Amphilante

"GET OUT, GO!" A stern voice rang out.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," a calm yet menacing voice replied.

"You have every reason to be afraid," the man said, pushing himself up from the ground. A faint glow radiated from his body, growing brighter.

"What… this can't be!" The calm in the stranger's voice shattered, replaced by distress and shock. His breath grew unsteady.

"It's about time no one has to stare at your ugly face anymore." The glowing man smirked, energy surging in his hands, forming what looked like a bomb.

"STOP! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? THAT WILL KILL YOU TOO!" the stranger cried out, desperation creeping into his voice.

"PAPA!" A child's voice rang from behind the glowing figure.

The man turned, his expression softening. "Papa will be gone for a little bit, but I promise... I'll find you again." A single tear slipped down his face.

"What? Where are you going?" the child asked, innocence laced in his words.

"SEIRYU, GET HIM OUTTA HERE!" The man's voice boomed with authority.

A black, gooey substance wrapped around the child's body, leaving only his face visible. His wide, terrified eyes locked onto his father as his body was transported away.

"NOOO! LEAVE ME ALONE! I WANT MY PAPA! STOP! NOOOO!!!"

"Oi. Wake up. Yuri, WAKE UP!"

A deep, unsettling voice echoed from the darkness.

The boy jolted awake, his chest heaving as if his heart were trying to escape. Sweat dripped from his forehead. His breath came in sharp, uneven gasps.

His eyes fluttered open—

BOOM!

A massive shadow loomed over him. Instead of the glaring morning sun, a massive paw pad came crashing down toward his face.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Instinct took over. His hands shot to his back, grabbing two frying pans strapped across. With a flick of his wrists, he hooked them onto a nearby branch, using them to pull himself out of harm's way.

The ground trembled as the beast's stomp landed, sending shockwaves through the dirt. He twisted midair—

THUD!

He slammed into a tree, his senses still half-asleep. As he groaned and pushed himself up, his eyes flicked toward his attacker.

A giant, mutated lynx towered over him, its glowing amber eyes locked onto his form. One of many in this world.

"Oh no... not you again."

The Lynx snarled, muscles tensing. Its next attack would be different—this time, it was going for a pounce.

The boy cursed under his breath. He knew this move. He'd fought this beast just two days ago after "unknowingly" killing and eating one of its young.

No time to hesitate.

He swung his frying pans, hooking onto the beast's thick fur and yanking himself onto its back. He grinned, thinking he was safe from its strike.

"Woah! If I hadn't seen you do that before, that would've got me for sure," he muttered, ascending higher.

"So fuckin' persistent. And for what? You have like twenty of them anyway!"

The lynx let out an ear-piercing roar, clearly enraged by his careless words.

His cocky smirk faded as the beast's body suddenly shifted.

The Great Lynx was about to show him why she ruled these lands.

Her fur stiffened, each strand hardening into razor-sharp spikes—ten times tougher than iron, sharp enough to cut atoms.

SHING!

The boy's straps snapped in an instant. His stomach lurched as he went into a free fall—straight toward the deadly fur spikes below.

"Aww, come on, those were my best straps so far!" he groaned. "I Had to fight a mutated orb-weaver for that!"

Wind rushed past his face as he tumbled downward.

"So this is how I go, huh? Hah... what an adventurous life."

A pause.

"No, it wasn't."

Reality sank in.

"All I've done is... survive. This is no way to live."

He exhaled, his muscles relaxing as he accepted his fate. His arms folded across his chest, legs crossed. If he was going to die, at least he'd look cool doing it.

Then—

"Woah there!"

A sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

His fall came to an abrupt stop.

The boy blinked. Someone was holding him mid-air.

"Hm?"

Curious, he glanced up, squinting. "Who the hell—"

"Oh, you're conscious. That saves me some trouble."

The voice belonged to a man, his tone completely relaxed, his face holding no sign of malice.

"Who are you?" Yuri asked, still processing what just happened.

The man smirked. "We can do formalities later. Right now, we need a plan to take her down."

Without warning, he landed, still holding Yuri like a princess. Then, just as casually, he dropped him onto the ground.

"HEY!" Yuri yelped.

"At least you're not skewered," the man chuckled.

"YOU COULD'VE LET ME DOWN GENTLY THOUGH!"

"Ehhh, you're man enough. You'll live."

The boy grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his pants while glaring daggers at the stranger.

A sudden ROAR shook the ground.

The Great Lynx, enraged, began jumping wildly, shaking the earth beneath them. A landslide rumbled in the distance.

He narrowed his eyes, then widened them again.

"HOW THE HELL IS SHE ALL THE WAY OVER THERE?? Did you just... scale that distance right now?"

'Who is this guy?' he thought to himself.

"That need not matter. We need to come up with a plan." The man spoke firmly.

"You saw what she did. There's no way we're taking that thing down," The boy added, his motivation already wavering.

"Hmm. There is but one way." The man watched the beast rampage, eyes calculating.

"How?" He asked, skepticism lacing his voice.

The man turned to the boy, locking eyes before pointing to his own.

"The eyes. It's the only place without significant shielding."

"I see... and how do you suppose we reach the eyes?" He asked, uncertainty creeping in.

"That's for me to worry about. Your role in all this will be a decoy..." He smirked, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, fully aware that what he just suggested was not the best idea.

"A decoy, huh... Yeah, no. I'm out of this."

"Keep in mind, I'm the one doing you a favor right now."

"A favor? Ha. I'll just run far enough away where she can't get me." He closed his eyes, smirking at how easy it seemed.

"No, dumbass! A great mutant never rests until it completes its objective. It will hunt you for the rest of your life if you don't take it down right now." His calm tone turned sharp, demanding attention. "Now, are you gonna become a decoy or die being a coward?"

"Neither choice seems favorable," he grumbled.

"Yes or no?" The voice was stern, leaving no room for argument.

"Fiineee. What do I have to do?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Run." The man's gaze shifted behind Yuri.

"Hm?" Yuri turned to look—

"RUN! HERE SHE COMES!" The man shouted before leaping into the ravine below.

"DON'T JUST LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!" He screamed at the falling figure. A chilling roar snapped his attention back. "AHHH, SHIT—SHE'S HERE!" Without another thought, he spun on his heels and bolted into the forest.

The beast was fast—too fast. He barely made it a meter before the ground beneath him crumbled, swallowing him whole into the abyss.

"Man, fuck this shit." He cursed, plummeting into darkness.

His instincts kicked in. Clawing at the walls, he managed to slow his descent, though the effort shredded his palms. His breaths were heavy, his body aching from impact after impact. Looking up at the distance he fell, he realized climbing back up would be a nightmare.

After a long pause, he sighed. "Screw it." He let go, accepting his fate.

Almost as if the universe rejected his resignation, movement stirred below. His stomach dropped as a new terror emerged—a beast scaling the wall toward him.

"AHHHHHH!" His scream echoed as the creature closed in.

Shutting his eyes, he muttered a desperate prayer to any higher power listening. He braced for the inevitable—either he'd be swallowed whole or reduced to a smear on the cavern walls.

And then—impact.

Not death.

Soft. Cold.

"Huh?" His eyes shot open as his fingers pressed against the odd surface. "The hell?"

Sunlight crept into the cavern, revealing the massive form beneath him. It was a star-nosed mole. A great one.

Mutated.

The star-shaped tendrils on its snout wriggled independently, like an octopus had fused with a mole. One of the tendrils coiled around him, barely regarding his existence, and then—

THWACK.

It flung him like a piece of debris.

"WHAT IS THIS TERRIBLE LUCK?!" he howled as he was launched through the air.

Trees snapped as he crashed through them, their branches barely slowing his momentum before—

BOOM.

His body lodged deep into the side of a plateau, leaving him stuck in the rock, dangling like a misplaced painting.

He groaned. "I hate everything."

The great Lynx caught sight of the newly emerged beast and engaged immediately, letting out an ear-piercing roar as its battle cry.

The mole, blind but with extremely sensitive ears, recoiled at the sound. Agitated, it charged straight toward the already advancing Lynx.

They clashed, each delivering devastating blows.

The mole sank its teeth into the Lynx's neck, eliciting a pained cry. In retaliation, the Lynx swiped fiercely at the mole's face. Both creatures staggered back momentarily, absorbing their injuries before launching into yet another destructive bout.

"What the fuck is going on back there?" Yuri muttered, struggling to pull his head free from the hole he was lodged in.

Finally, he was free. But the moment he emerged, a thunderous roar shook the ground. Instinctively, he turned to assess the situation.

His eyes widened at the sight of the two beasts locked in a ferocious struggle. He stood in awe, only to be snapped back to reality by a muffled grunt.

Turning toward the sound, he spotted the other guy—also lodged into the side of the plateau.

"What the hell happened to you?" Yuri asked, raising a brow at the sight of a wiggling figure struggling to free himself.

"Just help me get out," came the muffled reply.

Sighing, Yuri grabbed hold of the man and yanked. With a final tug, he pulled him free.

"Thanks."

"No prob."

As the man dusted himself off, his gaze landed on the mole. His jaw dropped. "Woah! Where the heck did that come from?"

"The depths of hell," he replied, eyes locked on the battle.

The man glanced at him before turning his attention back to the fight. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the chaos.

"The fuck are you going to do?" Yuri called out, unimpressed.

"I have a plan," the man replied, his voice fading into the forest.

Back at the brutal duel, the Lynx had gained the upper hand. Its razor-sharp claws and lethal teeth had torn through the mole, steadily sapping its strength.

With a final, decisive strike to one of the Lynx's six legs, the mole collapsed. The Lynx stood victorious, letting out a proud, reverberating roar, announcing its triumph to any nearby creatures.

But her victory was short-lived.

As she attempted to regain her stamina, licking her wounds to sterilize them, agony struck. In an instant, one of her eyes burst in a spray of blood. Then another. And another. Until only one remained.

It was left intentionally. Just so the great beast could glimpse its slayer.

It was him.

His appearance had shifted. A rock-like armor covered his face, held together by a gelatinous, translucent mucus that shifted and pulsed, securing the plates in place.

"You lived a good life. But unfortunately, your time has come. Please forgive me in the next life. May peace be with your soul. Shalom."

With those solemn words, he raised his fist, drawing moisture from the air. The collected water molecules crystallized, forming jagged shards of ice. Then, with a devastating blow, he shattered half of the Lynx's face.

The mighty creature froze, its massive form wavering for a moment before finally collapsing to the ground.

The man landed with a heavy thud, the ground beneath him cracking under his increased mass. His enhanced form gradually faded, as if being reabsorbed into his body.

With the fight over, he turned to inform the boy of the job's completion. But before he could, they met halfway.

"Come have some Lynx, would ya?" he offered casually.

Yuri, ignoring the offer, narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

The man simply patted him on the shoulder. "Why don't we eat first?" he said, already walking back toward the massive corpses.

Yuri grunted in annoyance, his stomach betraying him with a faint growl. He hadn't eaten anything the day before. Fine. Without a word, he followed the man to a nearby cave, where the meat was being prepared.

He watched him closely. Too closely. The man smirked.

"Am I really that fascinating? You can't seem to take your eyes off me."

"Nah," Yuri muttered, arms crossed. "I just don't trust you." His gaze remained cold, unwavering.

The man chuckled. "Hah! Let's save the proper introductions for after we eat."

Yuri scoffed. "What's the point?" he grumbled under his breath.

"Patience," the man replied as he started the fire. "The body tends to remember things better when it's satisfied."

Yuri rolled his eyes, glancing toward the cave's entrance. "It's not like I'll forget any of the shit that just happened."

"True," the man admitted. "But what I'm about to tell you might help you on your journey."

Yuri raised a brow. "If you say so, old man."

Time passed, the aroma of roasted Lynx filling the cave. When the meat was ready, the man tore off a generous portion and handed it to Yuri before serving himself.

"Help yourself. There's plenty." He put his hands together and muttered a quiet prayer.

Yuri, already biting into the meat, ignored it. The meal was surprisingly good—tough but rich in flavor.

After finishing his prayer, the man finally spoke.

"Now that we've got something in our bellies, we can have a real conversation. My name's Monty. Monty Zlatan. Nice to meet you."

Yuri hesitated for a moment before responding.

"...My name is Yuri Tachibana."

Monty suddenly choked on his food.

"You good?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Monty cleared his throat, composing himself. "Would you mind repeating your name?"

"Yuri Tachibana."

Monty froze. His eyes widened as a storm of thoughts raced through his mind.

"There's no way... No, it has to be a coincidence. But then again… he does kind of resemble him."

He stared at the boy, a sense of unease creeping up his spine.

"Just who the hell have I stumbled upon?"