Haruto hadn't taken any weapon, but fortunately, Kaito had taken a sword and they had picked up an axe from one of the fallen children, Haruto didn't have the strength to swing it, even if he built momentum and tensed up... he would never be able to swing it.
The duo had changed weapons, Kaito acquiring the battle axe while Haruto a katana, and now this was the time to test their fighting strength, a white and blue colored beast had lunged at them, a blue that mixed grey and black, and white furs running down it's neck creating a puffy look to it.
They would have thought it domesticated how pretty it looked, but the horns on its head and fangs in its mouth said otherwise, Kaito had narrowly evaded having his head taken off, and the beast using the smoke to hide its presence waited for a moment of weakness.
A fun prey fought back anyway, Haruto and Kaito slammed their backs against one another, if the forest got any quieter one could mistake their heartbeats for ceremonial drums.
"What was that?" Haruto asked, his head swinging every which way trying to look left and right simultaneously.
"A wolf thingy" Was the reply he got.
With their weapons in hand, the duo stood back to back, their senses on high alert as they scanned their surroundings for any sign of movement. The dense fog and oppressive silence only added to the tension, heightening their awareness of the imminent threat.
As they braced themselves for the creature's next move, Haruto couldn't help but feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. This was what they had trained for, what they had prepared themselves to face. Now, it was time to put their skills to the test and prove themselves worthy of survival.
With a tense silence hanging in the air, Haruto and Kaito exchanged a glance, their eyes conveying a silent understanding. They may have been outmatched and outnumbered, but they refused to back down without a fight.
"Let's do this," Haruto said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at his insides.
Kaito nodded in agreement, his grip tightening on the handle of his weapon as he prepared to face the oncoming threat.
With a primal roar, the creature lunged forward, its claws glinting menacingly in the dim light. Haruto and Kaito sprang into action, their movements coordinated and precise as they fought back against the relentless assault, Kaito stepped forward and swung the battle axe.
The beast focusing on him had sidestepped, forgetting it faced more than one opponent. Haruto seized the opportunity, while its balance was off he braced his sword for impact as he slashed at its side.
The blade connected with the creature's side, eliciting a guttural roar of pain as it stumbled under the force of the blow. Blood welled from the wound, staining its pristine fur a dark crimson as it recoiled from the unexpected attack.
Taking advantage of the beast's momentary weakness, Haruto pressed his advantage, his movements fluid and calculated as he pressed the attack... or so he thought, his body had chosen this moment exactly to remind him how sore and in pain he truly was as his joint buckled forcing him on his knees.
Raising his head, the beast's claws and jaw were a hair's distance away from him, he could feel its warm breath, the smell of its unbrushed teeth saliva dripping and clinging to the sharp teeth.
*CHOMP*
The fog seemed thicker, Haruto's heart raced as he watched the same scene of the beast, its eyes fixated on him as its head rolled in circles to a complete stop.
In the end, the beast had forgotten it was facing two opponents, and Kaito had taken the chance to kill it while it was on the offensive.
A few seconds too late and Haruto would be on the ground instead, Kaito's arms tensed up his lungs refusing to take in air but he forced them anyway, his breath visible as if it had gotten colder all of a sudden, his face a display of horror a perfect muse for despair.
Haruto got up and placed his shaking hands on Kaito's
"Hey it's okay, I'm okay now," he said, his tone almost as if he was trying to convince himself as well.
Vision darkened at the possibility of losing the person in front of him, they were fifteen, and they still had two more years before they got executed for being a waste of resources in the clan.
Two whole years to dedicate to training and mastery of everything, eventually awakening their Jiguko... so why were children dying like this? A picture of Haruto on the ground, with the wolf feasting on his neck flashed in his mind.
In silence, Haruto collected the severed head of the beast and tied it around Kaito's waist before the two continued with the exam.
'Why did I hesitate? I can blame it on the strain my body feels now but why did Haruto hesitate, no, he didn't, I keep referring to Haruto as a different person from me, I died in my past life as Arthur, I died a failure of a son, a brother, hell even a hero.'
'And now, given a second chance, I hesitate to kill even a beast, i already have battle experience, I have killed many, and many have tried to kill me, so why did this kid have to witness that' Haruto thought to himself as he looked at Kaito.
Despite his appearance as a 15-year-old boy, mentally, he was far from it. Gritting his teeth he lowered his head as if a boy caught stealing money from their parent's pouch and were now facing a tongue lash.
The duo walked in silence, the thick fog swallowing them whole.
The heavy silence hung over Haruto and Kaito like a suffocating shroud, each step through the dense fog feeling heavier than the last. Haruto couldn't shake the image of the beast's jaws inches away from him, its warm breath tinged with the stench of death etched into his memory. Beside him, Kaito's shaken demeanor mirrored his inner turmoil, the weight of their near-death experience pressing down on them like a crushing weight.
Half a day later
Without the sun to tell time, the students were effectively trapped in a field they couldn't escape, from all they knew they could have been in there for days already.
The tension in the air and the fear of what ruled in the unknown got to most of the quickly and right now, a girl was watching as their fellow companions fell prey to a beast.
The sound of bone breaking, tissues, and muscles ripped out of their skin.
"AAAAARGH!!! I GIVE UP SOMEONE, TEACHER PLEASE HEL....."
*THUD*
Tears streamed down her face, her green hair defiled by crimson, and her sweet scent replaced with iron, dirt, and vomit. She placed her weapon on her neck, and with trembling hands, she watched as the beast turned its gaze on her.
The corners of its mouth curled upwards revealing its sharp teeth, licking its fingers as it watched her cut her neck.
As the day wore on, the once oppressive fog gave way to a torrential downpour, soaking the dense bamboo forest and shrouding everything in a veil of mist and rain. Haruto and Kaito, their clothes drenched and their senses heightened by the storm, ran through the labyrinthine grove, their footsteps muffled by the squelching mud beneath their feet.
With every step, the relentless patter of rain echoed in their ears, mingling with the rhythmic pounding of their hearts as they fled from the relentless pursuit of the black serpent. The creature slithered through the undergrowth, its scales glistening in the dim light, its eyes fixed hungrily on its prey.
Haruto and Kaito darted between towering bamboo stalks, their breath coming in ragged gasps as they struggled to keep pace with the serpentine predator hot on their heels. The slippery terrain threatened to trip them at every turn, but they pressed on, driven by sheer determination and the instinct to survive.
Ahead, a narrow clearing loomed, bathed in an eerie glow cast by the storm clouds overhead. With a burst of speed, Haruto and Kaito pushed themselves forward, their muscles burning with exertion as they raced toward the safety of open ground.
But just as they reached the edge of the clearing, disaster struck. Kaito's foot slipped on a patch of wet moss, sending him tumbling to the ground with a cry of alarm. Haruto skidded to a halt, his heart pounding in his chest as he turned back to help his friend.
"Kaito, get up!" Haruto shouted, his voice barely audible above the roar of the rain. But Kaito lay sprawled on the ground, his face contorted in pain as he clutched his injured ankle.
The black silhouette coming to light, closer than the fog could cover up, a black snake, with legs that rivaled a centiped, hole where scales should be it's tongue split into four as it licked the air.
a beast with no eyes that threatened to consume the sky when it stood upright.
The black serpent slithered closer, its forked tongue flicking out to taste the air as it closed in on its prey. With a surge of adrenaline, Haruto lunged forward, his katana drawn and ready as he prepared to defend his friend with his life.