As the young man plunged deeper into the dense forest, his heart raced in his chest like an unrelenting drumbeat, adrenaline surging through his veins, pushing his limits to an unfamiliar extreme. His mind churned with unease and the visceral fear of impending capture. With every stride he took, the image of his pursuer clawed at his thoughts, sending shivers down his spine. Amidst the chaos that swirled within his head, his body moved with uncanny precision, weaving through the labyrinth of trees as darkness loomed overhead.
In the distance, the sinister orange glow of the burning village painted the night sky with haunting strokes, a cruel reminder of the life he once knew, now reduced to smoldering ruins and cinders. Amid the turmoil of his thoughts, he desperately tried to piece together the cryptic warning about the Lotus Clan. Who were they, and what malevolent designs had led them to unleash such terror upon his village? The answers eluded him, lurking in the shadows of the unfathomable night.
Suddenly, the distant sound of water reached his ears, and a flicker of hope danced across his face. "Yes, I've almost made it! The mountain area just ahead will provide sanctuary, I'm pretty sure if I move deeper they won't be able to track me down. From there, I'll have enough time to move to another village. And if it doesn't work, I'll just camp into the many caves inside and hope that they won't waste time searching each and every one. At least I know of some that are hard to notice. With plans A and B created, he dashed toward the river, intent on crossing and heading into the distant mountain range. "I can only hope this works and shields me from my relentless pursuer until they give up the hunt. If I can't leave the range, I'll hide until the kingdom authorities notice the anomaly and come to investigate. I will be safe by then." In his elation, he spoke his thoughts aloud without regard for his surroundings.
"Is that so, little mouse?" A chilling voice interrupted his momentary respite. "A clever plan, indeed, but you're so slow, you took the fun right out of it. I can't blame you, though; you are too weak." The man's tone dripped with sadistic amusement, sending a shiver down the young man's spine. His false haven had been shattered, and he now realized that reaching this sanctuary was nothing more than wishful thinking. How could he have known the pursuer possessed abilities that defied human limitations?
Gritting his teeth, the young man turned to face his tormentor. When he laid eyes upon the man, a paralyzing dread coursed through him. Perched atop a tree branch, the pursuer stared at him with a manic grin, exuding an aura of madness. The young man felt as though the man were restraining himself from plunging a dagger into his heart, rendering him powerless. He knelt, his body drained of all strength.
"Why?" The young man's voice quivered as he posed the agonizing question.
"Why?" The pursuer's laughter was tinged with insanity. "Why you? Why your village? Hehehehe. Kid, haven't your parents ever told you that the strong have no obligation to explain themselves to the weak? When the strong decide to spare you, you live. When they decide to erase you, you vanish. If you're seeking a profound reason behind this chaos, you'll be sorely disappointed. Not that I care."
Trembling, the young man's once-vibrant eyes dimmed to lifelessness. The pursuer, relishing in the torment, grinned maniacally.
"It's such a delight, breaking their minds, aaah how fantastic, the despair in their eyes when they know it's over for them, when their will breaks down and they become lifeless puppets, hehehehe, I love it."
"You have only your own weakness to blame, kid. If you had been stronger, if you had more influence, you might now be nestled in your cozy bed. But feeble ants like you aren't deserving of choices." The pursuer's grin widened, painting a gruesome portrait of madness and malevolence.
"Hehehehe, you should have seen their faces, how they begged us for mercy. Humans are really scum, you know? They even sold out your mom just to stay alive. I was surprised, though; your mom was quite strong, and that old man with a bloodline power, they gave us a little difficulty in our task. To think they were hiding in such a backwater place." The pursuer kept speaking to the young man despite the lack of response; he didn't seem to care.
"Anyway, kid, my Lord has limited our bonding time. Tell you what, I've seen how you've desperately been clinging to survival, so we'll play a little fate game, hehehehe. This river leads to a waterfall, so how about I break your arms and legs and then throw you into the river? If you'll survive, then you win. If you'll die, then it's my win. Isn't it fun? It's your luck against mine." The pursuer, with a big grin, moved closer to the young man who didn't show any movement.
As he approached him, he took out a needle that had some liquid on its sharp end and stabbed it into the young man's neck. "Here's something to keep you awake for a while. Hehehe, we don't want you missing this now, do we?" The pursuer used his leg to break one of the young man's limbs this time, getting a reaction from him. "Aaaaah!! It hurts, stop…?"
"Just kill me already, you sick bastard!" screamed the young man.
"Hehehehe, don't tell me you forgot our little game now. Aren't we just getting started? One limb down, three to go." The pursuer answered joyfully, his voice quivered in excitement as he went on to break the remaining limbs of the young man as he enjoyed his blood-curdling screams.
"Ple...please just kill me," lost in his pain, the young man kept murmuring those words, hoping to get his pursuer to end his life. But all he got were maniacal laughs and more pain from being hit and stomped as his bones shattered into many pieces. Just as he was losing consciousness from the pain, the pursuer kicked him into the river and watched as his body was carried by the river's strong currents into the waterfall. As the young man's body fell, the pursuer's mad grin turned disappointed as he spoke.
"Tch tch, so he died in the end, and here I wanted you to survive." He spoke with sadness as if he didn't just torture the poor soul right now. "Oh well, I hope the Lord will give me a new mission so I can find some interesting toys. Hehehehe, this time I'm going to enjoy my time with it." The pursuer's sad face lit up once again as he disappeared leaving only the blood on the ground as evidence that a horrifying event occurred there.