Blood on the Floor
A Frantic Search
Remond's fingers were tight around his phone, his breath uneven as he redialed Yuki's number.
No answer.
He tried again.
Nothing.
His mind raced. What happened to her?
Then, an idea struck him. He opened his Mapper app, quickly scanning for Yuki's last known location.
His stomach dropped.
Her last location was near Master Ho Dieng's house.
Without wasting another second, he bolted.
---
Devastation
When Remond reached the location, his breath caught in his throat.
Ho Dieng's house was in ruins.
The walls were smashed in, the wooden beams splintered and broken. Glass shards covered the ground, glinting like ice in the moonlight. The air smelled of blood and burnt wood.
What the hell happened here…?
Remond stepped through the wreckage carefully, eyes scanning for any signs of Yuki.
Nothing.
No footprints. No signs of a struggle beyond the destruction itself.
His heart pounded.
Where is Yuki?
He searched the area for hours, running through the city, checking places she might have gone—but there was nothing.
At one point, he even considered calling Master Ho Dieng for help, but his hand froze over his phone.
No… I can't.
Master Ho Dieng had left town after receiving an urgent call from the International Agency for Diplomatic Relations (IADR).
Before leaving, he had made Remond promise not to call him, knowing Yuki would try to stop him if she found out that her injured grandfather was heading into a dangerous mission.
Remond gritted his teeth.
His only lead was gone. His only source of help was out of reach.
Frustrated, exhausted, and overwhelmed, he decided to head home.
But when he opened the door, his world shattered.
---
The Horror Inside
Innes was dead.
Her body lay on the floor of his apartment, twisted, lifeless—her abdomen ripped open, intestines spilling out in a pool of blood.
Remond froze.
The air was thick with the scent of iron.
His mind refused to process it.
No… No, no, NO!
His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto his knees beside her.
Her eyes were still open.
The light in them gone.
His hand trembled as he reached forward, pressing his fingers against her wrist—desperately hoping for a pulse.
Nothing.
His breathing turned ragged.
His vision blurred.
His heart pounded against his ribs so hard it hurt.
He had just seen her yesterday.
They had talked, they had laughed, they had—
A movement.
A faint tremor in the air.
Something was here.
Remond snapped his head up, his instincts screaming at him.
And then—
A shimmer.
Like rippling glass.
The air distorted, bending, shifting—
And suddenly, a figure appeared.
A chameleon animaloid.
Its reptilian skin shimmered back into view, its sharp claws drenched in blood.
Innes' blood.
The realization hit him like a bullet.
This thing—it killed her.
For a second, his body refused to move.
Then, rage.
Pure, unfiltered rage.
The air around him crackled.
His body lit up with the glow of Mod 2nd.
The animaloid's yellow eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Remond didn't care.
He launched forward with inhuman speed.
His fist crashed into the creature's chest, sending it flying through the air.
BOOM!
It slammed against the wall, coughing up blood, but before it could react, Remond was already on top of it.
He grabbed it by the throat—
And squeezed.
The chameleon scratched at his arm, but Remond didn't even feel it.
The room shook with the force of his rage.
Then, with a final, brutal punch to its skull, the creature stopped moving.
Remond's breaths were ragged. His hands drenched in blood.
His entire body shook.
He turned his head slowly, looking at Innes' lifeless form one last time.
His chest tightened so hard it felt like he was being crushed from the inside.
But before he could process it—
CRASH!
The entire wall behind him exploded.
---
The Monsters Come
From the dust and debris, two figures emerged.
A polar bear man.
A tiger man.
Both of them towered over him, their eyes glowing with predatory hunger.
Remond barely had time to react before they attacked.
The tiger man lunged first.
Remond dodged, barely avoiding the claws that sliced through the air like daggers.
The polar bear came next, swinging its massive arm—
Remond blocked, but the sheer force sent him flying through the remains of his apartment.
CRASH!
His back hit the ground hard, pain exploding through his ribs.
But he couldn't stop.
Not now.
Not after everything.
His vision blurred from the pain, but he forced himself up.
The polar bear rushed him, but this time, Remond was ready.
He ducked under its swing, twisted his body, and delivered a devastating elbow to its ribs.
CRACK!
The beast staggered, roaring in pain.
Remond didn't stop.
He turned, using his momentum to drive his fist into the tiger man's gut.
The force sent the creature skidding back, coughing up blood.
But they were strong.
And they weren't alone.
More figures emerged from the shadows outside his apartment.
More animaloids.
Remond's breathing grew heavy.
His body ached.
His home was destroyed.
Innes was dead.
He was surrounded.
He couldn't win this.
He had to escape.
Gritting his teeth, Remond pushed his limits.
He tapped into everything he had left, activating Mod 2nd at full power.
The glow around him intensified.
His muscles tightened, energy coiling like a spring inside him.
Then—
BOOM!
He blasted forward, breaking through the enemies in a burst of speed.
They clawed at him, trying to hold him back—
But he was faster.
He tore through the barricade of bodies, dashing out into the city.
The night air rushed past him as he ran.
As he escaped.
But even as he left the wreckage behind, one thought consumed his mind.
This wasn't over.
They took Innes.
They took Sid.
They took everything.
And he was going to make them pay.