…
Crack!!
The weight of the boulder came crashing down, pulverizing everything beneath it.
A blood-curdling scream tore through the air—the wolf. Its voice was warped, disoriented, still suffering from the gaping hole Garran had left in its mouth.
Yet Evryn was unscathed.
He stood several feet away, away from where the boulder had fallen. A moment ago, he had been right there—right there.
His breath came out uneven as he tried to make sense of it all.
"What the…?" He muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
The wolf still lived. Its massive body lay pinned under the boulder, its lower half completely crushed. It couldn't move. It was trapped.
But the real question was—how had he ended up over here?
Evryn remembered the moment vividly. The boulder had been right above him, ready to smash him into nothing. Then—darkness. His vision had blurred, then gone completely black. He thought he had died.
Yet here he was. Alive. Untouched.
First, all my pain vanish when I fell into the cave… and now I black out somehow and move away from the boulder?
A chill crept up his spine. Something about this felt wrong. Unnatural.
He didn't like it. Not one bit.
Evryn looked down at the sword in his hands. Both of them gripped the hilt tightly, fingers curled, ready to swing.
He lifted his gaze.
The wolf was barely moving, its breaths ragged. But it was alive. And it was staring at him.
Its bloodshot eyes burned with rage—it wanted to lunge at him, to rip him apart. But it couldn't.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Evryn's lips. The sight before him… it was almost amusing. The wolf, once a relentless predator, was now helpless. Its life dangled by a thread—a thread held in his hands.
He took a step forward.
The wolf snarled weakly and tried to move, but agony shot through its broken body. It let out a pitiful whimper and collapsed, its chest rising and falling in short, strained breaths.
Then its expression shifted.
Fear.
For the first time, it was afraid.
Evryn stood over the beast, staring into its wide, trembling eyes.
"I won."
He drove the sword down, straight into the wolf's blue eye.
The creature shrieked, its body convulsing as he twisted the blade, pushing deeper—searching for the brain.
The screaming faded.
Its body stilled.
The wolf was dead.
Evryn pulled back, the tip of his sword now slick with blood.
The faint smile on Evryn's lips faded. He let out a deep sigh.
"I'm so tired."
He flicked his sword, sending droplets of blood scattering onto the dry earth.
Twenty minutes passed.
Evryn had skinned part of the wolf's fur, keeping it for himself. The pelt was neatly folded, resting on his right shoulder as he prepared to set off.
Raising his left arm, he carefully guided the sword onto his back, angling it so the tip slid into the waistband of his pants for support. Satisfied, he continued forward through the arroyo.
Time dragged on.
After about thirty-four minutes of walking, the narrow, rocky path began to widen. Up ahead, the arroyo came to an end—leading into open, grassy lands. A steep hill stretched before him, marking his way out.
The air felt lighter here, the scent of damp earth replacing the dust and stone of the canyon.
Evryn took a deep breath and pressed on.
Evryn moved deep into the forest, heading north, relying on the moonlight to guide him. The pale glow weaved through the canopy, casting shifting shadows over the uneven ground.
Soft pulses of blue light flickered around him, emanating from clusters of fungi clinging to the gnarled roots and trunks of ancient trees. Their faint bioluminescence bathed the forest floor in an eerie glow, giving the place an almost dreamlike quality.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The earth trembled. A low rumble pulsed through the ground, shaking the trees around him. Leaves and Sunpire Fruit tumbled down, rustling as they hit the forest floor.
Evryn stiffened.
"Another creature?" he groaned internally. He was beyond exhausted. His body ached, his limbs heavy. Just one damn break—that's all I ask.
Then he heard it.
A deep, slow tearing sound.
Rustling. Snapping branches. Heavy chewing.
It came from behind him, to the right.
Slowly, he turned his head.
His breath hitched.
A massive shape loomed above the treetops, half-shrouded in darkness. Its long, towering neck swayed gently as it pulled entire branches into its mouth, chewing slowly. The trees barely reached its chest, their canopies brushing against its hide like grass against a man's leg.
The beast let out a deep, resonating huff, its exhale sending a wave of leaves fluttering to the ground.
Evryn exhaled shakily, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten.
"It's huge…"
Despite its size, it moved with a strange grace, its steps slow and deliberate, the ground trembling beneath its weight. It wasn't hunting. It wasn't interested in him at all.
But one misstep, and it wouldn't even notice him before turning him into paste.
I don't want to be anywhere near that thing. If something startles it, it'd be over for me.
Evryn didn't linger. He turned away, keeping his steps light, careful not to snap any branches beneath his feet. The forest was dense, the eerie glow of the blue fungi flickering as he moved. His exhaustion gnawed at him, but he pushed through.
Before long, he reached the base of a hill that rose above the treetops. From the top, he might be able to get his bearings—maybe even spot the village.
Evryn wasted no time climbing. The incline was steep, but compared to everything else he had endured, it was nothing.
When he finally reached the top, he let out a slow breath.
There it was.
Not far, but still in the distance—the faint outline of a village. The glow of lanterns flickered through the misty air, small and warm against the vast darkness of the wilderness.
Just a little more, and I'll be safe.
A deep, satisfied sigh escaped him.
For the first time in a while, he felt a sliver of relief.
The wind swept through his brown hair, cool against his skin, carrying the scent of damp earth. Evryn let out a small smile, a rare moment of ease settling over him.
For the first time in what felt like forever, he wasn't fighting, running, or bleeding.
Just a luttle more, almost there…
***
The wind howled over the mountain, carrying the cold bite of the high altitude.
Nestled within a vast hollow carved into the mountainside, a ship lay hidden, its dark hull blending into the shadows—concealed from wandering eyes.
Silence reigned. The only sound was the wind's restless whisper.
At the mountain's edge, a great sword stood impaled into the stone, its steel worn yet unyielding.
Perched atop the hilt, a lone figure crouched, watching.
His armor, battle-worn and dark as the void, melded into the night. Behind him, the moon glowed like a watchful eye, casting his ragged cloak in ghostly light—the fabric torn and tattered at the edges, remnants of countless battles.
A faint, sinister red glow pulsed from his skull-like visor, its light piercing through the darkness.
He watched the village below.
A low murmur escaped him, distorted through his helm.
"Found you."