The forest, once a sanctuary, turned into a battleground the day I faced the troll. Its towering form loomed over the trees, a grotesque silhouette against the fading light. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of fear and determination coursing through me. This was no mere beast; it was a monster of legend, a creature of nightmares that I had only heard of in hushed whispers around campfires.
As I watched from my hiding spot, the troll's eyes, glowing with a savage intelligence, locked onto something – or someone. It was then I saw Lenn, stumbling into the clearing, unaware of the looming danger. His eyes widened in terror as the troll turned its attention towards him.
"Run, Lenn!" I shouted, breaking cover and drawing the creature's gaze. The troll let out a guttural roar that echoed through the forest, as the troll's menacing form loomed before us, I saw in its grotesque features the embodiment of every fear I had ever known in the forest. Its eyes, like coals set ablaze, fixed on Lenn, who stood frozen in terror.
Without a second thought, I leaped from my hiding spot, my makeshift spear in hand, drawing the monster's attention. "Run, Lenn!" I yelled, hoping he would seize the chance to escape. The troll, with a guttural snarl, shifted its focus to me, its new, more immediate threat.
Our battle was brutal and unforgiving. The troll, towering and formidable, swiped at me with massive, gnarled hands. I dodged, feeling the whoosh of air as its fist narrowly missed my head. Adrenaline surged through my veins, fueling my movements, but fear was never far behind.
I managed to land a few desperate strikes with my spear, but the troll's thick, leathery skin turned the blade aside as if it were mere annoyance. I quickly realized that my skills, honed through years of survival and training, were barely making an impact on this behemoth of the wild.
In a fleeting moment of hope, I saw Lenn regain his senses and start to flee. But the troll, enraged by the stings of my futile attacks, caught me with a backhand blow that sent me sprawling to the ground. Pain exploded in my chest, each breath a struggle.
As I lay winded, the troll advanced for the kill. I looked to Lenn, hoping for help, or at least a distraction. Our eyes met – his filled with a dawning realization of his own vulnerability, mine with a plea for assistance.
But the fear in Lenn's eyes turned to something else – resignation. In that critical moment, he chose his own life over our bond. With a final look that held both apology and terror, he turned and fled, leaving me to face the monster alone.
Betrayal, sharp and bitter, cut through me as the troll raised its massive arm for a final, crushing blow. The world seemed to slow down, the forest holding its breath. I was alone, truly alone, in the face of death.
As the troll's massive hand descended upon me, time seemed to slow, each second stretching into an eternity. Pinned to the ground, injured and helpless, a surge of despair washed over me. It was more than just the fear of death; it was the culmination of years of suffering, of relentless struggle, and unfulfilled longing.
"Why?" I screamed inwardly, my voice a silent howl of agony. "Why must I die? Haven't I suffered enough? My whole life has been a relentless fight for survival, a never-ending quest for a shred of love, of belonging."
The pain in my chest was nothing compared to the anguish in my heart. Lenn's retreating figure blurred in my vision, a symbol of the final betrayal in a life marred by abandonment.
"All I wanted was to feel… to feel something other than this endless pain," I thought, my mind racing through the years of loneliness, of fighting against a world that seemed to have no place for me. "Does my life mean so little? Is my suffering just a plaything for this cruel world?"
Anger flared within me, a burning, seething rage against the world, against the fate that had led me to this moment. "I hate this world!" I raged silently. "I hate what it has made me become. I hate myself for not being strong enough, for not being able to change my destiny."
Tears blurred my eyes, not just of pain, but of frustration and despair. The troll's shadow loomed over me, a dark specter ready to extinguish the flickering flame of my life.
In that moment, lying broken and defeated, I felt the full weight of my existence – a life of constant struggle and loss, a life where brief moments of happiness were swiftly crushed under the brutal reality of survival.