Chapter 2 - Purple Fang

A black shadow darted from the bushes, its movements swift and agile, barely visible in the darkness of the night. The wind blew hard, carrying the scent of wet earth and dry leaves that were shaken by its presence. The dim light of the moon only managed to catch a glimpse of its silhouette, a large figure with coarse gray fur that shimmered faintly purple when hit by the light.

Rin immediately took a step back, raising her dagger at the ready. Cain, though still not fully comprehending the situation, felt his muscles tense, his instincts telling him that the creature before him was no ordinary threat.

Glowing purple eyes stared at them from the darkness. A sharp, calculating gaze, like a hunter weighing its prey. The creature lowered its body, its strong legs pressing against the ground, ready to spring at any moment.

Rin let out a soft breath. "Damn… Purple Fang."

Cain glanced at it. "Purple Fang?"

"A mutated wolf from the Xenova-contaminated area. Fast, strong, good at hiding, and most dangerous…" Rin tightened his grip on his dagger. "… they hunt in groups."

Cain glanced around. It was quiet. Only the sound of the wind and their breathing could be heard. However, if the creature was not alone…

The Purple Fang in front of them let out a low growl, as if savoring the moment before the attack. The faint sunlight that hit its body revealed clearer details, sharp purple claws, dark gray fur with a strange sheen, and a faint glowing mark on its forehead, like a spiral scar.

Suddenly, without warning, the creature lunged.

Cain only had a split second to react. His body moved instinctively, jumping to the side, avoiding the claws that almost ripped his stomach. Rin, with sharp reflexes, launched his dagger at the creature, but the wolf spun nimbly, only receiving a small scratch on its shoulder.

The Purple Fang landed back on its feet easily, its eyes shining even brighter in the darkness.

Cain swallowed. Fast. Even faster than he had expected.

"Cain!" Rin shouted, his eyes gleaming seriously. "If you just stand there, we'll die!"

Cain clenched his fists. A strange feeling tingled in his mind. This tension, this fight… Somehow, it felt familiar.

Then, another sound was heard.

From behind the trees, more purple eyes began to appear.

More were coming.

Back to the Purple Fang in front of him, a cold wind blew as the Purple Fang charged again. Its glowing purple claws left faint traces of light in the air, creating deadly arcs that nearly ripped Cain's chest.

Cain jumped back with sharp reflexes, almost losing his balance as the claws hit the ground and created small cracks in the hard surface. That attack… was strange. Not just physical strength, but there was something strange, a foreign, destructive energy, this was Xenova!

On the other hand, Rin kept moving quickly, keeping a calculated distance. She knew that a single direct hit from this creature could be fatal. With a light step, she spun to the side, then threw a dagger at the wolf's head.

Purple Fang growled and dodged, but Rin had already anticipated this. She swung her hand, and the Xenova flowing through her body enveloped the dagger she had thrown. In an instant, the dagger exploded in a burst of blue energy that forced the wolf back several steps.

However, rather than being seriously injured, Purple Fang only became angrier.

Cain saw the predator's gaze now shift to him.

In an instant, a large jaw opened. Purple light began to gather in its mouth, energy swirling and vibrating before being released in a straight beam that shot towards him.

Cain jumped to the side, his body moving almost instinctively, and the beam struck the tree trunk behind him, destroying it in one shot.

"Fast! So fast!"

Cain's heart was pounding. He could feel his body tense, but not from fear so much as from a compulsion that urged him to act.

When Purple Fang shot towards him again, Cain raised his arm to block, as if he was used to fighting creatures like this. The purple claw nearly hit his face, but his body moved slightly to the side, just enough to avoid it by a narrow margin.

Unconsciously, his hand immediately clenched and launched into a punch. Cain's fist hit the side of Purple Fang's jaw, making the creature growl in pain and fly backwards slightly.

Cain was stunned. I... can hit him?

However, Rin didn't give Cain time to think.

"Cain! We can't win!" she shouted as she ran towards him.

Cain snorted, but he knew Rin was right. One-on-one was hard enough, and now several pairs of purple eyes were starting to appear from behind the trees stalking them. If they stayed here, they would be surrounded.

"We run," Rin said firmly.

Cain nodded and immediately ran after Rin, pushing through the bushes while ignoring the branches that whipped at his face and arms.

Behind them, a loud growl was heard. Purple Fang and his group were giving chase.

Rin moved her hands quickly, activating Xenova within her. In the air, invisible energy began to gather, forming faint patterns on the ground as they passed.

"We have to lure them here," she said with a heavy breath.

Cain glanced behind her and saw Purple Fang getting closer. "If this doesn't work, we're dead!"

Rin didn't answer. She just waited, calculating. Then, just as Purple Fang leaped to charge them—

She activated her trap.

The Xenova she had placed on the ground suddenly glowed. A number of thorns of light emerged from the ground, shooting upward at high speed. Purple Fang let out a startled wail and tried to dodge, but one of the thorns hit her shoulder, forcing her to the ground.

The wolf quickly got back up, but Rin was ready for the next move.

She swung her hand, and the next trap exploded, Xenova's blast creating a shockwave, sending Purple Fang and his group flying backwards.

"NOW!" Rin shouted.

Cain didn't need to be told twice. He ran as fast as he could with Rin, leaving Purple Fang and his group still trying to recover from the trap attack.

However, even though they had managed to escape for a while… Cain could still feel his heart pounding.

Heavy breathing could be heard over the sound of their footsteps racing against time. Cain and Rin ran without stopping, pushing through bushes and jumping over tree roots that jutted out of the ground. Behind them, Purple Fang's angry growls could still be heard, but they were getting fainter and fainter.

Finally, after making their way through the thicket of leaves and twigs that were blocking their way, they came across a small, fast-flowing river. Rin stopped at the edge of the river, catching her breath with her hands on her knees. Cain followed a few seconds later, dropping to the ground with his back against the nearest tree trunk.

It was silent for a moment. Only the sound of trickling water and the wind rustling through the leaves accompanied them.

"I think… we managed to escape," Cain said, his voice still breathless.

Rin looked up, her eyes gazing toward the forest they had just left. There was no sign of pursuit. The Purple Fang and its group did not seem to be pursuing them any further.

She let out a sigh of relief, then glanced at Cain. "I still can't believe you managed to avoid that thing's attacks… and even attack it."

Cain shrugged, his face full of confusion. "I don't know how I did it either. It was like… my body was moving on its own."

Rin studied Cain longer this time. Her eyes narrowed, full of curiosity. A normal person would never be able to survive against a Purple Fang like that. Even a seasoned warrior could lose their life in a matter of seconds.

However, before she could ask any further, Rin turned her attention to the west. He wiped his sweaty forehead, then said, "I'm heading to the Dungeon in Solmora City. It's to the west of this forest."

Cain turned his head. "Dungeon?"

Rin nodded. "Yes. I'm part of Arkaneum. We research Dungeons and find out more about Xenova." She stared at Cain for a moment, then added, "I can take you there, if you want. After what just happened, I feel like you're not an ordinary person."

Cain fell silent.

Something inside him felt strange about all of this, their meeting, the fight against Purple Fang, and now Rin's offer. However, for some reason, he also felt interested.

Dungeon…

A foreign word, but at the same time it felt familiar to him.

He thought about it seriously, his current condition was amnesia and he had no knowledge of this world. Rin's presence was like moonlight in the dark night, he felt that following Rin would have a solution to his amnesia.

Besides, he didn't have a specific goal at the moment.

He stared at Rin, then after a few seconds, he nodded. "Alright. I'll come."

A faint smile appeared on Rin's face. "Good. Then, let's go before nightfall. The journey to Solmora won't be easy."

Cain stood up, patting his clothes that were dirty with dust and leaves. As they started walking west, Cain felt that this was just the beginning of something much bigger than he had imagined.

And somewhere deep in his mind, the strange voice he had heard in his dream echoed softly again, faint, but clear enough to make him wonder…

Who am I?