"RUN! KEEP RUNNING!" Erubin roared as rain splattered in his face, blurring his vision and soaking him wet. Yet he remained fast on his feet as he breezed by the forest.

Screams thundered in the air and all around him, blocking out the droplets of rain hitting the ground.

Bright flames cast shadows in the trees along with the dark smoke swirling in the air, mending with the stench of iron in the wind.

Erubin felt confused; he did not know where to go or what was happening. They just kept running and running.

As Erubin sprinted, he kept looking back and forth, searching ferociously without stopping.

However, his search bore no fruit as explosions rocked the earth, forcing him to crouch down.

"MOVE!" A warrior bellowed at Erubin as he dragged him forward.

Amidst the rain of fire and water, Erubin saw knights, watchers, and soldiers alike face the waves of wolves hurling their way.

However, they stood no chance as the abominations tore through their defenses, mauling them to death as their flesh teared from their bones.

Some were dragged into the darkness, their screams of pleas leaving trails of echoes in the air.

Erubin could only direct his focus ahead when an explosion erupted before him, sending him flying back as he rolled in the ground, blood trailing down his ears as it rang.

Erubin painstakingly rose up as the world around him fell into slow motion. Everything felt muffled, and nothing made sense anymore.

Shifting his glance to his left, Erubin saw a man sitting down, blood staining his hand and clothes. In his lap was a woman, motionless and cold, her eyes staring straight into his.

The man was expressionless, unmoving, and unresponsive to the chaos going on around him. He was simply holding the woman's hand as he slowly closed his eyes.

Before Erubin, a large wolf pounced on the man, knocking him down as the beast bit his neck, dragging him back and forth before tossing him away like a used rag.

"HEY! LETS GO!" A voice broke Erubin from his stupor as a man dragged him by the collar, pulling him away from the wolves.

Erubin wanted to look back, but the man kept dragging him forward, leaving him no gap.

"Eyes ahead, son, eyes ahead," the man said as he ran without stopping.

As they exited the clearing, the chaos became more prominent and clear.

Hordes of wolves exited the towering trees, charging straight at the warriors with malevolent intent.

The sound of steel against claws bellowed in the air, along with the agonizing screams of torture.

The ground had long been soaked in blood as mountains of corpses formed.

It was hell.

Erubin and the man kept their pace forward when a group of knights intercepted them, escorting them back to Stellaris, where a man adorned in silver swiftly grabbed Erubin.

"WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE IS ELLA?!" Timeus asked in a frenzy, his eyes bloodshot.

"SHE WAS NOT HERE?!" Erubin asked, his blood running cold.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" Timeus asked, his grip loosening.

"They sent her with the first squad to return! Answer me, Timeus, what the fuck are you talking about?!" Erubin insisted as he grabbed the man by the collar.

However, Timeus remained silent, his eyes wide in fear.

"TIMEUS!" Erubin roared.

"The first squad... They were ambushed," Timeus answered.

Erubin felt his body go cold, his world stopping for a moment as he swiftly ran back.

"ELLA!!!" Erubin roared as he pushed through the crowd of soldiers.

However, the warriors held him back, pushing him back inside.

"She's gone, sir! The first squad was ambushed way earlier! There is no way anyone would survive!" A soldier said as he struggled to hold back Erubin.

"LET GO OF ME!" Erubin said as he swung his arm, ripping away their holds as he shifted his gaze back at the forest, where a silhouette slowly walked out, injured and haggard.

Erubin's eyes widened as he spoke. "ELLA—"

Erubin's words were cut short as he saw Ella's condition.

"She's wounded!" Erubin roared as he tried to bypass the guards. However, his hopes were dashed as Ella gave the sweetest smile he's ever seen and spoke.

"I will always love you."

Before Erubin's eyes, a large maw swallowed Ella whole, devouring her in one bite as a large wolf revealed itself.

"NOOOO!" Timeus wailed as dozens of soldiers struggled to hold him back.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Erubin, on the other hand, stood there, emotionless, as he fell to his knees, his world slowly shattering into pieces as memories of her resurfaced in his mind.

"Hey, when all of this is over, what do you plan to do?" Ella asked.

"Me? Nothing really. Maybe live a quiet life in some province," Erubin replied.

"You, in a province? Oh, please, you'll need to give a better answer than that," Ella rebuted as she chuckled.

"Fine. Maybe I'll find a girl, cherish life with her, and have a kid," Erubin said, his eyes distant.

Ella fell silent as she watched the sun set on the horizon.

"Say, if you can't find a girl, then..." Ella muttered.

"Hmm?" Erubin spoke as he shifted his gaze at the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on.

"Would you marry me then?" she asked.

Erubin's hand slowly grasped the moist earth as the sharp pain in his heart became unbearable.

As he looked down, tears rained down his cheeks without stopping as his sobs were drowned by the rain.

Ella's death kept repeating in his mind, torturing him even further. All their promises, plans, and futures, gone just like that.

Erubin speared a glance at the towering wolf, looking at him with a sneer on its face.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Erubin roared as he dashed forward, only to be stopped by the warriors in front of him.

As Erubin was dragged inside the closing gates, he saw the large wolf one last time, he promised.

His revenge won't go unnoticed.

***

"Hey, wake up!" A voice called to Erubin as he bolted up.

"Are you alright? It seemed like you were having a nightmare," the man said.

Erubin touched his face as he felt its surface wet.

It was that dream again, he thought as he took sharp breaths.

"I'm okay," Erubin briefly answered.

"If you say so..." the man replied before he went back to his seat.

They were currently on a wagon going back to Stellaris as per the order of the general.

It has been a day or two since they left their camp to regroup. Right now, they are rapidly approaching the main camp, and it seems they're not the only ones.

Around them were dozens of wagons with the same purpose and objectives. Some were large, and some were small.

Their chatter and banter made the whole situation fairly lively, which helped Erubin take his mind off his dream.

"Say, when do you think we'll launch the attack?" The man who woke Erubin asked.

"I don't know Johnny," Erubin answered. "Besides, we are not even sure that's really the purpose of our retreat," he resumed.

"Oh, please, everyone and their mothers already know. You're probably the only one that keeps denying it," Johnny said.

"You do you," Erubin replied.

"Oh man, I can't wait for all of this to finally end!" Johnny said in a high tone.

"I heard the famous shadow saint and Grim hound were going to help us. Is that really true?" Johnny asked once more.

"Perhaps," Erubin briefly said.

"Hey, don't be like that. You traveled with them, right? How were they? I heard they can take down hordes of abominations by themselves!" Johnny asked excitedly.

Erubin could only sigh as he saw Johnny akin to a child.

"Yes, they were strong beyond belief. They were even able to take down a Saint abomination on our last voyage," Erubin narrated.

"That's fucking cool, man! I wish I was there," Johnny said.

"Oh, trust me, you wouldn't want to be there," Erubin said as he chuckled.

"Finally, you're back to your old self. You've been out of it these past few days," Johnny said as he leaned back.

Erubin remained silent at his friends remarks.

"It's that dream again, huh?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah," Erubin replied.

"Hey, when all this is over and you got your revenge, let's bury Ella in a hill somewhere and decorate her gravestone with Neiva flowers," Johnny solemnly said.

Erubin speared a glance ahead as he spoke. "That would be a great idea."

As their convoy passed by multiple checkpoints, it became noticeable how armed and on guard the Stellaris was.

Ballistas and siege machines were mounted on its walls, keeping watch 24/7 for any unprecedented attacks.

Not only that, but there were also warriors in every vicinity, armed and ready for conflict.

There were far more towers now, each guarded by ranged mages and aerial turrets.

Everything about the camp spoke war.

Eventually, their convoy soon stopped as Erubin and the rest dismounted, where they were led by knights inside the camp.

When noon came, they were all gathered by the front gates as Timeus introduced himself, his gaze briefly meeting Erubin's.

"Greetings, warriors," Timeus said.

"I know you are all wondering what this meeting is all about, but fret not. We are not at a disadvantage or losing!" Timeus said.

"We are all gathered here because we hope for a brighter future for our children—a world where they can play and do as they wish without the threat of beasts," Timeus continued.

Everyone was silent; all their focus was directed at the general as their fighting spirit was ignited.

"We are all gathered here to make a change! To show these abominations who we are!" Timeus said.

"The days of cowering in fear and retreating behind our walls are over! Now is the time to strike back—to take back what is ours and free this world of evil!" Timeus roared.

"Now who's with me?" he asked.

AHOO! AHOO! AHOO!

AHOO! AHOO! AHOO!

The soldiers roared in unison as they screamed their hearts out. Each and every one of them had already lost too much to this war.

All this time, they kept running and running. Obediently surrendering their land and freedom to the abominations in fear of their lives.

But no more shall they cower.

What Timeus said was true. They were not so weak anymore.

It was indeed time to strike back and prove to the world that humanity has yet to give up.

***

Inside the Trial.

Samael has begun his voyage towards the forest filled with Aranea. He would be lying if he said he did not feel any anxiety going into enemy territory.

By now, he's been traveling for the last five days. He does not know how much time has passed in the real world, and this prompted him to hasten his pace.

Samael's axe, Crimson Raven, has nearly finished reparations. His wounds, on the other hand, were doing well as well.

He predicts it should heal soon if all goes as planned. But judging by the direction he's taking, he doubts all will be smooth sailing.

As he traveled towards the forest of Liliac, Samael found himself absorbing essence much better.

He believes it is due to his frequent use of Conduit, a major evolutionary trait he gained a while back. It helps him manipulate, release, and absorb essence, which really sped up his accumulation of it.

He estimates that his speed of absorbing Void essence is 20% faster now in comparison to before.

Another big improvement was his void mark. Another major evolutionary trait he got. It used to be a tattoo of wisps of Void matter on his arm but is now larger and reaches to his forearm.

With its increase in size, he noticed his essence consumption had lowered significantly. Not only that, but his control was much finer, allowing him to execute skills with far more ease. Aside from that, the purity of his Void element is far higher now; he is capable of melting through iron and other metals without problem, even though the shells of abominations the same rank as him.

It appears that frequent use of these evolutionary traits has led them to also adapt exponentially.

That being said, his regeneration had become faster too. His injuries would have taken more time, but the upgrades have made it far more efficient.

Samael could observe how a cut heals within ten minutes. It might seem slow, but wounds like that would take days for mundane humans.

While this place had left him to die, there was no doubt it was also one way to strengthen him.

Samael could only wonder how much stronger he'd become once he leaves this place.