*Chapter 2: The Beast at the Door*
The shadow moved.
It wasn't the wind.
It wasn't Arin's imagination.
Something enormous stepped into the moonlight, and two golden eyes burned through the darkness like twin flames.
Arin forgot how to breathe.
The creature lowered its head and squeezed through the broken doorway. Its shoulders scraped against the frame, splintering rotten wood with a dry crack. Thick gray fur covered a body far larger than any wolf should possess. Even on all fours, it stood taller than Arin's chest.
Its nose twitched once. Then it looked directly at him.
A wave of savage killing intent crashed into the room.
Arin's legs nearly gave out. "Move..." He begged his own body. "Move!"
Nothing happened.
The wolf took one slow step forward. Its claws dug into the cracked stone floor, leaving shallow grooves behind. Blood stained patches of its fur, and several deep wounds crossed its body. One shoulder had been torn open, exposing flesh beneath the matted hair.
It was injured.
The metallic smell of fresh blood flooded the room. The realization struck Arin almost instantly. It hadn't come here looking for shelter. It had come because it was desperate. The wilderness had rejected it. Now it had found easier prey.
Him.
Arin forced himself to swallow as his mind raced through the previous Arin's memories. Exotic beasts. Creatures capable of tearing ordinary humans apart with a single swipe. Even the weakest among them could massacre an entire village if cultivators from the Phoenix Kingdom weren't present.
And he... He wasn't a cultivator. He was a seventeen-year-old boy who had already died from starvation once.
A bitter smile appeared on his lips. "So this is how my second life ends."
The wolf growled again. Low. Deep. Hungry.
Arin slowly slid behind the broken bed until his back touched the wall. If the beast attacked, at least nothing could reach him from behind. His eyes never left the monster.
The wolf noticed the movement. Its muscles tightened. Arin felt his heartbeat hammer against his ribs. Every instinct screamed that the next second would decide whether he lived or died.
The beast leaned forward. Its lips curled back. Rows of razor-sharp fangs glistened beneath the moonlight. For a heartbeat, neither moved.
Then the wolf stepped closer. One step. Another. Its breathing echoed inside the tiny room.
Arin's fingers tightened around the ruby necklace hanging from his neck. The cracked gem felt strangely warm. Warmer than before. He barely noticed it. His attention was trapped by the predator standing only a few meters away.
The wolf suddenly stopped. Its ears stood upright. Its golden eyes narrowed. Not at Arin. At the necklace in his hand.
Confusion flickered across the beast's face. It took half a step backward.
Arin blinked. It... retreated?
The wolf's growl became softer. More cautious. For the first time since entering the room, fear appeared in the predator's eyes.
Arin slowly looked down at the ruby pendant. The cracks across its surface glowed faintly with crimson light before fading again. His breathing became uneven.
"This necklace..." It wasn't ordinary. Not in the slightest.
The wolf circled without attacking, refusing to take its eyes off the pendant. A tiny spark of hope ignited inside Arin's chest. Maybe... Maybe this mysterious necklace was the reason he had crossed worlds. Maybe it could save him.
Very slowly, he raised the hand holding the pendant. The crimson ruby faced the wolf. The beast immediately took another step back. Its pupils shrank. Its breathing grew heavier.
Arin's eyes widened. "It's afraid..."
For a few precious seconds, man and beast simply stared at each other. Hope grew stronger. He took one careful breath. "If you're really protecting me... Then protect me now."
The room fell silent. Nothing happened. The crimson glow disappeared completely. The necklace became an ordinary cracked ruby once more.
The wolf's fear slowly vanished. Its hunger returned. It lowered its body. Ready to pounce.
Arin's heart sank. His last hope had failed.
The wolf exploded forward. The distance between them vanished in an instant.
Arin's pupils shrank. His body reacted before his mind did. He threw himself sideways as the beast's jaws crashed into the spot where his neck had been.
BANG!
The broken bed shattered like dry wood. Splinters exploded across the room. Arin hit the floor hard, rolling through dust and broken planks until his shoulder slammed into the opposite wall. Pain shot through his body, but he forced himself back onto his feet.
The wolf turned. Its golden eyes locked onto him again. There was no hesitation anymore. It had tested him. Now it was hunting.
Arin's breathing became ragged. "Too fast..." He couldn't even follow its movements completely. If that first bite had landed, his head would already be rolling across the floor.
The wolf took another slow step. Blood dripped steadily from the wounds across its shoulder onto the cracked stone floor. Drip. Drip. Each drop carried a thick metallic scent that filled the room. Despite its injuries, its presence remained overwhelming.
Arin clenched his fists until they turned white. Think. There has to be a way.
He searched every memory the previous Arin possessed. Nothing. No cultivation technique. No weapon. No hidden treasure. Nothing except years of humiliation and hunger. A talentless orphan.
His lips curled into another bitter smile. "So you really left me with nothing..."
The wolf growled. Its muscles coiled again. Arin's heartbeat thundered.
Left. The beast's weight shifted slightly onto its right leg. It's attacking from the left.
He didn't know why he knew that. It was instinct.
The wolf lunged. Arin dropped to one knee just as a massive claw tore through the air above his head. The wind from the strike slapped his face.
The claw smashed into the wall behind him. Stone cracked. Fragments exploded across the room. Arin's eyes widened. That would've killed me.
He scrambled backward, putting every bit of distance he could between himself and the beast. His lungs burned. His stomach twisted from hunger. His body was reaching its limit.
The wolf turned again. This time it didn't rush. It stalked him. Like it already knew the prey had nowhere left to run.
Arin's back touched the wall once more. Cornered. His eyes darted around desperately. Broken furniture. Dust. Stone. No escape.
The wolf lowered its head until its eyes were level with his. A deep rumble escaped its throat.
Arin slowly closed his eyes. A strange calm settled over him. _Mom... Looks like I'm coming to see you sooner than I thought._
He didn't beg. He didn't scream. If death was unavoidable... He would face it with open eyes.
He opened them again. The wolf was already moving. Its jaws opened wide enough to swallow his head.
Arin tightened his grip around the ruby necklace with everything he had. The cracked gemstone dug into his palm until blood seeped between his fingers.
A single drop landed on the ruby.
The world froze.
A crimson pulse erupted from the necklace. Time stopped. The wolf's jaws hung inches from Arin's face. Dust floated motionless in the air. Broken splinters from the shattered bed remained suspended around them. Even the beast's growl stretched into a low, distorted rumble.
The ruby pendant burned. Not warm. Hot. The heat pierced straight through Arin's palm, yet it didn't scorch his skin. Instead, it spread through his arm like liquid fire, racing through every vein in his body.
A voice echoed inside his mind. Cold. Emotionless. Ancient.
*"Safety protocol initiated."*
Arin's eyes snapped wide open. "What...?" He hadn't spoken aloud. The voice wasn't coming from outside. It came from inside his head.
Before he could react, crimson light erupted from the necklace. It flooded into his chest. His heart slammed once. Then twice. Then it exploded with terrifying force.
A violent wave of power rushed through his body, pouring into muscles that had been starved only moments ago. Bones groaned. Veins lit up beneath his skin like glowing crimson rivers.
His hunger disappeared. His exhaustion vanished. The pain in his battered body dissolved as though it had never existed.
Arin inhaled sharply. He had never felt anything like this. Strength. Endless strength. It felt as though he could punch through the walls of the house.
The wolf sensed it too. Its pupils shrank to pinpoints. The predator that had cornered him suddenly hesitated. For the first time... Fear appeared in its eyes.
Crimson light wrapped around Arin like flowing flames before sinking beneath his skin. The world changed. He could hear the wolf's heartbeat. He could hear drops of blood falling from its wounds. He could hear the wind brushing against the broken roof. Everything became painfully clear.
Another line appeared inside his mind.
*"Duration: Five Minutes. Objective: Eliminate Threat."*
Arin's heartbeat skipped. Five minutes? His excitement vanished instantly. The voice had given him power. But it had also given him a deadline.
Kill the beast. Or lose everything.
The wolf suddenly roared. Its hesitation broke beneath instinct and hunger. It lunged again, claws reaching for Arin's throat with terrifying speed.
But this time... It looked slow.
Arin watched every movement. The tightening muscles. The shifting shoulder. The opening beneath its jaw. His body moved on instinct. He stepped aside. The wolf crashed past him. Before it could land, Arin's fist shot forward.
BAM!
His knuckles slammed into the beast's snout. A shockwave burst through the room. The wolf's massive body twisted in midair before smashing into the far wall. Stone exploded. The entire house shook violently.
Arin stared at his own hand. "I... did that?"
The wolf staggered back to its feet. Blood poured from its nose. Its expression had completely changed. This was no longer prey. This was something it couldn't understand.
The beast snarled and released a surge of dark qi. Black wind wrapped around its body like smoke, carrying a rotten smell that made the room feel colder. The pressure returned.
Only this time... Arin didn't bend beneath it. Crimson energy pushed back against the darkness. The two forces collided invisibly. Dust rose from the floor.
The wolf's ears flattened. It attacked again. Faster than before.
Arin didn't retreat. He met it head-on. Fist collided with claw.
BOOM!
The impact blasted apart what remained of the broken bed. Wooden beams snapped. The roof cracked wider. Moonlight flooded into the collapsing room.
Arin slid backward several meters, stopping only when his heel dug into broken stone. His arm tingled. The wolf hadn't moved. It was stronger than he expected.
A grin slowly appeared on Arin's face. Not because he was winning. Because for the first time since arriving in this world... He had the power to fight back.
*