hell..." Jax's eyes went wide as he gasped. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he swallowed hard with his mind reeling. That guy... had he really taken down the entire pack of Cute Puffies in a single, swift motion? The sheer impossibility of it left Jax stunned, his thoughts racing to comprehend the unfathomable.

Who on earth was that guy? What was he? Was he still a human? Or a demon in human clothing? Jax was flooded with a series of questions in mind. But as all these questions swirled, one emotion rose above the rest.

Fear.

It gripped Jax's heart, icy and unyielding, as he stared at the young man with a mix of awe and trepidation.

Should he run away now? Jax's instincts screamed at him to flee, to put as much distance between himself and the mysterious young man as possible.

Something about that young man seemed to radiate an aura of menace, making Jax's skin crawl. He couldn't shake the feeling that his life was now more precarious than ever, and that this enigmatic stranger posed a far greater threat than the Cute Puffies ever had.

Just as Jax was contemplating a hasty retreat, a sudden, reckless idea seized his mind. His gaze drifted to the heap of Cute Puffies, and as he looked, he sensed the familiar tug of their souls, calling out to him like a siren's song. The prospect sent a shiver down his spine, and for a moment, his desire for escape was eclipsed by a hunger for something more.

Gazing at the vast number of souls before him, Jax's mouth began to water. Wasn't this a heaven-sent opportunity? All he had to do was harvest those souls, and his mission would be accomplished in an instant.

"I shouldn't let this chance slip away!" Jax thought to himself, his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke with growing excitement. Despite his fear, a thrill of anticipation was building inside him, giving him the courage to take a step forward and approach the young man he had just met.

If he was a friend, then that was a good thing. But if he was a foe, then bye-bye.