Rebirth

Aren felt extraordinarily light in his body. The punch he threw into the air turned the surrounding atmosphere into a sharp wind, scattering nearby insects. He had grown accustomed to his power after the transformation, but a deep void lingered in his mind. Not a single memory of his family or the days spent at school remained; it was as if his past had been completely erased.

His stomach growled once again. "Grrrr..." After spending a week inside the cocoon, hunger felt natural. He scanned his surroundings, assessing his body; he needed to find some clothes. However, all his garments were covered in insects, worn out, and torn. Pushing a few aside, he found the most intact one: an old tracksuit. The fabric was quite small for his body, and his defined muscles stretched it tight. His broad shoulders and chest strained the fabric. Still, he put it on.

As he stepped outside, the cool morning air brushed against his skin. The market was only a few streets away. As he walked, the people passing by glanced at him briefly. With his long black hair and muscular frame, he was impossible to ignore. The stares he felt on his back were unfamiliar, but he no longer cared. His new body felt like a fresh start.

When Aren reached the entrance of the market, the door opened automatically, and he stepped inside. His eyes quickly scanned the shelves; he headed straight for the meat section, filling his cart with large cuts of meat. But as he approached the checkout, he realized something: he had no money.

"I guess I forgot my money," he said, pausing, unsure of what to do. He walked up to the cashier. "Excuse me, is it possible to leave the payment for later?"

The cashier lifted her head from her phone to look at Aren. Her eyes widened, and she involuntarily muttered, "So tall…"

The young girl working at the market had never seen such a handsome man before. Collecting herself, her cheeks flushed as she said, "Yes, that's fine."

Aren, oblivious to the cashier's reaction, left the market thinking only about his meal.

Next to the market, he found a corner where no one would notice him and began eating the raw meat. The sound of him chewing echoed in the air. With every bite, he felt the blood in his body warming up, his strength growing. The taste of raw meat gave him a strange pleasure; he devoured the red meat with greed. His mouth and hands were covered in blood, but he remained calm.

Just then, a harsh voice rang out: "Hey, you! What do you think you're doing here?"

Aren turned his head toward the source of the voice. Three thugs stood before him, their eyes filled with mockery, but Aren had no intention of caring.

In the blink of an eye, Aren threw a hard punch into the stomach of the nearest man. The force of the blow sent a deep crack through the man's ribs; his bones shattered instantly. The man's eyes widened, his breath caught, and within seconds, he collapsed to the ground, motionless. The other two men froze in shock, struggling to comprehend what had just happened. Without wasting a moment, Aren grabbed both of them by the neck. In a single motion, he twisted and snapped their necks, the sound of bones cracking echoing in the alley. The men fell to the ground with dull thuds, their eyes staring blankly as their lifeless bodies lay still.

Aren glanced around briefly. Three lifeless bodies now lay in the corner of the street; deep silence settled over the area.

"What should I do with these?" Aren knew he had committed murder, but deep down, he felt nothing. His instincts had told him to kill these men, and he had done so without hesitation. "I guess I can feed them to the bugs," he thought, recalling the insects waiting at home. After stuffing the three bodies into a trash bag, he started walking back home. He reached his house without anyone noticing anything suspicious, opened the door, and stepped inside.

Inside, the insects were everywhere as usual. Millipedes, spiders, ants, and many other species... All of them turned toward Aren, as if waiting for a signal.

"Here's some food for you," he said coolly. He pulled the lifeless bodies from the bag and tossed them in front of the insects. The giant spider from the attic quickly descended, crawling onto one of the corpses. It immediately began tearing into the flesh. Soon, the other insects joined in, swarming the bodies of the three men. Bones cracked as they broke, and flesh, limbs, eyes, veins, and organs rapidly disappeared. Everything was slowly disintegrating, creating a gruesome spectacle as the insects feasted. The bodies seemed to vanish completely into the swarm, as if they had never existed.

"What should I do now?" This question swirled in Aren's mind. Lying down in a bed of insects, he shifted his body slightly. The insects began to crawl over him, as if waiting for a sign. Ants, spiders, millipedes, and many other species crept up onto his shoulders, arms, and legs. Aren remained lying there, unbothered, feeling the light pressure of the insects' tiny legs moving over his skin.

As his body was slowly covered in insects, the sensation gave him a strange sense of comfort. They felt like a protective shield surrounding him. Aren stared at the ceiling, continuing to contemplate the silent chaos in his mind, while the insects nearly enveloped his entire body.