“Huff, huff,” Alhen’s chest moved up and down with difficulty.

  He saw the creature approaching him at what seemed like to be super sonic speeds.

  Alhen was only able to evade thanks to his blessing, narrowly avoiding becoming minced meat.

  ‘This is not looking good!’ He exclaimed in his mind.

  Sloan and Sierra were down, incapacitated, leaving their survival in his hands.

  The wiht was relentless; it looked just as it had back in the village.

  No matter how many wounds it had on its body, it didn’t seem to be losing strength.

  With nothing else in mind, he did the first thing that came to mind, running away.

  The steps he took all had meaning, intending to get away from the siblings and keep himself safe.

  He didn’t want to imagine one of them dying because of him.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw a dark fog with feminine features crawl towards another with masculine ones.

  Sierra approached her fallen brother before the wiht got in Alhen’s vision, blocking sight of them.

  Something warm started trickling down his eyes, and he widened them.

  ‘I completely forgot!’ He screamed in his mind.

  His limit neared, and he could feel it.

  Everything began darkening even further, the wiht looking bigger and more terrifying than normal.

  ‘What do I do!?’ Alhen ran without a real objective in mind.

  The wiht followed close behind him, knocking down trees in his wake.

  The sole reason why he was able to outrun it somewhat despite his age was his sign.

  Without it, he would’ve been dead long ago.

  He gripped his revolver tightly and decided to end this now that he had a chance.

  Looking behind him, the trees from around fell and flew.

  That’s when he realized that the wiht had taken hold of one of them.

  It stood on two legs and held the tree trunk high above its head.

  Alhen widened his eyes just before it released the trunk with all its might in his direction.

  The trunk flew, going faster than he could react.

  It grew closer with terrifying precision, and his pupils dilated.

  Standing moments away from certain death, his mind blanked.

  He instinctively ducked and activated his right arm, bracing for impact.

  “Ghug!” He let out a cry of pain.

  The tree hit the forearm and part of his chest, breaking a few ribs and decimating his right arm in the process, which lost all of its energy and disappeared.

  Alhen flew far away, breaking some trees and leaving him on the ground, miserable.

  The wiht quickly followed, but the movement didn’t register in his brain.

  The ground shook with each step, and the vibrations reached his body, making him feel dizzy.

  A sense of déjà vu crept into his mind.

  The pain was almost the same as when Alaran kneed him in the stomach and knocked the air out of his body.

  The sole reason why he hadn’t died yet resided on his chest, the Luna Signum.

  ‘It’s of no use… I can’t move,’ Alhen thought, lying on the ground without being able to move a muscle.

  He couldn’t look, but he was sure his legs weren’t in the best condition.

  Even if he tried to escape, he wouldn’t be able to get far before the wiht caught up and killed him.

  There was nothing he could do.

  ‘Is this the end?’ He asked, somewhat calm but angry at the same time.

  An image appeared in his mind, Father Vincent smiling at him, mocking him for his failure.

  He gritted his teeth, ‘It’s unfair,’ he thought, but couldn’t do anything.

  His eyes slowly regained clarity, noticing that the wiht towered over his body.

  Alhen tried to raise his left arm to shoot at the creature, but couldn’t; it was mangled.

  He also noticed that his revolver seemed to be missing, probably having flown away when the tree impacted his body.

  Looking at the creature in front of him, with no eyes, a deadly body, and how it got closer to him, his heart raced.

  His blessing remained active despite everything, showing a deadly shadow bigger than the trees around him.

  Alhen deactivated his blessing, restoring the world to its normal state.

  Swallowing was like trying to climb up a mountain tied with a short rope to a tree fixed at the bottom, and his whole body shook.

  He desperately tried running away, to at least defend himself, but his body didn’t answer.

  The wiht closed in slowly, and Alhen could swear it was smiling at him.

  Saliva trickled down, and a gurgling sound made its way to his ear as it approached.

  He could feel the warm breath and its putrid smell.

  It opened its mouth, a bottomless pit that was about to swallow him, to devour him, to kill him.

  “I don’t want to die,” he let out with effort.

  His voice was barely above a whisper, ‘Please, someone help,’ he pleaded.

  His heart pounded like a wild drum, and his body desperately wanted to move.

  It was of no use; no one was going to save him.

  This realization made him grit his teeth with anger, not at anyone, but at himself, for his weakness.

  ‘I’m a disappointment, he thought, smiling bitterly, as the wiht’s mouth was about to close on his body.

  Closing his eyes, he waited for his inevitable death, but it never came.

  “Bang!” Alhen flinched from the loud noise.

  A familiar shot rang out, hitting the wiht directly on the back of the head.

  It stood to its full height and screeched, turning around and looking in the direction of the shot before another one rang out.

  “Bang!” and another one, “Bang!” the shots rang out, hitting the wiht every time in one of its weak spots until the bullets ran out.

  The revolver clicked, multiple times, and the wiht fell to the floor, dead.

  Alhed stood frozen for a second before diverting his gaze towards the right.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Sloan stood on the side, clutching his stomach with Alhen’s revolver at hand.

  ‘How?’ Alhen wondered.

  Sloan’s clothing was full of blood… his blood, and him standing in front of him looking like he had a mild stomachache, shouldn’t be possible.

  After making sure that the wiht was going to stay down for good, he fell to the floor weakly.

  Alhen, realizing what had happened, reacted quickly by trying to stand up, but as expected, his body didn’t even twitch.

  He had to wait for about ten minutes before being able to stand on his two feet, only with the help of his Luna Signum.

  The moonlight reached through his slightly open jacket and charged it somewhat, giving him the strength he needed.

  He moved forward with a limp, his shoulders slumped, his mangled arm dangling by his side, exerting will and effort to reach his destination.

  Each step felt heavy and painful.

  He wished to stop and rest, but that wasn’t possible until they left the forest.

  Alhen had to be thankful that wihts hadn’t shown up until he had the strength to move around, it would’ve been a disaster otherwise.

  The blood staining his cheek dripped to the ground, being absorbed by the soil.

  Alhen took note of the condition of Sloan’s body.

  His chest didn’t look like it had before; it had somehow closed, though not entirely.

  Despite appearing in condition to keep going, he lay on the ground, unmoving, staring at Alhen intently.

  “Are you alright? Thanks for saving me,” Alhen thanked sincerely.

  Sloan kept staring at him, blinking rapidly.

  Noticing his struggle, he said, “Blink once for no, blink twice for yes.”

  Sloan rapidly blinked twice and pointed in a direction with his eyes.

  Alhen looked and saw that it was the path where he had escaped, and at the end of it, Sierra should be there.

  “You want me to look for your sister?” Alhen asked, and Sloan blinked twice.

  He didn’t need to be told again.

  With a quick assurance of his return, he left to look for Sierra.

  He followed the destruction left by the wiht, coming across uprooted trees, destroyed dirt, and claw marks everywhere.

  The scene looked taken straight out of an apocalyptic horror movie.

  ‘It’s a miracle that I survived… again,’ Alhen couldn’t help but think.

  He looked to the ground and furrowed his lips.

  This had been the third time that he couldn’t do anything against the wihts, the third time that he was saved.

  ‘I can't rely on luck any longer, I have to grow stronger, and fast,’ he thought.

  With his limp, it took a while to reach Sierra, but she came into view soon after.

  Her leg seemed to be better as it had somewhat returned to its original color, and she managed to stand up.

  “Where is my brother?!” She yelled out loud.

  “Don’t worry, he’s alive, but I am in no condition to carry him. Can you move? We have to get out of here and tell the villagers that they are now safe,” Alhen said.

  Sierra sighed in relief before nodding.

  She followed Alhen to find her brother, who was still unresponsive despite having his eyes open.

  Looking at his condition, Sierra whistled, “Those pills are no joke; it will take a while for you to move again,” she said.

  Sloan looked at her with a deadpan expression, not that he could move, of course, and it made Alhen smile a little.

  Sierra picked him up, and as they walked, she kept looking at Alhen from the corner of her eye, something that he noticed.

  “Do I have something on my face?” He asked.

  Sierra shook her head.

  “It is nothing, I am just grateful that you decided to help my brother instead of running away,” she paused.

  “To be honest, I thought that you would be useless given your condition and age, but it turned out that you are surprisingly reliable,” Sierra finished.

  At the end of the sentence, she gave him a slight smile, and Alhen rolled his eyes.

  “I will take that as a compliment,” Alhen simply said before the village came into view.

  They saw the gaping hole left by the wiht and the villagers with their improvised weapons standing ready for conflict.

  As soon as they heard footsteps, their body language became wary.

  ‘Right, they can’t see us,’ Alhen thought.

  Without missing a beat, Sierra announced their arrival.

  “We have defeated the wiht! Your village will be terrorized no longer!” She exclaimed cheerfully.

  The villagers visibly relaxed.

  They raised their wooden sticks into the air with a smile before rushing at them.

  Noticing the situation, they helped Sierra carry Sloan, being careful with their actions.

  Alhen felt his Luna Signum weakening, almost having depleted its energy.

  Just as he predicted, as they set foot inside the village, his Luna Signum lost its shine.

  He fell to the floor, strengthlessly, with the sign being the only thing that kept him on his feet.

  He returned to that state in the forest where he couldn’t move a muscle.

  The villagers quickly helped him by picking him up and bringing him into a green triangular tent where many wounded villagers rested.

  The villagers placed him on a bed beside Sloan, and he heard Sierra approaching from the side.

  She got out a yellow vial from her pouch before offering it to Alhen.

  Despite not knowing its contents, he gulped it down without a second thought.

  “Thanks,” he weakly muttered before he felt a light dizziness starting to appear.

  The objects and beds around him shifted and spun.

  This included Sierra’s body, which deformed and stretched until his eyes rolled back.

  He lost all sensation, not being able to feel the bed anymore.

  It was as if he floated in nothing, another plane of existence, then his vision darkened, and he lost consciousness.

  Alhen’s eyes fluttered open as he woke up from loud noises outside that he recognized as singing.

  Regaining awareness, he noticed how his body felt better, but was still not fully recovered.

  He tried moving it, and despite being able to do so, he felt a sharp pain that kept him down.

  ‘Damn it, seems like I’m not fully recovered,’ Alhent thought.

  Looking to his side, he noticed the disappearance of Sloan.

  ‘He must have already woken up… I wonder what’s happening outside?’ Alhen asked himself, curiosity building up.

  The tent was empty, devoid of any human warmth except his.

  He wanted to rest, but the noise intensified, the cheering reaching his ears and making his body tremble.

  The sound was tempting him, urging him to stand up and step outside, promising a great time.

  ‘Don’t be stupid, you have to rest, you are not fully recovered yet,’ Alhen reasoned in his mind.

  He kept his eyes shut, but it reached a point at which curiosity got the better of him.

  With a trembling arm that wasn’t mangled anymore, he removed the bed sheet from his body and tossed it aside.

  He sat on the edge of the bed, being careful not to overexert himself with his actions before dropping down to the floor.

  "Argh!" When his feet touched the ground, he felt his body convulsing and shaking, threatening to keep him in pain for a long time.

  A splitting headache then manifested, and he felt as if his brain was about to split apart.

  He tried to hold his head, but couldn't; his arm had lost all its strength.

  Gritting his teeth, he endured the pain in silence before it vanished without a trace.

  It had been quick and lasted less than a moment, but it was enough to leave him breathless.

  'W-What the hell was that?' he asked himself.

  With heavy grunting, he stood with difficulty and left the tent, his arm still feeling like jelly.

  Outside, he found the villagers dancing with vigor.

  In the center of the dance, the siblings stood with uncomfortable expressions from the people that danced around them, which made him smile.

  ‘Seems like they won’t be able to escape,’ Alhen thought.

  The villagers were dressed in all white, and red liquid stained their clothes.

  That’s when he noticed what seemed to be white deer on the floor, all with their necks cut.

  Their expressions gave away that their death had been anything but swift, suffering just before they met their end.

  A large bonfire stood behind them, and the villagers picked up the deer and threw them inside, making the fire surge even harder.

  Another set of loud cheering was heard, and the villagers jumped and moved their bodies without rest.

  He stood petrified, watching the scene.

  Snapping back to his senses, he felt someone grab his hand.

  Looking to his left, he saw a small girl, somewhat shorter than he was, who appeared to be at least five or six years old.

  Her facial features were hidden by a wooden bunny mask that hugged her face tightly.

  “Mr. Hunter. Thanks for saving the village.” She gave him a wide, carefree smile, making him smile back.

  He had never in his life been called Mr, it made him feel weird and old.

  ‘I don’t mind being called Mr, but how did she know that I was a hunter with that mask on her face?’ He wondered, but didn’t dwell too much on the topic.

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  “My name is Vivi, isn’t it a nice name? My mom told me it means alive!” She said with clear excitement.

  “That’s a good name.” He paused and looked around at the dancing.

  “What is everyone doing?” Alhen asked.

  The girl smiled even wider.

  “Thank you! We are doing Raghash. My dad told me it helps everyone be lucky.” She said while raising and spreading out her arms, enveloping everyone in the motion.

  Before Alhen could say anything, the girl held his hand and dragged him to the center of the bonfire.

  She announced his presence to everyone, and the villagers shouted with excitement.

  Their dancing became more vigorous, which seemed impossible considering they looked like they were going all out since the start.

  “Hey! Mr hunter. Dance with me,” Vivi said without worry.

  Alhen was going to scratch the back of his head, but couldn’t, his arm not moving an inch.

  ‘Right…’ he thought.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to dance, and currently I can’t move my arm; it has lost all its strength,” he explained.

  Vivi opened her mouth widely, shocked by the revelation.

  “How is that possible?! Even kids younger than me know how to dance,” she said, completely ignoring the part where he said his arm was unusable.

  ‘Kids surely don’t have filters, do they?’ He smiled once again.

  ‘It kind of reminds me of my sister,’ he thought.

  Realizing what he had just said, his smile stopped and dropped.

  “What?” He questioned out loud.

  Alhen could feel it, in the back of his mind, a picture of a girl older than him, blurred and not revealing anything.

  ‘I had a sister?’ He thought, ignoring the weird look Vivi was giving him.

  A brief image flashed before his eyes, but by the time he focused back, it was no longer there.

  ‘How did she look again?’ he asked, but had forgotten.

  “Hey! Answer me?!” Vivi pouted; he could barely see her lips.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I spaced out. I’ve just never been taught how to dance… You know what? Let me tell you something,” he said before approaching her ear.

  “I’m actually scared of dancing, but don’t tell anyone I told you this, alright? It’s a secret.”

  He stepped back and tried to signal for her to stay quiet, but he couldn’t move his hand.

  ‘Damn! When is this going to pass? I keep forgetting.’

  In the end, he did nothing; he had already conveyed his message.

  She started giggling and held her tiny hands over her mouth.

  “Alright.” She simply said.

  And she did keep it a secret.

  To the moment of her death, her short life, she didn’t say anything.

  She couldn’t do so in such a short amount of time.

  Blood dripped down her mouth as she lay on the ground, her eyes having lost their luster.

  Alhen stopped remembering, looking at the present moment.

  ‘Why did this happen? Why is life so cruel to those who cherish it? Those who are innocent? In this world, innocence is a sin; maybe that’s why she’s no longer here,’ Alhen thought.

  Grief overflowed despite not knowing her for long.

  A roof crushed half her body, and her eyes were lifeless.

  She lay on the ground, unmoving.

  He stood in the center of the now destroyed village, looking at the dead villagers on the ground.

  He felt a hand touching his shoulder.

  Alhen didn’t need to look back; he knew who it was.

  “There was nothing we could do,” Sloan said.

  The words barely processed in his head, he was gritting his teeth, holding back tears.

  Looking at the extinguished bonfire in front of him, he said lightly, “It helps everyone be lucky.”