Chapter 12: Goal

It had been several days since I entered the forest on my own.

I thought it was a good idea to put as much distance between me and the place where I buried Amanda and my grandfather. He was after all one of the most important noblemen of this country. It was unthinkable that nobody knew where he was going.

It was already quite surprising that he chose to come this far without any guard even if he wanted to keep my existence and location as secretive as possible.

This was a chance for me, but I couldn't just hope that nobody would find his body sooner or later.

I didn't have any doubt.

As soon as they found his body, they would be looking for his murderer.

There weren't many humans in the wilderness, so it would be quite easy for them to deduce that I was the culprit as soon as they found me on my own near the crime scene.

I also thought that it was a good idea to avoid the roads especially if the coachman came back with reinforcement.

It was unlikely, but I didn’t want to take any risk.

Therefore, I entered the forest to lose any possible pursuer.

However, I underestimated it.

In the beginning, I was still quite shaken by what happened, so I just walked without paying any attention to my surroundings. However, after a couple of hours of walking, I finally noticed that the forest was much bigger than what I initially thought.

The trees were so densely packed together that the daylight had troubles reaching me.

I couldn't turn back so I just kept walking with this dim light.

Fortunately, I didn't meet any dangerous animal. I was also lucky that I didn't encounter any deviant as making an ambush on me at this moment would have been quite easy.

It was as if the life forms inside the forest were avoiding me.

The second day, I started to worry about my lack of food. The forest was full of fruits and plants looking edible, but I didn't have much knowledge about the plants of this world, so I didn't take any risk.

On the third day, I finally encountered some small and harmless animals. I killed them with a waterball before eating them quickly so as to not attract other animals. I was in such a hurry that I nearly ate my meat raw, but it seemed to be needless worries as I didn't encounter any threatening life form.

Without any real foe, I didn't have any opportunity to use the Sacred magic of ice again.

That was what I told myself anyway.

The truth is that I did not want to use it anymore.

I was afraid of this magic, afraid of losing control as I did against Amanda. When you created a magic with a Primordial element, it wasn’t possible to cancel the magic, but it was still impossible to lose control as I did. The magic won’t trigger if I didn’t want to.

However, it was different for this magic.

I didn't forget the coldness I felt when I used it. Not on my hands, but inside my own body.

A cold eating away my own flesh, asking to be released.

Therefore, I decided to rely on the four Primordial magic as much as possible. However, I knew that my mastery of those elements was quite lacking. I needed more strength to no longer need this sacred magic.

Becoming stronger to go back home on my own.

This was my only goal.

With this in mind, I continued my trip.

After one week on my own inside this forest, I was starting to despair. I didn't have an unlimited amount of time. I needed to return home before something happened to my sisters.

I didn't know how far I was from my hometown, but I still realized that it was unrealistic to expect to return in just a couple of weeks on foot. The only solution was to send a letter to my parents to warn them of the possible danger.

Therefore, I had to find a town as soon as possible.

However, the reality was harsher.

I was lost.

I didn’t have any experience in forests or any surviving skills.

Water magic was enough to survive the thirst and I was lucky enough to find some weak animals to eat, but I had no way of knowing in which direction I had to go to leave this forest. 

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“DAMN FOREST!!!” I couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted as loud as I could.

My frustration left through my voice.

I felt better, but no matter how much I screamed, I couldn't find any way out.

I kept walking until I found a small lake a few hours later.

It was only a dozen feet wide, but it was enough for what I wanted.

I rushed as fast as I could toward this oasis.

As soon as I reached it, I drank as much water as I could.

Water created with magic was enough to fight the thirst and survive, but that was it. The taste was horrible and you couldn’t be satisfied with only this type of water. It was a strange sensation to not really be able to quench your thirst despite drinking water.

I totally let down my guard while drinking.

“….wsssh….sshiiit….”

While I was drinking as much water as possible, I suddenly heard whispers around me.

I quickly stood up ready to fight.

However, I didn’t see anyone.

The forest was calm once again. I continued to look around me, but as I found nothing, I decided to drink some more water.

As soon as I bent, the whispers started again.

Louder than before.

I turned around in a hurry, only to discover that the whispers were all around me.

I wasn’t able to understand what was said but it was enough to make me panic.

“Who are you? Show yourself, I have nothing of value and I don’t want to fight either.”

My pleading wasn’t answered.

The whispers didn't stop. They were getting louder and louder.

I didn't know which way to face, so I kept turning my head and body endlessly so I wouldn't show my defenseless back.

Suddenly the whispers stopped.

The only noise near the small lake was my harsh breathing betraying my fear.

“….wsssh….sshiiit….” 

As I was starting to catch my breath, the noise started again but this time it was focused behind me and not all around.

I turned my body with a raised hand ready to shoot a waterball.

I didn’t see anyone at first. However, after a few seconds, I finally noticed two small lights hiding beside the trees.

It was two small eyes shining with a yellow glow.

"A deviant?" I unconsciously whispered.

It wasn’t the eyes I saw that made me think that, but the presence I felt that made my hands shake uncontrollably. 

It wasn’t an ordinary animal.

I took a few steps back without allowing my gaze to lose sight of those eyes.

I knew that I should not fight this.

The creature didn’t move while I was increasing the distance between us.

I finally decided to flee.

I turned heels and ran in the opposite direction as fast as I could.

When I looked back, I couldn't see the eyes anymore.

However, I still continued to run like a madman across the dense forest for five full minutes before finally slowing down.

I was breathing heavily.

The body of a child was a huge disadvantage for physical activities.

I didn’t train physically in this world because I was afraid that my parents would think I was weird to train on my own. It was a good choice because they had enough reason to think I was weird without giving them another, but I was starting to regret that decision.

I couldn't run anymore so I continued to escape by walking as fast as I could.

“….wsssh….sshiiit….” 

I was starting to relax when I suddenly heard whispers around me once more.

I felt my heart beat faster and an irrepressible fear settling in me. I ran as fast as I could, but this time the whispers didn’t stop.

I didn't know what kind of creature was hiding from my view, but it was clearly playing with me while slowly exhausting my strength.

I was reaching my limit.

I couldn't outrun it and I would become defenseless if I continued to exhaust my strength.

Therefore, I stopped running and focused my senses around me.

After what seemed like an eternity, the yellow eyes appeared again a dozen feet in front of me.

There wasn't any whisper around me anymore.

It was done playing.

With one hand raised, I watched the creature slowly leaving the shadow.

Step by step.

Until the light of the day revealed its true form.