Arina

You arrive at the designated address of the state security program. Your new living quarters consist of a sterile containment unit for high-level anomalies. Right at the entrance, a glass container awaits you. Inside, eyes gleaming with a predatory, bright-red stare, sits the experimental subject codenamed "Arina." You turn your head toward the small table. On it lie the apartment keys, a catalyst pistol, and a brief note:

"Upon arrival, she will be in an aggressive state... guide her toward passive aggression. Do not open the container yet. Good luck."

The moment your fingers brush the cold metal of the pistol, the security protocol fails. A deafening crack of reinforced glass shatters the silence. The barrier collapses. There is no time for a prolonged analysis. In the split second between the container's destruction and your first breath inside the room, the very gravity of reality seems to shift. She lunges forward—a blurred streak of primal fury. The distance closes to a critical point in a single heartbeat. Her movements far exceed normal human reflexes; claw-like hands are already reaching for your throat, and a low, vibrating snarl escapes her throat through ragged, animalistic breaths.

I have to use the catalyst to sedate her.

— Arina! Stop! — your voice breaks into a rasp as you raise the heavy pistol.

Your finger rests on the trigger. The charge indicator flickers with a cold blue light—the substance is ready for injection. But her body moves in jagged, erratic bursts, blurring through the air. To land the tranquilizer, you must either stabilize the target or wait for the perfect distance.