Disease progression
Stark slowly pulled air into his lungs, the pain spreading progressively through his body as he felt the effects of the poison. Even so, he felt he could endure it without much difficulty. The air now seemed sharper, the smells were different and unique, unlike anything he had ever experienced before, as if he were imagining a new color.
Looking at the ground, it seemed easy to identify any animal tracks. Paw prints resembling those of a small jaguar were everywhere. Their paws were small and soft, barely leaving any trace, yet he could now see them. Not only had his five senses been elevated to a new level, but they also seemed to have evolved, and new ones had been created...
"still lacks superhuman abilities, though anyone with proper training and good genetics would reach this point. It seems the so-called awakening isn't too far away, but neither is it close."
He moved forward, following the river's flow, and this time he could see the same new animals at a distance, apparently able to drink the water here.
"I'm sure it's the same river as before, so why the hell can they drink freely? Isn't the water toxic? Only the fruits?"
The angels' voices echoed again in his head, this time like a realistic illusion.
"Forget everything you know about the old world. This new world is not limited by mere physical and biological laws." Stark repeated to himself, gaining new insight.
"The fruits are indeed poisonous, but the water is normal by this world's standards. So, my magical body is imperfect and incapable... and only the awakening fixes that flaw. But why would they give an imperfect body? That would be a shot in the dark considering they want us to survive despite the risks. Nature itself would be a much greater challenge, yielding better results…" His expression darkened.
"Unless it's not the body, or rather, not the vessel of the soul, but the soul itself. That man... he suffocated on foam, but he fell too quickly to have suffocated, and before that, he complained about his body feeling heavy, as if his soul was rejecting it…" Wanting to test the theory, he approached the water. Unlike before, he could feel his hairs standing on end, but it was something more internal, as though something inside his flesh was repulsed by the water.
"The water seems safe for a bath, but drinking or submerging in it is completely out of the question..." He still needed to remove the smell of blood from his body to conceal himself in the forest. Stripping down, but still armed with his knife and spears within reach, his eyes settled on some fish swimming back and forth in the river.
As usual, he assessed the presence of predators and concluded that nothing ate these fish. He removed all the grime from his body and washed his clothes as best as he could before covering himself in mud and leaves again.
"Seems pointless to bathe just to get dirty." After a few slow hours of walking, he finally found tracks.
"Interesting, two distinct tracks: one that could definitely kill me with a slap, and another that's possibly human." He was now in the middle of a crater, the hoofprint resembling that of a ruminant animal. It was at least three meters wide and extremely deep, showing the weight of the creature. The other footprint was distinctly human, indicated by the shape of modern footwear, leaving no room for it to be a demonic creature.
"So the question is, who's the prey, and who's the hunter? Could another human be as crazy as I am, ignoring an angelic warning? Either way, they seem to be heading to the same place. I'll find out soon enough…" He didn't dwell on it much longer, proceeding with doubled caution as he followed the tracks into the forest. Occasionally, some animals approached, their variety having increased significantly, but his reactions remained the same.
"They're all used to eating the same things, they don't want to risk a stomach ache, and neither do I." Along the way, he noticed some flowers, beautiful, ranging from white to dark yellow shades, with heart-shaped leaves.
Some large, black-bodied insects gathered around them, being eaten by a few reptiles nearby. He noticed the broken stem of one of the flowers, from which a milky white liquid oozed. His nose picked up a strong smell of almonds wafting through the area.
"Looks like my exs.Beautiful, fragrant and wet, what are the chances of it being toxic?"
Approaching slowly without disturbing the fauna, he wrapped his hand in as much fabric as possible and plucked a few flowers. Grabbing a nearby rodent, he rubbed the flower on it. The reaction was violent, leaving red blisters and attracting insects until it died within seconds.
Opening his improvised bag, he crushed the flowers and some fruits together, dipped the tip of his knife into the mixture, and tested it on his favorite lab rat, then on the salamanders around. He smiled at the result.
"It could've been that they neutralized each other, created a third with varied effects, or strengthened each other. I'm glad it was the second—a strong one at that. None of them are immune to it..." His joy was somehow unnatural, as if every pore in his body opened in delight, an unknown pleasure invading him. For a second, his vision blurred, and a strange sensation overwhelmed his senses.
His hands didn't feel like his own, the thirst and pain he felt didn't belong to him. Not even his thoughts were his; he felt like a spectator of himself, just an observer watching from within, buried deep in his mind behind countless layers of consciousness, peering through the crack of truth.
When he came to, he realized he was drenched in sweat, his head aching horribly, his limbs weak and heavy, his breathing rapid and shallow, his body trembling. Finally, he passed out right there.
When he woke up, everything around him seemed the same. The pain remained, but the dizziness had passed, and his body once again belonged to him. He raised a hand to his forehead; everything he saw was blurry, with a faint bluish tint.
"Is it the poison? Damn, I need to deal with this quickly. If... no, when I awaken, I'll get a new body." He struggled to his feet.
"I think at this point even that wolf's meat would kill me…" He pulled up his shirt to check his condition. The spots were a vivid purple but still sparse; the poison didn't seem to have progressed further.
"Why the hell is it only causing problems now? Could it be worse on the inside?" He had always relied on the external effects of the acidic spots marking his skin, but what if that was a mistake? What if his internal organs were dissolving?
Calming his breathing and trying to regain his balance, he resumed the chase, hoping that creature would die by his hands and that its flesh wouldn't be as terrible as the others.
He noticed the trees becoming scarcer, many fallen trunks scattered about. Most had claw marks or seemed to have been crushed by sheer brute force.
Along the way, he stopped in front of what appeared to be the corpse of a bear, except it was at least three times the size of a normal one.
"Its head looks like it was torn off with a bite, judging by the irregular teeth marks on the neck. Its chest is crushed, with multiple bones protruding from the back. Missing limbs..." He looked to the side, startled for the first time. "Forget it... they were just thrown far away... is that its head over there? Brutal. Whatever did this is completely bloodthirsty. The goal wasn't to feed. The body, despite being scattered everywhere, is all here." With a heavy sigh, he examined the meat.
"Pale pink, what are the chances this is my last meal?" It didn't seem too bad, but in his condition, it could be his final death. He couldn't take the risk.
"If it wasn't on the menu, that's a good sign… at least that compensates for it being a brutal serial killer species." He analyzed the long cuts on the bear's skin. Despite its toughness, the skin had several tears, making it unusable. Its bones still had some value, but they weren't much better than what he already had. By the end of the day, he couldn't take anything from the corpse.
He couldn't help but analyze the environment, which showed signs of burning. Some ashes could be seen scattered around, and the faint smell of burnt wood lingered in the air.
"Can it manipulate fire, or was it my human companion?" He barely stopped himself from praying, remembering that the angels had said he'd regret it once he discovered what they worshiped. The scene was still vivid in his mind, taking on an illusory quality. He could pinpoint exactly where everything was—the traces and details of the environment were all clear in his mind.
"Damn." His head started to ache again, with a trail of blood escaping from his nose.
"I hope this is my last hunt." He raised his spear with force; the tracks seemed fresh, and a trail of blood was visible.