Evan's body trembled, not just from the exhaustion but from the brutal fight he had just survived. His clothes were ripped and torn, smeared with blood, his arms streaked with crimson from the slash of a blade that hadn't fully healed.
He stood, swaying slightly, eyes half-lidded, as though the whole world was spinning around him.
The forest around him was eerily quiet, the heavy silence pressing against his eardrums, the only sound being the thudding of his own ragged breaths.
'I did it....I actually killed a man...' He thought as he glanced at his partly bloodied hands.
'...with these hands...I had to.' He comforted himself.
'He was going to kill me. There was no other choice.'
A twig snapped behind him.
The sound snap cut through the silence like a knife, and Evan's head whipped around, searching for the source.
Two figures emerged from the shadows of the trees, their outlines vaguely defined in the light of the sun.
One was the massive prisoner, towering and broad, who had helped him break the chains of the prisoners.
The other was smaller, wiry, with long hair that cascaded down his back in tangled knots. His pale face was drawn with exhaustion, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe as they took in the scene before them.
They were both prisoners, as Evan was.
The black man's deep voice broke the silence.
"You did it." he said, his gaze locked on Evan with an intensity that was almost palpable.
"You killed Lord Hayman."
Evan blinked, his mind struggling to piece together the last moments.
Lord Hayman.
The name sounded foreign, detached, as though it belonged to someone else.
His gaze flickered over to the lifeless body sprawled out before him. A man who had once been so powerful now lay there, broken and bloody, his eyes, shut.
Evan's stomach churned.
"We have to get moving, that bear would soon be on us, or worse the knights." The skinny prisoner stated.
"Ofcourse. If there's any hope for us to survive then we have to move right away." The black prisoner concurred.
Despite the prisoner's warnings, Evan's body refused to listen. His legs felt like lead, paralyzed by the surge of adrenaline which was only wearing off now.
Then it came—the roar.
A low, guttural sound that sent a shiver down each of the prisoner's spines. The bear beast was closer this time, much closer.
Evan's heart skipped a beat as the ground beneath him seemed to tremble. Evan's head jerked toward the sound, instinctively crouching, ready to spring into action.
The black man's eyes widened with urgency.
"Come on!" he grunted, grabbing Evan's arm with surprising force.
"We have to move. Now!"
Evan's vision was still blurry, his senses too overwhelmed by the intensity of the situation.
The skinny man was already several steps ahead, glancing back with wide eyes.
"The knights." The skinny man said breathlessly,
"they've recaptured the others. If we're going to get out of here, this is our only chance."
Evan's thoughts swirled. He wasn't sure what he was running from anymore—the knights, the beast, or just the fact that he was barely holding himself together. But one thing was clear:
'There's no time to waste.'
***
Evan stumbled forward, his hand brushing against the rough bark of a tree for support.
The black man—on the other hand—moved swiftly, his body a blur of motion, as did the skinny man.
The three of them ran through the forest, feet pounding the earth, the sound of their breath the only noise accompanying the distant roar of the bear that was no doubt closing in on them.
The trees blurred past them, the evening light filtering through the branches, casting long, eerie shadows on the ground.
Hours passed. Or maybe it was minutes. Evan couldn't tell. All he knew was that his legs were giving out, and the ache in his chest was unbearable.
'I...I don't think I can go any further. I feel like my body's about to explode.' but he couldn't stop. Not yet.
And then, as though fate itself were playing a cruel joke, the skinny man, stumbled and fell to the ground with a cry. His chest heaved, his breath coming in gasps as he attempted to push himself up, but the exhaustion was far too much.
"I can't do it anymore," he rasped.
"I need to rest."
Evan, too, felt the weight of his own body dragging him down. He swayed, his vision fading in and out.
'I suppose they're human too. We've been running for some time now. But no matter what, I cant stop.'
His body -however- refused to obey. He collapsed to his knees, as he began to heave aloud for air, exhaustion painted over his face.
'What...my body...it's breaking down...Damn it. I have to rest'
Victor turned back, his face etched with concern.
"We can't afford to stop, not here."
But Evan's voice was hoarse, his words thick with exhaustion.
"We've been running for hours... I haven't heard a single horse hoof or.... footstep behind us. I think... I think we're clear for now." He managed to stuttered as he panted.
Victor's eyes narrowed, his expression hardening.
"You don't know these people. They'll hunt you down like you're game."
Evan forced himself to sit up, his back pressed against a nearby tree.
The conversation continued around him, but his mind wandered. He realized, with a sense of unease, that he didn't even know the names of the people who had helped him.
'Not that it matters, but I suppose it'll be easier for me to refer to them if I know their names.'
He darted his gaze to both prisoners, his voice barely a whisper.
"What're your names?" he asked, his voice rough from the journey.
Victor glanced at him, his expression softening just a little.
"Victor." he said, his voice deep and steady. "Victor, son of Thors."
Evan nodded, trying to catch his breath. "And him?"
"That's Vin, what about you?" Victor said, jerking his thumb toward the smaller man, who was resting on the opposite side of the tree, eyes closed, still gasping for air.
Evan gave a weak smile.
"I'm Evan... Just Evan."
"Nice to meet you, Evan." Victor replied.
"I wish it were under better circumstances."
"Likewise."
"Just so you know... I'm indebted to you. Thanks to you, I have a chance to fight for my freedom again. If it weren't for you, I...we... the last memory we would have would be Lord Hayman's steel in our chest.'
There was a brief silence before Evan spoke again.
'He feels indebted to me? I suppose that could work in my favor. He might prove to be useful.'
"If you really think you owe me something... just point me in the direction of Maddenport."
Victor blinked in confusion, as he shared a glance with Vin before returning his gaze to Evan.
"Maddenport? What is that?"
Evan gazed, puzzled by their reply.
"You don't know Maddenport?"
Victor paused, then shook his head.
"No Maddenport here lad. We're in Cedron, probably in the forest of Malia....That's where we are." Vin managed to stutter.
"I've never really heard of Maddenport, and I've been to the three kingdoms." Victor added in.
Evan's brow furrowed.
'Cedron? I've never heard of such a place.' He thought inwardly.
Something felt... wrong. None of this made sense.
'No Maddenport. How's that possible? Could it be that I'm not in my world anymore?' He thought to himself.
The realization hit him like a slap to the face, and his mind began to reel. He wasn't sure how, but he was certain now—he had been transported to another world. Another reality altogether.
'Is that what that notification I got earlier is? That'd explain why I'm the only one who can see it. It's kinda like isekai, but I never thought that isekai would land me in this position.'
Victor snapped his fingers in front of Evan's face, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Hey, are you with us?"
Evan blinked, shaking his head to clear it.
"Yeah... I'm here," he murmured.
"We need to keep moving,"
"The hounds will be on us soon, or worst, that damn Devil. We've got no time to waste."
Evan nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Yeah, I know. Let me just–"
His words were cut short as his eyes caught a glimpse of a faint glow quite a distance from them and above he could see it, a thin trail of smoke, against the dimming sky...which could only mean...
"Fire." He muttered as he pointed towards the faint glow, which gained the attention of the both prisoners.
"If there's fire there, then they're....people...."
And perhaps... a chance for survival.