Had I been spotted?!
The large man who’d had his back to me silently rose to his feet, gripping the greatsword next to him. I couldn’t see his face clearly against the backlight, but the sharp glint in his gaze made me think he wasn’t ordinary.
“A monster? Come out or I’ll make you,” he threatened in a low tone, unsheathing his blade.
I felt something emanating from him, and my legs began to tremble slightly as my blood ran cold. Maybe it was a lack of hesitation to kill if necessary that I’d sensed in him. I’d messed up; I should’ve retreated as soon as I was noticed. Even with my knowledge, his overwhelming presence, the likes of which I’d never felt, paralyzed my mind for a moment.
Smacking my trembling legs with my fists, I quickly turned on my heel and ran. I could still escape. I’d been in the shadows all along, but the man had been sitting by a fire, so his eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness yet.
Crossing my arms in front of my face to protect my eyes from the bushes, I sprinted through the dark forest, keeping my center of gravity low.
Behind me, I heard the sounds of branches snapping as if someone was kicking through the brush. The man was chasing after me. I could feel his intense presence but heard no footsteps.
Trying to suppress the feeling that was swelling in my heart, I thought back on how it had felt to kill that old hag and took a deep, calming breath.
Forcing my screaming legs into action, I made an abrupt turn and raced off in another direction. The rustling behind me grew a little louder, which told me that I had thrown my pursuer off momentarily. Before he could recover, I turned again, careful to mask the sounds of my footsteps as I ran through the forest, hiding in the shadows of the trees. If the man continued to chase me even now, then he was definitely going for the kill.
The tingling sensation I’d felt from his presence began to fade. Trying to be quieter, I slowed my pace and held my breath, but at that moment, I heard the sound of something cutting through the wind, and a hand axe whizzed past me and lodged itself in the trunk of the tree I’d been hiding behind.
I stifled a scream. The man wasn’t far behind. He’d been suppressing his presence, trying to narrow down where I was.
Once he realized he’d failed to kill me, he broke out in a mad dash through the forest. My body, too young and frail to keep up with that kind of stamina, couldn’t continue running. Instead, I waited for the moment when he raised his greatsword, and then I charged at him with my knife.
“Guh!” Before my blade could reach his thick leg, he quickly struck me with the pommel of his sword.
The sound of something cracking echoed through the air, and a surprised exclamation escaped the man’s lips. The impact knocked the wind out of my lungs and lifted me into the air, sending me tumbling through the forest.
My consciousness began to dim, and the last thing I heard was the man rushing over before darkness claimed me.