"Let's get out of the woods first or else we'll be struck by Bathala's sword," Alexandra said beside me.
"Bathala's sword?" I said, glancing at the red haired woman.
"Yes, those lightning thunders are Bathala's divine sword, so get your arse moving already!" Alexandra answered, urging me to move.
I picked Pula on the ground, holding the little red rabbit with me as I followed beside the red haired woman. Alexandra and I ran together then we found shelter inside an enclosed cave.
"Let's wait here until the rainstorm passes," Alexandra said as she kneeled on one knee, making fire inside the cave.
I nodded, putting down Pula on the ground; then I stood on one hand, lifting my lower body vertically. I started doing push ups with one hand as I meditated.
The training that Alexandra made me do grew on me and became a routine. I feel anxious when I'm not doing anything. I feel like time is always chasing me. Especially knowing what's about to happen in this kingdom in the near future. It's making me feel pressured because time is ticking, and what I have only learned so far is to meditate and exercise.
So I always do this even when Alexandra isn't making me do it anymore. It eases my mind when I move both my body and my mind at the same time. It clears the worries burdening on my heart.
"Aaaaahhh!"
My eyes widened, hearing a loud scream. I stood up on my feet and turned to Alexandra.
"Did you hear that?" I said.
The red haired woman glanced at me then she continued to warm herself again near the fire. "Ignore it, lass," she said.
My brows knitted, looking at Alexandra. "Ignore? What if…"
"Lass," Alexandra interrupted as she sighed. Then she grabbed a short stick and started drawing on the ground, she then started, "Currently, we're in the Phantom Greenwood, an old forest located at the southeast part of the Eternal Resting Forest near the Mystic Academy, and…"
I nodded, looking at Alexandra attentively as I waited for her to continue
Her dark eyes stared at me as she continued, "there are many wandering evil spirits in this area. After all, this forest was one of the many battlefields used in the war a hundred years ago, furthermore," Alexandra paused.
The red haired woman looked at the small fire again. "Everyone out there could turn out to be a murderer or something," Alexandra finished sounding solemn, looking at the small fire in a trance.
But Alexandra shook her head lightly as she sighed, then her dark eyes stared at me again. "I suggest that you choose to turn a deaf ear to this lass, it would only bring you harm," she added. "Or perhaps to both of us."
My furrowed brows deepened as I stared at her in dissatisfaction. "So we just ignore it? Is that what you're implying, huh, professor?" I replied, staring at the red haired woman.
Alexandra didn't respond as she remained motionless to her seat, staring at the small fire she built.
With a sigh, I shook my head disappointedly.
"Ahh! Help!"
I bit my lower lip, hearing the distressing call from a far. I gave Alexandra one more glance before running outside of the cave, following the screaming voice while Pula followed beside me.
Jogging as my eyes move searching everywhere. The rain got me drenching from head to toe, making it hard for me to move as my soaking uniform became more heavy to carry along with this body.
The scent of the damp-moss, the wet soil, and the woodsy fragrance entered my nostril as I breathed deeply under the heavy rain. The woods are starting to get foggy making it more difficult for me to sight my surroundings. The only light I got is the dim strikes of the lightning thunder flickering in the night sky like a broken lamp.
I picked up the little red rabbit, carrying Pula with me, feeling afraid that we might have gotten lost. I squinted, my eyes blinking, turning everywhere.
"Help!"
My ears perk up as I listen attentively. I followed the sound of the voice like a guide in the middle of the foggy dark forest.
The rain poured down heavily in the forest, and the purple blue strokes lit up the night sky. The lightning illuminates the dark forest, and there my eyes lay upon a girl and a bird near the river bank.
Standing there was a tall burly female student wearing the same uniform as mine. The female student wore a wild expression on her freckled face, and the rain wet her thoroughly from her short green hair down to her leather boots.
The green haired girl laughed like a crazy maniac as her green eyes glinted. Her dark chapped lips twisted into a smirk, looking menacingly. The green haired pointed the tip of her large sword threateningly at the wounded bird crawling on the mud.
The bird next to the green haired girl crawled away with her rainbow wings, bleeding with blue blood. Its eyes shone like the bright round moon, weeping with tears; its beak glowed as gold as the sun, screaming for dear help.
"Help, someone help! Anyone!" The wounded bird shouted distressingly, crawling away from the huge sharp sword.
My eyes widened in shock as I gasped, "what in the bloody hell…?"
The green haired girl and the bird both turned their heads at me.
The bird looked at me as it hurriedly said, "Mortal, come save me and I shall reward your good deeds greatly!"
The female student, on the other hand, pointed the tip of the sword at me and said, "don't you dare lest you want this sword pierced to your chest!"
Pula growled at the crazy green haired female student. I hugged Pula tightly on my arms as I felt my heart pounding anxiously in my chest.
"Mortal, I feel you have an untainted soul, please lend me your merciful heart and save me from this wretched mongrel!" The bird cried out, looking at me pitifully. "I'm a sacred bird and shouldn't be tamed by anyone, please!"
"No! The Adarna bird is mine to tame!" The green haired girl bellowed then her figure dash, rushing at me, striking the sharp blade of the sword.
My eyes widened in panic as I muttered, "shit."
Before I could even react, the female student had already closed the distance between us in a blink of an eye. I held my breath, staring wide eyed at the blade that was only an inch away from slicing on my neck.
My heart went cold, unable to move. I could only hug Pula protectively in my drumming chest as I became paralyzed.
Suddenly, someone's foot came flying, kicking the green haired girl on the side of her torso. A bone cracking sound resounded as the female student flew, rolling on the mud away from us.
With widened eyes, my mouth hangs open flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events. Looking at the person who saved me. She stood 5 feet and 7 inches tall in front of me; her red long curly hair flies in the air like a hero.
"Professor," I called out in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought that…"
Alexandra briefly glanced at me over her shoulder then she stared ahead again. "Save the chatting for later lass, for now, get the Adarna bird on the ground and run to where we're currently staying," the red haired woman said solemnly.
"But…what about you?" I said as my brows pulled up together worriedly.
Alexandra chuckled lightly as she smirked. "Don't worry about me, I'll follow after you soon," she said, winking at me.
"Fucking bitch!"
The green haired girl roared madly. The female student weakly prop herself up on her elbows, vomiting blood on the mud.
Alexandra turned to me and solemnly said, "lass, go now."
I gulp nervously as I hurriedly move. My lips quivered, and my legs wobbled, shaking from fear. I walk weakly towards the wounded bird, crawling to me on the mud.
"Mortal, thank you, I'll reward you greatly afterwards, please bring me out of here," the Adarna bird cried.
I didn't respond as I picked the bleeding bird on my arms with Pula, securing them both on my chest carefully.
I glanced at Alexandra anxiously.
The red haired woman smiled comfortingly at me and said, "go, I'll handle this, don't worry."
I nodded still with a worried face and replied, "professor, be careful."
"I will, now hurry and treat the injuries on the Adarna bird," Alexandra said as she gestured, shooing me away.
With a deep sigh, I moved my body.
"Long time no see, Lilith Salvador, still as crazy as ever, eh?"
When I heard what Alexandra said, it immediately made me stop on my tracks as I looked back with widened eyes.
'Bloody hell!' I yelp panicking inside my head, staring at the crumpled face of the green haired student named Lilith Salvador. Lilith stood up, holding her huge sword, casting a glance at Alexandra.
"You're just a fucking beta, bitch!" Lilith snarled, spitting disdainfully on the mud.
I gulped nervously, feeling anxiety creeping to my heart.
Lilith Salvador is the alpha who was arranged in a marriage with Penelope in the novel, and this green haired girl is also the person who ended up killing Alexandra in the book.
Lilith then turned her gaze to me. "You, leave the Adarna bird behind, and I might consider sparing your life," she said, smirking at me.
"Don't listen to that wretch mongrel, mortal," the bird muttered in my arms.
However, I just stood there again frozen and paralyzed from fear. I don't know what to do.
Alexandra got killed by Lilith in the novel. If I leave now, what will happen to Alexandra?
My eyes stared at Lilith in a trance.
"Lass!" Alexandra yelled, calling to me. "What are you doing standing there?"
"I, you, she…" I stuttered, panicking as my thoughts became a mess.
"Hurry and go!" Alexandra said, turning her body to me, which left her back exposed to Lilith.
Lilith smirks at that as she comes rushing, pointing the tip of the sword at Alexandra's back.
My eyes widened as I saw Lilith rushing. Alexandra frowned, turning around to check on Lilith.
'Shit!' I cursed in my head as I threw Pula and the bird on the side, running towards the red haired woman.
"Professor, look out!" I said, pushing Alexandra away.
The lightning in the sky strikes as everything ends in a flash. A hard punch struck my front. I winced as I slowly felt a hot piercing pain.
I gazed down and saw the sword stabbed on the middle of my chest.
'Oh, I've been stabbed,' I concluded as I looked at Lilith again. I smiled smugly at Lilith as blood flowed out of me like a stream of river.
Lilith clicks her tongue dissatisfied as she pulls the sword back, and I grimaced feeling the sharp metal blade moving on my flesh and bones, hitting every nerve.
Red liquid splattered out of me as Lilith retracted the large sword to her side. As blood squirts out of my chest, I feel my body turning hot and cold.
Yet, I feel elated in my heart as I heave a weak sigh of relief. Despite my breathing becoming heavy and difficult, it didn't stop me from smiling to Lilith.
'I saved professor,' I rejoiced inwardly as I tasted something nasty like a rusty metal on my tongue.
At that, I vomited blood as my knees dropped on the ground, feeling extremely weak. My chest feels like it's being poked with a million needles. The pain is starting to sink in, and each breath I take feels like a draining chore. Every inhale and exhale becomes shorter and harder to take.
I looked up to see Lilith glaring menacingly at me as she raised the sword, striking at the direction on my neck. I watched in a trance as the sword came to me, and everything became slow suddenly.
So slow that I have the time to ponder my choices in this world.
I smiled to myself awaiting the sword to take the soul out of this unfamiliar body. To be honest, I don't regret anything, while trying to live as Nasrin Urduja.
If anything, the only regret I have is that people won't know; that the one who would die inside this body is me. I regret that I didn't have anyone that knows the truth about who I am. Who would grieve for me when I'm gone?
No one.
Instead, they would grieve for losing Nasrin, who isn't me. Despite them calling me by a name that doesn't belong to me, I wish people would come and find me, not because of Nasrin, but because of me. Yet, I can't have any of those, because I can't and I fear exposing my secrets.
But still, my greatest fear is that I would change into someone unrecognisable; someone who isn't me; someone who I could no longer recognize. If that happens, everything that best describes me would be worthless. By then, what would become of me?
I fear so many things. I fear death and life itself. I fear oblivion. I fear the extinction of humanity. I fear this unfamiliar world. I fear a lot and many things like any other human being.
However, the thing that I'm most scared of is losing myself.
Change for me is hell.
'Was it worth it? Was choosing this path worth it?' I asked myself in my head. At these thoughts, my lips twisted into a wry smile as I welcomed the sword like a salvation to this life of misery.
But the sword failed me as Alexandra suddenly came kicking Lilith on the side of her burly body, pushing Lilith away from me saving my neck in a hair's breadth.
Pula came to me, whimpering pitifully.
"Don't worry, you'll be free from now on, Pula," I said, stroking its red furs with a trembling hand, feeling cold from the depths of my skin.
At that, Pula whimpered even more, nuzzling my hand with its red warm fur. I smiled sadly at the little red rabbit.
"Don't be sad, my little rabbit," I mumbled. "You'll soon be free."
I then glance at Alexandra and Lilith again, watching as Lilith gets beat up by the red haired woman.
Lilith grunted as she struck back, but Alexandra dodged and kicked Lilith again.
Loud cracking bones resounded as Lilith exclaimed, "fuck!"
Alexandra rushed in the air kicking Lilith's side once more.
Lilith winced as she yelps, "ah! Stop! You bitch!"
"Leave before I kill you," Alexandra threatened in a calm voice.
Lilith spit disdainfully on the mud, glaring at me and Alexandra. With one final glare, Lilith left hurriedly to the woods.
As Lilith left us in peace, my body relaxed, falling sideways to the ground as more blood slowly left my body.
Alexandra sprinted to me. "Lass!" The red haired woman called in panic as her brows pulled up together worriedly. "Why are you so stupid!"
"Professor, you're so strong," I commented, chuckling as my breath became harder.
Slowly, my surroundings became a blur. On the peripheral side of my vision, the wounded bird crawled those bleeding broken wings, scooting closer to us.
I opened my mouth to tell Alexandra about the sacred bird. However, I found it hard to talk as breathing became harder and harder for me to do.
"Stop talking and shut your mouth, don't die on me you slow witted lass!" Alexandra yelled angrily.
'Why is professor angry?' I asked, bewildered by the red haired woman's outburst. Alexandra isn't the one bleeding, and yet, she is angry.
I frowned as I still couldn't comprehend this red haired woman.
I look up, blinking. The night sky strikes lightning of purple and blue. The dark clouds steadily poured down the rain on the murky forest.
Suddenly, I feel so tired and want to rest for a long long time. The rain pitter pattering in my ears sounded like a lullaby, pushing my heavy eyelids to sleep.
"Strong mortal, make the weak mortal drink my saliva, it would cure her wounds though she would also receive some side effects…"
My eyelids are closing, but when I heard what the Adarna bird said, my eyes quickly shot open.
I looked at Alexandra deadly in the eye, and said, "saliva..."
I coughed blood, and I panted as I tried to catch my breath. I held Alexandra's hand as I tried to convey a message with my eyes.
'Please not the saliva!' I repeatedly chanted in my head, hoping the red haired woman would get the meaning of my eyes.
Alexandra seemed to understand as she nodded and said, "don't worry lass, I'll bring the saliva to you."
My eyes widened in horror, and I fainted as everything went black.