Morning came with golden light slipping through the trees. A beam pierced the inn window and flickered across Erik's face. Squinting, he stirred, stretched his limbs until his joints popped, then got out of bed.
Outside the window, Eri stood waiting. Their eyes met. She waved.
Erik suited up, checked his gear, and headed downstairs. The innkeeper sat behind the counter, thumbing through a ledger. He looked up as Erik approached.
"She's waiting outside," the innkeeper said.
She? Erik frowned. He must mean Eri...
But when he stepped outside, he froze. It wasn't Eri.
Blonde hair. Striking green eyes.
Elsa.
"What are you doing here?" Erik asked sharply.
"I'm here to show you the way," she replied calmly.
His frown deepened. He turned and marched back inside.
"What the hell is she doing out there?" he snapped at the innkeeper.
"She's the only one who took the job," the man replied. "Guided a few hunters before, and no one else wants to go near that forest anymore. Not after what happened."
Disgruntled, Erik returned outside. Elsa and Eri were chatting now. When they noticed him, they both went quiet. Eri opened her mouth, but Erik cut her off.
"Let's just go."
Elsa fell in step beside him.
Eri grinned and hurried after them. "I knew you'd let me tag along!"
"You don't need to worry about me," Elsa said. "Even if something happens, I know how to fight."
Now that Erik focused, he sensed it—her mana was strong. Controlled. Precise. Not surprising. Noble blood came with lineage training and magic from a young age.
I wonder if she can actually cast. With control like that… wouldn't be shocking.
They reached the forest's edge, and Elsa took the lead. The walk wasn't hard, but the path was thick with mud and half-buried roots. After a while, she stopped.
"This is it," she said. "Where the first attack happened."
Three months had passed since the incident. There were no traces left. No broken branches. No claw marks. Not even tracks.
This place is supposed to be the best hunting ground in the south, yet there's nothing. No deer. No boars. Nothing. Why come this deep to cut trees? Unless something chased them here… but if it was that close to the village, it would've attacked the village. This doesn't add up.
"Guys!" Eri's voice rang from somewhere nearby.
Erik snapped to attention.
"Over here! You should see this!"
He and Elsa jogged over.
The scene stopped Erik in his tracks.
Nine—maybe ten—wild boars, all dead. Their insides torn open. Entrails strewn across the forest floor like discarded ropes. Blood soaked the earth. Erik knelt, inspecting the wounds. Each kill was clean. One strike per boar.
And fresh.
He reached for his sword but stopped mid-motion.
No mana. Not a single drop left in their bodies.
His heart dropped.
"A monster strong enough to do this… and it drained their mana… black… wait—could it be—?"
Then he felt it.
A presence.
Not just mana—but something darker. Twisted. A raw hunger pulsing through the trees. It gripped the forest in unnatural silence.
Elsa stood still, her face pale.
"She sensed it too," Erik muttered.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Eri's wrist. "Run. Hide behind that tree. Now."
Elsa followed, diving behind another trunk. All three of them held their breath, eyes fixed on the trees ahead.
Silence.
The presence faded.
Erik gestured for them to move. Slowly. No noise. No sudden movements. Eri and Elsa crept backward. Erik's gaze remained locked forward.
Then—
"Eri. Elsa. Stop."
His voice was a hiss of pure terror.
They froze. Turned.
Erik's eyes were wide. Locked on something behind them.
"Walk toward me. Slowly."
Eri blinked. "Is it… behind us?"
"Yes."
"...shit."
They stepped toward him.
"Don't look back," he warned, gripping both their shoulders. His fingers dug in tight.
"When I say 'now,' you run. As fast as you can."
They nodded.
Eri swallowed. "It's a monster, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Then they turned.
And saw it.
A hulking black shape, limbs like thick vines and muscles stitched in shadow. Four crimson eyes burned through the gloom.
Erik didn't wait. He yanked a fireball sheet from his pouch and poured mana into it. Flames erupted across his right hand.
"NOW!"
Eri and Elsa bolted.
The monster lunged.
Erik formed a fireball and hurled it at the beast.
BOOM!
The explosion lit up the trees.
Erik turned and ran.
He didn't know if the others made it far. But if the thing chased him, they'd be safe.
Behind him—snapping branches. Heavy steps. Closer and closer.
Then—rushing water.
A river.
He veered toward the sound, following it blindly.
And there—they came into view. Eri. Elsa. Both running.
"RUN!" he shouted.
Behind him, trees crashed. The monster roared.
Eri's voice shrieked over the wind, "WHY THE HELL DID YOU BRING IT HERE?!"
Too late. He understood his mistake.
Ahead, the terrain vanished.
A cliff.
Elsa stopped at the edge, panting. Eri skidded to her side, drawing her bow with trembling fingers.
They turned.
"Why did they—?"
Then he heard it.
The thunder of a waterfall.
"No—"
Sheer drop. No escape.
Eri fired past him, arrows whizzing.
He didn't stop.
Erik sprinted, wrapped his arms around both girls—
"Hey—WAIT, DON'T TELL ME—" Eri gasped.
And jumped.
Over the edge.
Eri's scream echoed as they plummeted.
"I CAN'T SWIM!"