My arms are longer now.

  Stronger. Heavier.

  The forest used to tower over me. Now I can look most vines in the eye.

  When I stretch, I don’t feel like a lost kid anymore — I feel like a threat.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  I didn’t grow like you’re supposed to.

  No slow years. No milestones.

  I just… changed.

  Woke up one day and my bones were louder.

  My skin tighter.

  Voice deeper.

  Even the beasts started reacting differently.

  Some backed off.

  Others got bolder.

  The jungle doesn’t let you stay a child.

  You either evolve… or you die.

  There’s no ceremony. No party.

  Just survival as your rite of passage.

  I look at my hands now — the ones that once shook when I picked up a stone — and they don’t shake anymore.

  They clench.

  And sometimes, I’m not sure if I grew into this body…

  …or if this body grew around me.