His body and the beastly creature’s were falling through the air.

‘That bastard is still alive!’

The creature tried to grab him in the air. There was only madness in its eyes, no room for concern about its own life.

“Damn you! I’ll kill you before we both die!”

He offered his now-useless left arm for the creature to grab. The creature seized his arm with such force that it easily broke. The beast brought Tristan’s small body closer to its mouth.

He took advantage of the proximity and kicked his axe, still lodged in the creature's chest.

A loud, animalistic sound filled with pain echoed through the air.

Tristan grabbed the beast's fur, pulling himself closer to its head.

[Dark Blade]

“GO TO HELL!” he shouted.

His small fingers pierced the monster’s eyes.

He wanted to reach its brain, but his fingers were too small for that.

The monster howled in pain.

“SHUT UP!”

He shoved his blackened hand inside the creature's mouth.

He cut the creature’s throat from the inside out, but he struggled to cut through the bone.

The creature, in one last effort, bit Tristan’s right arm.

He gritted his teeth as the creature’s fangs pierced his flesh, but he didn’t stop.

“Craaak,” he heard something breaking.

The top of the creature’s head detached from its body.

Satisfaction filled his heart.

Tristan gave a bitter smile, then looked down at the approaching ground.

‘Can I survive this?’ Tristan wondered if his journey would end there.

He looked at the sun rising on the horizon, its light burning his eyes, but he liked the sensation.

‘Well, at least it’ll be here.’

He smiled.

image [https://i.imgur.com/CJALaUN.png]

In the middle of a mountainous path, the members of a caravan were setting up their tents.

There were about five carts, mostly filled with fabric.

A man around 40 years old and dressed in simple clothes began to move away from the camp.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

At that moment, a young man, about 20 years old and wearing cheap combat gear, asked:

“Zhao Lan, where are you going? It’s not safe to wander alone at night in this place.”

The older man turned to the youth, a bit awkward, and hiding his embarrassment, he replied:

“Ah... Yi Jian, I’m looking for my granddaughter. She must have wandered off again.”

The young cultivator, surprised, looked back at the camp, searching for the spirited child, but didn’t find her.

‘I didn’t even notice when she left,’ Yi Jian thought.

He coughed slightly and said:

“Well, find her quickly then. And make sure to give that troublesome girl a lesson.”

“I’ll be right back,” Zhao Lan said as he left to search for his granddaughter nearby.

After a few minutes, he thought with concern:

‘Where is that girl? Ever since she awakened, she’s been uncontrollable, wandering off without telling anyone.’

After a while, he finally found her, about 10 meters up in a tree. There was a small 12-year-old girl, her skin slightly tanned from the sun, and her hair and eyes a light sky blue. The girl was dressed in simple clothes, typically worn by those in the fields.

“Zhao Yue! Why did you run off again? Didn’t I tell you this place is dangerous? And why are you up there? Get down now, young lady! You’re in trouble!” he said angrily.

“Grandpa, you’re here! Ah, I’m sorry for leaving without telling you. I just wanted to explore a little. Please don’t be mad,” the girl said, trying to calm her grandfather’s anger.

Suddenly, she turned her head.

“Ah, what’s that?” Zhao Yue asked.

“What is it?” Zhao Lan inquired.

Zhao Yue pointed her finger about a hundred meters ahead of her.

Old Zhao Lan squinted, trying to see what it was. He noticed something moving but couldn’t tell what it was.

“Uhm, something’s moving there, but it’s too dark,” Zhao Lan said.

“Ah, I’ll go see what it is!” Yue leaped from the top of the tree with the grace of a dancer and the agility of an acrobat, then ran off, her body seeming so light it floated in the air.

“Damn it, Yue, come back here! It could be dangerous to go off alone,” but Yue was already gone. Old Lan hurried to follow her.

After a while, a bit tired, Old Lan found Yue.

“Grandpa, I’m here!” she said.

“You little... do you have any idea how dangerous these mountains can be? Don’t run off like that again!” Lan scolded her irritably.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Grandpa,” Yue said, looking down at the ground.

Lan sighed and turned his head, hearing a strange noise.

Now that he was closer, he could see what had been moving earlier: it was a group of crows.

There were dozens of them, all quite excited.

“Ah, so it was just a group of crows? Some animal must’ve fallen from the mountain or something,” Lan said.

“It wasn’t just any animal. It’s really big, and I saw a horn! Maybe it’s a magical beast!” Yue said excitedly.

“A magical beast?” Lan’s heart raced at the news. A magical beast could easily destroy a small village, and knowing one might be so close worried him.

Yue began moving closer, eager to see the creature better.

“What are you doing?” Lan asked, annoyed.

“Please, Grandpa, I want to see the beast! I’ve never seen one before,” Yue pleaded with her grandfather.

Lan clicked his tongue and said:

“Alright, let’s take a look.”

He went ahead, with the curious Yue following behind.

Waving his arms, he tried to shoo the crows away. As they approached, they noticed something strange.

Atop the beastly creature seemed to be a human child!

Lan’s eyes widened, and Yue’s mouth opened in surprise.

“Why is there a child here?” Yue asked her grandfather.

He frowned, ‘I wonder that too. This place is far from human settlements. It’s almost impossible for this monster to have invaded a human village and dragged the child all the way here.’

“Maybe the boy was part of a group of travelers like us and was captured by the beast. The creature might have slipped while carrying him to its lair,” Lan guessed.

He looked at the boy. The child seemed very thin, and both arms were badly wounded. It looked like the crows had taken advantage of this, pecking at his flesh and worsening the injuries.

A look of sadness crossed Lan’s face. Seeing a child so young having to endure such a terrible fate made his heart sink.

“Well, at least we should give him a proper burial.”

He glanced at his granddaughter, whose cheerful mood had now vanished. The boy looked even younger than her, making her heart heavy.

Approaching the boy, Lan leaned in to pick up his body.

“Ah, what?...” Lan said, confused.

Noticing his odd reaction, Yue asked, “What? Did something happen, Grandpa?”

The old man frowned and, in a doubtful tone, said:

“I... I think this child is alive.”