Ethan opened the closet door, only to be met with glowing red eyes staring at him from the top of the wardrobe. He stumbled two steps back, fear evident on his face, before falling to the ground.

At that moment, an enormous figure emerged from the closet.

"What... What is this?! Is that a bull? No… It's a Minotaur!"

The sheer size of the Minotaur was enough to shatter the closet, and its powerful muscles looked unimaginably massive. Ethan's eyes met the Minotaur's, and the beast let out a powerful roar before leaping through the open window.

Though frozen in shock, Ethan felt an undeniable urge to follow the creature at any cost. He got up, jumped out the window, and began running through the streets and alleys. The yellow glow of the streetlights illuminated the Minotaur's massive figure as it ran.

He ran, then ran, and ran again until he reached the forest on the outskirts of the city, finally stopping to catch his breath.

"Oh! It's incredibly fast! But how did I manage to keep up when its speed was unreal?" Ethan muttered, looking at the enormous hoof prints.

The forest was pitch dark. Ethan cautiously followed the tracks, walking amidst the eerie sounds echoing through the trees. Sounds from here, sounds from there each one adding weight to his ears. The damp smell and the cold air made it even harder to move forward, but Ethan's intense curiosity pushed him onward, despite the looming dangers.

The tracks stopped at a large clearing of lush green grass. Ethan spotted the Minotaur sitting beneath a tree.

"It's 4:30 AM. If I get caught here, it would be a disaster," Ethan thought, looking unsettled.

He stepped closer and noticed the Minotaur eating grass with its hands.

"It looks peaceful… Should I get closer?" he wondered.

Sensing movement nearby, the Minotaur dropped what it was holding and shouted:

"Moooo! I didn't do anything to you! I was just angry because of how they treated you!"

Ethan was taken aback. "What do you mean? And how can you speak my language?"

The Minotaur stammered, "You… You won't hurt me, will you?"

Ethan reassured him, "Don't worry, how could someone like me hurt a legendary creature as powerful as you?"

The Minotaur hesitated, then said, "Alright, I'll explain."

He sat down and motioned for Ethan to do the same.

"I was just like you a long time ago. Mocked from every direction," the Minotaur said with a serious expression.

Ethan responded, "But how?"

"I was the weakest Minotaur in our kingdom, Celestia. Every Minotaur was ranked by strength, physique, size, and even birth time. The strongest were given numbers from 01 to 50 unstoppable warriors. The rest became soldiers, serving under the command of the fifty leaders. But I… I was the weakest among them. The Minotaur numbered 14,236. A cowardly fool, unable to control his fits of rage. So, I ran away from that oppressive kingdom, leaving behind all my memories."

"But then… I died in the most ridiculous way. I was running across an old, crumbling bridge when it collapsed, sending me plummeting into a deep pit."

The Minotaur fell silent after his long speech. Ethan, still processing the story, hesitantly asked, "B-But why are you afraid of humans? And how did you control my body in those moments?"

The Minotaur replied, "I will tell you the history of our kingdom so you can understand. Celestia was a dark kingdom, plagued by relentless wars with human warriors. They cursed our lands so that no green plant would ever grow again, leaving us to starve."

"All because of foolish rumors that we kidnapped human women at night to sacrifice them for strength and blessings. Absurd lies!"

The Minotaur paused before continuing, "Our kingdom's prince was captured by the warrior Daedalus under orders from King Minos. He was imprisoned inside a complex labyrinth, ensuring he would never grow strong enough to inherit Celestia's throne. Then, that fool who called himself a hero, Theseus, spread rumors about slaying the young prince."

A heavy silence filled the air.

Ethan finally spoke. "I see… but you still haven't answered me. How did you control my body in those moments?"

"I never controlled you. That was my overwhelming anger passing through you. Perhaps… my sorrow still lingers after all these years."

Both of them sat in silence. Ethan observed the deep sadness in the Minotaur's expression.

"Don't worry!" Ethan suddenly said, standing up. "If you were Minotaur number 14,236 in Celestia, then here, you're Minotaur number 01. Do you know what that means?"

Ethan locked eyes with the startled Minotaur.

"It means you're the strongest one here."

For several long moments, silence filled the clearing. Then, tears welled up in the Minotaur's eyes as he lowered his head.

Ethan panicked. "What's wrong? Did I say something bad?"

The Minotaur wiped his tears and said, "I have made my decision."

Slowly, he rose to his feet and stomped the ground with immense force, sending dirt flying in all directions.

"You shall inherit my strength, human."

The Minotaur's words carried a surge of excitement, and as he spoke, the first rays of the sun pierced through the sky signaling the dawn of a new chapter in an unknown future.

Minotaur No. 1 is watching you. Leave a comment and rate the chapter… or else. 😈🔥

𝓟𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓑𝓮 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓮 ✊🔥