Thank you Jennifer_Goliah for sending in a golden ticket :)
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Rohan's eyes widened as three more pairs of red eyes stared back at him. His heart raced, his grip tightening around the dagger. The beasts lunged at him—two of them, but each with three eyes. His breath hitched, but he dodged their vicious strikes, his instincts kicking in. With one swift movement, he buried his blade deep into one of the beast's thigh, dragging it down to its knee. Blood sprayed from the wound, soaking the ground as the creature staggered, collapsing onto one knee.
Rohan wasted no time. He plunged the dagger into its chest, the growl of pain that followed sending a chill down his spine. The creature's claws scraped at its bleeding chest, but it was already weakening.
Before Rohan could react, the other beast lunged. He didn't see it coming. In a flash, he was yanked off his feet, his body flying through the air like a ragdoll. He landed with a sickening thud, the impact rattling his bones. A sharp, burning pain shot up his back as he struggled to push himself up, gasping for air. The world spun around him, but he couldn't afford to lose focus. His back seared with agony, but he didn't have the luxury of stopping. The fight wasn't over yet.
Wasting no time, Rohan scrambled to his feet, grabbing the dagger that had slipped from his hand when he hit the ground. The beast growled, its piercing eyes locked onto him as it lunged forward, claws aiming to tear into his chest. But Rohan was quicker. He slid down and beneath the creature's legs, his movements sharp and precise. With a swift strike, he drove the blade deep into its thigh, causing it to howl in pain.
Not stopping there, Rohan darted behind the creature, his breathing steady despite the adrenaline coursing through him. With all his strength, he delivered the final blow, plunging the dagger into the back of its head. The beast roared in fury, thrashing as it clawed at the weapon embedded in its skull. Blood gushed from the wound, streaming down its head and shoulders. Its strength waned, and with a heavy thud, it collapsed face-first onto the ground, its body lifeless.
Rohan panted wiping the blood on his cheek with the back of his sleeve. "Fuck! That was a lot." His bag! Rohan ran to where the bag had fallen off his shoulder and opened it.
Rohan desperately rummaged through his bag, searching for a compass, only to be hit with the frustrating realization, he hadn't packed one. How could he have forgotten something so crucial? Raking his fingers through his hair, he hissed, frustration burning through him. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. He hadn't looked back once and still had a general sense of direction, but a compass would have made things much easier. Now, with no clear idea of where the others were or how they'd find him.
Letting out a defeated sigh, he lowered himself to the ground, pulling a piece of bread from his bag. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, and eating seemed like the only thing to do while he planned his next move. As he tore into the bread, his eyes caught movement in the fog. Two silhouettes, faint but unmistakable, were running straight in his direction.
Rohan squinted through the thick fog, trying to discern the shapes approaching him. His grip on the dagger tightened instinctively, while he continued chewing on the bread he held in his other hand.
As the figures drew closer, his eyes finally focused on them. Relief washed over him when he recognized who they were. "Oh my goodness, Rohan!" Lyra's voice rang out as she stepped in front of Sevastian and sprinted toward her brother. She threw her arms around him in a tight hug, her eyes frantically scanning his body for any signs of injury.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her gaze darting toward the lifeless beasts sprawled a few feet away.
Rohan smiled faintly, his exhaustion clear but his relief evident. "Look at you two. I am alright, very tired, but alive." He gave his sister a reassuring nod before turning to Sevastian, who was eyeing him skeptically.
"Are you eating?" Sevastian asked, narrowing his eyes at the piece of bread in Rohan's hand.
"Yes, I am. All this fighting made me really hungry," Rohan said, tossing the last piece of bread into his mouth and rubbing his stomach like he was proud of himself.
Lyra frowned, her eyes darting from the dead beasts to her brother, who looked way too relaxed. Eating in front of this bloody mess? She couldn't wrap her head around it. "How do we get out of here?" she asked, trying to focus on the problem instead of how strange he was acting. This wasn't normal for a fae—it felt... off.
"Down this path," Rohan said, shrugging like it was obvious. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I have been following it for a while now, so it's gotta lead out of this place."
Lyra narrowed her eyes. "You didn't see anything weird? No hallucinations?" she asked, still not convinced. Something about him felt different, and it was starting to worry her.
"Hallucinations? Not at all. Why would I have those? Sure, I have felt fear, but I haven't looked back. So, I think I am fine." Rohan shrugged, his tone far too casual for the situation.
"Oh, that is... nice," Lyra muttered, letting out a small sigh of relief. She was grateful they were all still holding up, but the eerie tension of the place was crawling under her skin. She couldn't wait to get out of this nightmare before it drove her to madness.
They walked down the path together, their steps slow but steady, until they spotted a faint silver light ahead. It wasn't much, but it was enough to tell them the nightmare was almost over.
When they finally made it out of Vylint, the sky was painted with the colors of evening. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the land. But just as they thought they were safe, another beast attacked them, only to meet the same bloody end as the rest.
The three of them stopped by a small lake to rest and clean up before heading to the Cave of Darkness. Sevastian and Lyra washed their faces and hands, the cool water offering a small sense of relief. Meanwhile, Rohan sat back, munching on a pastry like he didn't have a care in the world.
Once he was done eating, he finally wandered over to the lake to wash the blood off his arms and face. The water was cold, but it felt good after everything they had just been through.
"Do you not wish for some bread? It is almost finished," Lyra said, glancing at Sevastian. He had his sleeves rolled up, meticulously cleaning his glasses with the hem of his shirt.
"I am not hungry," he replied, not bothering to look her way. The memory of his mother in the Vylint had stirred up shadows from his past—dark, haunting memories he had worked so hard to bury.
Lyra continued eating but kept her eyes on him, noticing the distant look on his face. "What did you see in the fog?" she asked gently. He didn't respond, his silence stretching on. Trying to ease the tension, she decided to share her own experience. "I saw a couple of things. When I was little, I was attacked by a syline dog, one of my father's pets."
She stretched her leg out, rolling up her trouser to reveal a jagged scar on her calf. "The palace healer tried to use magic to erase it, but sylines are not like regular creatures. Their wounds do not heal the same way." Her voice softened as she added, "After that day, I became terrified of sylines. That fear turned to hatred." She paused, pulling her trouser back down. "The syline died a long time ago, but I saw it today in that cursed fog."
When she looked at Sevastian again, she noticed he had stopped cleaning his glasses, his hands still.
"You know," she said, her tone firm but caring, "you can talk to someone. You don't have to carry everything inside. If you bottle it up, it will eat at you, little by little, like a slow-spreading virus."
Before he could say anything, Rohan called out for Lyra. She gave Sevastian an encouraging smile and stood, brushing her hands off before heading to join her brother by the lake.