Beyond Human: The Experiment Who Became a Monster

CHAPTER 6: Back From The Dead

As his consciousness drifted in the darkness, Azrael couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve such a fate.

All he had ever wanted was to help people, just as his mother had. He had wanted to become someone capable of protecting others, someone who could make a difference in the world.

Yet he had never even been given the chance. Instead, he had been treated as a worthless failure, used as a laboratory test subject, and subjected to unimaginable torture before finally being killed by the very people he had once dreamed of protecting.

Was this what his mother had spent her life protecting?

Was this the humanity she had dedicated herself to, the very people she had ultimately died trying to protect?

The same people who had shown not the slightest remorse as they tortured her son to death?

If this was what humanity truly represented, then he no longer wanted anything to do with it… he no longer wanted to become a hero. They weren't worth the sacrifices his mother had made. They weren't worth the dreams he had cherished for so many years.

And they certainly weren't worth his life.

Even as his body lay cold and lifeless among the trash, his consciousness continued to wander, drifting between memories, regrets, and bitter thoughts.

Then, suddenly—

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A sound echoed through his lifeless body. His heart, which had completely stopped beating, suddenly began to beat again.

At first, the beats were faint and weak, barely more than a whisper. But with each passing second, they grew stronger and more forceful.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

His body, which has already gone cold and pale gradually began to warm. Color slowly returned to his skin as blood started circulating through his veins once more.

After a while, Azrael slowly opened his eyes. However, all he could see was darkness. It took him a moment to realize that he seemed to be trapped inside a bag.

The air inside was growing unbearably stuffy, and before long, he began to struggle to breathe. Panic set in as he frantically struggled against the confines of the bag, desperately trying to find a way out. After several moments of struggling, he finally managed to tear open the zipper and crawl out.

The moment he emerged, a foul stench assaulted his nostrils, nearly making him puke. The smell was coming from the piles of trash surrounding him, and it didn't take long for him to realize that he had been dumped here along with trash.

He hurried to his feet and stumbled as far away from the trash as possible. However, even after putting some distance between himself and the dump, the foul stench remained. It was only then that he realized getting rid of the smell wouldn't be as simple as moving away from the trash as he now smelled like one.

"I'm... I'm still alive?" Azrael muttered, staring at his hands in disbelief.

Only now was he beginning to comprehend what had happened. He had been declared dead, thrown away like garbage, and yet, somehow, he was still breathing.

A faint smile spread across his face as the realization sank in. He was alive. Despite everything they had done to him, he was still alive.

However, his brief moment of relief didn't last long.

Azrael looked around, taking in his surroundings. Only then did he notice that he was in the middle of an enormous forest. Towering trees stretched in every direction, their thick branches and dense canopies blocking out much of the sky.

Faint roars occasionally echoed through the distance, filling the forest with an ominous atmosphere.

"Magical Beasts..."

His smile slowly faded as the reality of his situation dawned on him. He had somehow returned from the dead, only to find himself stranded in an unfamiliar forest teeming with magical beasts.

Rustle!

Just as Azrael was taking in his surroundings, a sudden rustling came from the nearby bushes.

He instinctively turned towards the sound, but before he could make out what was hiding among the trees, a shadow shot out of the undergrowth and lunged at him.

His body reacted on instinct. He hurriedly shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding a direct hit. However, the figure was faster than he had anticipated.

A sharp pain tore through his arm as he stumbled backwards. Three deep claw marks ran across his skin, with blood steadily trickling from the wounds.

"What the—?!"

Clutching his injured arm, Azrael stared at the creature that had just attacked him. The moment he saw it clearly, his eyes widened in fear.

Growl!

Standing a few meters away was a large gray wolf. Its emerald eyes gleamed with hostility as it fixed its predatory gaze on him, baring its fangs in a menacing snarl.

Azrael couldn't help but curse his terrible luck. It had barely been a few minutes since he'd returned from the dead, yet he was already facing the prospect of dying all over again.

He slowly stepped backwards, desperately trying to put some distance between himself and the wolf. Meanwhile, his mind raced as he searched for a way out of this mess.

Awooo!

The wolf suddenly let out a piercing howl before lunging at Azrael, its massive body hurtling towards him with terrifying speed.

At that moment, Azrael's eyes caught sight of a thick branch lying on the ground nearby. With little time to think, he snatched it up and swung it in a desperate horizontal arc at the incoming beast.

BANG!

The branch shattered upon impact, splinters scattering in every direction. However, instead of stopping the wolf, the collision sent Azrael flying backwards. He crashed into a nearby tree before falling heavily to the ground.

The wolf barely seemed affected by the attack. It shook its body, dislodging the splinters caught in its thick fur, before turning its emerald eyes towards Azrael once more.

Seeing the beast charge at him again, Azrael's face twisted in despair. His body ached from the impact, and he could barely muster the strength to move, let alone fight back.