Dawn came upon faster than expected. Cassandra awoke from her light sleep and shook Rainne awake. Cassandra stood up and stretched her muscles awake to warm her up. She looked over and saw Rainne trying to wake herself up. Cassandra always wondered how she could always sleep so heavily on missions. She helped Rainne up and then they started on their way.
~~~~~~
Cassandra led the way through the dense, shadowy forest, her senses on high alert. It had been one full day since they escaped their captors, and the deeper they ventured toward Liconermo, the stranger the forest became. Rainne followed closely behind, her eyes scanning the dark treetops where unseen creatures lurked.
By nightfall, they had made camp in a shallow cave. Cassandra sat with her back against the cool stone, sharpening her blade. Rainne sat across from her, looking at the horizon with a nervous frown.
"You feel that?" Rainne whispered, her voice barely a breath.
Cassandra paused, her hand stilling on the whetstone. The air felt wrong, almost heavy, like something unseen was watching. No, not just watching it was stalking them. "I do."
Rainne shuddered. "I've never felt anything like it. Not even on the worst missions."
Cassandra didn't respond immediately, but her eyes sharpened. She knew something was out there. Something unnatural. She stood, sliding her sword back into its sheath. "We should keep moving. We're too exposed."
They left the cave, slipping quietly through the trees as the night seemed to deepen unnaturally around them. The air grew colder, and the moonlight barely pierced the thick canopy of leaves. Everything was too still—no birds, no insects. Just silence.
As they pressed on, the trees thinned slightly, revealing a wide, eerie clearing. A cold wind swept across the grass, and Cassandra froze. On the far edge of the clearing stood a figure, a beastly looking thing, pale and gaunt, its eyes sunken and glowing with an unnatural light. It didn't move, but its gaze seemed to suck the life out of everything it touched. The grass around it had wilted and blackened as though drained of its very life.
Rainne swallowed, stepping closer to Cassandra. "What in the name of Liconermo is that?"
Cassandra's hand tightened on the hilt of her sword, her body going rigid. "Stay close."
The creature took a step forward, its eyes locking onto them. The air grew even colder, and Rainne's breath came in shallow gasps, as if the very life force around them was being stolen by the thing's presence.
"We can't fight it," Cassandra muttered. "We don't know what it is, or how to kill it."
Rainne nodded, her fingers twitching toward the dagger strapped to her thigh. "Run?"
Cassandra's eyes flicked toward the treeline. "Run."
They bolted at the same time, weaving between the trees as the creature moved with them. It didn't chase them outright, but its presence seemed to warp the air, making it hard to breathe, hard to move, hard to think. It moved silently, stalking them, always watching from the shadows, never to be seen.
Miles upon miles passed, and they ran until their legs burned with pain, putting as much distance between them and the clearing as possible. Only when they reached the cover of the thick, ancient trees did they stop, panting and leaning against the trunks, gasping for air.
Rainne slid down to the ground, trembling. "That thing... it was like it could drain the life from us just by looking at us."
Cassandra remained standing, her eyes scanning the darkness. "I've heard stories. Creatures that feed on life energy. They were from old stories the kids were told so they didn't run off into the forest. But I never thought they were real."
"Let's keep it that way," Rainne muttered, pulling herself back up to her feet. "What do we do now?"
Cassandra set her jaw, already planning their next move. "We keep going. Liconermo is still two days away, and I don't think that's the only thing out here."
They traveled through the night, stopping only when the dawn's first light touched the horizon. The creature had not followed them, but the air still felt heavy, as though the forest itself had come alive with something twisted and sinister.
~~~~~~
The second day was worse.
~~~~~~
As they climbed a ridge, they spotted another one of those beasts, lurking at the edge of a riverbank. Its skeletal form hunched as it drank, the water around it turning black as it sucked the precious life from the river, dead fish started to float up to the top of the flowing water. Cassandra pulled Rainne down to a crouch, and they waited in silence until it moved on.
"They're everywhere," Rainne whispered. "How are we supposed to get through this?"
"We keep moving," Cassandra replied firmly. "They're slow. We'll stay ahead."
~~~~~~
By the third day, they had encountered three more of the creatures. Each time, they barely avoided detection, their hearts pounding as the air chilled and the very ground seemed to decay and fall apart beneath the beasts' gaze.
By the time they reached the edge of Liconermo's borders, they were exhausted, their bodies aching from the relentless travel and the tension of being hunted. The towering walls of the kingdom appeared in the distance, and a wave of relief washed over them.
But as they crossed into the safety of their home, Cassandra glanced back at the dark forest behind them. The creatures hadn't followed them across the border, but she could still feel their presence and peering eyes lingering just out of sight.
"They'll stay out there," Rainne said, her voice hopeful but uncertain.
"Maybe," Cassandra murmured, her eyes narrowing. "But we need to be ready. I don't think this is over. Not yet."
And as the gates of Liconermo closed behind them, the weight of what they had encountered in those dark woods stayed with them, a lingering shadow that felt as if it had darkened their very souls.