I noticed a sudden movement in the bushes. I stopped immediately, my body tense, every muscle ready to react.
'What was that?' I thought, my eyes locked on the spot where the sound had come from. For a few seconds, nothing happened. The forest's silence was almost absolute, broken only by the whisper of the wind and the sound of my own breathing. Then, another movement. This time, I saw it clearly.
Rabbits.
But these weren't ordinary rabbits. Their fur was an immaculate, almost supernatural white, and their eyes glowed an intense, piercing red.
'The hunt begins now', I thought, a mixture of adrenaline and caution taking hold of me. This wasn't a choice—it was a necessity. I knew that without protein or something more substantial than berries, my body wouldn't last much longer.
I grabbed the hardened branch I had enchanted the night before. It felt more useful now than it had when I first held it. An improvised weapon, but a weapon nonetheless. I gripped it firmly, feeling its weight in my hand as I moved carefully toward the bushes.
The wind blew again, carrying a damp, earthy scent mixed with something metallic I couldn't quite place. Perhaps it was the forest itself, or maybe something more.
My senses were on full alert—every sound, every movement around me seemed amplified, echoing in the back of my mind like a constant warning.
I approached slowly, each step calculated so as not to startle the rabbits. My breathing was low and controlled, but my heart pounded like a drum. The rabbits remained there, moving casually among the bushes, oblivious to my presence.
'Alright,' I thought, leaning forward, the tip of the branch aimed in their direction. 'Time to see how far I can go.'
Suddenly, one of the rabbits lifted its head, its red eyes locking onto me. My body froze for a moment. It knew I was there.
Before I could think of my next move, the rabbit leapt backward, moving with astonishing speed. Its sudden movement triggered a chain reaction: the other rabbits, now aware of my presence, began to scatter, their small, agile bodies vanishing into the bushes.
'Damn!' I thought, my mind racing. I couldn't let them all escape—at least not all of them. The others were already darting away, but one was still within my reach.
Without hesitation, I focused my energy on one of the spells I had only recently learned.
— "Charge!" — I shouted, channeling the element of thunder through my fingers. I felt the tension in the air as I struggled to control the flow of mana, the electricity beginning to take shape. At first, I sensed the magic forming, but it took longer than I wanted. The air around me seemed heavy, as if nature itself was reluctant to let me wield the power of thunder.
Finally, the lightning bolt shot out, striking the ground near the rabbit. It stumbled, its leg muscles faltering for a second as if pulled in the opposite direction. But the magic wasn't fast enough to stop it completely.
'I was too slow.' The scarcity of thunder elemental energy in the environment, combined with my inexperience with magic, made the casting slower than it needed to be.That was one of the drawbacks of basic elemental magic—its strength, speed, and casting time were too dependent on the residual mana in the surroundings.
Frustration flooded my mind, but there was no time to dwell on it. I had to act.
Fortunately, not all was in vain—the rabbit had stumbled, its movements slowing for just a second, and that was all the time I needed. With the branch gripped tightly in my hand, I lunged forward, putting all my strength into the strike.
Even so, the rabbit, despite being affected by the magic, managed to narrowly evade me, the branch grazing its leg.
Staggered and injured, it managed to run a few more meters, its agile body zigzagging between the trees in desperation.
'Damn it. I'd better pick up the pace.'
With the branch now firmly in my grip, I pushed forward. Each step made the dry leaves and soil crackle under my feet, but the sound of the chase felt irrelevant compared to the thunderous rhythm of my heart. I was sprinting after the rabbit with everything I had. The advantage was mine—it was wounded, and its movements were clearly slowing.
The trees began to grow denser as I ran, their thick trunks blocking out the sunlight and plunging the forest into deeper shadows. The scent of damp earth and dense vegetation mixed with the metallic tang of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Every step brought me closer, but the rabbit was just as determined to escape.
I saw its silhouette ahead, its faltering movements a clear sign of its exhaustion. Still, it pushed on, trying to get away from me. My breath was heavy but controlled, and I stayed close behind. I was so near I could almost reach its tail, but then, with one final desperate leap, the rabbit widened the gap between us.
Victory felt close, just a few meters away, my entire body thrumming with the thrill of the hunt.
"Damn it," I muttered, gripping the branch even tighter.
"You won't even see yourself becoming my lunch." The branch was raised high, the anticipation of success burning in my mind. The sounds of the forest faded into the background. All that remained was me and my prey.
Or so I thought.
As I continued to chase the rabbit, it became clear that at this pace, I'd tire out before it did. Worse, I was straying too far from the cave. My mind, flooded with adrenaline, drove me to make a risky decision.
— "Breeze!" — I shouted, pouring every ounce of concentration I could spare while keeping my eyes locked on the rabbit. I channeled the wind element, activating the first basic-level spell I'd ever learned.
I focused the magic on my legs. All I needed was one burst of speed—just enough to close the gap and claim my prize.
The wind magic surged with far more force than I anticipated, propelling my body forward with an almost supernatural velocity. The hardened branch rose with precision, and I knew the strike would be true.
The hunt was about to end. The rabbit was exhausted, and I was just a step away from my prize. Victory was within my grasp.
But in the forests of Dracknum, fate is rarely so simple.
Just as I soared through the air, poised to strike, something changed. A blur of movement, rapid and sudden, came from my left. Before I could fully process it, a wolf pup—seemingly emerging from the shadows—collided violently with the rabbit.
'What the hell—?'
I barely had time to register what was happening before the situation took an even more unexpected turn.
From the direction the wolf had come, a massive shadow loomed, and a hulking figure emerged from the dense forest. A colossal bear, it's dark fur bristling and its teeth bared, stepped into the clearing. Its eyes glinted with a primal, predatory fury.
The wolf and the rabbit tumbled into a tree, both stunned by the collision, but the bear wasted no time. With a thunderous roar that shook the ground beneath me, it charged. The air grew heavy, and the oppressive weight of its presence seemed to suffocate everything around it.
And there I was, still midair, speeding toward the chaos with no way to change course.
The impact was brutal.
The bear's massive paw struck me with the force of a falling boulder. The sound of the collision was deafening, and pain erupted through my entire body. I was sent flying to the side, like a leaf caught in a violent gust of wind. My stomach lurched into my throat, and all the air was forced from my lungs in a strangled, silent cry.
My body slammed against the trunk of a tree, the impact reverberating through my bones. The world spun wildly around me, the trees twisting into distorted shapes, and the ground rushing toward me in a dizzying blur. Pain erupted through my entire being, and I could barely react.
My vision blurred for a moment. The bitter taste of blood filled my mouth, and a deep, searing heat burned in my chest. My legs felt weak, barely able to twitch. My head throbbed, the pain a relentless wave, as if everything inside me was being crushed.
The bear stood there, staring at me with an impassive gaze, its sheer size and presence making the air feel heavier. It didn't charge; it didn't need to. It was as if it knew my fate was already sealed. The wolf pup struggled to its feet nearby, but its body swayed, drained of strength. The rabbit was nowhere to be seen—it had vanished into the chaos.
I struggled to make sense of the scene unfolding around me. My breathing grew shallow, each breath feeling like it might be my last. The forest, once alive with sound, now seemed eerily still, except for the faint rustle of leaves and the ominous growls of the bear.
And yet, amidst the agony and despair, something deep within me refused to give up. I couldn't die here—not now, not in this unforgiving wilderness. There was still a promise I had to fulfill.
Summoning every ounce of willpower, I tried to move. My fingers tightened around the branch in my hand, slick with sweat and trembling from the strain. My vision, though hazy, managed to make out the colossal silhouette of the bear standing before me. I needed to act.
I fought the pain that radiated throughout my body
But… my body betrayed me.