"Bimo!"
"Bimo!!"
"Bimo!!!"
The anxious voices of the three warriors echoed through the light forest that boarded the south of the village.
With their field of sight brightened by the lanterns held above their heads and the surroundings filled only with the sounds of their hastened feet through the green maze, they continued to glance around in panic.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, the canopy trees grew denser. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves.
"Where the hell could she be?" Ajefe finally uttered something aside from her name.
His two comrades only grimaced in worry before Danji responded, "Her tracks led towards this direction but then disappeared".
Kamyla remained silent, ravaging through the obstacles of the forest path in the hope of a sign... Any sign...
"Why?..." She mumbled, "Why did she even have to leave the village to begin with?..."
Ajefe's expression fell deeper, "I just hope she's safe—"
ROAR!
Their heads snapped in a single direction.
"I think Rhou found her!" Kamyla's expression lit up.
The three immediately charged in the direction of the beast's roar, covering a reasonable length of distance before reaching the spacious center within the tall trees.
Their feet were glued on the spot the moment their gazes locked on Rhou and the scene before.
Their eyes widened.
Squatting at the center of the grassland was none other than the prince of hell, but that wasn't what caused their bewilderment.
Laying on the ground before him was the petite unconscious body of Bimo — Leviathan's left hand slowly hovered above her as he dragged what looked like a foggy dark mist over her body.
The mist — unnatural and fluid in motion, crawled back and forth in a gooey nature over Bimo.
Kamyla's eyes slitted as she parted her lips to call out, "LEVIATH—"
Within a blink of an eye, the steel blade of Danji's kuiza sliced through the tensed air, stabbing into the soil, inches from Leviathan's hand.
Leviathan slowly raised his gaze to the trio — Kamyla and Ajefe pulled out their weapons.
Danji's gaze darkened, "Get away from her..."
The warriors posed in offense with the canine beast, Rhou, growling behind them.
The air became thin.
Leviathan's hand slowly withdrew from Bimo's body — the mystical fog sipped back into the sleeves of his coat before carefully raising to his feet.
Their unwavering gazes bore into him as if he were a mere target, poised to pounce on any mistake as if they held power to end his life.
Leviathan's lips cracked into a grin, a soft chuckle escaping his throat.
The warriors' grip tightened on their weapons.
"Step away from her, Leviathan", Kamyla's voice was the first to pierce through the tension.
"The time for your heroism is far begone", Leviathan retorted, his words bare of affright like he wasn't just caught red-handed.
They remained silent.
Leviathan then shook his head with a disappointed tut before taking a few steps back.
They followed by a few steps forward, cautiously approaching the unconscious girl's body as Leviathan finally halted a few feet away.
Danji was the first to meet his knees as his arms circled Bimo's small frame. He quickly pressed his fingers on her neck to feel her pulse before checking underneath her nose.
"She's alive".
They exhaled in relief.
Carefully lifting her against his chest as he stood on his feet, Danji's threatening glare returned to the hell abomination standing feet away from them.
Leviathan continued to watch with a plain expression.
"Just what were you trying to do with her?" His tone reeked with tamed wrath.
"If you were patient enough to watch, you would have found out".
A vein popped on Danji's forehead.
"How dare you, Leviathan!?" Kamyla growled, stepping forward as her blade stretched out just inches from his collar. "How dare you go against your words and hurt our people! A child at that!"
Leviathan's blase eyes lowered at the blade and back. "Dare to bring that thing any closer to me, and I'll use you in her place."
Kamyla's brows quirked at his words. Her eyes slitted — driven without a thought, she raised her weapon to swirl for momentum with the blade targeted at his skull.
"Kamyla, don't!!!" Ajefe's voice forced her arm to freeze midway.
Her teeth grinded, narrowing her eyes at the stoic grimace of the he-devil in front of her.
Ajefe then added, "He's only trying to lure us..."
Kamyla could feel her muscles ache in desperation to complete her movement and inflict just as much as her heart craved.
Ajefe took a step forward, lowering his bow and arrow. "We have Bimo. And she's safe now... Let's head back".
"And if he tries to hurt another?" Her enraged eyes bore pits into Leviathan's figure.
Again, he responded in silence without a flinch of expression.
"Until then..." Ajefe placed his hand on her shoulder, "Let's return Bimo to her mother. The longer we waste, the more panic they suffer".
Kamyla seemed far too reluctant to withdraw from harming Leviathan, not to mention the undermining glint in his unapologetic eyes that stirred nothing but spite in her heart.
The flickering light of their lanterns danced across Leviathan's face, casting eerie shadows that accentuated the sharp angles of his features. The warm glow illuminated his piercing eyes, making them seem to bore into Kamyla's.
"Kamyla!" Danji called. "Ajefe is right. We have to return to the village, now".
Taking a few moments longer, Kamyla swallowed the last bitter lump of patience down her throat as she slowly lowered her blade. Her eyes, however, dared not glance away from him.
"Let's go!" Danji ordered before turning in the opposite direction.
Kamyla remained still.
"Kamy", Ajefe gently pressed her shoulder, silently persuading her to abide.
Her fists clutched alongside her jaws, feeling the piercing weight of wrath in her chest.
She then shut her eyes to exhale softly before following Ajefe's motion to turn and step away.
The three proceeded a few steps away before Kamyla abruptly paused to turn back to Leviathan.
He stared back.
"And you dare not return to our village, Prince Leviathan", she said, slowly returning her kuiza to the strap on her back. "Your place is in these woods... Along with the other wild animals".
Leviathan blinked boredly.
Turning away without another word, Kamyla resumed her steps to rejoin the others.
Leviathan remained inanimate on the spot as he watched them slowly disappear within the tall shrubs leading in the direction of the village lights.
His turquoise eyes then shone in an abnormal glow as his eyelid twitched.
"Kamyla..." The corner of his lips curled into a sly grin. "I'll make you eat those words..."