The black creatures chased as they fled into the woods. Everything the black ooze touched became part of the corruption. Fortunately, the more it spread, the thinner it became. Without a source, the area it could cover was limited.

Relief washed over the children as they noticed the corruption slowing to a crawl. They chose to observe a reasonable distance away. They held their breath and watched for what seemed like an eternity. The black ooze stood motionless upon the ground; its mass pulsated with every breath they took as if a heartbeat deep within. One of the braver children picked up a branch and carefully approached the dark substance.

The other children waited with bated breath as the lone child carefully prodded the dark mass. Nothing happened, so the children took advantage of this slight reprieve to catch their breath and consider their course of action carefully.

Some children chose to journey to the other tribes to seek help. The forest was massive, and many different species inhabited it. The black corruption threatened them all. Compared to some of the oldest tribes living here, the blood tribe was insignificant. The children figured the other tribe would realize the danger and offer support.

They decided to split into two groups. The first would leave and contact the different factions, while the last would stay and monitor the situation. Mina chose to remain; journeying within the forest felt just as dangerous as the unknown substance. She had spent all her short life in this place and didn't wish to lose her homeland.

While the first group departed, an unexpected situation occurred. The seemingly lifeless ooze suddenly sprang, engulfing the child next to it. As if ingesting sustenance, the liquid grew more prominent as it devoured the child.

The remaining children reeled back in terror. They had let their guards down, thinking themselves safe, and now one of their own was dead, eaten by the slimy beast. Moments later, a black creature emerged from the ooze in the same shape as the child it devoured. Its form was as if darkness itself had taken shape. Although rudimentary, the ooze seemed to evolve as it assimilated everything it touched. The first creatures it devoured were only plants, producing black tendrils that sprouted from the ground. It then moved towards something more animalistic, and now it could even reproduce humanoids.

Some children stared into the black mass while the creature's empty eye socket seemed to stare back at them. Madness and insanity rose within their heart as if the sight of the beast alone could corrupt their very being. The exposed children screamed as tears of dark blood rained from their now-blackened eyeballs. When their lungs finally ran out of air, they fell to the ground limply. Although their blood still flowed, they were but empty husks. The black humanoid figure stood over the bodies before exploding in a wave of ooze, burying them within its mass. When the wave finally seeped into the earth, nothing remained of the unfortunate children. Dread crept over the remaining ones.

The remaining children scattered in all directions, trying to avoid being its next meal. The flood of black liquid spilled towards them at an uncanny speed, seeking its next meal. It seemed the substance had learned to devour in order to spread.

Some unlucky children could not escape as the black wave blocked their path. They disappeared, buried beneath the tide. In their places, many more black silhouettes emerged from the ooze. They fell one by one to the black wave of death.

Mina screamed as she ran, a mix of fury and despair in her voice. Less than a day ago, her tribe lived peacefully, but everything changed suddenly. She thought back to the man who drank from the vessel. It all started with him. He was the reason for all this.

Rage and fury mounted in her heart as she thought about him. They were a peaceful race that valued each day as a blessing, but now all that remained within her was sadness and hatred. Given the chance, she would butcher the man who destroyed her life.

Unfortunately, she was too weak and could only run. She hated the man and the black liquid that devoured anything in its path, but she also hated her weakness. She wished for strength—enough to recover what she had lost and destroy anything that would take from her ever again. She had lost everything and didn't wish to lose anymore.

She ran for what seemed like an eternity. Her legs were weak, and her lungs burned, but she pressed on, too afraid to stop. As dusk fell, Mina collapsed on the wet ground, too exhausted to move anymore. Fortunately, her black pursuer was nowhere in sight.

She woke up the next day exhausted and weak. Hunger assaulted her almost immediately. She watched her surroundings nervously, fear of that corruption deeply ingrained in her psyche. It took a long time for her mind to calm down.

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She was now all alone. She didn't know what happened to the other children. She may be the only one that survived. She debated whether to look for survivors, but the fear was overpowering. She stood rooted in place as she despised her cowardice.

Hunger gave her the courage to move on. She was still alive and needed to survive to get her revenge. As the fire of vengeance burned in her heart, Mina stood weakly and started looking for sustenance. Unfortunately, she found none.

The usual lush forest, brimming with various lifeforms, was now barren and desolate. All the animals her tribe would usually subsist on had already fled. She was in dire need of blood. The thirst threatened to overpower her rationality. Although she wouldn’t die as long as she could absorb essence from the atmosphere, without any blood, she would be frail.

She wandered the forest in search of food for what felt like days. She had never felt so hungry before, but what kept her going was her desire for revenge. Since she couldn't find any prey, she started eating insects as she needed whatever little blood she could find to recover her strength. She journeyed farther and farther away from her home, searching for food. After what seemed like a week, Mina decided to finally leave the forest.

She had spent her whole life in these woods. Once, she asked the elders what the outside world was like. The answer chilled her to the bone. If she were found as one of the blood tribes, the humans would capture her.

If lucky, she would simply be killed. If she were unlucky enough to encounter a bloodhunter, she would be captured and sold to be used as a blood bank. Apparently, humans would pay an enormous price for the blood of her kind.

If she weren't desperate, Mina would never have considered taking the chance to encounter humans. Hunger had started to cloud her mind. She had travelled in circles for days, unable to leave the forest. As her consciousness dulled, her instincts took over.

She smelled a sweet metallic taste in the air and followed it to its source. The scent was faint, however. Fortunately, her senses were heightened owing to her state of starvation. She followed the scent for miles until she stumbled upon a group of two.

She didn’t pounce immediately but observed her prey for a while. The woman emitted an enticing smell. The smell of blood coming from her was sweet and delicious. She could barely stop herself from drooling.

The man, on the other hand, was an enigma. Looking at him, she felt nothing, almost like his whole existence was faint. Although the man was obviously human, she didn't feel the same innate fear she felt for the woman.

As her instincts battled, the man noticed a sound opposite Mina's location. She had long seen the man that came out of the bushed. He was the reason why she didn't immediately attack. Unlike the prior two, the newcomer had the scent of death all over him. Mina observed the scene carefully, trying to find a way to reach her prey safely. She was too hungry to look for another meal.

The duo seemed wary of the newcomer. She could use this to her advantage. She would feign unconsciousness and wait for them to approach before pouncing on one of them. She would then use them as hostages before making her escape. Her target was the one who seemed the weakest, the woman.

Unfortunately, she failed to realize the unfathomable man had already seen through her. She flailed within his grasp, trying to reach her meal, only to be met with an iron hold. She was pleasantly surprised when the man offered his arm.

She plunged her fang into the meat, feasting upon his blood. Unlike the thin blood of the animals she was familiar with, his was wild and intense. The thick blood moistened her dried lips and quenched her thirst. As the blood flowed, she regained her sanity.

Fear crept over her as she realized what she had done. Images of her fate flashed into her mind as she realized she had preyed on humans, yet she didn’t want to let go. The blood on her lips was much too alluring to let it go to waste. As such, she bit harder. To her surprise, the man made no attempt to stop her.

She could feel the warmth of the man's chest upon her back. For some reason, Mina wasn't afraid of that man. The man's firm grasp even made her feel safe for the first time since she saw her tribe being buried by the blood dome.

Once her hunger was satiated, Mina carefully unclenched her jaws. She looked around timidly, only to see a blade pointing at her. Fright took hold of her, and she buried herself in the only place that felt safe: the man's arms. As she felt warmth, memories of her now-dead tribe washed over her. Tears fell from her eyes, and cries of anguish escaped her lips. Every emotion she had repressed over the last few days came pouring out all at once.

Her mind unwound, letting go of all the tension she had endured. Her exhaustion was so great that she could no longer hear the humans' words. She let everything go. It was all pointless. Everything she ever knew was gone. Everything she ever loved was dead and buried. Whether the humans would kill her and capture her didn't matter. She let everything out, and the man accepted all of it.

As the sobbing subsided, Mina was empty. Every desire she had was long gone, destroyed along her tribe. Only one thing remained in her mind. One amber still smouldering within the recesses of her heart. The revenge she had promised herself.

Revenge against the man who had taken everything from her. Revenge against the creature he had become. Even revenge against herself for her own cowardice. She would use anything she could for revenge, even the most despicable means. Even the man who held her right now wouldn’t be spared.

As she calmed down, the tension decreased substantially. She tried to speak but could only mutter a few words. She took her time, choosing her words carefully as she narrated the events of the last few days.

Once she told them of her tragedy, her emotions threatened to burst out again. She had made her decision. She wouldn't allow herself to be a helpless little girl anymore. Therefore, she burned those emotions to the bottom of her heart using the amber of her hatred. She chose to seal them there until her revenge was fulfilled.

As she spoke, her trembling slowly subsided. The sadness left her voice, and what remained was only a coldness that threatened to freeze everything in its wake. Once she was done, the group was silent for a moment. The dangerous man was the first to break the silence.

“This seems to be why the forest seems so restless as of late. I've heard reports from the surrounding towns that the amount of beasts fleeing the forest had increased substantially in the last few days."

The warm man seemed to be deep in thought. Realizing this, the appetizing woman spoke.

“I know that look. Do you know what’s been happening?”

All eyes turned to him. Mina's gaze was heavy as if trying to bore a hole through him. After a moment of silence, he replied, "It seems a devil has been born.”