*A New Beginning

I strained to open my eyes, but they resisted, and the world's blinding brightness left me bewildered, almost expecting my vision to fail.

*ARTHUR*

Out of nowhere, a voice echoed through my mind, jolting me from slumber, drenched in a chilling sweat.

"Could it be a nightmare?" Arthur gasped, his breath hitched. But as his eyes darted around, fear clawed at his chest.

"Where on Earth am I? Lost in some jungle? Has someone kidnapped me?" Panic raced through Arthur's veins as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting sinister shadows on the already eerie forest. He fought to steady his trembling nerves.

"Panic won't help me. I need to assess the situation first," Arthur thought, cautiously scanning his foreboding surroundings. Little did he know, an immense, shadowy presence slithered closer, its ominous, crimson eyes locked onto him, and it emitted a spine-chilling growl. The rustling of bushes snapped his attention to the left, revealing a petrifying sight – a towering six-foot gray wolf with eyes like burning coals, fixated on him.

Paralyzed by terror, Arthur couldn't even scream. The wolf began to circle him, its low growls resonating like a sinister melody, and to Arthur, it sent icy tendrils down his spine. He watched helplessly as the colossal wolf encircled him, its unnerving grin revealing rows of bloodstained fangs.

"It's toying with me!" The realization hit Arthur, who decided it was time to run for his life.

"I don't want to die!" Fear was a relentless beast. Arthur sprinted with every ounce of strength, but the wolf remained unmoved. A malevolent laughter seemed to echo, likely emanating from the wolf.

"It's playing with me, making a game of this chase," Arthur thought, praying for salvation as he pushed himself to the limits. The laughter ceased, signaling the start of the deadly pursuit.

A sudden gust of wind knocked him off balance, and when he looked back, the colossal gray wolf stood suspended in the night sky, its ashen fur and fiery eyes creating a haunting image against the backdrop of the moon. The wolf landed gracefully before Arthur, its razor-sharp teeth glinting, and its menacing gaze never leaving him.

The chase was over before it truly began. "It leaped from there…" Arthur stood dumbfounded, having never encountered such a monstrous entity. Panic and despair gripped his heart as survival appeared increasingly futile. As the prey surrendered, the wolf inched closer, jaws agape, but behind it...

In sheer horror, Arthur watched as another monstrous entity emerged from the inky woods, swallowing the entire wolf whole. This devourer of the wolf defied description. Towering at twenty feet, it possessed hollow sockets for eyes and innumerable tentacle-like appendages that reached from what Arthur assumed was its mouth, pulling the wolf inside. The entity turned to Arthur one last time before vanishing into the obscurity of the jungle.

*Ding: System online:*

[Author's Note: While the initial chapters may seem slow due to character and lore introduction, trust me, by the time you reach Chapter 25, you'll be captivated by the intricate plot twists and gripping story! Thank you.]