Dark Divinity

Omen struggled to his feet, his body still reeling from the energy influx. He knew he had only moments to react. The bird's massive wings beat the air with terrifying power, each flap propelling it closer.

With a surge of adrenaline, he grabbed the knife and threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the bird's talons as it swooped down. The bird screeched in frustration, its two heads snapping at the air where he had just been. Omen rolled to his feet, his eyes darting around for any form of cover or escape.

'What a surprise!' He had fully expected those claws to seize him, but since absorbing that strange energy, he had become much faster. Something really strange was happening.

The bird circled, preparing for another attack. Omen's body ached from the exogene overload, but he forced himself to move. He had to find a way to fight back or escape. His gaze fell on the traps he had set earlier, some of them hadn't caught any rodents. Perhaps he could use them to his advantage.

As the bird swooped in for another strike, Omen sprinted towards the nearest trap, hoping to lure the creature into a vulnerable position.

'Why couldn't things just go smoothly for once?' Omen screamed in his mind as he struggled to take cover, barely bracing for the swift impact of the creature as it swooped down and grabbed at thin air once more.

The bird was just as massive as before, but unlike the river, it could now walk on the forest floor. Omen knew that once it circled back, that was going to be its next move. He placed his feet and prepared to take off when he suddenly slammed into a tree, violently ramming his shoulders into the rough bark. The pain registered instantly, and his scream echoed through the forest, signaling his location to all the surrounding creatures.

But fearing the giant bird, they had no choice but to remain hidden.

Omen staggered, clutching his shoulder. The bird circled overhead, its two heads scanning the forest floor with malicious intent. He could hear the creature's heavy wingbeats and feel the rush of air as it passed overhead.

'I can't outrun it,' he thought, gritting his teeth against the pain. 'I have to outsmart it then.'

The bird screeched again, diving towards him. Omen ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding its talons. He sprinted instantly, weaving through the trees, hoping to confuse the creature. The bird's head snapped in different directions, trying to track his movements.

'By the great gods,' Omen exclaimed in shock. He was definitely taken aback by his sudden level of speed; he was moving faster than he could even react and he could easily smash into a tree and turn into a tangled pile of bones and tissue. He needed to avoid a situation like that though, afterall he was just having his first taste of strength from the moment of his birth.

Omen stood up and positioned himself to blast through a narrow straight trail cornered by multiple trees. He could feel the ground beneath his feet vibrating as the beast drew nearer, and then he ran.

His burst of speed was so intense that the wind violently uprooted the surrounding bushes as he passed them. The sheer force of his movement sent leaves and debris flying, creating a whirlwind in his wake.

But once again, he misjudged the distance. As he rounded a bend, he realized he was directly about to run into another tree. Gritting his teeth, he made a last-minute turn to avoid the collision, but his body wasn't fast enough to react to the sudden change in momentum.

Omen felt a jarring impact as he skidded, losing control. He stumbled and fell, crashing down into a valley of sparse shrubbery. The ground was uneven and treacherous, filled with sharp rocks and tangled roots.

He landed roughly, his body slamming into the ground. As he struggled to get up, he realized the valley was filled with multiple carnivorous plants. Their twisted, predatory forms were barely visible among the sparse foliage, but their presence was unmistakable. Some of the plants had large, gaping mouths lined with jagged teeth, while others had tendrils that writhed ominously.

Omen's breath came in ragged gasps. The fall had left him disoriented, and the sight of the carnivorous plants only added to his sense of impending danger. He scrambled to his feet, trying to regain his bearings and assess his surroundings.

'Oh come on!', how could one's luck be so bad? Omen even began to wonder if this was the price of his newly acquired strength

He moved cautiously, trying to avoid any sudden movements that might draw attention. The plants seemed to be dormant for now, but he knew better than to assume he was safe. He had to find a way to climb out of the valley or, at the very least, find a safer path through it.

The sound of the bird's screeching echoed faintly from above, even the bird dared not venture down. Omen took a deep breath and began to navigate the treacherous terrain, determined to escape the valley and find a way back to Isolde and his damned squirrels. He was not going to allow the meat he had so diligently toiled for disappear like that!

Though it appeared to be only enraged at having been awakened, the six-eyed beast had attacked him in the river despite its fear of this very giant river bird; yet, upon more reflection, Omen concluded there was likely more to it than that.

The monster was intelligent until it recklessly jumped into the river to pursue him despite not being able to swim. It was either that, or Omen's qualities made him too alluring for these creatures to resist, or it did not fear its natural predator—the two-headed bird—enough.

If his hypothesis was accurate. This bird was currently acting similarly avaricious, refusing to leave the area until Omen was between its enormous beaks as a meat slab.

'Great!', he mused in annoyance. As if the day couldn't get any worse. Though he had not had time to determine the source of his extraordinary speed boost, he was confident he still possessed the ability to rely on his speed until it finally vanished. All he could expect was to outrun the beast.

He spoke boldly, clasping his hands to create an echoing tunnel to his mouth, "Come down here you bastard! I'm ready to turn your wings into trophies!"

All the gigantic carnivorous plants turned their massive leafy heads towards him, and the entire 'vineyard' grew eerily silent. This was also spotted by the flying beast, who had to choose between diving and retreating.

The beast, which was terrified of everything around it, chose to eat him for some reason and descended with incredible speed, resembling an arcane bullet.

Omen's shocked eyes expanded, "What the heck!" What made him so attractive to predators that they saw him as a once-in-a-lifetime meal? He quickly pivoted to explore the boundaries of his increased velocity.

"This is it," he thought, as he fired out like a cannon, hitting the surrounding area with such force that it seemed like a sonic boom had struck.

Suddenly, the sky darkened as a massive shadow swept across the landscape. The two-headed bird, a monstrous avian predator, dove with blinding speed, its talons outstretched and gleaming like freshly sharpened blades. Omen, despite his sudden burst of speed, felt the air shift around him as the creature anticipated his every move.

But escape wasn't the objective. Killing it wasn't the aim either-Omen's goal was to trap it.

He watched with a mixture of grim satisfaction and horror as the carnivorous vines, thick and pulsating with life, sprang into action. The bird, caught mid-dive, was ensnared almost instantly. The vines wrapped around its enormous body, tightening with an eerie, serpentine grace. Feathers flew as the creature thrashed, its screeches morphing into frantic, panicked cries.

The vines, sharp and unyielding, tore into the bird's flesh. Blood sprayed in every direction, painting the ground in a macabre pattern of crimson. The bird's two heads snapped and twisted, trying desperately to break free, but the more it struggled, the more frantic the massive tendrils continued in their mad dash for blood.

Omen stood over the writhing monstrosity, his laughter cutting through the fetid air like a serrated blade. "Ha! How do you like that now, you vermin?" he sneered, his voice dripping with venomous triumph. The beast let out a guttural shriek, its talons clawing uselessly at the earth as carnivorous vines coiled tighter around its struggling form. The glistening black tendrils pulsed with a malevolent rhythm, their serrated edges slicing into the river bird's mottled hide, each drop of its blood hissing and steaming upon contact with the cursed soil.

Omen's chest heaved as he surveyed the scene, his lips curling in a mix of disbelief and grim satisfaction. The plan had worked—somehow. Yet, the elation that flickered in his icy gaze was tempered by the grim realisation of where he stood. The valley around him was alive, a seething expanse of hungry vegetation that moved with an eerie sentience.

The air grew heavier, damp with the stench of decaying foliage and iron-rich blood. Omen's breath caught as the first slick tendril brushed against his calf. A cold, alien sensation slithered over his skin, leaving a faint, stinging trail.

He cursed under his breath, his hand instinctively darting to the deep gash along his arm where one vine had been quicker than him moments before. A thin line of crimson oozed from the wound, glinting like rubies under the pale, sickly light that filtered through the canopy above. More vines followed, their thorned tips glinting like daggers as they lunged. One lashed across his cheek, tearing the skin in a jagged line, the pain sharp and immediate.

Omen's lips pulled back in a snarl, his eyes blazing with defiance as his body tensed. Every muscle coiled like a spring, and then he moved. The world around him blurred as his insane speed propelled him forward, a streak of shadow darting through the labyrinth of writhing plants. The ground beneath him was uneven and treacherous, every step a gamble on whether he would stumble and become just another meal for the valley's insatiable appetite.

The vines pursued, their movements accelerating, their reach stretching impossibly far. One briefly wrapped around his ankle, its thorns biting into his flesh, but he wrenched free with a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength.

Omen pushed himself harder, his breath ragged and his heart hammering against his ribs. The last of the vines snapped at him as he leapt, his body arcing through the air like a blade, slicing away from the valley's grasp.

He landed hard on the other side, rolling across the ground as momentum carried him forward. When he finally came to a stop, he lay still for a moment, chest heaving, blood seeping from countless scratches and cuts. Behind him, the vines writhed in frustration, their hungry tendrils retreating into the shadowed depths of the valley. Omen pushed himself to his feet, wiping the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. His face twisted into a grim smirk as he glanced back at the writhing chaos.

 "Next time," he muttered, voice low and gravelly, "I'll burn you all to ash."