Ch 22: I want some answers- Part 1

[New Directive: Proceed to Designated Location.]

The system's message was clear and it guided Selene. She felt like she needed to check out what she had missed.

Selene followed the system's guidance, her feet moving on their own. The pull was subtle yet undeniable, leading her through winding streets and into a dimly lit alley.

She stopped at the entrance, unease settling deep in her bones.

The air was colder than it should be. Shadows clung to the walls unnaturally.

Selene frowned as she walked further down the alley. It made her skin crawl in a bad way and Selene could not help but shudder as she kept walking.

"This feels like a dungeon. I am sure I have even been in a place like this before." 

Her voice was barely above a whisper. And yet, it felt like her voice was echoing around the place as she walked.

She took a cautious step forward. Then another. Her feet barely made any noise, and yet, her steps felt loud in her ears.

"If a monster jumps down now, I wouldn't even be surprised." 

She muttered.

Before she could take another breath—

THUD!

Something heavy crashed behind her. It was as if she had cursed herself when she spoke before.

Her instincts screamed. She threw herself to the side just in time to avoid a brutal attack.

A low, guttural growl echoed in the alley.

Selene turned her head, and her blood ran cold.

A monstrous dog-like creature stood where she had been. It was a monster she had never seen before and her quick eyes took a good look to remember what she was seeing.

Its fur was matted and patchy, its eyes gleamed with unnatural hunger, and thick foam dripped from its mouth. It let out a snarl, crouching as if ready to pounce.

Selene's mind blanked. Her eyes looked but her brain felt empty, almost like it did not want to compute what she was seeing.

This… This shouldn't exist yet. It was creatinaly a creature of the apocalypse. But the fall had not started yet.

Monsters weren't here yet. The world hadn't fallen apart. Not yet.

The creature lunged toward Selene, it's claw shining in the light and it headed toward Selene to end her life.

However, Selene's training kicked in and she was a lucky one.

Selene's body moved on its own. Her hands shot out, grabbing the closest thing she could find—a dented dustbin lid.

She barely managed to lift it before the monster crashed into her makeshift shield.

BANG!

The impact sent a jolt through her arms. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to hold steady. It hurt to have something this heavy slam into her, but she needed to keep holding on as long as possible.

After all, this was the only line of defence Selene had at the moment.

The beast snarled and prepared for another strike. Selene braced herself—

Then, suddenly—

SHLNK!

The monster froze. A thin line of blood trickled down its neck and all the way toward Selen behind her make-shift shield. The monster had been slain.

Its body convulsed once before going completely limp.

Selene's breath hitched as she lowered her shield to take a good look at what had happened. 

But even as she did, she could not comprehend what she was looking at in front of her.

Standing behind the creature was a man she knew well.

Golden eyes gleamed under the dim light. A sharp sword was buried deep in the monster's spine which now lay dead at his feet.

Ethan Park.

He pulled the blade free with a flick of his wrist, letting the corpse collapse unceremoniously onto the pavement. The black blood sizzled as it touched the ground before it broke down into particles and disappeared into the wind.

Selene slowly lowered the dustbin lid. Her hands were still shaking. Her brain felt like it could finally think again.

Ethan's lips curled into a smirk. 

"You look surprised. Did you not expect to make it out?"

Selene swallowed hard. 

"What are you talking about? And what was that creature? Where did it come from?."

Ethan wiped his blade on a cloth, completely unfazed. 

"Are you asking me about this? Hmm, well humans should not have any idea of what is going to come, but I have a feeling you are different. Do you already know about the end of the world?"

She narrowed her eyes. 

"What are you asking about? I am in utter shock here. And speaking of shock, you don't seem shocked about this either."

He glanced at her, tilting his head.

"I suppose I am not. Now, what do we do with this new information?"

Selene clenched her jaw. He wasn't wrong. Her reaction had been instinctive—like she had faced this before.

Because she had.

Ethan watched her for a moment before stepping closer.

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting to find you here. This was just a routine check-up of this site."

Selene took a slow breath, steadying herself. 

"And I wasn't expecting to find a monster here. Any idea what this thing is?" 

She glanced at the still-smoking corpse. 

Ethan hummed, nudging the body with his boot. 

"Not your average stray, that's for sure. Likely just a monster"

Selene felt her system ping again. A small notification flashed before her eyes.

[System Notification: You have encountered an Unstable Variant. Exp gained. Level 1->2. Gain more levels to unlock more abilities.]

Her brows furrowed. Unstable Variant? What did that even mean?

She turned to Ethan. 

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

He raised a brow. 

"If I did, do you think I'd tell you?"

That… was fair.

Selene exhaled, her mind racing. This wasn't normal. If monsters were already appearing, it meant something was wrong.

Something had changed.

Her return to the past wasn't following the same timeline she remembered.

Ethan sheathed his sword, watching her carefully. 

"So? What now?"

Selene straightened, determination settling in. 

"Now, I find out what's going on. And you…are going to tell me all about it."