⟐ CHAPTER 8

Lynn observed the weird person wandering the sacrificial site. An adventurer? She asks. It isn’t common for travelers to wander around these parts, but it isn’t anything special either. Occasionally, some rogue adventurers come here to challenge The Great Kulvian, but they’re quickly asked to return so as not to upset their guardian. She still doesn’t quite understand why the townspeople do this though, and she doesn’t really care, but seeing someone wandering the site made her feel that she has to do something or at least warn the man.

And wouldn’t you know, just as she was about to shout at the mister to leave the site, she heard an ear-deafening sound coming from not so far away. She clasped her ears and huddled down, and after the roar, she now heard loud thumps as trees danced and fell with the loud cries of animals and beasts. Her heart raced, and she was shivering. She might be young, but she knew something dangerous was coming, and she has a pretty good idea of who it was, though she wanted to not believe in it herself. And as she looked at the possible cause to anger such a monster, she only had to look at the site again. The tall man in pure white seemed stunned too and unable to move.

Hearing the thunderous thumps get louder and louder as moments go by, she wanted to book it and run towards the town, but before she was about to, she thought, what about the mister? No! I’ll die if I don’t run now! B-but he’ll die too if he doesn’t leave. Argh! Why is my life so full of problems! This is your fault big brother! And after a short pondering on what to do, she took a deep breath and shouted.

“You white naked tall guy! Get away from there! The Great Kulvian is coming! We need to run!”

The person didn’t react at first, but after a few moments, he looked in her direction. And there she saw an inhuman face; the man’s facial features were barely noticeable, and only the shadows casted from showed the silhouette of a humanoid face. She thought it was pretty weird looking like an all-white person but she disgruntled it as an adventurer gear. She saw many adventurers, and they all seemed to be wearing weird stuff, so she kind of guessed that the mister was the same and was just wearing a particularly weirder gear. But now what can she do? It’s not like the mister isn’t actually human right?

But that thought got more and more challenged as she ran closer to the mister; first of all, the man was inhumanly tall, but she already saw very tall adventurers with bodies wider than the man she’s approaching. And not soon after running with her small legs, though she was panting hard after the sprint she had now reached the man.

“Pant! Pant! Mister quick! Follow me!”

She said as she began to pull the man’s leg using all the little strength she could muster, but the man didn’t budge; she expected that but what surprised her is that the man hasn’t said anything nor is doing anything. It's not like he’s a statue, though he certainly looks like one and after a few more tries, she heard something that shook her to her little bones. The last of the thumps had stopped, and she could feel it, a terrifying aura that kept on getting stronger every moment that she stayed in this location. And as she looked to confirm her suspicions.

“Pant! W-wha? Pant! W-we’re doomed!”

There stood a few meters away from them, the guardian of the forest, The Great Kulvian. To be honest she hasn’t really seen The Great Kulvian before, and only few of the townspeople had actually ever seen the great beast, but that didn’t stop them from giving everyone ample stories and descriptions of the great beast. So upon first seeing it, she didn’t need to think twice before knowing that it really was The Great Kulvian. And what the great beast did after solidified her guess.

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“YOU WHO HAS COME TO MY DOMAIN! LEAVE AND NEVER TO RETURN! I WILL ONLY SHOW MERCY TO YOU JUST THIS ONCE!”

“I-it talked! T-the Great Kulvian!”

From among the countless stories, they always detailed that the great beast has the ability to speak, and it is even said that it is actually a very wise and intelligent beast. But among those stories it was said that The Great Kulvian always had a calm tone, one that speaks for nature and not a beastial howl like this one that forced her down to her knees.

She wanted to prostrate and beg for forgiveness to let them live, but her voice was caught in her throat, and she couldn’t muster any more strength. Why was this happening to her? Why is everything seemingly trying to make her suffer? First her brother was sent to god knows where, and now she’s faced with a beast that could kill her a hundred times over with a single swing of its paws. Was this the price she has to pay for being cursed? She doesn’t even know what it was, and she was fine with enduring it, but maybe this really is the final goodbye? Well, it’s sad for her to not live till adulthood, but maybe it’s actually for the greater good. If she’s gone, her brother doesn’t have to work hard anymore, and he could have a family for himself. She knew that the only reason her brother kept on rejecting marriage proposals was because of her, and that hurts her every time she thinks about it.

I really am cursed. She thought, finally accepting that her life was nothing more than a nuisance to the world. But still, if there’s a chance to live even how minuscule of a chance it is, she wants to grab it.

But the next few lines she heard coming from someone very near. Had made her little brain short-circuit.

“You are afraid.”

What? She could only look dumbfounded. What does he mean by that? Has the fear of the great beast gone up to his brain and made him crazy? Or is he explaining what he’s feeling, saying in a second person that he himself is afraid, but all the hopes of coming out alive were vanquished after that little dialog of the man she tried to save. As after hearing the man’s words, the mouth of the great beast began to glow and runes began to form. She closed her eyes in acceptance of death as she unconsciously gripped her little hands harder at the man’s legs for a small comfort as teardrops began to run down her cheek.

But then she felt something; someone picked her up and upon opening her eyes again, she could see the man in white running away from a bright blue ray of rune and mana. She could feel the power contained within the blast making her close her eyes again, and after some time, the ear-piercing noise of the blast grew fainter as seconds passed, and when she opened her eyes again. She saw the man again but now he was lowering her down in some part of the forest. And with his words.

“Stay here and don’t run away, understand?”

She could only nod her head as the man sprinted back towards where the great beast was. And not soon after she could hear loud noises. First the sound of the rumbling of the earth followed by a great earthquake that rattled the trees, and next were explosions that deafened her ears, after that she could hear an endless thud coming from the sacrificial site’s direction that was soon followed by faint authoritative roars of the great beast. It felt like an eternity, it was a living hell, she didn’t know what to do and when will it stop. She could only follow the words of the man in white and not move an inch from her place. But after what seemed like forever, after hearing a final loud roar, was silence. One that deafened the forest ambiance. It felt like the world went still but that was soon shattered as she could hear footsteps coming in close. She didn’t know what to do; should she run away now? What if it was the great beast coming for her after killing the tall white man or maybe by some miracle it’s actually the tall white man himself what will she do? Either way she could only close her eyes and pray to the gods for a good outcome.

But it seemed like the gods finally answered a prayer of hers as soon after she felt a touch on her shoulder, she heard the man’s voice that she heard earlier. But,

“...Lynn Yatella.”

H-how does he know my name?