Start of The Exams [8] [12]

The world spun in a dizzying kaleidoscope of crimson. Xana, or what was left of her while inside Substance's body, was sprawled at the bottom of a crater dug into the earth. Her blood, a shimmering pool of scarlet, mirrored the dwindling light of the setting sun, casting an unnerving, macabre glow across the broken woodland floor.

Pain, a slow roar that seemed to resonate through the very bedrock, was an unwavering companion. However, it was a faint echo in comparison to the alien hunger that gnawed at her heart. It was a desire that pulsed with the beat of a thousand unseen eyes, a chorus of whispers coming from the very essence of Substance herself, as the condition to adapt and evolve had been met.

"Shit, well damned, it looked like this body pulled through; I can feel it; my or Substance body is changing... agh; damn, but why aren't my injuries healing? Something is right here; something is changing, but why does it hurt so much?"