Christina and Amy were running through the trees in pursuit of this creature, a new threat.

It was fast, but not so fast that they would lose sight of it.

Sooner or later they would catch it.

She couldn't use her magic for this. By the time she brought some shadows to life, that thing would have disappeared from their field of vision. Normally the necessary waiting wouldn't be a problem.

But normally she wasn't in a terrain full of obstacles, visual and physical.

A forest.

Her mind went back to that night, when they fought the fake teacher and later, that shadow. The attack on the academy while she was taking the test. In the attack on the training camp they had also been forced to go through a forest at night, hoping they wouldn't be found.

Nothing good happened to her when she went into the woods, it seemed.

But at least now, unlike in the fake teacher incident, she could move on her own feet instead of being carried by Amy.

At least now, unlike during the attack on the camp, her enemy was a single person.

Dangerous, because he had so quickly taken care of an escort of ten soldiers of the royal guard. Not just anyone could do that, evidently.

But as dangerous as that thing might be, it was only one.

There would be nothing it could do once it was caught. That was what she firmly believed.

And that thing too, maybe. There was a reason it was running away instead of fighting.

They kept running, running, running.

If it had been highwaymen, she would have just let them run away. In other circumstances no, but they really didn't need to get into any more trouble. They could let it go, at least once.

But this had clearly not been an isolated incident.

That strange creature, of whom she could now only see the back of, knew too much and wanted them dead. So, just as she had said, they couldn't give it a second chance to finish them off. Especially to something unknown and so powerful.

This had to end here and now, for everyone's sake.

And it would end as soon as they caught it.

She didn't imagine they wouldn't need to catch it in the first place. That thing stopped in a clearing, turning on its heels to face them.

Who stopped too.

"Are you tired of running away? If you think you can take us, you're mistaken."

No doubt this hideous creature knew too much, it was an enemy agent, but it knew nothing about her. Otherwise it wouldn't have chosen this place to face her.

The perfect place in a fight, for her, when it was daytime.

The trees and their leaves covered her from the daylight, filling the surroundings with shadows. It was as if the creature had thrown itself directly into her gaping maw.

Some light filtered through the trees and leaves rustling in the wind, but not enough to get in her way. Far from it.

That thing would be dead before it knew it.

At least this would be easy. For a change.

She gave a small demonstration of her power, bringing the shadows around her to life. Despite the fact that it had chosen this place, of all possible places, to fight, the thing didn't seem surprised at what she had done.

As if it had known all along; it should have, a glance at the color of her eyes was enough to suspect. Or as if it didn't care, didn't make any difference to it.

Which was impossible. Completely impossible.

Christina was aware that, with her magic, she could buy time against an entire army. It wasn't vanity. She was someone who couldn't be defeated in direct, one-on-one combat.

This thing simply didn't know what it was doing. And it would die before it even realized it.

Christina gritted her teeth, grinning wildly.

"I will annihilate you, right here, right now."

I will annihilate you, singular.

Amy wouldn't even have to put herself at risk or get her hands dirty. She'd crush this insect before she had to do anything.

——

Desmond watched them go. When they disappeared into the forest, his soul fell at his feet. He could not shake the unreasonable, even he admitted it, fear of never seeing them again.

He lay still, in Abigail's arms, for a long time.

Or at least it seemed like a long time to him.

In any case, he couldn't stand it any longer. Irrational as it was, he had to give voice to his fears. So that Abigail could silence them.

"You have to go with them," Desmond said.

For a few moments, Abigail looked back at him as if she didn't understand what he was referring to. He seriously believed, for a moment, that he would have to open his mouth again just to clarify.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I can't risk leaving you. It's possible that thing isn't alone, in fact, it's the most likely thing. Why else would it have run away?"

To serve as a distraction, splitting them up, so that his companions would come later and catch him alone, helpless. That was what Abigail thought. And he couldn't deny that it made a lot of sense. That it had struck him as odd that the thing had turned around, bolting, after killing the entire escort.

It was no coincidence that their paths had crossed. It hadn't killed the escort simply for the sake of killing, like a wild animal.

No. It had to be an enemy agent, aiming to see them dead, stop their mission. So anyone would say that after coming this far it would press its advantage, leap on them even before they could get out of the wagon. Instead of just standing there watching and then turning and running away.

It was strange, seemingly meaningless. But what Abigail had just said wasn't a bad explanation.

It wasn't bad, but...

For some reason, it didn't convince him at all.

For some reason, he was convinced that the creature walked alone wherever it went. There was no one waiting to attack him when he was alone. If there was a trap in this... If there was a trap, then it was to run away knowing that Abigail wouldn't leave him alone. And so he could take them on two at a time. Reduce the difficulty.

"But it's just... I can't explain it. But I have a feeling they'll die if you don't help them." All justifications aside, that was more important. That irrational fear that chilled his heart.

It might be irrational, but his instinct was screaming at him, and Desmond trusted his instinct.

"Two against one, and Christina is very strong," Abigail replied. "to mention that if it really got too much for them, they'd just run away. They wouldn't keep charging at that thing suicidally. Because they don't have a safety net."

Unlike you before.

She didn't say it, but Desmond got the feeling she was thinking it, anyway.

Yes. Other than Abigail, no other person could afford to be as reckless as he had been. To take so many risks, to go so far.

Christina was strong, but also cautious.

If they were outmatched, they wouldn't continue a hopeless fight. They would run, like any sensible person.

But...

"I worry that they won't even have a chance to run." Just because they would try, in the first place, didn't mean they were going to make it. That monster had killed nearly a dozen people in a matter of seconds. It was strong, and fast. "Mom... I beg you."

"I can't let you die."

That was her simple answer.

She couldn't afford his death, huh? What about Amy and Christina? She could afford that? For one of the very few times in his life, he felt rage at his mom.

A surge of rage in the center of his chest went up his throat.

And turned into words he immediately regretted. But too late for second thoughts.

He always realized the most important thing when it was already too late. He wouldn't learn, something inside him refused, or he was incapable.

"Because without me, your chance would slip away?"

Such harsh words, so unfair.

Abigail reacted as if he had slapped her. While Desmond wished he had. From that he could recover, they would recover.

But from this?

He wasn't so sure.

He had already caused an irreparable breach in his relationship with Charlotte. Would Abigail be next? At this rate, before the trip was over, he would find himself alone even surrounded by the people he considered his family.

He felt adrift.

He felt like he was sinking.

I want to throw up, he thought.

"Because I love you with all my soul. I need to see you alive and happy," Abigail replied. Of course.

Maybe she had only thought of using him in the beginning, but that was in the past. She really cared about him. To imply otherwise had been petty, completely undeserved. And childish.

Childish.

He'd always told himself he was like a child, but he couldn't go on like that. At some point he had to grow up.

"I'm... I'm sorry. But please. They're going to die."

"How can you be so sure?" Abigail asked, slowly and after a while. It was a good question. A question even he couldn't answer, unfortunately.

Perhaps, now that he had been reduced to this state, he had become even more like a child in many ways.

And this irrational fear was just that. A display of how childish he could be.

Perhaps.

"I told you I don't know."

But his instinct kept screaming at him that those two wouldn't make it out of the woods alive. Not without Abigail's help.

"Okay, Desmond. You win. You win," she said at last, resigned. Tired. "But don't die. I won't forgive you if you die."

Desmond swallowed, nodded his head. Yes. He wouldn't forgive himself either.

——

Christina was lying on the ground, on the grass. Feeling the taste of blood filling her mouth. She took a deep breath and the first thing she did, instead of worrying about herself, was to look for Amy.

Of course.

Because they were supposed... they were supposed to be there for each other.

She found her quickly.

Against a tree trunk, her limbs dangling limp. She was unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. Seeing her like that, she forgot how to breathe.

For she couldn't tell if she was alive or dead. Couldn't see her chest move, but that didn't mean she was truly dead.

Her attention was forced away from her friend, her most faithful partner. For the monster that had done this to both of them was closing in on her. It seemed huge as it got closer, gradually taking up more and more of her field of vision.

An optical illusion was her first thought, out of fear, out of weakness and loss of blood. But Christina came to think if it hadn't literally gotten bigger.

It wouldn't be surprising.

The surprising thing was that they had been so easily defeated. Despite their age, they were both exceptionally talented. And she possessed shadow magic, plus she had put it to use under the perfect conditions for her.

Still, it hadn't been enough. And now she was in this situation.

How could it be so strong, so fast?

And that regeneration... It might have looked like a living shadow, but it wasn't. She had cut off one of its arms. Seconds later it had regained it.

Like Desmond before, she thought.

That spectral creature stood at her side, then mercilessly stomped on her chest. With enough force to rip the air from her lungs. Christina writhed, moaning in pain. She didn't want to give it the satisfaction, but she couldn't help it.

Oh, shit. Shit.

She couldn't believe she had led Amy to her death along with her.

She couldn't believe that, after overcoming so much and defying death countless times, this would be the end of her. So suddenly. I haven't even had a chance to say goodbye, she thought.

The creature didn't give her the coup de grace. It just stared at her, just stared at her.

With those piercing eyes that burned like ice. Death has blue eyes, she thought for some reason. Her mind was a mess. It seemed that not only would he not be able to say goodbye, her last thoughts would be meaningless and weightless.

A bitter way to end a bitter life. In that sense, she should have no complaints.

"Get it over with. Son of a bitch."

Christina spat those words with all the strength and courage she had left. The thing awoke from its slumber and raised the sword and sickle to finish her off.

Christina... smiled.

"But at least I'll drag you to hell with me."

The shadows moved.

In her heart, beating against her chest as if trying to escape, ran a single impulse. An idea, a desperate wish. That, if Amy wasn't dead already....

Christina's last moments would have a meaning by saving her life.