1 Wilhelm Peerer

[Chapter 1: Wilhelm Peerer]

An unsettling feeling gnawed at Branden that night. It was a premonition, a shiver down his spine that spoke of something ominous. Despite the late hour (1:30 am), he persevered, finishing his assignments by 2:00 am. A thirst led him to the kitchen for a glass of water. As he peered out the window, his gaze fell upon the abandoned gypsum factory. An unusual energy pulsed from it, a sensation eerily familiar.

Eight years prior, Braden had experienced this very same energy fluctuation. Back then, workers and the owner of the factory had died mysteriously, succumbing to inexplicable internal injuries. Curiosity ignited within him, a pull towards the deserted complex.

Reaching the factory grounds, Branden found nothing remarkable. However, within the machine room, a group of five thieves gathered, their revelry fueled by gambling, booze, and a shared meal. He approached them cautiously, prepared for any trouble.

"How's it going?" he inquired with a friendly tone. Their response was a menacing glare, eyes burning with hostility.

One thug, emboldened by the alcohol, shoved Branden aside, barking at him to mind his own business. Adrenaline surged through Branden, and in a moment of impulsive self-defense, he plunged a knife into the attacker's chest.

The remaining thieves recoiled in shock. Branden, shaken by his own actions, accused them of being the reason for the factory's demise.

Suddenly, an otherworldly howl pierced the night, a nightmarish sound akin to a furious dinosaur. It was a sound that shouldn't exist in this urban landscape, a sound that sent shivers down spines.

Before Branden could react further, screams erupted from the thieves. An earsplitting boom followed, and the four men lay lifeless, their bodies inexplicably crushed.

Panic seized Branden. He bolted, fleeing from a scene more horrific than anything he'd ever witnessed.

**Lost and Found**

The next thing Branden knew, he was enveloped in an unfamiliar reality. Stark metal walls enclosed him, a strange aura emanating from within his own body. A spectral figure materialized, radiating an air of vengeance. It identified itself as Wilhelm Peerer, the Anti-Space God.

Branden found himself in a hospital bed, bewildered by his surroundings. His parents, overcome with relief, revealed he'd been missing for two days. Deep gashes marred his abdomen and leg.

Confusion clouded his mind. He hadn't been injured before. Yet, as he hesitantly unraveled the bandages, a gasp escaped his lips. The wounds were gruesome, but as he watched, they began to heal rapidly.

A presence materialized beside him. It was Wilhelm Peerer, the entity from the otherworldly realm. The spirit proposed a startling proposition: a merging of their beings, with Wilhelm Peerer taking half of Branden's body as a vessel for reincarnation.