Arsh didn't even get a moment to comprehend his surroundings in time. The situation was dire.
Looking at the giant hole in front of him which was many times larger than the size of a human, he grimaced. And the terrified expression of Alan only added fuel to their confusion.
But, Arsh was not stupid enough to just stand there and wait for whatever kind of calamity was coming at him. He grabbed Elsa from the ground, holding her near his chest. Knowing she wasn't going to keep up with the whole group while running.
Arsh looked back at Alan for one last time with a grave expression. He could already feel chills to his bones. The thing that was coming through the door was well and beyond their realm of power.
"GO NOW!!"
Alan shouted again. This time running ahead of the whole group, guiding them through the opposite terrain of the mountains. Without looking back, Alan ran ahead deep into the opposite mountains followed closely behind by the whole group.
BOOM
Suddenly! A large explosion resounded throughout the whole of the forest. Stirring and sending it into abnormal chaos. The noise intensified around them, as the monsters of every rank started running away as far away as possible from the sound of the explosion.
Whether it was due to the explosion or due it was due to the enhanced senses that helped them in sensing the impending doom closing in on them. Arsh had no way to know.
He staggered a bit, startled by hearing the loud explosion just behind him. He could even tell from the sound. The explosion had happened right at the menacing black temple.
Arsh turned around instinctively, to find the source of the explosion. In the end, curiosity wins him over.
His eyes again stared at the rubble of the black temple behind him. Specifically, the black marble shattered into thousands of tiny pieces that had turned into rubble.
He suddenly stopped at his spot, ignoring all the chaos around him. His eyes were wide and solely focused on the being standing at top of the rubble of the black temple with the crest of the 4 eyed god in his hand.
A robe of brown covering most of it's body. The body was also identical to a human, though it had an abnormally large height. But when its face came to light, he felt a tremor running through his spine.
Dread. True dread.
It was the second time in his life that he experienced true dread.
Standing at the top of the highest mountain where the temple used to be. The mysterious being grinned menacingly. Turning around it peered into the eyes of the faraway Arsh.
Arsh had already made plenty of distance between the temple and himself. Making it impossibly hard for anyone to find him from the broken temple. But the mysterious being wasn't even fazed by that fact.
The red eyes of the mysterious being peered directly into Arsh's soul, not looking away from him even for a second. A maniacal grin plastered all over its face.
But… What surprised Arsh the most wasn't the fact that he was seeing someone other than him with red eyes. But the two horns growing out of the forehead of the dark-skinned being, standing far away from him.
Before Arsh was able to take a hold of himself. He again shivered all throughout his body, hearing the familiar voice again.
The mysterious voice which was silent until now again spoke in his head, clearly showing its undefined pleasure in the strange time.
Arsh clutched Elsa close to his chest. He broke eye contact with the strange being, and stumbling for a few moments he turned away. He looked at the trace of the adventurers in the forest from where they had just run through.
Without a second's delay, he followed along the path. Running away with every fiber of his being from his current position. Whatever the hell that thing was. Standing menacingly on the rubble of the broken temple, Arsh had no interest in knowing now.
Arsh ran and ran through the forest, skimming at the full speed. To the point where even after reuniting with the group, he left them far behind, even with Elsa in his hold.
His senses were warning him to not stop even for a moment or it was going to be the end of him. And for the first time in his life, he wholeheartedly agreed with the warning given by his senses.
They all ran through the forest, even ignoring the monsters on their sides. The horde of monsters was also running away and didn't attack them either from the temple or the being at the black temple.
After running for what it felt like an eternity. Alan signaled all of them to stop in the middle of the forest. Taking a few heavy breaths Alan looked around the whole group and the forest.
His expression was dire and his eyes only focused on the side of the group. To be more precise it was on the beautiful red-haired Griffin.
"...W-What the hell was that?"
Alan asked his eyes looking in every direction with constant paranoia. The unmounted terror he was feeling was very clear in his tone.
Gelina who had gone completely pale in the meantime was patting the little Nidia in her hold with trembling hands. Nidia was also not acting like her usual self now. She had rolled herself up in Gelina's hold in the cat form, trying to hide away from all of the outside.
Startled by Alan's sudden voice, Gelina gasped for air. She took a few heavy breaths her whole body trembling uncontrollably, before dropping her head to the ground.
"...H-He…H-He…"
Mumbling a few words, she again went silent for a few minutes. Her body was constantly shaking uncontrollably as she rested her body on the nearby tree.
Hearing her constant mumbles, which was getting them nowhere. Alan interjected from the side in a dire voice. Moving his own face in front of hers. In the face of crisis, he didn't have the luxury to wait for her to calm down.
"...Who? Who the hell was that? Be calm and answer the question. We need to know."
Gelina shivered once again all over her body. Alan shook his head in annoyance. But suddenly a single word left her lips, resounding around the current silent forest.
"...D-Desire."
Grabbing her knees close to her chest like a little girl, she spoke again.
"Monarch of Desire. He is here... He followed us all the way here… And now he is coming for me and my sister."
The adventurers were more confused than terrified. But for someone like Arsh who knew what that sentence signified. It was the end of the line.
Someone with an overwhelming amount of power beyond even their wildest imagination was after them. To the point that even true Gods avoid fighting with them. The Monarch was that kind of existence.
And being chased by someone like that, was the end of the rope, for almost any being in the whole of the cosmos.
Knowing the same information Alan gritted his teeth loudly. He was silent for a few moments before motioning all of them to follow with his hand. They all nodded together believing in Alan's final judgment.
Alan moved in front of Gelina, the moment she tried to stand up from the ground. His eyes gleamed dangerously.
"You can't come with us from this point forward. We are leaving you behind….. We can't have a constant ticking bomb with us."
Alan sighed looking at the expression of Gelina, which had completely frozen stiff, adding in an apathetic voice.
"Don't take it personally. It is what it is."
It wasn't a matter of right or wrong. Alan knew if he let her follow through, it was the same as dancing in front of a monster and hoping it wasn't going to eat you. He had to leave her behind. There was no other choice.
The adventurers didn't look convinced in the slightest either. Their confusion was palpable on their face.
Gelina didn't reply, nor refute Alan. She just went to smile a painful smile. A smile of last hope… she then added, pointing a finger at Alan.
"....Now I see why you are alive till now. You can make a difficult decision without even blinking an eye. A useful skill to have...…. I understand your reasoning Alan. I won't follow you from here on out... You can go now."
Alan didn't reply to her. He looked at the group with a serious expression adding somberly.
"... Let's Go."
Alan looked at the clear blue sky with a chiseled expression. Clearly showing, he himself wasn't too happy with the decision either….
But amidst all of it. Arsh was focusing somewhere else altogether. Constantly feeling a dark premonition around him, he was startled. Something familiar and at the same time something repulsive was approaching close….
Suddenly he saw Alan running toward him, shouting in a raw voice.
"GET DOWN!!!"
Without thinking for a moment Arsh squatted down. Dodging the shining dagger above his head by a hair's margin.
What followed next slanted the ground below Arsh's feet. His red eyes trembling gravely.
"...I didn't think you were going to dodge that. You certainly have improved more than I gave you credit for…. Though it is such a shame that you are still alive."
Even if he tried everything in his power to forget, it was not possible. It was a voice Arsh could never forget. NEVER.