In the dark forest, while "Leven" was tied and bound to the trunk of a tree, his mind was racing. He remembered Lara's words once: "If you are in danger, call my name, and I will be there immediately." He decided not to give up and began shouting:
"Laraaahhhh!"
The three men heard his screams, and one of them laughed and said:
"Has he lost his mind? Stop this noise!"
One of the men approached and tied his mouth with a rope, saying:
"There's no use screaming, little prince. It's time for the experiment."
As the man held the needle filled with a mysterious silver liquid, the wind suddenly began blowing with unexpected strength. From the dense trees, massive thorns shot out and pierced the three men, causing them to fall to the ground in pain. Suddenly, "Lara" appeared, her eyes blazing red, her hand transforming into long, sharp claws, and her voice filled with fury:
"I will never forgive you!"
One of the men attacked her with an enchanted sword, but she dodged his strike effortlessly and lunged at him, driving her claws into his chest with force, knocking him down. At the same time, the second man attempted to attack her, while the third grabbed "Leven" and raised the needle towards his neck, threateningly saying:
"Stop right now, or I'll inject him with the liquid!"
"Lara" froze in place, looking at him with anger and worry. She asked in a trembling voice:
"What will that liquid do?"
"Leven," his face full of fear, shouted:
"It turns humans into monsters! Lara, please, stop!"
Seeing the fear in "Leven's" eyes, she lowered her hands and said:
"Alright... I'll do what you want."
The man ordered her to get down to the ground. As she complied, the other two men prepared to attack. In a fleeting moment, "Lara" gathered her strength and rushed toward the man holding the needle. But she was slower than usual, as a wound on her leg from one of the swords hindered her movement.
Despite this, she managed to push the man away from "Leven," but she was shocked to see "Leven's" hand starting to transform gradually, and his features changing. She screamed:
"No! I was too slow... He injected him!"
"Leven" collapsed to the ground, his body shaking unnaturally, his limbs slowly transforming into monstrous features. She held him as she cried, trying to comfort him, while the three men laughed, saying:
"We completed our mission! The little prince is now a monster."
But before they could continue their mockery, blue flames erupted, burning them entirely in an instant. "Lara" turned to see "Ji" standing there, the fire fading from his hands. He said calmly:
"What happened?"
The scene before him was shocking, as he saw "Leven" had turned into a half-monster, lying on the ground, and "Lara" holding him and crying. He said in amazement:
"I thought these monsters were going to hurt you, so I burned them with my fire."
"Lara," her eyes full of tears, replied:
"What do you want? It's too late now. And how did you get here?"
"Ji" answered:
"I was training with 'Don.' He told me with concern that someone was in danger, so I came quickly."
"Lara" responded angrily:
"Fine..."
She then carried "Leven" and said to "Ji":
"Listen carefully, you're just an opportunist. You probably came here just to kill the monsters and develop your skills."
At that moment, "Don" appeared with heavy steps and said in a cold tone:
"That's not true."
He looked at "Lara" and approached her, speaking heavily:
"This boy is innocent. And you know he suffers from terrible fear because of the blood and horrifying scenes he witnessed. So don't blame anyone but yourself for your neglect, girl."
"Lara," her voice filled with anger and shouting, replied:
"No! I always look out for his best interest! And what do you do besides giving orders and enjoying killing?!"
"Don" interrupted her angrily, grabbing her by the neck and pinning her forcefully against a tree. He said with a cold and terrifying look:
"I don't kill children. Not like you. If someone told you to kill a hundred infant children in exchange for bringing your dead husband back, you would agree immediately."
"Lara" replied in a choked voice:
"But I would sacrifice my life for 'Leven'... For him only."
"Don" said in a threatening and calm tone:
"If you truly meant that, you would have done what the man said and sacrificed yourself instead of subjecting him to this fate."
He then tightened his grip on her neck slightly and said:
"This time, I'll forgive you, but next time, I'll kill you, girl."
He let her fall to the ground, gasping for breath from the choking. He then approached "Leven," using his magic to restore him to his human form, albeit with some deformities on his face and hair. Looking at "Leven" with sadness, "Don" said:
"You poor boy, you shouldn't have had to suffer like this."
He added:
"I hate to see innocent children dying or being tormented because of adults."
Then he said to "Lara":
"You must prove yourself by protecting him."
"Don" disappeared, leaving "Ji" and "Lara" alone.
"Lara" carried "Leven" in her arms and said to "Ji":
"Tell the king his son was kidnapped and died, and that I was killed trying to protect him."
"Ji" asked hesitantly:
"And where will you go?"
She replied firmly:
"I'll search for a cure for him, even if I have to go to the ends of the earth."
"Lara" left with "Leven," while "Ji" remained in place, looking at the dark sky, contemplating everything that had happened.
"Ji" returned to the palace and informed the king of what had happened. The king ordered a search for the killers everywhere, while "Ji" prepared for the next stage of his journey, wondering about the fate awaiting "Leven" and "Lara."
End of chapter...