Running out of time

" Have you ever seen one like this?"

Iliriendil shook his head. The pig-shark clothes were stretched out and torn off everywhere. The sword was too small for the monster's size, but it was a perfect match for Ilirielth. She picked up the sword, and try a few slashes, her heart beat faster. She didn't think she could find a new sword in a place like this. This might be considered very good luck.

" Iliriendil there's something I need to check, could you help me to take out the monster innards—"

When the word just escaped her mouth, the ground under her feet became messy with blood and organs. She couldn't see anything, it was like her sense of reality just broke. Cold sweat ran down her cheek, just how must difference in the level between the two of them?

It took a while for Ilirielth to arrange the mess Iliriendil made.

" Everything was big except… the heart."

The heart was at human size. Ilirielth looked sorrowly at the corpse of the monster. This thing… no this person was not like this.

" Iliriendil can we burry this one."

" Why? Is it poisonous?"

After a moment of hesitation, Ilirielth nodded.

" Yes. It is. So please don't eat it."

They buried the corpse and walked away with empty stomachs. Ilirielth's hunger has worsened. It was only 3 days but it felt like she hadn't eaten anything for a whole week. She needed something to eat or else… Iliriendil's tentacles looking delicious right now. It had been a long time since she ate seafood. She wiped off her drool and tried to not look at the thing on her wrist.

As they walked the area suddenly went dark, it was a very strange phenomenon. Ilirielth took a few steps back, and the scenery ahead of her became normal. She did that a few times while Iliriendil had a puzzled look on his face.

" What are you doing?"

" See this Iliriendil? It's so strange."

Iliriendil tilled his head, he copied what Ilirielth had been doing but he felt nothing.

" Are you hurt?"

" What do you mean? "

Ilirielth sensed something coming down from her nose. She wiped it with her hand and then her hand was shaking. It's dripped in red liquid.

" What…"

Her vision suddenly went blurred, something long and soft caught her before she hit the ground.

5 years ago.

Inside a library, there were two young girls happily chatting with each other.

" Ilirielth, do you know that the heart was the organ with the highest resistance to Mordox's curse?"

" Hahaha, so my mother was right. The heart is what made us what we are Estella, even Mordox had a hard time changing it."

The girl named Estella smiled at Ilirielth, there was a sad look on her face.

" That's true, but that's also the main reason that caused death to those infected. Their heart couldn't keep up with the mutation and it would eventually stop beating."

" So what? Isn't it better to die than to become a monster?"

" Not anyone could have such thought, dying is painful. If they're alive, there might be a chance to save them."

" No Estella, the cursed one can't turn back, they're monsters. It would be easier to turn a rabbit to a person than turn a cursed one back to what they were."

" Who told you that?"

" Hm? Of course, It was my idiot brother!"

" The sage?"

" Please don't call him that! He smirked so much when he got that title, just wait, I would soon become the strongest sword saint and kick the demon king's ass!"

" I see, so even the sage…"

" Estella, what's wrong?"

" Nothing."

" No don't lie to me there was definitely something. You didn't think of anything crazy right?"

" I said nothing!"

Everyone in the library turned to look at them. If they were normal people the librarian would have kicked them off. Ilirielth stared at Estella, and the atmosphere between the two of them became tense. Estella looked away from Ilirielth eyes. She was usually a timid person. Ilirielth didn't want to hurt Estella, she didn't continue on the subject. Had only she did, things might have not become a tragedy.

Some stinky smell like a baby diaper invaded Ilirielth's nose as she opened her eyes Iliriendil was sitting beside her and eating something.

" You're finally awake."

Her head still felt dizzy and her body was so heavy. It has been forever for a warrior like her to know the feeling of being sick. After a moment she realized that what's Iliriendil was eating was the dragon's corpse. But only a few days it shouldn't be this stinky.

" How long have I blacked out?"

" A week, I think."

" A week?"

Ilirielth gasped, she had no idea what was happening. It was too soon for the curse to have this effect. Her whole body began to cover with scales. If things kept progressing like this, she would have at most another week to live.