As soon as Ashen noticed something moving faintly in the smoke, he immediately turned and ran. Without thinking, he poured all his strength into his legs, sprinting past broken tree trunks and scattered debris all over the ground. Behind him, a guttural roar echoed — the Elderwood Beast was still alive.
"Just as I thought..." Ashen gritted his teeth. The previous attack seemed to have finished the monster, but in reality, it only wounded its shoulder and made it even more furious.
Its endurance was terrifying. Its body was now shredded, full of torn wounds and pus, yet it didn't stop. The vines that once wrapped around it like armor were now cracked and full of holes. One of its eyes was torn apart, and its legs — probably broken after that terrible fall — were now dragging on the ground, leaving bloody streaks behind.
It wasn't dead. It was just going mad.
Ashen glanced quickly over his shoulder. The creature was crawling after him, its head tilted crookedly, half of its face grinning in a twisted way amidst the cracks. The sight sent a chill down his spine.
"All right..." Ashen muttered, eyes fixed on the trail ahead — "Time to lead it to those two."
Over by Mira and Kai
Kai and I sat there, silent. No one said a word.
We kept staring into the forest, as if looking long enough would make Ashen step out from within it. But the forest stayed quiet, and he hadn't returned.
Kai sat beside me—not too close, not too far. We just... sat next to each other.
A breeze swept by, carrying a damp chill like mist.
I didn't know how much time had passed. Maybe just minutes. Maybe an hour. But every second, my mind painted darker pictures — blood, screams, a limp hand, someone who would never come back.
I shook my head. I couldn't think like that. I mustn't.
But the harder I tried to suppress it, the heavier my heart grew.
Ashen... he still wasn't back.
A noise sounded again. Low, heavy, indistinct. I glanced at Kai, asking unconsciously:
"Do you think... he'll be okay?"
Kai didn't answer immediately. He just looked at me, then far ahead.
I bowed my head, voice barely a whisper: "We're sitting here... while he's out there facing that thing alone. This feeling... it's awful."
Kai sighed softly. "Yeah. I get it."
He sat quietly for a while, as if weighing his words. Then said without looking at me:
"Before... I was the one sitting where you are now. Sitting there, scared to tears. Not knowing if my friend was alive or dead. Not knowing where I was, or why it had to be me."
I looked at him. Said nothing. Just listened.
Kai continued: "The first day I fell here... I couldn't do anything. I just shook, wanted to run, wanted to go home. And then Ashen showed up."
His voice wasn't dramatic, just remembering and telling.
"He gave me water, shared his food, taught me how to survive. I was weak as hell then, useless. But he didn't complain, didn't look down on me. He just kept leading me, like... it was normal."
Kai took a deep breath, speaking slowly as if recalling every detail.
"One time... he was badly wounded. I just stood there, unable to help. My hands and legs shaking, my heart pounding... I was terrified. And I hated myself then. I thought... if I didn't change, he would die. Carrying me on his shoulders."
I stayed silent. Didn't know what to say. A strange warmth mixed with the tightness in my chest.
Kai bowed his head, quiet for a moment, as if deciding whether to continue. Then his voice lowered:
"Later... when I was exploring, I got lost."
He smiled slightly — not a happy smile, but a forced one, recalling the old feeling.
"The first time I was alone. Lost in a strange, gloomy forest... so unsettling. And then... something started following me."
"I ran. Ran like crazy. My legs nearly gave out, my heart pounding like it would explode. But that thing didn't stop. It was right behind me, waiting for me to trip so it could strike."
Kai's voice trembled slightly. "I was so scared, I thought... I was already dead. Really. That feeling of standing between life and death was so real that I can still hear my own heartbeat back then. Every beat like a knife."
He exhaled slowly. "But at that moment, I knew... I couldn't run forever."
"So I fought with everything I had. My hands were covered in blood — I don't know if it was mine or its... But when Ashen found me... saw that I was still alive, he didn't say a word. Just looked at me, then smiled."
Kai smiled faintly, but his eyes were red. "A smile like when an older brother sees his younger sibling finally learning to take care of himself."
I looked away, staring into the dense forest. No one spoke.
After a while, I quietly asked, "You really care about Ashen, don't you?"
Kai nodded. "Yeah. He's the reason I'm still alive."
Then... that noise sounded again. Not once, but repeatedly, getting closer.
Kai and I immediately stood up, eyes glued to the source of the sound.
Thanks to the light from the glowing trees around the forest, we saw a figure stepping out of the mist.
It was Ashen.
I exhaled in relief, my legs nearly giving out. He was still alive... he—
But then I saw what was behind him.
At first, I didn't recognize it right away. That figure... no longer gaunt and torn like before. It was bigger. Fuller, and it seemed to have lost an arm.
Then the light shone straight on its face.
I recognized it.
It was him. The Elderwood Beast.
…I blew harder. Its vines began to slacken. The monster's body trembled in pain. Crack!
The flute in my hand shattered.
But at the same time, I saw Kai and Ashen had nearly pushed it to the edge of the pit. Almost…
I looked up—and froze.
It was smiling.
The jagged, bloodied teeth of the Elderwood Beast curled into a grotesque grin. Then—crack!—a chilling sound came from its body.
Not earth or stone. Not breaking bones. But from the layer of vines wrapping around it.
The vinesthat Kai and Ashen were pushing against cracked open like a bursting egg. Shards fell away in layers.
And in an instant, every support they had been leaning on... disappeared.
Kai stumbled. Ashen slipped.
Both fell straight into the pit with the falling armor shards.
I stood frozen.
In that chaotic moment, Ashen—still turning his head toward me—
Shouted:
"Run, Mira!!"
The monster returned to its original, scrawny, gaunt form, after confirming the two had fallen.
It turned to look at me, still with that smile — but this time, the smile was even more disgusting.