Pretty Insane

The moment Rowan stepped into the sphere, the world outside disappeared.

It was like being dropped into the belly of a living, breathing organism. The air was thick and humid, carrying a faint metallic tang that clung to his tongue. The ground beneath his feet was uneven, covered in patches of mossy, pulsing growth that glowed faintly red, like veins carrying blood. Above him, the sky was a void—a swirling expanse of black and crimson clouds, writhing in slow, deliberate patterns.

Rowan stopped, tilted his head back, and inhaled deeply. His grin spread wide across his face, sharp and wild.

"This," he muttered, "is perfect."

There was a strange silence here, heavy and unnatural. No wind. No rustling leaves. Just a low, faint hum that buzzed at the edge of his hearing. It wasn't peaceful—it was tense, like the moments before a predator struck its prey.

He rolled his shoulders, his boots crunching against the mossy ground as he started walking. His footsteps echoed faintly, too loud in the oppressive quiet. Around him, the space stretched endlessly, with no landmarks, no sense of direction.

And yet, he knew he wasn't alone.

His instincts prickled, the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Something was watching him. Something was moving.

The first ripple came from his right—a flicker of motion at the edge of his vision. He stopped, tilting his head toward the source.

"Finally," he muttered.

The shadows shifted, coalescing into a hunched, crawling shape. The creature emerged slowly, its movements unnervingly smooth. Its body was a sickly green, slick and glistening as if it had just been birthed from some nightmarish cocoon. Its limbs were long and spindly, ending in sharp, curved claws that scraped against the ground with each step.

Its head—or what Rowan assumed was its head—was grotesque, featureless save for a wide, glowing grin carved across its surface. Jagged, yellow light poured from the cracks that formed its "mouth," pulsing in time with the veins beneath the ground.

Rowan's grin widened to match.

"Ugly little bastard, aren't you?" he said, cracking his knuckles. "But hey, I'm not here to judge."

The creature hissed—a low, guttural sound that vibrated in his chest. Then it lunged, its claws tearing through the air with terrifying speed.

Rowan didn't move. He let the attack sail past him by a hair's breadth, his body swaying lazily to the side. The creature landed behind him, its claws digging into the mossy ground, and twisted its head around to face him again.

Rowan turned slowly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Fast," he said. "That's good."

The creature lunged again, its movements a blur. Rowan moved faster. His fist shot out, glowing faintly with a bluish-white energy that crackled along his knuckles. The punch connected with the creature's chest, and the impact sent a shockwave rippling through the air.

The monster was thrown backward, its body tumbling across the ground.

Rowan didn't wait for it to recover. He was already on top of it, his fists raining down in a flurry of brutal strikes. Each blow landed with bone-crushing force, the glowing energy around his hands intensifying with every hit.

The creature screeched, its body writhing violently as it tried to escape. Rowan's laughter echoed through the void, wild and unhinged.

"Is that it?" he shouted, his grin widening. "You're not even trying!"

But then, the creature's body shimmered. Its skin split open, and from the cracks emerged long, vine-like tendrils, each tipped with sharp, thorn-like blades. The tendrils whipped around wildly, forcing Rowan to leap back to avoid being impaled.

The creature rose, its body shifting and growing larger. Its limbs thickened, its claws extending into scythe-like appendages, and its glowing grin widened unnaturally.

Rowan's grin didn't falter. If anything, it grew wider.

"Oh, now we're talking!" he said, cracking his neck. "Let's see what else you've got!"

The creature lunged again, its tendrils lashing out in a flurry of deadly strikes. Rowan ducked under one, sidestepped another, and darted in close, his fists glowing brighter. He threw a punch that shattered one of its tendrils, then followed up with an uppercut that sent the creature sprawling.

But as it fell, the shadows around them began to shift.

More shapes emerged from the darkness.

One, two, three… ten… twenty…

An entire swarm of creatures crawled out of the ground, their glowing grins lighting up the void like sickly lanterns. Each one was slightly different—some were smaller and faster, others larger and bulkier—but they all had the same unnatural, pulsing green bodies and the same predatory hunger in their movements.

Rowan's laughter filled the air.

"An army, huh?" he said, his voice brimming with glee. "You shouldn't have."

The swarm charged, their hisses and screeches blending into a deafening cacophony. Rowan met them head-on.

He darted through the chaos like a whirlwind, his glowing fists striking with devastating force. Each punch sent a creature flying, their bodies shattering into green, slimy fragments. But for every monster he took down, two more seemed to take its place.

One of the larger creatures lashed out with a scythe-like claw, aiming for Rowan's head. He ducked under the strike and countered with a spinning kick that cracked its chest open. Another creature leapt at him from behind, its tendrils wrapping around his torso. Rowan growled, the blue energy around his body flaring as he flexed his muscles, shattering the tendrils in an explosion of light.

The monsters pressed in from all sides, their claws and teeth flashing in the dim light. Rowan moved like a force of nature, his laughter never ceasing.

"This is what I'm talking about!" he roared, slamming a smaller creature into the ground with enough force to leave a crater. "Come on! Give me more!"

The swarm obliged.

Rowan fought like a man possessed, his movements a blur of raw power and brutal precision. His fists glowed brighter with each strike, the energy around him growing more intense. The ground shook beneath his feet, cracks spreading through the pulsing moss as he unleashed his full strength.

But the monsters kept coming.

Rowan's grin widened further, his teeth gleaming in the dim light. Blood dripped from a cut on his forehead, mingling with the sweat that soaked his face. His breathing was heavy, his muscles burning with exertion.

And yet, he couldn't stop laughing.

"This is the best!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the void. "Don't stop now!"

The largest of the creatures stepped forward, towering over the others. Its body was covered in thick, armored plates, and its glowing grin stretched from ear to ear, revealing rows of jagged, crystalline teeth. It let out a deafening roar, shaking the very air.

Rowan's eyes lit up.

"Oh, you're a big one," he said, his voice low and eager. He cracked his knuckles, the blue energy around his fists flaring brighter than ever. "Let's dance."

The massive creature charged, its claws tearing through the ground as it barreled toward him. Rowan met it head-on, his fists colliding with its armored chest in a thunderous impact that sent shockwaves rippling through the air.

The two of them clashed in a flurry of strikes, their movements blurring with speed and power. Rowan's laughter grew louder, echoing over the sounds of the battle.

The rest of the swarm hesitated, watching as their leader fought the grinning madman. Rowan didn't notice. He was too caught up in the fight, his heart pounding with exhilaration.

This was what he lived for.

With a final, earth-shattering blow, Rowan's fist pierced through the massive creature's chest, the blue energy around his arm exploding outward in a brilliant flash. The creature let out one last, gurgling shriek before collapsing, its body disintegrating into a pile of green slime.

Rowan stood over the remains, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. His grin never wavered.

The rest of the swarm froze, their glowing grins flickering uncertainly. Rowan turned to face them, his fists still glowing faintly.

"Well?" he said, his voice low and menacing. "Who's next?"

The creatures hesitated for a moment longer before retreating into the shadows, their forms dissolving into the darkness. Rowan watched them go, his grin fading slightly as the adrenaline began to wear off.

He wiped the blood from his face, his breathing slowly returning to normal.

"That was fun," he muttered, turning to look at the swirling void around him. "But I know there's more where that came from."

He took a step forward, his grin returning.

"This place really is paradise."