In the pitch-black expanse of the forest, Lucian crouched on a tree branch, sweat dripping down his forehead. His heart pounded in his chest, and his thoughts churned in turmoil. He couldn't shake the image of the monster below. Its head jerked violently, eyes unnaturally large, empty, and full of malice. It was as though the creature had crawled out of the deepest depths of his nightmares, and he was sure it knew where he was.
Fear gnawed at him, but survival instincts kicked in. He couldn't move. He couldn't risk it. Every instinct screamed for him to hide, to stay still, and hope the creature wandered off. The thought of turning off his light orb crossed his mind. If he kept it on, the monster would know exactly where he was. But if he turned it off... complete darkness. And that would mean risking being ambushed if the creature could climb. Reluctantly, he shut the orb off, embracing the suffocating darkness around him.
With his heart racing and his mind spinning, Lucian sat still, barely breathing. His only hope was that the creature would lose interest, that it would leave him to fight another day. Then, a familiar sharp pain sliced through his skull—a headache, one that had become all too familiar. With a sigh, he reached for a clear mind potion, swallowing it down before tossing the bottle back into his bracelet. "Two left... this is bad," he muttered under his breath. "I can't survive out here like this."
The darkness pressed in on him. He couldn't even tell where he was. Escape seemed impossible. No food. No potions. He cursed his bad luck, wondering if he was even going to survive this ordeal. Rescuers weren't coming. He had to find a way out, and fast. His only choice was to stay put for now. "Two hours," he told himself. "I'll wait two more hours before moving. Hopefully, it'll leave."
Just as the time passed, a faint clicking sound broke the silence, then another. It was getting closer. And closer. Lucian's heart nearly stopped. He swallowed hard, fear creeping up his spine. The clicking continued, rising steadily, like a predator stalking its prey. Then, the branch under him trembled as something enormous shifted. In a flash, he turned on his light orb, only to see the creature's face directly in front of him. It was a nightmare come to life—a head larger than three humans stacked together, its cockroach-like features twisting in grotesque jerks, six humanoid arms, three on each side, swaying unnaturally.
A split-second of pure terror surged through him, but Lucian knew there was no turning back. Fight or die.
Instinctively, he summoned the Passive Wind Barrier, wrapping himself in a protective shield. His hands moved swiftly, invoking Blinding Radiance, hoping the intense light would dazzle the creature long enough to give him a chance. The blinding flash of light burst outward, but to his horror, the creature didn't flinch. Its eyes, devoid of light, stared straight at him, unaffected by the brilliant burst.
With no time to waste, Lucian lunged, his sword, empowered by the wind, driving towards the creature's head with deadly speed. But as the blade struck, the sword snapped in two. Lucian's heart sank. This creature wasn't just strong—it was beyond his reach. His sword had broken. His heart raced as memories of Megan flashed through his mind. He couldn't die here. He couldn't. Not like this. He needed to crawl out, even if it cost him a limb.
His mind spun, desperately trying to find a way out, a way to fight back. His mana control wasn't good enough for the Rising Tempest—not yet. He couldn't use it. There was no time. The creature lunged at him. Lucian's eyes widened as the branch he stood on splintered under their combined weight. Without thinking, he leaped to another nearby branch, barely catching his balance as the creature crashed to the ground below.
But he knew this was far from over. The clicking noise continued, closing in on him with terrifying precision. The creature was relentless. Lucian's eyes scanned the branches around him. With quick thinking, he augmented his legs with mana, using wind to propel himself from branch to branch, leaping through the trees, his body moving faster than he thought possible. But the clicking, the horrible clicking, still echoed beneath him.
As his thoughts raced, he realized something. The creature had never blinked, never turned away from his light, no matter how bright it was. The light didn't affect it at all. Could it be... blind? That was the only explanation. It had to be relying on other senses to track him. His mind locked onto the idea. He could use this.
Lucian invoked Whispering Gale, surrounding himself with wind blades. He focused hard, maintaining thirty blades—more than he'd ever been able to control before. He gritted his teeth as he fired them all, aiming them at a distant tree. The blades struck, the explosion of sound reverberating through the air. Then, Lucian made a critical decision; he ceased all use of mana, completely masking his presence. He held his breath and froze, stopping all movement. His body and mana signature vanished into the surrounding darkness, rendering him nearly undetectable.
The clicking noise changed direction, moving towards the explosion's source.
Lucian let out a silent sigh of relief as he collapsed on a large branch. It was only temporary, but it was enough for now. He was safe—for the moment.
Far away, in a different part of the forest, Selina and Cedric argued heatedly about the sound of the explosion.
"You're a prince," Selina snapped, her eyes flashing with frustration. "Trained by the finest. Shouldn't we help whoever caused that?"
Cedric's gaze remained cold and focused. "A prince who's dead can never be a king."
Selina spat on the ground, glaring at her brother. She turned, determined to head towards the source of the explosion.
Cedric hesitated, deep in thought, before calling after her. "Fine. I'll come with you. But under one condition."
Selina paused, turning around with a smirk. "What's that?"
"You listen to me, no matter what," he said, his tone serious. "If I say it's dangerous, we pull back."
A knowing smile spread across Selina's face. "Deal."
In another quiet corner of the forest, a red-haired girl leaned wearily against a tree, her torn dress and disheveled appearance telling tales of a rough day. Despite her exhaustion, she wasn't just sitting idly. She picked up small rocks from around her and tossed them on the ground, each plop followed by a more exaggerated gesture, as if she were conducting an orchestra of stones.
As she lobbed another rock, her stomach growled loudly, breaking the rhythm. She paused, placed a hand on her belly, and looked around as if the trees might sympathize. Her face took on an expression that bordered on tears, a poignant mix of frustration and a hint of despair.
She muttered, "I wanna eat fried chicken."