"Hghaaaaaa ah ah ah"

With an irresistible urge to gag, he flung his body up. After a few moments, the shock subsided, and then the fear came. Grabbing his head with his hands, he shrunk into himself.

"Ugh"

"Ugh"

The light around him was as pure and gentle as when he had fallen asleep. With his hands, he patted his rigid figure all over. His movements felt lucid, his senses disoriented.

Hunching over, he reached into his mouth, but there was no darkness. His body felt heavy, and his mind was hazy. Other than that, he was unharmed. But the signs all pointed towards it.

'Something about my body, it's different somehow?'

Groaning, he fell back onto his back, shielding himself from the rays above. He'd slept straight through the night and well into the day, leaving his body vulnerable in the unventured grass plains.

'What. Happened to me?'

Reproachful, he lay for a while, hidden behind the safety of his arm. Slowly, his dreary hazel eyes glanced to the side. In the quiet, he eyed the horizontal trees and their shadowy depths.

##########################

In his grey uniform, Rowan trespassed through the shady, mystical undergrowth. The pleasant warmth and light seeping into this land had permitted him some rest.

Despite what he had dreamt, his body had rested and been revitalized. That period between dreaming and waking was as kind and gentle as it had always been, nightmares aside.

But these musings were as useless as they were fleeting. Even in all of the calm, it wasn't long before Rowan felt unnerved again.

'Where the hell am I? Will I even get the chance to find out?'

It was a recurring problem for him. Being unaware of something about the Mist and the world beyond it. But he really had never heard of a safe place like this green world before him. It was one of the few basic rules passed to him during school.

'It might be serene now, sure. So, either, this world is so big that safe places like this really do exist. And no one ever found them. Or...'

Shaking his head, he scanned the forest floor and the stumps around him. The canopy above was a haze of calm rustling leaves that caused the ground's shadows to move and wave to him as he walked.

'I think I'm slowly getting. How big this forest really is. If I don't come across another of those invisible boundaries. I might never see another person again.'

As that thought entered his head, he turned around. Craning his head a little at the serene path he'd since tread. Hesitant, Rowan's mouth opened.

"...What was that?"

For just a moment, he thought he'd picked up on a rustle, a whisper? A gentle giggle? Frowning, he turned to look where he assumed the noise had originated.

"Weird timing... I'm not that lonely. Am I? This isolation is only a little different from what I'm used to."

As his frown deepened, he sighed, 'Well, I have no bearing on where I am or where I've been. Does it really matter if I head that way instead?' Willful, he changed his direction. The serene shade and calm wind never seemed to change, no matter where he walked.

Infected with the forest's peace, his eyes flicked to his left. "SSSHHhhhhh". It sounded like running water. Rowan bit his lip as he lingered, listening to the noise for a while.

'Hmmm. Water might not be the safest place. Even the Devoured need to drink... Probably.'

Once again, making a decision was difficult. Knowing so little about the environment gave Rowan almost too many options. Slapping his face gently with both hands, he stared back towards the sound of rushing water.

'The calm is getting to me. I can't lose focus.'

Cautious, he continued towards the sound of water. He made his feet as quiet as possible. Only an audible crunch of the odd leaf beneath his feet could be heard. Soon, the rising volume of splashing water hid that noise.

He was getting closer.

Eventually, a break in the swarm of shadows and trees greeted him as the world opened up. There, he saw a hazing of steam. Anxious, he peered into the grey veil.

Beyond it was a beautiful body of water, tinged with a dense blue. A short, gentle waterfall poured into it from above.

Ignoring the fog and gazing past it, Rowan noticed something move.

Within the furthest reaches of the water, beneath the gentle tide of the waterfall. Pale, feminine figures floated and sat leisurely around the edge. Others were swimming and chittering jovially.

"...!"

Rowan's voice was caught in his throat. He couldn't help but watch their exposed bodies apprehensively. Even as his face turned hot, he couldn't make a sound. His eyes widened in fear.

"I."

Nothing had heard him, and he was still a safe distance away. Yet his body was thick with tension, and his lips were quivering.

"Again. It's just like before."

His mind fluctuated with images of the mountains, the rabbits and the birds as he failed to stay silent. Soon, he was backing away on his hands, desperate, as his eyes remained fixed on those in the water.

'I'm being lured again. What the hell are those things really.'

Everything about the scene was too convenient; his every desire was being hung right before him. This trap was how many of the Devoured hunted. Just as his fear reached its precipice, a couple of figures appeared to be disrupted, craning their heads eerily towards him.

"Shit!"

Quickly throwing himself to his feet, he spun and ran. Whistling past the trees, unable to resist throwing a couple glances back, he ran. Stumbling and scampering, he fell. Only to climb desperately to his feet. Throwing himself forward again.

He felt fast, unnaturally so, and it was hard for his reactions to keep up as he dodged and weaved between the trees.

"Shit, haahaaahaaa."

As his heart throbbed and pulsed, he found himself hunched over against a tree stump. His vision grew hazy, and his frail body swore off moving. He turned his back to the stump and slid down, using it as support as he sat between its thick, veiny roots.

"Hahhhh, hahhhhh, are they chasing me?"

Between rough breaths, he spared his pink, withered hands a glance. He could hear no running water or rampaging beings on his tail. Even amidst the fear, he soon found himself distracted.

With tired eyes, he inspected the ground. It was covered in flowers. Curious, he took a moment to stroke them. But his heart was not so conforming and continued to pound inside of him as he fiddled with the pink, green, and blue plants.

"There's no way I can make it. Not in a world like this." Gripping his chest, he felt his stomach growl and his head brimmed with sweat.

"I went from school to monsters to women under a waterfall in just two days." The corners of his mouth rose ever so slightly as he stared down at his legs. They were shaking. A pitiful frown overtook his face as he massaged them.

"It's awful. I just want to go back."

His gaze continued to linger on the pained pinkness of his fingers. Dwelling on his dream, his mind was cushioned despite the rigid tree rubbing against his back.

"Maybe the women in that lake were real. Why the hell not? I might as well just go back." His hands slid up his knees, and he began to stand. He fell backwards.

"Huh"

His spine jolted against the sturdy tree as something sharp and hard prodded his chest. Surprised, his eyes were instantly drawn to the metallic grey tip pressed against him. It held Rowan in place and prevented him from moving.

As he followed the sharp rustic object with wide eyes, he saw two slim, strong arms grip the peculiar pole. They stretched out of a burst of hazy mist. Slowly, the mist drifted towards Rowan's frightened figure. Startled, he breathed it in and spluttered.

'It's not mist. It's smoke.' The grey around Rowan's figure wavered as the fumes filled his throat. First, vibrant, fierce vermillion hair escaped the smoky cloud, followed by daring ruby-tinged eyes that locked onto his. Their deep volcanic depths captured him.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The redheaded beauty remained standing over him. Her ineffable stance, her inexplicable appearance.

Rowan asked, "...You're a Defected aren't you?-"

Uncertainty wiped from her face, she lunged at Rowan. A sleek but firm hand clasped his mouth, silencing him. Terrified, Rowan struggled in her grasp as her fingers threatened to tear off his jaw. He tried to wrench his face free with his hands but to no avail.

"Mggfffmgffff!"

His muffled cries caused a glance of disdain from the pensive redhead as she scanned their surroundings. Her painful grip and tense features convinced Rowan to go limp as he surrendered to her firm grasp.

His hot, heavy breath on her hand failed to distract the girl, who remained absorbed in their surroundings. Shuddering, he followed her gaze. Seeing nothing within the forest's vicinity.

He turned back only to find her now fixed entirely on him. Startled, he shielded himself from her piercing gaze by glancing down. He noticed something.

'What is that?'

Her shirt was wet. Despite appearing out of a haze of mist, her clothes were all drenched and clinging to her. For the moment, Rowan was not drawn to her chest but instead to the cruel red lacerations that marked the inner left of her breast. Those bulging, veiny imprints drew him in as his eyes widened.

'That's her Defect.'

The girl smirked at him. She released her right hand from his mouth. What he now recognized as her fierce, glinting metal spear remained in her left hand. The girl's smile was light despite the bewilderment on his face.

In a hushed voice, her lips parted slightly. "I followed you because I thought you were trying to catch a peek. But you. You're not from camp. Are you?"

Rowan shrunk back a little and nodded.

Confused by his reaction, she chased and leaned forward. Her smile grew wider. But then, a violent tremble shook the ground.

Instantly, she rose to her feet, her stance low and firm. Rested against the tree, Rowan shuffled away from her and the chaotic booms below, but the trunk behind barred his escape.

"Quit moving."

Her whisper was elusive yet potent. He stopped moving. The surroundings grew quiet, but then another blast erupted. The fierce shredding and snapping of bark and wood echoed nearby. It continued to assault the placid forest air and rumble the gentle, flowery ground.

Then, a deep hue of red crashed through the distant trees. Those far-off brown stems were ripped in half as an enormous body tore a path through the forest. Its lithe red figure was thrown so far it was now well within the two's line of sight.

"Is that? A Vile... and it's losing?"

Her feint, wispy words were intended for Rowan, but their meaning was lost on him. Only the chilling uncertainty in her tone informed him. Sparing him a glance, the redhead got closer and crouched low beside him, the tree shielding the two from sight.

"Shit timing, right?"

Rowan watched the terrifying creature climb to its feet, ignoring her. Its sleek red form was raised by four muscular limbs, each as thick as he was, with four times his own height. Its eyes were like deep red hellish slits. It surveyed the devastation left by its trajectory. Although the creature was still. The tremors didn't stop.

She whispered, "It's been a couple years since a Vile appeared. If we let that thing roam around too long, someone will die. Sooner or later. That's assuming its ability is weak."

The woman's soft voice drew his attention. She wore a white, wet shirt and torn peculiar brown shorts. On closer inspection, she looked only a little older than he was, maybe nineteen. Alluring and motionless, she continued to speak, but her striking, ruby eyes never left the distant red Devoured.

"Don't be frightened. If something important like you and all this occurred and we didn't hear anything about it. Then everything is bound to turn out fine."

She turned to face Rowan with an awkward wince. Rowan could only stare blankly.

"Uh, I'll explain later. For now, it's best to hide and not test our luck. As long as the Devoured fight each other first, I can finish the winner off. Easy. And if I finish the winner off, we don't die, okay?" The corners of her mouth rose a little.

'Is she serious or kidding? I can't tell.'

After noticing Rowan's pale face, she sighed. He was deeply unnerved by the woman's zealous confidence. From her words, he could tell she was frightened, too. Yet it made that cocky grin of hers all the more unsettling.

"Too scared to even whisper? Well, I won't judge you. For now, just nod while I talk. That Devoured there is a Vile. This means that its savagery and intelligence are much higher than others. Even if its strength should be low."

The lean red being stared into the clearing with vibrant, vengeful eyes. That was when the quaking finally stopped. Rowan strained his eyes and finally noticed it.

Originally, he thought it was a tree, then a rock. But it was just too big.

"But that one, there is a Brute. Fortunately, it's a Docile one, so it won't target us unless we target it."

He hadn't noticed its approach from the new forest opening because it was so slow and so far. Its head was brown and rigid, with two dark black grooves that made for some kind of eyes. Its hind legs were like dark birch, yet thicker than any trunk. However, the rock that made up its forearms was far larger. Only on closer inspection did he notice two brown stubs ejecting from those rocks and connecting to its back.

"What, what the hell is that?"

The girl, hearing his brittle voice for the first time, turned to him, amused.

"I just told you? It's a Brute. Wait, you don't even know what that is? You mean to tell me you've been walking around this forest alone without any knowledge or even a Defect?"

Glancing down at himself, her words captured his interest as he jerked his head up. He asked, "You, you noticed?."

The girl nodded. "I was surprised. It's probably rarer than you realize. I guess you really must be like Nero."

Their idle conversation died as the two Devoured grew exceptionally close. The huge brown monstrosity stood still and stagnant, towering over its adversary. Its methodical, almost wistful movements reminded Rowan of himself.

Meanwhile, the red devoured was prowling around it and closing the distance. It growled and bore a vicious snarl as it approached.

"We usually wait to ambush a Devoured until after they've fought another. But I don't think I've ever seen a clash between such strong ones. How exciting! Tell me, who do you think will win?"

The girl turned to Rowan, and her gleaming red eyes darted around him, seeking an answer. He didn't respond. He could only watch as the distance between the two grew slimmer.

"Well, it's not like I have any idea either. These things are impossible to predict. The big one that looks like a creepy tree thing is Docile but a Brute. The red one is probably Vile, but an Imp."

Rowan's face scrunched a little as he stared up at the redhead, confused.

"...Docile, Imp?"

She tilted her head towards Rowan.

"When it's a matchup of power versus volatility. It comes down to the abilities of the latter. We can only hope the big Docile Devoured wins."

Noticing his silence, the girl's smile wilted. "You really don't know anything. Do you?"

She pursed her lips as remorse gripped her striking, ivory face.

"It'll be okay." She whispered. "We're close to the camp outskirts. There's bound to be some hunters around. With their help, too, we should get out of this-"

"CRASH!"

Her reassuring words were cut off as a figure crashed into the nearest tree. The red Devoured had been flung again like a ragdoll by the tree-like Brute. Its crimson, scaly figure was crumpled across the ground as heavy earth-shattering footsteps followed.

Rowan watched its limp figure, horrified. It was like a cross between a demonic horse and a scarlet lizard. Even after it had been sent flying through the forest with its slim, skinny figure. The mangled thing moved. Its neck clicked eerily up as its muscular red limbs pulled itself to its feet again. Blood seeped all across its body.

The girl muttered. "What, how can that?... It's not dead?"

"It's not." Rowan bit his lip.

Even though the tree Brute was creepy in its own right. Rowan couldn't help but root for it. Maybe he was biased. Its passive indifference was apparent in its every plodding step. But a glance up at the Defected girl filled him with horror. She had risen to her feet, gripping her metal spear tightly. She looked ready to dive right between both Devoured.

"What. What are you? Doing." Rowan spluttered.

He'd missed it. The red being's form had changed. Its skin was tougher, its red hue deeper. The vermillion being now had rows of large, jagged teeth protruding from its maw.

"It didn't work. Rather than waiting for it to weaken... we... it's too late. It was a coin flip, and we lost. Get ready to start moving. If you can escape first, then I should be able to get away as well."

Before Rowan could respond, smoke puffed from her chest and swallowed her whole. She vanished. Leaving him alone beside the tree. Startled, he climbed to his feet and prepared to run. But he couldn't look away.

The indifferent Devoured swung another rock-like limb at its adversary. It dwarfed the size of the scarlet horse and looked ready to crush it in a single blow. Rowan gripped his fist, hoping.

Yet the beast didn't bother to move; instead, it threw its head up with a cry.

"MMAAAAAGGGGGRRRRR"

That piercing screech. It was louder than anything Rowan had ever heard. The noise alone threw him to the ground, kicking and screaming. Louder than the bustle of a Civilia school day, than the headmaster's deranged rambles, it even surpassed the pink-tendrilled entity he'd witnessed.

As his mind blanked, he missed the moment the crimson creature lunged forward. Even the indomitable sturdy Devoured had staggered back from the sound. In the next moment, something red pierced its chest.

It dove between the Brute's giant grey forearms and forced its long, jagged jaw straight through its body. Despite the creature's overwhelming mass, its weight failed to crush the red Devoured as it slumped. It was dead.

As if in a state of glee and pride, its jagged red jaw gazed up. Its head was utterly different from before. Sharp fangs and wide red slit eyes peered at Rowan from out of the brown carcass.

That was when a spear struck forth from out a veil of smoke. Rowan watched the metal tip charge towards its head from its blind side. Startled, the thing reeled back. Even encumbered by the Brute's corpse, it moved its head.

But its snout was struck. The tip pierced, ripped off and flung its lower jaw. The fleshy bottom-maw splattered on the ground near Rowan.

"Did, did she do it?"

The Defected girl backed away. As the smoke escaped and left her figure, he saw her red, ruby eyes widen. As they did, he caught her fearful iris within his own, and they shared a glance.

A scarlet, scaly paw slashed out. Sending the girl flying in a cascade of spraying red.

Some blood found its way onto Rowan's face, and he went to touch it with his finger.

There was no longer any sign of the Defected girl. It was as if she had been swatted from existence. Slowly, he noticed the Vile Devoured crane its head towards him. Then he was running.

"Haagghaagghaagghhh"

Exhausted, he staggered through the trees. His progress was slow. Each horrific screech behind made him stumble as his legs shook. But he didn't stop, not this time.

"Haaahaaaahaaa" His mind was blank. No more musings about the past. No more cursing himself. Escaping and surviving were all that mattered. But, just then, he finally tripped.

However, he'd already done it. He'd made it to the edge of the forest. A large clearing stretched before him, dazzling him with welcoming light and freeing him from the forest's darkness.

"Haa haa. I, I made it?"

Silencing his frail, feeble words, a terrific shriek rang out.

"MMAAAAAGGGGGRRRRR"

The noise rang and rattled in his head as he fell to his knees. Tears seeped from his eyes, and blood from his ears. He could only gaze at the ground littered with flowers. His mind blared with pain. 'Is this it?'

Afraid a single word would spur a scream to erupt, he grew still and escaped into his screaming head. As beautiful as the surroundings, the flowers, and the light were, his mind was someplace far cosier.

Something nudged him.

Unconcerned with the world, Rowan stayed fixed to the ground as his mind wandered.

Then, it nudged him once more.

'Stop.'

This time, he fell to his side.

"Just leave me alone."

The flowers were horizontal for him now. They were everywhere in this zone. Beautiful pink, green and blue petals swarmed the environment. But something red dripped on the flowers nearest him. More drops followed as the flowers and their fragile forms flinched.

"Let it end. I'm allowed to let it end."

Rowan could no longer hide his eyes in the flowers and their gentle, delicate features. Raising his anxious hazel eyes. He saw what he knew had been there the whole time.

Arrogant angular red slits stared. An ugly, wretched red maw poked him. Its lower mouth was torn clean off, and the wound continued to drip blood profusely over him and the flowers.

"None of it, none of it is my fault. I had no control over anything."

Unimpeded by its wound, it prodded Rowan with blood-soaked razor-thin teeth. Its enormous body towered over him, and a single paw matched the width of his entire torso. Its tight thin red slits tightened as its sharp fangs drew towards him. "Sniff"

"I went through pain, too. Why am I not allowed to."

Fruitless and useless as it was, he reached out with his pale, shaky arm and pushed its snout away. His slim, pale fingers were dwarfed by the enormous teeth. The creature was stunned and watched as the human touched it. Infuriated, a cataclysmic screech rang out as it reared its head.

Despite the crushing, awful cry, Rowan climbed to his feet, whimpering. "Nggh" "Ngh" His ears dripped with blood. It was awful, but the noise was not as piercing as earlier.

As if agitated by his defiance, it continued its deadly screech.

'I'll try just once. I'll fail. It's going to kill me. I'm allowed to die.'

It's vulnerable underbelly. Rowan couldn't look away. It would end its stubborn cry and rip him to pieces any moment. He raised his hands and pushed. The cries ended as the hateful scarlet Devoured glanced down. Those vengeful, red slits widened, opening as if ready to swallow him whole. The power of its voice seemed to have finally failed. So it simply snarled.

But Rowan kept pushing.

It attempted to lower its head and rip into him, but with only its upper mouth, it could not reach. Frustrated, it kicked its front legs, but they were lifted from the ground. As its balance was taken from it, the creature yelped in surprise.

'I can't do it. I'm out of time. I won't be able to repay you.'

Below, Rowan's legs shook. Sweat dripped down his face. His knees and his legs trembled as he rose to a stand. Shuffling his feet, he pushed harder as quakiness overtook his entire body. Shoulders, neck, head, everything pushed the beast's underbelly up.

"I'm trying now, aren't I!!"

Its hind legs struggled to keep it upright and prevent itself from falling backwards. But he kept pushing. Then, it finally slipped. The point of no return came as the creature lost balance. It fell back. Then, it fell faster, and gravity gripped it harder. Its enormous red body collapsed on its back.

Rowan fell to his knees, his eyes blinking and sweat dripping from his forehead. His breathing was faint.

"I couldn't do anything for you. See?"

Gaze fixed to the floor, he heard the scrape. Saw the thick ivory claws embedded in the ground. The Devoured was unharmed. Of course, it was.

He hadn't even managed to lift the entire Devoured up. It had let its guard down. Its hind legs had covered most of the weight. All he had managed was pushing an unbalanced, unaware beast backwards. Yet he was exhausted.

"See?"

He felt like smiling. He really did. But he didn't.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Someone screemed.

He couldn't react fast enough. But he'd closed his eyes in surrender moments before. He was lucky. Because a moment later, the world shined.

The light was so sudden that he almost opened them out of surprise. But the shout had been so energetic, so loud that it had reached his bleeding, damaged ears. The light was painful. Even with his eyes closed, he winced.

'Why can't it just be over with.'

As the blaring radiance dimmed, he opened his eyes. One man with light blonde hair stood in front, rushing for the beast's red body. Then, there was a second who trudged behind. Suddenly, a hand reached his shoulder as he looked up amidst the daylight.

"Well done. You did great. Those two will take it from here."

The third man's face was stiff, stubborn, and stern. His dark black skin had deep onyx lacerations all over his face. His stiff expression reminded him of someone. It was just like hers.

"You were pretty cool, you know?"

His words were vain and awkward. But Rowan couldn't help it. The corners of his mouth rose.