“Now what!?”

“This stream… will take us close to the village.” Lyaria was struggling to stay awake, she really was. Despite being uncomfortable and all the movement she suffered when Ezer moved, she felt her consciousness fading.

"We'll be dead before we even go a kilometer... Any other ideas?" He didn't want to show his nervousness in his voice, but it was obvious all the same.

"No…" She answers with her eyes closed, perhaps responding to Ezer or perhaps to a dream inside her mind.

"Then there is no other way." Ezer crosses the stream, whose maximum depth was up to his knees, and lays Lyaria on a rock with no chance to hide her properly for a short time.

He crosses the water again reaching the opposite side from where Lyaria was and before he could even catch his breath or start to feel the chill on his wet legs, a white beast makes its way following the tracks he had left.

His physical appearance was the same as the previous one, perhaps describing it as exact would not be wrong. His white skin, claws, teeth were all the same, but Ezer was able to recognize that they were different beings instantly because of the look it had and the aura of disinterest that accompanied him, apart from the clear fact that he himself had killed the previous one.

A white bear came down while he had his gaze fixed on Ezer, whatever his goal was, at least it wasn't a blind revenge like the previous one, which gave Ezer hope of being able to reason with that beast.

"I just want to follow my path and there's no need to cross yours. You will not come out unscathed if the opposite happens.” Ezer adds a threat at the end of his sentence trying to give weight to his words.

A snort is the only response from the bear who looks at him with eyes of amusement and disdain. He didn't believe in the threats of a simple human and Ezer didn't believe his own lie either, although it was true as far as not getting out unscathed, at least for Ezer.

The bear stops just over ten meters from Ezer, standing still for a moment.

“It's been a long time since I felt this oppressive impotence... it may be that this time...” He remembers everything he lived up to that moment, all the luck and skill he had to pour into each dangerous situation in which he found himself. But this time he didn't feel an iota of confidence.

Ezer is the first to break the balance as he steps forward taking his body in the same direction with great force, a gust of wind following his movements as if commanded by him. Small stones, dirt and snow rise from the ground creating a cloud that makes it difficult to see for the beast in front.

He wastes no time and starts running with the dagger in his hand after using that trick. The cloud begins to disperse as quickly as it formed, but Ezer still judges that he still has a window of time to approach and attack the bear.

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Though something changes in the air before he can get close enough and that something set off alarm bells in his mind. He throws himself to one side rolling on the ground covering himself with snow to later see how a hole is created in the cloud of dust and an explosion follows it in the same direction as a column of water rises.

“Shit! I totally forgot about that!” The fact that this beast was able to use magic was not something new for Ezer, but in any case, his nervousness played tricks on him.

“Luckily, now I'm more sensitive to the changes around me.” Being surrounded by danger all day forced one to be alert all the time. In addition to the fact that the manipulation of the air became easier with the passage of time and practice.

However, Ezer's situation only gets worse as his plan failed miserably and he had no other idea either. However, the bear doesn't even give him time to formulate another plan and pounces on him.

Ezer immediately grabs a handful of dirt and snow that is blown by a small gust of wind into his attacker's eyes, giving him precious time to dodge the tons of meat and teeth.

Same tactic just on a smaller scale, but Ezer is sure it wouldn't work a third time. Plus, the bear is almost on top of him and he doesn't have the time or the speed to attack.

With a cry that releases all his stress, Ezer takes his dagger and plunges it into the bear's neck. Before the black blade even penetrates halfway, a heavy blow sends Ezer to the ground after flying two meters into the air.

Without air and with a strong sense of déjà vu Ezer smiles bitterly as he coughs trying to get up, but he can't do it anyway because of the weight of a paw on his chest.

“Looks like my life is destined to end because of one of you.” He says it with bitterness and resentment. This time he still has the strength to fight, although not enough power to protect his life and Lyaria's, this time feels that he didn't give his all to avoid dying, this time... he refuses to die.

In the midst of his efforts to escape, notices the beast's head looking to the side without paying attention to him. At that moment, a voice reverberates in the forest.

“Enough! Don't you think you have more important things than playing with a child?” The voice is heard nearby.

Ezer listens as the bear growls slightly, but he doesn't have time to understand this. His mind is full of pain and fear signals sent by his body. Chills covered his entire body just from hearing that voice.

"Do you wish to become my enemy?" The same voice sounds again and this time, Ezer manages to notice that it belonged to a woman.

The pressure in his chest decreases, but then increases again with greater intensity than before.

"This child killed one of ours... Why should I forgive him?" A deep voice resounds over Ezer, this time he can tell that it clearly belongs to the beast that could decide his life or death.

“That's just an excuse, you never care what happens around you if it doesn't affect yourself. Besides... I'm not alone.” Whoever it was, stood their ground.

Slowly the pressure in Ezer's chest is released and the beast pulls away from him showing its rows of teeth and the clear discontent in its eyes. Being free, Ezer searches for the origin of the female voice in vain.

“Why save a human? Why deserves to live?” The bear's voice becomes even deeper even though his mouth did not move, this showed that he spoke through his mind. Magic perhaps?

“Because everything has a balance and they have already broken it more than enough, for the moment, we will not allow them to continue unbalancing it excessively. If you really want to kill him, you just have to wait a little longer.”

“At that time I will not accept any interference.”

“At that time we will not impose it.”