Over the next few weeks, Mike continued exploring new areas, encountering a wide variety of creatures and steadily growing stronger. But no new apex predators or serious threats appeared.
He realized just how vast the wilderness was in every direction. Even with his current size, he had only scratched the surface of this world. The helplessness began to creep back in—the grim realization that he might never see his family again.
The rage inside him stirred. He had to keep growing.
He set his sights on the spine-covered beast he'd seen on his first day in this hell. If he couldn't find answers, then maybe growing strong enough to reach the silver dragon would lead him to something.
As he approached the lake where he'd first spotted the spined dinosaur, smaller creatures scattered at his presence. Moving through the towering tree line, he heard something massive lumbering nearby. Mike positioned himself behind the trees, waiting.
The spined beast emerged.
Mike launched his attack, aiming at the exposed belly just beneath the spines. His claws tore through the softer flesh, eliciting a roar of pain as the dinosaur struggled to turn in the narrow forest. Mike circled and struck again—another deep gash on the opposite side. The beast's cries echoed through the woods.
Mike darted in front of it and unleashed a stream of fire across its face. The creature thrashed, crashing into trees and losing balance. Taking advantage of the opening, Mike lunged and sank his jaws into its front leg just above the elbow. The limb buckled. The dinosaur fell heavily to its right side.
Its body convulsed, blood flooding the soil.
With a final charge, Mike clamped down on its throat and ended the battle.
He devoured the kill slowly, feeling his body expand with every bite. Spikes emerged along his spine and tail. His limbs thickened. His chest swelled with new power.
Finally, he thought, I feel like I can kill almost anything.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, confidence stirred in his mind. Maybe, just maybe, he could make it home.
He hadn't realized how dark it had become. But this time, he didn't care. He would face whatever came at night.
The forest around him teemed with new life—creatures he had never seen before. Some were bold enough to attack him. They died quickly.
Sleek, slender dragon-like beasts launched fast aerial strikes, but none were strong enough to penetrate his thick scales. When they struck, Mike grabbed them with his jaws or pinned them to the ground with his flame. Each kill made his limbs longer, his body more streamlined. The combination of speed and armor turned him into a nightmare predator.
Hours passed. By the time Mike returned to the dome, he was too large to fit into his old chamber. He lay down instead in the center of the open dome, staring up at the unweathered dragon statue.
Soon, he thought, I'll be ready to face the silver dragon. And maybe then, I'll get some answers.
He closed his eyes, letting exhaustion take him.
Then—
A voice. Deep, guttural, and cold.
"Pathetic… slow."
Mike's eyes shot open.
Who are you? Who's there?! he shouted in his mind.
Silence.
He turned toward the dragon statue. Nothing had changed.
I've been here too long, he thought. I stopped marking days. I might be losing my mind.
But the voice… had felt real.
He wasn't sure if the dragon was watching or if something else had begun to take interest in him.
Morning arrived, and Mike steeled himself for the battle he had been preparing for since the day he awoke in this monstrous body. Today, he would face the silver dragon.
He had to overcome it.
He had to win, if he ever hoped to move forward, or go home.
Burning with rage and determination, he made his way back toward the valley.
The silver dragon was waiting.
It stood tall, wings folded at its sides, radiating power and majesty. As Mike approached, the dragon let out a thunderous roar and launched into the sky, heading straight for him.
Mike didn't flinch. He moved closer to the cliffs, forcing the dragon into a more constrained descent.
As it dove toward him, Mike exhaled a jet of flame but the dragon answered with fire of its own. The two streams collided in the air, scattering embers and heat in every direction.
Then came the claws.
The dragon's talons sliced through Mike's shoulders and back, opening fresh wounds but he didn't back down. He leapt forward, biting down on the dragon's rear leg just as it tried to pull away.
Pain seared across his body, but Mike held on. Using his bulk, he dragged the dragon to the ground, slamming it into the rocky terrain. He clawed wildly at the dragon's wings, slashing the membranes and tearing through flesh.
More of his own blood spilled across the rocks, but he didn't stop.
He couldn't.
Releasing the leg, he charged again—this time leaping onto the dragon's back. His claws latched on behind the wings, digging deep into the dragon's silver-scaled hide.
The beast thrashed and roared, trying to shake him off. But Mike clung tightly, biting and tearing without pause. He ripped into the base of one wing and tore it clean from the dragon's back. The dragon screamed.
Then Mike struck the neck—his jaws clamping down on the thick muscle just beneath the skull. He bit down with everything he had, aiming for the spine.
The dragon bucked violently, trees splintering beneath them, the air filled with the clash of claws, flame, and fury.
Wounds covered Mike's body. Blood poured from his shoulders and back. His vision blurred.
But he held on.
With one final effort, his jaws crushed the vertebrae. The silver dragon collapsed to the ground with a deafening crash.
Its body twitched once. Then went still.
Its eyes dimmed.
And it was done.
I've done it… Mike roared triumphantly in his mind, barely clinging to consciousness.