[Congratulations. You have unshackled one memory chain.] With that last scrap of his haunting memory playing out and ever so slowly tunneling away from his vision, Stephen’s eyes snapped open to welcome a rather confusing sight. He, – or better, his body – was charging at breakneck speed towards a… boulder? It didn’t take long for his pupils to dilate …

Stephen dipped down the meanders of nothingness, mislaid in a warp-like reality that imbibed him inside. His consciousness fluttered in and out, like the flickering light of a dying bulb. With nothing but fleeting thoughts to accompany him in his scrambled journey into the gates of the unknown, his body was shut off from a seamless obstacle, yet his mind …

“Okay okay… let’s roll back a bit…” Stephen chimed in, following up with a question, “First and foremost, where the heck am I?” “This is your inner abyss, my dear.” her voice tinkled out, “Predatory Fever, huh? A nasty thing for someone who hasn’t yet accepted their true selves, especially if you’re as feeble as you currently are…” her head …

Stephen knew it. It was so hilariously obvious what would have stemmed the moment the steady counter of the hovering clock hit [00.00]. Yes, he had enough sense of awareness to perceive the ensuing issues. Just an instant more and his cognition, followed by logic and rationality would have dipped down the sewers of his consciousness, leaving behind a shell …

Stephen’s hand lugged forward with a deft flick of his wrist, his fingers encased around the hilt of his sword as he thronged power from the ground into himself with a fluid shift of his leg. The energy surged up his retracting arm before streaming down his blade once he swung it down, prompting an arc of crimson Encore Power …

Stephen’s shadow burgeoned on the cave’s rocky stoop, molding with the customary dimness embellishing the walls and ground in a funereal fleece of darkness, kindled up only by a brief source of light, provided by the constant overlap of thunders cracking through the looming padding of dusty clouds. His form soon trekked in, an amused grin adorning his features, “Hey, …

“Do you know your way back?” “Ah yeah, ya don’t have to worry about me. See ya soon then.” Stephen followed Keilan’s movements as the dwarf trotted off in the undergrowth, his Lilliputian frame quaffed by the hefty multitude of thickets. They wound up deciding to mark their rendezvous point right where they had chanced upon every four thunderstorms; the …

Stephen had been hunting for a couple of hours now, managing to kill and devour every creature he came across. Nonetheless, most of them weren’t even strong enough to endure a half-hearted kick from him, hence not annexing his power and Evolution when gobbled down – much to his chagrin. He did, however, manage to get ahold of a pair …

Thunders cracked through the clouds, their lights briefly paving the way for the running group underneath. Stephen’s chest heaved back and forth as he took a quick peek behind him, making sure nothing or no one was trailing after them, but the dense foliage was proving to be quite the hindrance. The last bunch of trees came into view and …

Stephen breathed out, his insides churning, a sour taste of mashed up food and stomach juices climbing up the walls of his throat. With a violent tug, he yanked back the rope, prompting the crying woman he was wreaking so much pain upon to hoist off the solid foundation her feet were resting on, resuming the medieval torture she was …