Alpheus had no idea what to do.

He was still catching his breath and doing his best to stand upright despite his shaky legs.

His heart was racing, and the people he encountered didn’t help that fact. He recognizes them.

He was familiar with the man wielding a bow. During their encounter, his arrow almost hits his head. He narrowly avoided death because he fell off a cliff. He was fortunate to fall in the middle of a dense forest. His landing would have been far worse without the trees cushioning his fall.

He was familiar with the man wielding a dagger. During their encounter, he was pinned down by him once. The sharp edge of the weapon almost reached his chest, and at that moment, Alpheus was about to accept his fate. However, mysteriously, he stopped just before that happened. The man stopped moving and looked around as though he lost sight of the target right beneath him. Somehow, Alpheus managed to lift himself and ran away without questioning the strange twist of events that saved him.

He was familiar with the man holding a sword. During their encounter, his journey might have ended in the cruelest way possible. He encountered him when Alpheus started to get his breaking point.

When his body could no longer match his desire for survival.

When he began to consider giving up,

This man almost ended his journey just as the kind woman appeared. He appeared when the source of warmth slowly washed away the dark thoughts developing within him. He was about to end him. However, this time, he wasn’t saved by circumstance or magical coincidence.

He was saved by a person.

Time and time again, she extended her hand to him until he could no longer suppress his desire to take it. He surrendered to the comfort and warmth that enveloped him until he believed again.

However, facing this man, Alpheus was thrust with the reality he turned away from.

He’s supposed to die.

His body couldn’t move. He was rooted in place and could only watch.

They pointed at him, shouting words that reached his ears but not his mind. Their smiles widened, yet their eyes emanated something else entirely.

Anger

Frustration

Glee

Bloodlust

The fear led him to shut off his mind, retreating somewhere else. Somewhere where he didn’t need to witness the sight in front of him.

Before he was truly gone, his mind recalled something.

Stolen story; please report.

He remembered the voice of the person who always showered him with warmth. At that moment, it radiated unfiltered wrath and fear at the same time. His mind failed to recall everything she said, but it managed to understand the message conveyed at the time.

“Live, Alpheus.”

These words, those feelings, brought him back to reality. He got out of his stupor, feeling slapped in the face.

His expression hardened, and he felt determined again. His body might have reached its limit and begged him to stop, but he refused to listen.

The men noticed his change in attitude. His state of mind still failed him in deciphering the meaning of the words they uttered, but he knew by the sound of their snickers that they were mocking his pathetic struggle to survive this hopeless situation.

He turned around to bolt away, and yet he could almost feel the blade that would soon reach his neck. He ran with all his might, and yet the many footsteps grew closer.

They grew closer and closer until...

----------------------------------------

Marianne might have told him she would catch up with him, but...

... she seriously doubted the likelihood of that happening.

The beast before her was unlike anything else she ever faced in her former life. She was used to dangerous situations, and it wasn’t the first time she dealt with a predator, either.

She could handle a bear just fine.

“You might be a little bigger than a bear, fella.” She remarked amusedly.

She knew the moment she laid eyes on it that there was no hope of surviving this encounter.

Marianne managed to dodge the first lunge only because it was far away, probably 20 meters away from them. The fact that it quickly flew past that distance with a single jump told her everything she needed to know.

The best she could hope for was that it wouldn’t decide to pursue the boy, whose survival mattered to her most, after making her its prey.

This was all she could hope for.

“Bring it on.”

But that didn’t mean she would just surrender.

It wasn’t only about buying him time. It was about surviving until her last breath, giving it everything she got. That defiant mindset that saved her through so many stupidly dangerous journeys didn’t fade over time.

Her deviant aura didn’t go unnoticed. Despite being easy prey, her feral attitude made the beast pace around her with careful consideration. Facing an animal that could quickly kill you, it was important to appear threatening to avoid them instantly lunging at you. Sometimes that alone manages to save you from certain death.

“I dare you.” She uttered ferociously with an ice-cold expression on her face.

Fortunately, that logic rewarded her, even with a monster of this magnitude.

That gave her enough time to back away to create a distance between them as she readied the rocks in her pocket.

She waited for the right moment. Small rocks wouldn’t even catch this beast’s attention. It was massive, and its hide looked sturdy enough for even an arrow unable to penetrate it.

And so, she aimed for more vulnerable spots. The stare-down lasted for a while until she suddenly threw a rock.

She threw it, completely missing it as it flew right past the beast. Thankfully, it took the bait and was distracted by the rock flying across its right side. That moment was enough time for her to throw another rock at it, and as it turned around to face her again, the object hit the right eye.

It was certainly startled, but it wasn’t in any significant pain—not that Marianne expected it to be. This probably felt like a single grain of sand to a beast of this size.

Marianne used this moment to create more distance and, thankfully, found a decent hiding spot behind a massive rock. The path past it went downhill, so she ran as silently as possible, hoping it would have a tougher time spotting her.

While it was unlikely, she hoped to reach a group of animals. It might change targets, as this was the only scenario she could imagine surviving.

As expected, the area was dead silent, with no creature anywhere in sight.

That option was now off the table.

As if to reaffirm the hopelessness she found herself in, the behemoth finally caught sight of her and immediately ran towards her.

It seemed to have lost its patience. Judging by the ferocious growls and the redness of its eyes, the little rock throw did nothing but enrage it.

She ran with all her might, but it soon reached her. It lunged at her, and she attempted to evade it again, but it was too late.

It bit her left arm. Its teeth dug inside the flesh, crushing the bones with ease.

Just like that, her arm was torn off her body.