Rewalt Artis was falling. His eyes opened to a dizzying blur of sky and earth, tumbling end over end through the air. Pain shot through his body, a searing agony that assaulted his senses from every angle. He tried to scream, but the wind snatched the sound from his lips.
And then there was a thud, and everything went black. The last thing he remembered was the sickening jolt that rattled his bones, and then the world faded away.
.....
The room was silent except for the sound of a ticking clock. A lone dark silhouette sat motionless, lost in thought. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a messenger walked in. The figure looked up at the messenger, who met her gaze and spoke in a monotone voice, "He's dead." The messenger turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the figure behind. The sound of a woman sobbing could be heard, a haunting reminder of the news that had just been delivered.
...
The sound of his own footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as the middle-aged man hurried to find his wife. When he finally reached the room, his heart sank at the sight of her sitting there on the floor, shoulders shaking as she cried. Without a second thought, he rushed over to her side to try and comfort her, but then his eyes fell on the crumpled piece of paper lying on the ground in front of her. As he reached for it, his breath caught in his throat as he saw the words scrawled across it: "Gone. I'm sorry." The weight of those two simple words hit him like a ton of bricks, and before he even knew what was happening, he was collapsing to the ground beside his wife, tears streaming down his face.
...
Rewalt slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight. As he struggled to sit up, he immediately regretted it. Pain shot through his body like lightning, making him gasp in agony. It took him a few moments to realize that he was lying face down in the dirt, blood seeping from multiple wounds. He tried to move, but his limbs felt heavy and unresponsive. He was barely conscious, his mind clouded with confusion and fear. And then, as he lay there, a flood of memories rushed through his mind, each one bringing more pain and anguish than the last.
His life played out before him like a movie, reminding him of the people he had lost, the relationships he had ruined, and the mistakes he had made. But one memory stood out above all the rest, haunting him with its cruelty and injustice. The memory of being pushed off a precipice , by people he trusted. People he thought, were his friends. The memory of being called a traitor and a scum.
Even if the perpetrators of his situation were his close ones, the question remained: had he been killed because of somebody's words? The thought made him feel a deep sense of despair, and the need to make the people who hurt him pay became stronger than ever before. But he had to survive first, and figure out how to get out of this predicament. As he lay there, feeling the dampness of the soil seeping into his clothes, he realized that he had to find a way to get help. But how? He couldn't move his limbs and his voice was too weak to call out for help. He was trapped, alone in an dark and eerie forest, with nothing but his thoughts.
As he lay there, unable to move, the man's mind raced with thoughts of his current location. Memories of his attackers' conversations flooded his mind, and he couldn't help but realize that he must be in the one place no one ever dared to venture: The Forbidden, The Dragon's Path forest.
Located on the edge of the Eimir Kingdom's Night Watch Division's Fort, the forest was infamous for its rumors of a dragon that lived deep within its heart. Despite the countless precious opportunities that could be found within the forest, no one had dared to venture there in years. And now, here he lay, helpless and alone, in the very heart of it all.
while, contemplating his predicament, a rustling in the nearby bushes caught Rewalt's attention. His heart skipped a beat , as he struggled to move his numb limbs, but it was no use. He was defenseless and vulnerable in this dangerous forest. The rustling grew louder, and he could hear the faint growls of an approaching creature. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. Fear gripped him, and he knew he had to act fast. He tried to use the healing spell, Lioru Maxim. But his body was drained of all mana. He cursed the ones who had done this to him, but there was no time to dwell on it. He had to find a solution, and fast.
Gritting his teeth, he forced his body to move. Pain shot through his limbs, but he refused to give up. He stumbled through the undergrowth, searching for a place to hide. The forest seemed to go on forever, with no end in sight. Every sound made him jump, every shadow seemed to hide a lurking danger.
Suddenly, he heard a twig snap behind him. He whirled around, heart pounding. A pair of glowing eyes stared back at him, and he knew he was in grave danger. With no spells to defend himself, he had only his wits and his courage. He steeled himself for the fight of his life.
The man stumbled through the dense forest, his energy drained and his mana depleted. He knew he was being hunted, but by what, he wasn't sure. Suddenly, a roar echoed through the trees, causing the man to freeze in terror.
A massive, wolf-like creature emerged from the shadows, its fur a deep, midnight black. Its eyes glowed with a fierce, red light, and its fangs were longer than any the man had ever seen. It was larger than any wolf he had ever encountered, closer in size to a tiger.
The man tried to run, but the creature was too fast, lunging at him with razor-sharp claws. He felt them tear through his clothing and rip into his flesh, creating deep, gaping wounds that exposed bone. He stumbled and fell, his vision swimming as he tried to crawl away.
The creature was upon him again, its jaws snapping inches from his face. The man scrambled backwards, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to think of a way to fight back. But with his mana depleted, he had no magic to use.
Then he saw it - a large rock, hanging precariously from the side of a cliff, facing him. It was his only chance.
With a desperate burst of energy, the man jumped to his feet and sprinted towards the rock. The creature pursued, snarling and snapping at his heels.
As the man reached the rock, he spun around and threw himself to the ground. The creature leapt at him, its claws extended to strike.
But the man rolled to the side at the last second, and the creature's claws dug into the soil bed holding the rock, dislodging it from its perch.With a deafening crack, the rock plummeted towards the ground, crushing the creature beneath its weight.
The man lay there, panting and covered in blood, his body battered and broken. But he was alive. And that was all that mattered.