"Aah!" Kaviel screamed, the sound echoing through the forest.
The pain was excruciating, a burning that shot up his arm. He felt sick, the world spinning around him.
Kaviel's heart pounded in his chest as he shooed out the hyena with his good leg.
"Get back, you filthy beast!" Kaviel shouted, managing to drive the hyena away.
With trembling hands, he tore a strip of cloth from his shirt, the fabric ripping sharply against the seams.
"Aargh!" Each tug of the cloth sent fresh waves of agony.
But he gritted his teeth on a piece of branch and pushed through, his hands working with frantic urgency despite the protest of his injured hand.
Then he leaned against the giant tree, his body shaking. Hot tears mixed with the blood and dirt on his face.
"I can't believe this is happening," he thought as he looked at his arm.
His hand, his dominant hand, was gone! His life would never be the same.
After a moment, a fierce determination filled him.
He wasn't dead yet. He needs to survive.
Slowly, painfully, he got to his feet and began to move through the forest, each step fueled by his will to live.
His vision blurred from the pain and the blood loss. He knew he had to leave the forest as soon as he could.
As evening approached, Chayil still couldn't find the way out of the forest and was lost.
After what felt like an eternity, he found a small, shallow cave.
It wasn't much, but it offered some protection.
He collapsed inside, using his remaining strength to find dry leaves and moss to make a crude bed.
"Mira," he murmured, the image of her face flashing in his mind. "I promise, I'm coming for you."
The next day, Kaviel woke up almost at noon, pale and feverish.
His whole body ached. And after a while, his stomach growled from hunger.
Despite the intense difficulty, he forced himself to get up, knowing that no one else could help him but himself.
While walking and holding his right hand with his left, Kaviel heard a rustling sound coming from the side of the tall grass.
The rustling grew louder, and a large brown bear emerged from the grass.
The brown bear's eyes were dark and fierce, locked onto Kaviel with a murderous glare.
"C'mon, please not now," Kaviel said, and without hesitation, he started running.
Even though he stumbled and his right hand throbbed with intense pain, he kept getting up and continued running.
After he had managed to lose the brown bear and had been running for about twenty minutes, his throat became parched from the exertion.
He stopped and felt dizzy as he walked.
He immediately sat down and leaned against a tree. Then he closed his eyes and tried to steady himself.
Suddenly, he heard a cry.
It was faint at first, but unmistakable.
His eyes snapped open. He listened carefully, straining to catch the sound again.
"Is that a baby?" he whispered to himself.
He looked around, the dense trees and underbrush making it hard to pinpoint the direction of the sound.
The cry came again, louder this time.
His heart raced and he pushed himself up.
The tall grass rustled around him as he scanned his surroundings, following the sound of the crying baby.
As he emerged from the dense grass, his eyes fell upon a small basket. His brows furrowed with bewilderment as he approached it.
"What is a baby doing here?" he exclaimed softly, his voice a blend of shock and concern.
His eyes flicked around the clearing, searching for any clues or signs of who might have left the infant there.
The baby's cries intensified.
Without hesitation, Kaviel reached out, his hands trembling slightly as he cradled the basket.
Suddenly, the grass rustled, and Kaviel's heart skipped a beat. He turned his gaze towards the sound, relief flooding his features as he imagined the arrival of the baby's parents.
"Thank goodness. We're saved," he murmured to the baby.
But as the figure emerged, Kaviel's heart sank as the familiar shape of the brown bear materialized before him.
With a swift movement, the bear lunged forward, its right claw extended menacingly. Kaviel's instincts kicked in as he attempted to dodge the attack.
But he wasn't quick enough.
With a sickening sound, the bear's claw sliced through the air, catching Kaviel off guard.
He let out a cry of pain as the force of the strike hurled him backward, making him crash against a nearby tree.
"Ah!" Kaviel gasped, his voice strained with agony.
The sharp claws tore into his flesh, leaving a searing wound across his chest.
Kaviel grimaced as waves of pain washed over him, threatening to overwhelm his senses. With a trembling hand, Kaviel dropped the basket he had been holding.
The brown bear lumbered closer to the baby, its eyes fixed on the helpless infant with a hungry gleam. Its mouth hung open, drool dripping from its sharp teeth as it approached.
Gasping for breath, Kaviel's chest heaved with effort as he struggled to form a plan. His eyes darted around the clearing, searching desperately for a solution.
"Please. Give me anything," he muttered between ragged breaths.
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon a stone nearby. Kaviel seized the stone and hurled it at the brown bear with all his might.
The bear's head snapped around, its attention diverted. Letting out a low growl, its gaze shifted from the baby to Kaviel.
Kaviel braced himself for the bear's reaction, ready to defend himself and the innocent child at any cost. He rolled forward, narrowly evading the bear's slashing claws.
Then he reached out and snatched up the basket.
"I'm sorry.." he said to the baby, staggering to his feet, the weight of the basket dragging at his tired limbs. "But I've… no more… strength left."
In a final act of desperation, Kaviel looked up and hurled the basket towards a high branch, his aim guided by sheer instinct.
The basket soared through the air, spinning gracefully before coming to rest on the outstretched limb.
Moments later, the bear's claw struck Kaviel's back with a brutal force. Pain exploded through him, and he crumpled to the ground.
Despite the agony, a faint smile crossed his lips as he glanced up at the basket safely perched on the high branch.
The baby was safe.
The bear stretched its massive paw towards the basket, its claws scraping against the rough bark of the tree.
However, it could not reach it.
Finally, the bear relented, its massive form disappearing into the shadows of the forest.
However, within moments, the tranquility of the forest shattered as Kaviel found himself encircled by a pack of hungry wolves.
Their eyes gleamed with primal hunger, their sharp teeth exposed in menacing snarls.
Lying sprawled on the ground, Kaviel shifted his weight, his cheek brushing against the cool earth beneath him.
With a heavy sigh, his head fell to the ground as his blood pooled around him.
"Sorry… Mira. I can't follow you anymore," Kaviel murmured weakly. He blinked slowly, his eyelids heavy as they drooped with fatigue.
As the wolves drew nearer, their snarls echoed through the forest. But then, something shifted in their demeanor.
Their fierce expressions contorted into expressions of fear and panic, their tails suddenly tucked between their legs.
Moments later, they turned tail and fled, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.
Struggling against the heaviness weighing on his eyelids, Kaviel fought to open his eyes, his breaths shallow and ragged.
Slowly, the world came into focus, and to his astonishment, he saw the baby walking towards him.
With a mixture of confusion and wonder, Kaviel watched as the baby approached, its gaze fixed unwaveringly on him
"I've finally found you, my goodness," the baby said.
The baby's tone was surprisingly calm, its words carrying an air of knowingness that seemed beyond its years.
Kaviel's mind swirled with confusion as he struggled to make sense of the surreal encounter with the talking baby.
'W-what are you?' Kaviel wanted to ask, but his body and mouth couldn't move anymore.
Despite his bewilderment, Kaviel's eyelids dropped, weighed down by the exhaustion and pain coursing through him.
"Oh no! You're not responding anymore," the baby's words were tinged with worry.
It leaned in closer, its eyes searching Kaviel's face for any sign of life.
"Hello... Are you still alive?" the baby's question hung in the air, its gaze fixed on Kaviel's still form.
As Kaviel remained unresponsive, the baby's brows furrowed.
"You still have a pulse," he murmured, his tiny hand pressed against Kaviel's wrist, feeling for signs of life. "But in a few minutes, your body won't be able to hold on."
Despite the darkness behind his closed eyelids, Kaviel sensed a faint glow permeating through.
His body felt heavy, each breath a struggle as consciousness slipped further away. As his thoughts faded into the unknown, he heard these words:
"Arise."
"I will redeem your soul from going down to the pit, and you will see the light."
"In the blink of an eye, with the sound of the final trumpet, everything will change."