Claire bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears that almost burst out. The dark and misty forest somehow felt like night time even as the sun was still up was very heavy, as if gripping her exhausted body, pressing on her soul.
Her mind spins as the skull monster continues to chase her, as if refusing to let her go so easily. Her broken heart began to miss the figure of her father—the Duke—who was never really close with her, and Vincent, her brother, who used to tease her with gentle jokes.
The two people, who used to live around her, now felt so far away, as if they have never existed.
However, Claire knew there was no time to be trapped in painful memories. The bones looked even more real as it continued to chase her from behind, spewing eerie murmurs that haunted her every step. The sound of it hovering on the ground sounded strange and terrifying, it sounded like its legs were being dragged.
Occasionally, Claire turned her head. The monster was still floating above the ground, its feet not really touching the surface, but somehow able to chase Claire at a frightening speed. The air around her was filled with terrible murmurs, as if the forest itself was conspiring with the creature to trap her.
"Ea—t… Ki—ll…"
The creature's hoarse voice sounded like a whisper from hell, broken, as if the creature itself was having trouble speaking. Terrifying.
Suddenly, the great sword the monster held was thrown at her, flying through the air in a terrifyingly fast motion towards Claire. Her eyes widened, her body froze in fear for a moment. The sword slashed through the air right beside her, a breath away from hitting her, before finally sticking firmly into the trunk of a large tree in front of her.
Ctang!!!
The sound of metal hitting wood sounded like a death knell, deafening Claire's ears, as she flinched back. Her body began to tremble violently, a chill spreading across every inch of her skin as she imagined being impaled by the sword. Fear stabbed deep into her mind, as if death had just greeted her without mercy.
Claire stopped running. Her legs seemed to freeze, unable to move by the fear that was now suffocating her lungs.
When she looked back, the dark forest seemed like a living trap – the towering trees, so close together, made escape seem impossible. She was trapped. There was no way out.
'Ethan… Ethan….'
The name flashed through her mind, like a faint whisper of hope in the midst of a storm of fear that would not subside. Ethan's face flashed briefly in her mind, becoming the only hope in this almost hopeless situation.
But, the harsh reality hit her. Vincent and her father—they would not come. Even if they knew, they would only watch in silence. Sharon, the gentle woman she left in the old house, could not possibly help her. Claire could only pin her hopes on Ethan, or at least that was what she wanted.
'Please… I don't want to die yet,' Claire thought with increasingly suffocating despair.
The creature was getting closer, its steps were getting clearer—the sound of bones dragging on the ground, cracking, like the grip of an inevitable death.
Claire felt a chill creeping into her body, as if every inch of her will had surrendered to the terrible fate that awaited her.
Her breath was now ragged, her heart was beating fast, the paralyzing fear penetrated deeper, making her body limp.
'I don't want to die as a monster's meal,' she thought, desperately staring at the hideous skull of the creature before her.
The creature's bones radiated an undeniable aura of death, and Claire felt that her current fear was far greater than when she was about to be executed.
At least then, death would come quickly.
The thought of her slowly dying while the monster eating and tearing her limbs one by one were terrifying. She would be eaten alive, feeling the pain of every bite from the monster. The image of its teeth grinding on her bones, or maybe even worse, she would lose her eyesight when the monster ate her eyeballs first, the horrifying thought hit her like a terrible storm.
Claire's knees finally gave out. She sat weakly on the cold ground, her body shivering uncontrollably. She closed her eyes, trying to distract herself from the horrific reality around her.
The forest that had been scary before now felt even more terrifying. The faint voices around her became clearer, making undecipherable whispers that made her heart even more afraid.
The sword that was still stuck in the tree trunk made a hissing sound, as if mocking Claire who had given up on her fate.
'I don't want to die here!' Claire thought, her breath coming in short gasps. Her hands now covered her face, trying to hold back the fear of the monster's voice.
The monster got closer, its image growing larger and more terrifying. As it reached its hands towards Claire, she could see its hands were only made out of bones with some skins and tendons intact, the rotting smell from some of its flesh penetrated her nostrils.
Claire could feel her heartbeat getting louder and faster in her ears, as if it was going to explode. Even so, she couldn't move, freezed in a fear that could destroy her.
However, just as the creature was about to attack her, the sky above her thundered. A strong wind blew, causing the trees to sway and the leaves to float, clearing up the mist.
Claire opened her eyes in shock. Above her, a giant gleaming red creature descended from the sky. Ah, was that an illusion?
A giant firebird with brightly shining wings, its light like a candle flame in the middle of the night, as if the sun had risen and lit the sky once more.
The bird was in no way only an ordinary creature.
Its body glistened like burning precious metal, its wings looked like shards of fire that burned every breath of air around it. With one swift lunge, the firebird attacked the skeletal creature that had been about to grab Claire's face.
The skeleton staggered back, pushed by the unexpected force from the firebird. Its sharp claws dug into the monster's skull, crushing the fragile part with great force.
Claire's eyes widened, shocked and confused at the sudden battle in front of her. She could feel herself shivering, this time not only because of fear, but also because of surprise.
The firebird did not stop attacking, with agile movements it continued to attack. Its fiery tail sparked flames that whipped and burned the creature's bones.
The skeleton monster continued to fight back, but its strength was no match for the giant firebird.
Every time the creature tried to attack back, the bird easily dodged, leaving a trail of fire in the air with each movement.
'I have to get out of here!' Claire thought, her survival instinct suddenly kicked in.
She knew this was her chance to escape. Although her body was still shaking and weak, she did not want to waste this opportunity.
Claire immediately got up, even though her whole body still felt weak. She almost tripped over a tree root, but she didn't care.
The only thing on her mind was to run as far as possible from this place, from the monster that was chasing her and from the possibility of death that she had just experienced.