Transported in another world

Not today

When I awoke, the darkness was suffocating, pressing in on all sides. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed since the battle began, or even where I was. My limbs felt heavy, bound by the same dark chains that had dragged me from the battlefield. I fought against them, summoning the power of my **God’s Eye** to scan my surroundings, but I could see nothing. It was as if I had been torn from reality itself, placed into a void beyond even my abilities.

A low chuckle echoed in the darkness, sending a shiver down my spine.

“You’re finally awake, Ryu,” the Bloodpack Alpha’s voice rumbled from the shadows, sounding closer than I expected. His presence was oppressive, filling the space with a malevolent energy I hadn’t sensed before.

I struggled to rise, the weight of the chains pulling me back down. “What is this? Where are we?”

“We’re nowhere and everywhere,” the Alpha replied cryptically. “A place between worlds, where the shadows speak louder than any light. A place where I can show you the truth.”

I gritted my teeth, trying to summon the strength to break free. “Show me what? Your tricks won’t work on me.”

The Bloodpack Alpha emerged from the shadows, his glowing red eyes piercing the void. He was taller now, more monstrous than before, his black fur almost blending with the dark around him. But there was something else—an aura of ancient, twisted magic surrounding him, as if he was more than just a wolf. As if he was something... other.

“You still don’t understand, do you?” He leaned closer, his voice a harsh whisper. “This war isn’t about your precious wives or your petty alliances. It’s about power. Real power. And I intend to take it all.”

I met his gaze, refusing to show fear. “You think you can break me? I’ve fought through worse than this.”

He chuckled again, a deep, unsettling sound. “Perhaps. But this isn’t about breaking you. It’s about freeing you.”

Before I could respond, the chains around me tightened, sending a wave of pain through my body. I gasped, trying to fight it off, but the magic pulsed through me, pulling at something deep within my soul.

“You feel it, don’t you?” the Alpha said, his voice growing more insidious. “The darkness inside you. The power you’ve always kept hidden, suppressed by your alliances, by your so-called loyalty. But it’s there, Ryu. I can see it. And soon, so will you.”

I thrashed against the chains, anger surging through me. “I’m nothing like you.”

His grin widened, exposing sharp, gleaming fangs. “You will be. You and I, we’re the same. Both bound by something greater than ourselves, something ancient. I’ve embraced it. And now, you will too.”

With a flick of his hand, the chains around me began to glow, pulsing with dark energy. I could feel them sinking deeper into my skin, merging with me, becoming a part of me. I struggled, but the more I fought, the tighter they became.

And then I heard it—a voice. Not from the Alpha, but from within the darkness itself. A whisper, low and cold, calling my name.

*Ryu...*

It wasn’t a voice I recognized, yet it felt disturbingly familiar. It slithered into my mind, wrapping around my thoughts like a snake.

*You’ve always been one of us. You’ve just been too afraid to see it.*

The chains tightened again, and I screamed as the dark magic poured into me, filling every corner of my being. Memories flashed before my eyes—battles I had fought, enemies I had slain, blood on my hands. But it wasn’t just my memories. It was something older, more primal. A darkness that had always been there, lurking beneath the surface, waiting to be awakened.

The Bloodpack Alpha stepped back, watching with satisfaction. “You see now, don’t you? The darkness is your birthright. You were never meant to be just a soldier in Amber’s war. You were meant to be a ruler. A king of shadows.”

I gasped for breath, my mind reeling from the onslaught of power. But even as the darkness consumed me, a part of me fought back. The part of me that had stood by Amber, Mona, and Mia. The part of me that had chosen to protect, not destroy.

“No,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “I won’t be your puppet.”

The Alpha’s smile faltered, his eyes narrowing. “You think you can resist? You think you’re strong enough to deny what you are?”

With every ounce of strength I had left, I focused inward, pulling on the power of the **God’s Eye**. The darkness might have been part of me, but so was the light—the fire that had driven me to protect my mates, to fight for something greater than myself.

I let that fire burn, pushing back against the chains, against the Alpha’s magic. The darkness recoiled, hissing as it was driven back. The Alpha snarled, realizing too late what was happening.

“No!” he roared, his voice shaking the void. “You cannot defy me!”

But I could. And I did.

With one final surge of power, I broke free of the chains, the dark magic shattering around me like glass. The void trembled, cracks forming in the darkness as the world began to shift and warp.

The Alpha lunged at me, his claws outstretched, but I was faster. My blades flashed in the darkness, cutting through him before he could land a blow. He howled in pain, his form dissolving into shadow.

“You haven’t won,” he growled, his voice fading. “You will never be free of the darkness. It’s inside you, Ryu. And one day, it will consume you.”

As the void collapsed around us, I locked eyes with him one last time. “Maybe. But that day isn’t today.”

And with that, the darkness shattered, and I was pulled back into the world of the living.