Ch.19- Digging Up the Dead.

This is a good time to talk about sexual content in this story going forward.

What you just read is about as far as I'm going to go. Even in the latter chapters, when romance is involved more as the characters age, there won't be any graphic sex scenes.

This is just to say that last chapter's passionate hug is about as heavy as things get for a long while. I'll leave a quick snippet from when I posted this chapter nearly a year ago on reddit if u want to read my explanation then.

---

No… not this, can't be happening. Not again, please.

I woke to Cerila holding me in worry. I was in a cold sweat and panting hard. <Kal!? Are you okay? Wake up!>

My breathing was erratic so it took me a few moments to calm myself down. I put on a strained smile. <I'm fine—just a nightmare. Let's get ready for today.> I reassured her quickly, wiping the sweat off my face. She didn't seem to be reassured, but she released me and didn't press the issue.

This was my sixth nightmare this week. It's been a long time since I've had so many in a row. I usually only have one a week. It's always about my previous life. But these have been on a completely different level. I typically can't even remember what I had a nightmare about.

However, when my nightmares are this bad, it's always the exact moment being replayed. I failed to grab that Elunari child's hand before he fell. The sound of that same poor soul hitting the ground is ever-present in my memory and this nightmare. It rattled me even more now, knowing just how close in age I was to that child. The things going through its head as it fell must have been terrifying.

I'm so sorry, little one. You didn't deserve to die like that. It's all my fault.

—

The majority of the rainy season has finally ended. It came and went in a blink of an eye. Although it's still raining outside, it's at the tail end.

It's only been seven years in this new world, but it has seemed much longer. So many things have happened in such a short amount of time: good things and bad things.

I've learned so much, and I still have even more things to learn. I've grown far closer to people than I ever did in my previous life. I've felt an array of emotions that I only read about in books. But, I can say that I've never been happier without a shadow of a doubt. The happiness my friends and family have given me has become irreplaceable to me. I can only wish I've done the same for them.

I know I've also caused my fair share of grief as well. I spent the first half of my new life in denial, outright rejecting the unbelievable gift I had received. People could only dream about getting a second chance at life, yet here I am.

It took a near-death experience and a complete mental breakdown to realize how lucky I was. Finally, to stop calling my beloved mother and father Xenos and witches.

But I finally accepted what I knew to be true, and it has brought me an insurmountable amount of joy. I also had to come to terms that I may be quick to anger and struggle to control these newfound emotions I have.

Thinking back to that fateful day, I think the first emotion I ever experienced might have been anger. I was angry at Zeus for killing that Elunari girl for no reason, and I let that anger fester.

But I learned to channel that anger and frustration in order to do something good in my second life. I might have scared my best friend across the way, though. I feel bad about it. But I think we have come to an understanding.

After all, it was my blind anger that led me to help Cerila out of her own personal hell. Of course, I wanted to help her anyways, but I'm not sure I would have acted the same way if I wasn't angry.

Maybe it wasn't even the right way to go about things, but I could care less. I'd do the same thing over again if It meant the same results. I have no qualms with walking over those who tarnish my happiness or the happiness of those dear to me.

Before, I fought for Humanity as the shield and spear of an entire species. Now, I fight for those I care about. Hopefully, I won't have to do very much fighting anymore.

I might still be a child, even considering I had fifteen years of life prior to this one. Looking back, I was barely Human. Those fifteen years of existence could scarcely be called a life.

I sometimes have dreams about those early days, where I remember how I felt absolutely nothing. My head was devoid of all emotions, only a clear cold conscience whose only focus was to fight, learn, and be as efficient as possible for the sake of Humanity.

And those dreams and memories frighten me.

The worst part is I know that part of me is still inside of me. I could probably live for thousands of years, and I could never undo what those early days did to me. So I can only strive to be a better version of myself. To not let myself succumb to that mental state again.

I don't know when that all changed for me. It was a slow creeping kind of change. Perhaps it started with Heimdall. He was the first person to treat me like a person looking back. Then slowly but surely, I began to meet people who did the same. Nyx, Doctor Suárez, and all of Hades Squad.

Minus punk-ass Zeus and Nike, of course. I don't care if they were just following orders.

I thought that protecting them should be my first priority somewhere along the line. So even in my final hours, I made sure to safeguard Hades Squad. I attacked them in hopes of taking all the blame for whatever I was being wanted for.

It was probably because the Navy had realized I had begun to change, and they couldn't afford to let their number one weapon grow feelings. After all, I can see just how dangerous feelings can be. If I had a fraction of the power I did right now as I used to, I would be a liability to everyone around me.

I've made many promises in this life as well. To be the best son in the world, be the best friend I could possibly be, and protect those close to me no matter the cost. Recently I broke one of those promises, albeit a small one, but a promise nonetheless. I strive to keep my promises, so breaking one of my own volitions was unacceptable. Perhaps it was the misjudgment of my youthful mind.

Either way, I have no valid excuses. I learned the hard way just how much I hated the disappointed looks on Mom and Dad's faces. So I wouldn't be making the same mistake twice. And today is the day Cerila and I get to prove our resolve.

Most kids probably wouldn't want to do the same thing they just got in trouble for doing, but not going hunting again would defeat the purpose of learning from our mistakes. So today was not only just a regular hunt.

Instead, it was also an opportunity to show Mom and Dad that we were serious. That Cerila and I had learned from our mistakes. If we broke our promise again, we might never be trusted again.

And the bond of trust I have with my parents is essential. I wouldn't have been able to meet Cerila if it wasn't for Dad trusting me that day. I wanted to prove that they could trust me, and I wanted to leave no doubt that I was worthy of that trust.

<Ready?>

<Ready.> Cerila signed back.

The walk into the cool morning jungle was somber. Cerila's birthday was coming up in just a few days, but it was festival time. Tomorrow it would begin in earnest. I missed the first festival, since I was only two when it happened.

But every five years, the town holds a little event after the rainy season. I thought it might have been a religious activity, but that wasn't the case. It seems the people around here don't really follow a religion but instead revere nature as a whole.

But today wasn't the day for all of this, and it was best to separate those feelings from the task at hand. Even though we had fun days ahead of us, we had something to accomplish. Doing this meant just as much to her as it did to me. We both have a lot to prove.

So far, the hunting has gone well. During the post rainy season, animals and monsters alike crawl out of their hiding places and go on the prowl. The wet ground made tracking them far too easy.

The rain was nothing more than a light mist giving the jungle a smell of fresh morning dew. The village wards did a great job of stopping the tropical storms that battered this side of the island.

Mom and Dad both said those storms could get pretty intense, to the point that Eastport practically picks up and leaves. I guess that explains all the non-permanent buildings there. They just go inland, let the storms sweep the port away, then rebuild it every year.

Crunch.

I shot a perfect arrow right into the head of a spider-like insect. It was an ugly thing. It was a monster, but it wasn't dangerous. I think it was around a threat level of five.

The creature lacked venom like most spiders, instead, relying on its strong webbing to catch prey. The silk sack would fetch a good profit. Cerila winced while I cut away said sack from the insect. She should just be glad she couldn't hear the sickening crunching noises this thing was making.

Gathering herbs was also something to be done on top of hunting. The jungle was a bountiful supply of medical herbs. Grandpa personally paid me for retrieving them for him.

Dad taught me about nearly every single plant that grew in this jungle. Whether the plant had the potential to be used for medicine, which plants were poisonous, and which were edible. The amount of botanical knowledge Dad has taught me was right behind the wisdom he bestowed upon me for hunting. Sadly I had to admit, picking herbs was absolutely boring compared to the thrill of the hunt. The money made it worth it, but I still had trouble dedicating time and going out of my way to find the plants.

Only a few plants attracted animals and monsters, so they usually grew out of the way. I was also competing with people who regularly came in search of the herbs as it was much easier to pick herbs than hunt a living creature. Even some of the village children would venture into the earliest sections of the jungle in search of some quick coin.

Cerila was helping me pick a few herbs when she tried to get my attention. <Kal, look.>

I walked over to the base of the tree she was at to see what she wanted. <What's up?> I asked.

<Look.>

Cerila put her arm through the tree trunk with no visible resistance. Her arm even disappeared as if it was cut off. It was the same phenomenon when we found the ward stone. The tree was way too small to hold a ward the size of that massive stone, so I was curious what the illusion was hiding.

I was a little apprehensive about putting my head through an illusion when I had no idea what was on the other side. But nothing terrible happened to Cerila, so it should be fine. And if something was in there…

I'd burn the whole thing down.

My head breached the illusion and the scene of a hollowed-out tree greeted me. It was hollowed out enough for me to wiggle into it, but I didn't need to. Instead, towards the back of the wood wall was a gray stone in the same shape and makeup as the ward I saw.

But, of course, this stone was much, much smaller. But that wasn't what caught my eye. Half of the symbols on the rock weren't glowing. Instead, a single character was glowing red, and every symbol beyond it had no light. It looked like an error in the code.

I should report this to Captain Amber or Sgt. Meus. Surely this can't be a good thing. We were closer to the sea in the southern portion of the jungle. Last time we found the bigger ward in the west.

Maybe this is some kind of supporting ward or possibly a redundancy. Either way, I filed our rough location away in my brain so I could make the report when we got back. If it was something serious, I'm sure a ranger patrol would be on top of us in moments.

And the rangers never came as we hunted and foraged aimlessly for another hour or two. The haul in both herbs and prey was bountiful today. Both of us were standing still in the middle of the jungle, we had gotten to roughly where the first barrier should be on this side of the jungle.

It was a weird feeling, knowing that the border was right there before us even though you couldn't see it. We could just feel it. We didn't need to say anything to each other as we began walking back home. We've spent enough time out here today.

However, Cerila abruptly stopped her nose twitching. <Do you hear anyone, Kal?> She asked.

I tried to listen to anything out of the ordinary, people tended to be loud, so I usually could hear them. But the jungle was as usual. I only heard the sound of light rain hitting the trees and the occasional animal noise. Nothing out of the ordinary.

<No, I don't hear anyone.>

<I smell people. A few of them and something else as well. They are getting closer.>

Mm, I guess since we are upwind right now. Cerila must have been late in detecting them. Whoever it was, their scent was being blown away from us and ours into them. It shouldn't be a problem. It's probably a ranger squad or some hunters. But she said she smelt something else?

<What is with them?>

<I don't know. I've never smelled an animal like that before. It's new to me, but it's an animal and not a monster.>

<Do you smell blood?> I had to be sure it wasn't a group of people being attacked by a jungle panther or something.

<No, no blood. But they are moving towards us a bit faster now. Kal, I'm worried.> Cerila's white hair was standing on edge as she signed.

I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. The jungle was big but running into other hunters or rangers wasn't uncommon at all.

The rangers tended to stay out of everyone's way, but I'd run into plenty of other hunters during my time in the jungle. But ignoring Cerila's instincts would be foolish. I wasn't certain how much Beastmen's animal biology affected them, but I'm confident they are far more attuned to these things than Elves or Humans.

<Let's try to move away from them. I've never seen hunters use an animal in the jungle, but there is a good chance they have our scent. We can just avoid them altogether.>

We started jogging off in the opposite way they were coming. Sadly, it took us away from the village, but it would give us more time to act if they were following us at least.

Or so I thought.

After about five minutes of jogging, I could hear it, the telltale sign of a dog barking every so often. It wasn't very loud, but I knew it was a dog. And it was only getting closer. Cerila looked at me, and I gave the signal.

<Run.>

I know for a fact the local hunters don't use dogs. I've never even seen a dog in this world. So I didn't even expect them to exist.

And there was no way it was native to this jungle which means somebody brought it here. My skin began to crawl as we sprinted through the underbrush, but it seemed they were still gaining on us no matter how hard we ran.

<How many of them are there?> I asked quickly.

<There are at least three men and one animal. Kal, they are getting closer.> The fear was evident on her face.

Indeed they are. They were closing in and fast. I had to make a decision.

There are three adult men and a dog running after us, and if we keep running, they will catch us. It was far too much to hope they would turn around now or that a random ranger patrol would show up.

I couldn't let luck decide our fate. Maybe it just is a group of hunters, but now my instincts are yelling at me as well.

I stopped dead in my tracks. <Cerila, keep running. Run as far away from them as you can, and don't turn back.>

<No! We can just keep running. It will be fine!>

I steeled myself and attempted to calm my pounding heart. We both can't make it out of here if the worst comes to turn. I promised to protect Cerila, even if it cost me everything.

I leaked a good amount of blood lust and made sure to pick my following words carefully. <You need to go. If they are after us, I can slow them down enough for you to go find people. You are faster than me. I'll just slow you down in the long run. So please, go now. Hopefully, this is all just a big misunderstanding.>

Cerila's eyes widened in fear, and she was about to refute, but I couldn't let her. We were running out of time, and I could hear footsteps closing in from the distance.

They weren't even trying to hide the fact that they were in a full sprint. I grasped her hand and begged. <Please, I need you to trust me. Go find Mom and Dad for me, please.>

Her eyes began to puff up as tears rolled down her face now, but she didn't refute my plea. Cerila gave me one final stare and squeezed my hands tightly.

She dropped her pack and bolted off into the jungle at full speed. I sent a wave of earth magic to fill in the holes she left from running. Even if I didn't completely hide her tracks, it was good enough.

Good, now let's see who is ruining my very important day.

---

Fron's POV

"Gah damn, Fron! How much further do we have to run in this jungle!" complained Goddard, out of breath.

The useless sack of meat could barely maintain his body enhancement for twenty minutes. This brisk run through the jungle should be a breeze, but this bastard won't even practice his mana control even though he is twenty years old, useless.

"Yeah, Fron, surely we are close now, right?" piped Orman.

Tch, the boss, gives me the two most useless and ugly idiots to be with. I get that we need manpower, but honestly, these two are just dead weight. Why couldn't I just be with Jessine?

"Shut your traps, you half-wits. Elves can hear yap from miles away, so shut up and run faster," I barked.

I swear these idiots wanted a group of Syn'nari rangers to put an arrow into our heads. We could get away with the mutt barking every once in a while, but these two complaining and moaning would get us killed quickly.

Besides, we were nearly on top of them now, they could keep running, but we would find them. The two kids were leaving a nice clear trail in the soft soil to follow.

It looks like the information was good after all.

Fighting adults was always a pain. They struggled to the bitter end more often than not, and it's not like they put up much of a fight. But kids? Too easy. I'd rather take the easy way out than the long and annoying way.

The mutt slowed, and we ran into a clearing. Judging by the tracks, the kids are real close now. The dog went straight for a downed tree and growled while pawing at it.

You couldn't run, so you tried to hide, huh?

"Oram. Tell them to come out," I ordered.

At least this idiot knew some Elvish. The less injured the kids were, the better.

Oram began speaking in Elvish, but there was no response.

"What do we do, Fron?" Goddard asked.

"Warn them one more time and tell them we are sending in the dog if they don't come out."

I didn't want to have to send the dog in but at least it wouldn't kill them. Jessine can just heal the wounds, and the other kid will be too afraid to run. Oram sent another warning but still nothing.

I released the mutt and gave the hunt command. The dog was smart enough to tell the difference between hunt and kill. Hopefully, we paid good money for this thing.

I was expecting the cries of a very unfortunate Elven child followed by blood-curdling screams, but instead, there was just a loud, sickening crunch and the final whimper of a dog.

What the hell just happened?

"Goddard. Go check the tree." I demanded.

"But… I don't wanna."

"Are you afraid of kids? Go. Check. The. Tree."

There is a chance it could be an old trap. A downed tree made for a good animal trap, so if it was still armed, I'd rather sacrifice the most useless idiot first. Goddard approached the tree slowly, and as he peeked into the tree, I watched his face contort in surprise.

"What the…?" Goddard groaned.

"What's wrong? What do you see," I asked.

"Dogs dea—" Goddard never had a chance to finish his sentence before an arrow pierced the top of his skull.

I was already in motion before the arrow ended Goddard's pathetic life. The familiar sound of a bowstring being released was all too real to me. Not only that, I could sense magic being thrown my way as well.

I unsheathed my trusty steel shortsword and layered it in a coat of water. With a single swipe, I cut down the projectile that was heading my way. It was an arrow coated in fire magic.

Tch looks like we got baited into a trap.

I was about to give Oram orders when I saw the unthinkable. In the span of mere seconds from me cutting down the spell, someone had dropped down from the trees, landing on Orams shoulders. I could only watch as a Dark Elf child rammed his fingers into Oram's eyes, forcing his head up so he could thrust his knife into his throat. The child didn't hesitate for even a second as he brutally sliced his throat open.

"Waterball!" I panicked.

But it was too late. Oram was dead before my spell core even finished forming. The child reared back using Oram's body as a corpse shield and deftly leaped away.

I couldn't even comprehend what I was witnessing. A mere child just dispatched two fully grown men and a dog in a heartbeat.

Now I could clearly see his face, and what I saw sent shivers down my spine. The kid had long black hair with two different colored eyes that were unblinking and empty. The amount of malice he was emitting was far too much for someone his age.

He must be a Dark Elf Shadow Dancer, probably a half-dwarf with his short stature. That makes sense. No way a kid could be this much of a monster. This wasn't some kid, just a Dwarf Dark Elf.

But why did he have High Elf ears? Whatever. The more exotic, the better.

"Why don't you just stop right now, and we can end this peacefully. I didn't care much for those two anyway so just come with me, and this can all be over. I'll even let the other one escape."

An exotic Dark Elf that is also a mage? Talk about a score.

This guy is worth more than four Goddards and Orams combined. Hell, even the price of the dog paled in comparison to this guy's worth. Even if we fight, there was no way I was going to lose. It looks like he inherited the worst traits possible in regards to strength and build. Even if he was a decent mage at this close range, he doesn't stand a chance.

Instead of saying anything, he glared at me, fully intent on fighting me. I could taste the bloodlust wafting off him. It was so exciting that it made my heart race. I haven't fought someone like this in a long time.

A lost limb or two won't even damage his worth all that much.

I lunged forward and intended to close the gap, but he had already sent a barrage of Fireballs at me as soon as I tensed. They were fast and strong, so he was also beefing them up a good amount. He must be at the same level as me.

I sliced through most of the spell cores and dodged the rest. I needed to close the gap and fast. Letting a mage get distance on you leads to an early grave. So I was surprised when my blade connected with another. The Elf used the flames to grab Goddard's sword and rush into me.

We traded blows as metal impacted metal. He wasn't nearly as strong as I was expecting. I was expecting some good body enchantment with all that mana, but not many people were trained like us.

Guess he is just a mage through and through.

I already had him on his back foot, and his sword skills were sloppy. But he made up for it in raw speed. He'd toss a Fireball or Ember Wave in to mix his attacks up, but I just cut them down or countered with water magic. Using spells drained my mana, but I couldn't take that Ember Wave head-on. I could feel the heat before the spell even finished.

He kept backing off and reengaging with me repeatedly, but I couldn't see a path to victory for him? What was he doing? Then it hit me.

He's not trying to win. He's buying time.

I picked up the pace. If I was going to get out of here with my prize, I needed to avoid wasting time. It was only a matter of time before someone else got here, and I couldn't count on it being my backup. Thankfully, Goddard's sword was a veritable piece of shit.

That idiot never maintained his blade. But right now, I couldn't have been more thankful. The edge was already cracking from repeated blows, and soon it would shatter. I kicked low and committed to a follow-up overhead chop so he would have to block with his sword. I'd split him right down the middle if he didn't block. I enhanced myself even more fully, intending on cutting straight through that piece of shit iron blade.

My blade connected dead center and crashed straight through his. I observed his face, so I could watch the look of despair roll over him, but instead, he just glared at me defiantly.

Yes, struggle till the very end, please. I haven't had this much of a rush in years.

To think some random Dark Elf Dwarf in the middle of the jungle would give me such a thrilling fight. He was already retreating from my blade, but it was too late for him.

I connected at an angle as my blade sliced diagonally across his chest. What little leather he had on was no match for my steel. The wound was deep, but he should live long enough to be healed.

He let out a high-pitched scream that shouldn't have come out of someone with Dwarf blood. Was I mistaken? Was this actually a child? Nah, no way.

He rolled away and tried to staunch the bleeding immediately. He sure was skilled. That much is for sure. This might not have gone my way if he was just a little stronger.

I approached and couldn't help but gloat. "Thanks, man, this sure was a lot of fun. I'm not sure if you can understand me, but that was a great fight. You really are something else. It's a shame we can't be pals. Hopefully, you won't hold this against me. Work is work, amirite?" I chuckled.

I could see the nuance of understanding in his eyes as he reacted to my words. His eyes sure were scary for someone so tiny. Maybe he can understand me, but whatever. He couldn't keep fighting me if he didn't want to bleed out. And nobody wanted to die like this.

I was about to shackle him when I involuntarily let out my own scream of pain. An earth spike ruptured from the ground behind me, going straight through the back of my bad knee.

Gah damn, he is an earth mage?

I let my guard down and paid for it. He purposely aimed for my knee, that bastard. He knew if he aimed for anything higher than my knee, I would have been able to react. I had to focus through the pain, though. I cut down a few more Fireballs the little bastard sent my way and decided. Screw it; if he dies, he dies.

"Sonic wave," I yelled through gritted teeth.

My spell sent out a high-pitched wave of sound. Elf or not, anyone who didn't protect their ears with mana in time would suffer unimaginable pain as their eardrums burst. Elves especially were prone to this spell thanks to their enhanced hearing. And at this close of range, I doubt he was expecting it.

The Dark Elf Dwarf screamed in pain as he clutched the sides of his head in agony. Blood was already pooling from his ears and hands. I sliced the stone spike apart, freeing myself. I had to save myself now, so I couldn't shackle the bastard and take him.

His screams were attracting way too much attention right now. Even though this fight only lasted a few minutes, it was one of the most challenging battles I've ever been in. I was both impressed and beyond pissed.

I swear if I die to a random arrow in this piece of shit jungle, I'm haunting this bastard forever.

I went to put him out of his misery. He deserved that much, at least. I brought my sword up so I could end his life.

You fought well, young Shadow Dancer. Unfortunately, I couldn't fight you with your spear.

—

Kaladin Shadowheart's POV

Damn it all.

I was so close, if only I was stronger. Unfortunately, my own body couldn't keep up with his overwhelming strength and stamina. I did everything I could. I even let myself succumb to my old self just to fight this battle. I dug up the corpse that was Commander Kronos and fought with everything I had.

Kaladin Shadowheart was too weak to protect anyone, so I had no choice, but I hated every second of this.

No matter how skilled I was or wasn't, it didn't matter if I couldn't keep up physically. I was still nothing more than a mere child to a skilled adult like him. He was clearly trained.

Out of the three, he walked like a soldier. He also had the best gear and supplies, and when they finally breached the clearing to my bait, he was the only one not huffing and puffing. I knew right away that he was the most significant threat. That's why I sent my strongest fire spell at him.

Even though I blasted him with a large amount of magic, he still deflected it with ease. I couldn't use more mana on big spells because I wanted to slow him down as much as possible since that didn't work.

Not only that, with every swing of his sword, I had to enhance my body to its absolute limit just to take the brunt of the attack. I couldn't run either.

At this point, I was so tired he would just run me down. So when the sword finally broke, all I could do was dodge back and hope it didn't hit my head or neck. I was lucky that I didn't die instantly, but I wish I did.

My head was spinning, and my ears were ringing so bad. I thought I knew pain, but this was so much more. I couldn't even bring myself to sit up and stare death right in the face like last time.

Anytime I tried to concentrate, my head only spiked with even more blinding pain. Whatever spell he sent my way destroyed my eardrums. I didn't even have time to hear the spell before I was already in excruciating pain.

This is it, huh? Hopefully, I gave Cerila enough time to escape. I guess I kept my promise in the end. I protected her with everything I had. At least this time, I could die knowing I did my absolute best and that I did it for someone I cared about.

He stepped into my field of view and raised his sword. The man's happy grin was replaced with a solemn face. He was enjoying our fight the entire time. I doubt he even took me seriously, the scum.

At least he wouldn't make it out of this jungle alive with that injury. He purposely babied his left knee the entire fight, so I knew that was his injured side.

Then time slowed down.

The pain subsided briefly, and a moment of clarity rushed through me. I had this unending urge to survive, live to see another day, and see Mom and Dad again. To go hang out with Padraic and Cerila like normal. To spend another evening learning magic with Grandpa.

But there was nothing I could do.

My mana was spent, and my little body was at its limit, and to top it all off, I was deaf and bleeding out. Even if Grandpa was spriting out here at full speed he wouldn't make it in time. So I closed my eyes and waited for the void to claim me once again.

A warm liquid splattered my face, and I opened my eyes in shock. The man seemed just as shocked as me as he keeled over, dropping his blade, the light in his eyes fading out. A large blue ice crystal had destroyed his chest cavity and went straight through him from the back.

Did she come for me?

I had more answers shortly as Cerila kneeled down beside me. She was profusely crying, but she looked determined. She reached into her bag and pulled out a familiar set of herbs. Blood Bush was used to make potions that would stop bleeding, but they had to be dried first, and there was a long process to get the final product.

At best, they could just slow my bleeding down for a short amount of time. On the other hand, it might just be prolonging my suffering.

Cerila shoved a bitter-tasting root into my mouth and forced me to swallow it with a helping of water magic. It was probably the Blood Bush root, it was a painkiller, but It would take some time to kick in.

I could only admire her perseverance right now. I was pretty much a goner, but she wouldn't let me leave this world without a fight.

I really am lucky to have such a caring friend.

<Can you stand?> She signed.

I rolled over and tried to raise myself for her, but the second I left the ground, my head swam violently, and I vomited. My equilibrium was completely destroyed and it felt like my eyes were being flushed down a toilet in my head.

My head was getting lighter as well from the blood loss. She didn't even ask me anything else as she scooped me up in a princess carry and began running full speed.

The run was jarring and agonizing, I was yelling in pain, but she couldn't hear my screams. I'm sure my appearance is enough to scar her for life, but at least my screeches won't haunt her.

And then Cerila stopped.

We hadn't even been running for long when the feeling of absolute dread washed over us. Cerila was already shaking before, but now she was terrified. And so was I for a moment.

I've never felt such hatred and malice before.

The bloodlust that was bathing us was palpable. It reminded me of the time Grandpa got angry with me, but this lacked any concern for our wellbeing. There was no lesson to be learned here. Whoever it was, they were ready to murder us brutally.

I managed to turn my head enough to see a woman wearing a long black cloak just standing menacingly in the jungle. She wasn't approaching us, nor did it seem she had any weapons.

She was just standing there with her deep hood covering her entire face. Not an ounce of her skin was visible. Cerila was still shaking and couldn't bring herself to move. I didn't blame her.

If I weren't who I was, I would probably be in the same situation. The bloodroot was kicking in, and the pain was subsiding just enough for me to move without passing out from the suffering. I slapped Cerila with the strength of a wet paper towel. But it was enough to shake her out of her fear momentarily.

<Run fast.>

Cerila bolted back towards the way we came and just kept running. My head was getting lighter, and I was bleeding all over Cerila, but she still kept running.

She shouldn't have come back for me. It didn't have to end this way.

Even though Cerila was running at full speed, I could still sense that malicious presence. It was almost like it was chasing us, just slowly.

She ran through the ward barrier, and the sickening feeling assaulted my mind. I didn't think it could get much worse but man I just keep getting proved wrong today.

I vomited uncontrollably and screamed loud enough that I swore I could hear myself again. I felt blood vessels burst in my eyes from screaming so hard. But Cerila kept running. Tears and snot flowed freely from her eyes and nose, but she never slowed down.

I couldn't tell how long she had been running, but we passed another barrier. I was in so much pain I blacked out for an unknown amount of time. I opened my eyes again, and the scenery had changed. It was raining incredibly hard out.

The thin layer of rain was replaced with a torrential downpour. The cool breeze was gone, and heavy wind was battering us. I'd lost so much blood, so I was already freezing cold. I barely feel a difference, and it's probably the only good thing that has happened so far.

Cerila stopped again, out of breath and terrified. No matter how far we got from that thing we couldn't shake it. I was confident that whatever was following us wasn't Human. It was a monster in the shape of a woman.

Cerila set me down, and it had been long enough that the bloodroot had kicked in. I felt nothing and everything at the same time. Everything was dulled, or maybe that's just from the blood loss. I can't tell.

I managed to shamble up with what little strength I had and opened my tear-filled eyes. We were at the edge of a sheer cliff, and waves violently crashed into the rocks below. They looked like they were about to leap up the cliff at any moment.

Stone spikes were jutting out from the water. The water a few weeks ago looked so peaceful and warm. But now it looked like it was ready to swallow us whole if the rocks didn't kill us first, that is.

I turned around to see the woman standing there. I could see her bright red lips moving, but my vision swam when I tried looking too far ahead of me. Cerila was shaking in place next to me, unable to move. That's when it all hit me.

Oh, no. Please. This can't be happening… not again, anything but this.

This situation had a sickening familiarity to me. It's like I've been here before, just the roles reversed. Why… Why did Cerila have to be here? She doesn't deserve this, please.

But there was no one here to hear my pleas. This monster surely wouldn't listen to anything, and if there was a God, it had forsaken me a long time ago.

I knew what had to be done, but it hurt so much to do it. I can't believe it took me seven years to understand why that girl pushed her friend, but now I get it.

She probably knew if we got our hands on her friend, we would have done much worse. A quick death was better than what awaited that child. I couldn't let Cerila fall into the hands of these monsters. Anything else was preferable to that outcome.

Another profound feeling washed over me. Unlike the last one, which filled me with a little bit of desire, this one just left me empty. My pain fully receded, and I couldn't help but smile at the irony of all this.

I can't even formulate words to describe how sickening of a feeling this is. Perhaps this is what it's like to come to terms with one's own helplessness to fall into the pits of absolute despair.

I turned my head to Cerila with my ugly smile still on my face. She looked at me, her mouth agape in worry and fear. Even in this situation, she still had the presence of mind to worry about me.

She'd been crying for so long that she didn't have any tears left. I wanted to say something, anything, to assure her that it was going to be okay. But the longer I took, the more likely the woman was to act. And I couldn't lie to her like this. So I just decided to repeat history and hope that my plan would work.

Mom and Dad will find you. I'm sure of it.

<Please, forgive me.> I signed with a smile.

Then, I pushed her.

Now I had another thing that would scar me for the rest of my life. The look of shock on her face would forever be engraved into my brain as she fell into the murky abyss. Thankfully the remainder of my pitiful life won't last for very long.

I dropped to my knees and enacted my final plan. I put everything into a spell, every ounce of mana I had left to make it as perfect as possible. It didn't matter if I died from casting it. This was all I could do as my final act for Cerila, my very first friend in this world.

The spell was finished and cast successfully. Rather by good fortunate or terrible luck, it hadn't been enough to instantly kill me. But at least I blacked out again, hopefully for the last time.

But then the pain came back in full force, the bloodroot unable to stop the waves of agony. I was tired of being in so much pain.

I was just so so tired.

Then I faded back into reality. I was being picked up, and my ears were ringing. I think somebody was yelling at me, but I couldn't tell. I haven't been this disorientated since I ate a plasma core to my face and nearly died. Then I got tossed back down to the ground hard enough to break ribs, blacking in and out regularly.

Maybe I was already dead? I can't feel anything anymore.

It's just a rough understanding of what I think is happening to my body. All I know is pain right now. Somehow the wet grass just felt so warm and pleasant. I wanted to melt into it and disappear.

Then a new pain assaulted me. I was becoming a connoisseur of pain at this point. The master of it even.

Two very different bodies and lives, and I can't believe I could delve any deeper into the abyss that was pain. I truly understood nothing.

Death was actually preferable to this. The inescapable blackness that was the void of death was a kinder experience to whatever was happening to me.

First, I felt the sharp pain in my neck then it spread through my entire body. I could feel everything again. I felt as if my wounds were being forced together. My broken bones realign and attach in my own body. Then it reached my ears.

The pain was so bad, but I couldn't black out from it for some reason. Every time my body screamed at me to shut down, it refused. Instead, whatever was going on kept me conscious through it all, screaming all the way.

Then my hearing returned, and the pain faded away, albeit slowly. The aggressive bursts of wind were loud, and the waves' crashing against the rocks was even louder. I was finally aware of just how decimated my body had been.

The phantom pains of the gash on my chest and in my ears burned, but I couldn't scream anymore. My throat was hoarse and dry. I seemed to be healed, but I had no strength to muster. Whatever they did to me couldn't recover my loss of blood, dwindling mana, or broken spirit.

"You didn't take too much, did you? Does the boy live?" an unfamiliar voice called out in the Human language.

Finally, my eyes adjusted, and I could see through the haze again. Now I could see who had "helped" me if you could even call it that.

It was the woman, but now I could see her beautiful pale white face as she stood up and wiped the blood off her mouth. Her fangs were sticking out from crimson lips, and I could make out her eyes.

The bottom quarter of her eyes was a crimson red, while the rest looked like a dirty dried blood color. Also, her eyes… weren't swirling as everyone else's did. They were stagnant, almost like she wasn't alive.

Red eyes. Fangs. Not only that, did she…? It can't be...

"Don't worry. I only took enough to make sure I could heal him," she responded in a cold voice.

"And what of the other one," the other voice asked.

I didn't have the strength to turn my head to look at the man.

"He pushed her off the edge and killed her. Nobody could survive that fall. If the rocks didn't kill her, the storm will. We are just wasting time."

"That's a shame. This all would have been worth it if we got both of them. No matter. Knock him out, then shackle him and let's be on our way. It's only a matter of time before the rangers see through the diversion. The others are probably already dead or captured anyways."

The woman didn't even say a word as she bent down and squeezed my neck, knocking me out.

---

Greetings everyone. I think I'd like to take some time and put some people's worries to rest. Last Ch was quite divided, in the comments at least, which in my opinion is a good thing. I very much want people to question everything in the story and not take things at face value. If I got you to think critically about something, even if it's negative thoughts, then I think I did a good job.

Although the story right now has been peaceful for the most part, it won't always be like that. I'm trying to replicate a fake fantasy world after all so there has to be some bad in it or it wouldn't be all that interesting. Rather the bad be a person or someone's intentions. Especially if those bad intentions come from characters you might not want them to.

Things will be explained more as the story continues so maybe your opinion will change at a later date. But of course, if it doesn't, that's fine too. I don't want you to like every aspect of the story after all.

But rest assured. Ch.18's impassioned hug was as close to the THAT line as I am willing to go as an author. And I SHALL NOT go beyond what you read last week until the time is more appropriate. I don't roll that way so take that as an ABSOLUTE promise.