Elizabeth watched her shadow, consistently trailing behind her, impossible to shake off. Even as she crawled through the forest, she hoped to lose herself in the cloak of the night.
Her plan failed. The monster — part snake, part human — had approached her and stopped. Its towering body cast a chilling glance towards Elizabeth, who was crouching in the forest undergrowth. The eerie green light in its eyes made her feel the breath of death.
Indeed, the scent of imminent death crushed her, rendering her breathless and sapping her will to resist. Fear gripped her heart, causing her to tremble like an autumn leaf in the wind.
The monster made a sound akin to grinding teeth, a noise so unnerving it felt as though her heart might leap out of her chest. Even though Elizabeth had the powerful fear resistance of a wolf, she couldn't maintain her composure in the face of death. She wanted to scream, but her voice betrayed her.
Watching the humanoid snake creature inch closer, Elizabeth leaped in desperation from the undergrowth, over high clusters of grass. It was her last-ditch effort to escape. She hoped that her sudden movement might deter the beast, giving her a chance to escape.
As she was still mid-air, something caught her. Before she could react, the snake's body entwined her. The creature coiled around Elizabeth in the air, its upper body towering over her, staring down at her.
Elizabeth heard the chilling sound of her bones creaking under the pressure, causing her an excruciating level of pain. Despite her strong physique, her bones were breaking one by one under the immense pressure from the snake's body.
She was on her last breath, devoid of any strength to resist or transform.
Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot echoed nearby. The bullet hit the snake's body, causing it to recoil in pain. It abruptly released Elizabeth and spun around to face the forest from where the bullet had come.
Elizabeth fell to the ground, her eyes weakly watching as a pair of boots slowly emerged from the forest. Slowly looking up, she saw a man in a suit and a hat holding a hunting rifle. He took aim at the monster and fired another round without hesitation.
The bullet hit the snake monster again, bouncing off and falling to the ground. After emptying his rifle, the man tossed it and slowly drew a long sword from his waist. It was a typical sword of the West.
It was a classic cross sword, much like those from the Middle Ages. Elizabeth didn't see where he'd drawn the sword from. All she could think was that he needed to go. Because she recognized this man. It was Hill Steven, who had recently parted ways with her.
Hill walked straight towards the beast, fear nowhere to be seen on his face. As he drew his sword, the monster recoiled. But instead of fear, it launched a preemptive attack, charging at Hill.
Hill, in return, thrust his sword at the monster. The tip pierced the creature's body, causing it to recoil in pain. The snake's tail swung with incredible force, knocking down several sturdy trees.
Despite the tail's powerful swing, Hill stood his ground. He retrieved his sword just in time to be hit by the tail, which launched him onto the ground. But he quickly got up, raised his sword again and steadily approached the beast.
Elizabeth could only manage hoarse whispers, urging him to leave. Unable to transform back into a human, all she could do was lay on the ground in desperation, tears welling up in her eyes.
But Hill couldn't hear her. He continued his systematic attack on the snake monster, pushing it back with every strike of his sword.
Suddenly, a glow rushed from the distant forest like lightning. The snake monster, stunned, quickly released its grip on Hill and darted into the forest. But then a loud crash echoed as a tree was cut in half. And just like that, the snake monster was gone.
Exhausted from the battle, Elizabeth lay on the ground, her eyes slowly closing. The last thing she saw was a pair of boots approaching. The man squatted down and gently stroked her hair. Her eyelids became heavier until she finally drifted into unconsciousness. It felt as if she had been in a deep sleep, her memories seeming distant and forgotten. As Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes, a piercing ray of light greeted her. Squinting, she gradually adjusted her gaze to the overbearing brightness.
However, the moment she attempted to move, a sharp pain engulfed her entire body. Regardless of the blinding light, she widened her eyes in shock, taking in her surroundings. Her body started to shiver, a cold sensation washing over her.
She found herself lying in her own bed, flanked by her parents. There was another person present, not Hill Steven, but Jason. He stood behind her parents looking at her, alongside Joseph and Lisa. Lisa's eyes were red and swollen, clearly having recently shed tears.
She was unable to move, her body entirely bandaged, transformed back into her human form. She lay in bed, resembling a mummy, with only her head free to move. Luckily, she could still speak. Her first words were, "Where is Hill?"
"Which Hill?" asked Mr. Kote, his heart aching as he frowned at her question. "Who is Hill? All I know is that you would have died if it hadn't been for Mr. Jason!"
Jason said nothing, only smiling in response.
"Elizabeth, there's no Hill, only Jason. He saved you in the forest. You... your entire skeleton was shattered. It's a miracle your ribs didn't puncture your organs. Jason saved you, and he reconstructed your skeleton. With time, you'll be as active as me," Lisa explained to Elizabeth.
"Thank you—" Elizabeth strained to say, her broken ribs making it painful to speak forcefully. She directed her gaze at Jason. Her eyes held a questioning look, reflecting her inner anxiety.
"Someone must have been there before me. Otherwise, Elizabeth might have already been dead," Jason nodded, understanding what Elizabeth was trying to ask. "The way you were positioned, it was beneficial for your injuries. I guess that person didn't want me to see them, hence they left..."
Hearing Jason's words, Elizabeth seemed to let go of a heavy burden. She smiled faintly and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. Hill Steven hadn't abandoned her, and that was enough for now. However, a troubling thought lingered. Back then, she had been a wolf. Perhaps, Hill Steven didn't even know who she was.