"RUN!"
A childish voice tore through the forest, filled with panic. But the warning came a little too late.
A massive shadow exploded from the shrubs ahead, scattering leaves and twigs in every direction. The beast stood over half a meter tall, its body shaped like a rat but bloated to monstrous size. Greasy gray fur covered its rippling muscles, and finger-long fangs jutted from its mouth like twin daggers. Its red eyes locked onto the children.
The Wild Ash Rat had found its prey.
Without hesitation, it lunged forward, claws digging into the earth as it gave chase.
"Yun Jie, I thought you said there were no ranked demonic beasts in this area of the forest!"
Yun Yue's complaint came out in hushed, desperate breaths. Her small legs pumped furiously, barely leaving footprints on the ground as she struggled to keep pace with her brother.
Yun Jie wanted to cry. His chest burned, his legs trembled, and regret flooded his mind like poison. He shouldn't have come to the Black Stone Forest. He shouldn't have listened to 'him'.
'It's all his fault,' Yun Jie thought bitterly, gritting his teeth so hard they ached. 'I shouldn't have listened to that blind idiot!'
Behind them, the beast's heavy footfalls grew louder and closer. The sound of snapping branches and disturbed earth told them everything they needed to know.
It was gaining on them.
Yun Jie's mind raced, thinking of solutions. They couldn't outrun it, not for much longer. Yun Yue was already slowing down, her breath coming in ragged gasps. And him? He wasn't faring much better.
"There's no point running anymore!"
Yun Jie shouted the words before he could think them through. His feet skidded to a halt, twigs snapping beneath his boots. His chest heaved like a bellows, heart slamming against his ribs so hard he thought they might crack.
Yun Yue blinked in confusion, stumbling to a stop beside him. Her face was flushed, sweat dripping down her temple. "W-What? Are you crazy?"
"We fight!" Yun Jie forced the words out through clenched teeth, turning to face the charging monster. His hands trembled as he drew his sword, the blade catching the faint moonlight filtering through the canopy. "It's just a low-level Mortal-ranked beast. We should be able to handle it."
His voice sounded confident. But his body told a different story.
Inside, Yun Jie was already cursing. Not just at the situation. Not just at the beast. But at 'him'. That blind, foolish, trouble-seeking brother of theirs who always — always — dragged them into danger.
Yun Kai!
The blind prince. He was born without sight, yet never content to stay within the safety of palace walls. While other princes lived pampered lives, studying politics and sipping tea, Yun Kai sought freedom, adventure, and the worst of all, trouble.
And somehow, he always convinced them to follow.
"Oh, let's explore the outer rim of Black Stone Forest," Yun Jie muttered under his breath, mimicking his brother's casual, carefree tone. "No ranked demon beasts live there, I promise."
Famous last words. Now look where they were.
"Jie-ge…"
Yun Yue's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She stood beside him, both hands wrapped around the hilt of her sword. The blade wobbled in her grip. Her small frame shook like a leaf caught in a storm, and her knuckles had turned bone white from how tightly she squeezed.
But she stood her ground.
Despite the fear in her wide eyes, despite the tears threatening to spill, she stood.
Seeing her pitiful yet determined battle stance, Yun Jie felt something twist in his chest. Pride, maybe. Or guilt.
The Wild Ash Rat didn't give them time to prepare.
It burst through the underbrush like a boulder shot from a siege engine, greasy fur bristling, red eyes blazing with bloodlust. Its fangs gleamed in the dim light, and its claws which were curved like sickles dug trenches into the earth with every step.
It didn't slow down. It lunged.
Yun Jie's instincts kicked in. He ducked back, feeling the rush of air as claws sliced through the space where his throat had been a heartbeat earlier. The beast's momentum carried it past him, but it twisted mid-lunge with terrifying agility.
Its eyes locked onto Yun Yue.
"No!" Yun Jie's voice cracked, raw with desperation.
But he was too slow to react.
The rat-beast struck with blinding speed, claws aimed straight for Yun Yue's chest. She panicked, barely managing to raise her sword in time. Metal met claw with a piercing shriek that echoed through the forest.
Clang!
The force of the impact sent her flying.
Her small body slammed into a tree trunk with a sickening thud. She crumpled to the ground like a broken doll, her sword clattering from her grasp and landing several feet away.
"Yue-mei!"
Yun Jie's scream tore from his throat, but the beast didn't care. It had already turned, eyes fixed on the fallen girl. Without hesitation, it pounced.
Yun Jie didn't think. There was no time for thought. No time for fear. He just moved instinctively.
With a roar that came from somewhere deep inside, he shot forward, sword raised high. Light caught the edge of his blade as he swung with everything he had, aiming for the beast's exposed ribs.
Steel bit into flesh. But to his horror, the wound was only an inch deep.
Yun Jie's arms screamed in protest. His muscles refused to push the blade any deeper. The beast's hide was tougher than he'd expected, its bones harder, its flesh more resistant.
'Only an inch!' The thought sent ice flooding through his veins. 'I barely scratched it!'
The Wild Ash Rat shrieked — a shrill, inhuman sound that pierced the night like a blade. Its head whipped around, red eyes blazing with fury.
It retaliated instantly.
One massive claw lashed out, too fast for Yun Jie to dodge. The blow caught him across the chest, shredding his royal robes like they were made of paper. Pain exploded through his torso as claws raked across his skin, drawing blood.
The impact hurled him backward.
He hit the ground hard, tumbling through dirt and dead leaves. His sword flew from his grasp, spinning end over end before embedding itself in the earth several paces away.
"Jie-ge!"
Yun Yue's scream split the air, raw and broken. Tears streamed down her dirt-smudged face as she crawled toward him on all fours, ignoring the pain in her own body. Her small fingers dug into the ground with every desperate movement.
"This is all his fault!" she sobbed, voice thick with anger and fear. "That stupid, danger-obsessed brother of ours!"
The beast turned toward them again, its breath coming in heavy bursts of steam. Blood dripped from the shallow wound in its side, but the injury only seemed to make it angrier.
Yun Jie tried to stand, but a sharp and vicious pain tore through his chest like lightning. His vision swam, black spots dancing at the edges. Blood soaked through his torn robes, warm and sticky against his skin.
But when he saw the beast lower its head toward Yun Yue, something inside him snapped. Not fear. Rage.
"Get… away from her!"
The words came out as a snarl, more animal than human. Yun Jie forced himself to his feet, swaying but standing. Every breath hurt. Every movement felt like knives scraping against his ribs.
But he stood.
The Wild Ash Rat lunged again, a blur of gray fur and gleaming fangs. Yun Jie barely managed to grab his fallen sword in time, raising it with both hands. The beast's jaws snapped closed on the blade instead of his face, and they collided in a tangle of limbs and steel.
They rolled across the ground, a chaotic mess of boy and monster. Claws raked against Yun Jie's arms. Fangs snapped inches from his face. He kicked, stabbed, punched, anything to keep the beast at bay.
"Leave him alone!"
Yun Yue's scream rang out, but this time it wasn't helpless. She was furious.
She'd retrieved her sword. With tears still streaming down her face, she threw herself forward, ignoring the trembling in her legs and the ache in her back. Her blade flashed in the light.
She slashed.
The sword cut across the rat's flank, carving a shallow line through its fur. Blood welled up instantly, dark and thick. The beast howled in pain, twisting around with a bloodied snarl.
Its claw lashed out, catching Yun Yue mid-swing.
Her sword flew from her hands a second time, spinning through the air. She managed to dive aside at the last moment, rolling through dead leaves as claws raked the space where she'd just been.
But the distraction was enough as Yun Jie seized the opening.
He reversed his grip on his sword, gripping it like a dagger. With both hands and all the weight he had left, he drove the blade downward. The tip found the wound he'd made earlier and sank deeper, another inch, maybe two.
The beast screeched, a sound of genuine agony this time.
"Die!" Yun Jie roared, pressing harder. His arms shook with the effort, muscles screaming in protest. Blood from his chest wound dripped onto the beast's fur, mixing with its own.
But the Wild Ash Rat wasn't about to be killed so easily.
It bucked like a wild stallion, violent and sudden. Its massive head swung around, slamming into Yun Jie's shoulder with the force of a hammer.
The impact sent him flying.
He crashed against a moss-covered rock, head bouncing off the stone. Stars exploded behind his eyes. Pain consumed everything. His sword, still embedded in the beast's side, was yanked from his weakening grip.
"Jie-ge!"
Yun Yue's voice seemed to come from far away, muffled and distant. She was limping, clutching her side where a dark bruise was already forming, but she ran to him anyway.
The Wild Ash Rat didn't wait. With a violent twist of its body, it yanked the sword free. The blade clattered to the ground, slick with blood.
Its red eyes locked onto Yun Jie again.
This time, there would be no escape.
The beast began to stalk forward, slow and deliberate. Blood dripped from its wounds, leaving a trail behind it, but it didn't seem to care. Its fangs gleamed in the light, promising death.
Yun Jie tried to move but his body refused to obey. Everywhere hurt. His body felt heavy.
Yun Yue threw herself between them, arms spread wide despite having no weapon. "Stay away from him!"
But then, the beast suddenly froze.
Its fur stood on end, every hair bristling like it had been struck by lightning. Its eyes widened, and for the first time, something other than bloodlust filled them.
Fear.
A shrill whistle cut through the air, thin and sharp like the sound of metal singing.
From the treetops, a small throwing knife spun through the air. It moved like a silver phantom, silent, sudden, and deadly.
It struck the Wild Ash Rat square in the eye.
The beast shrieked, a sound so piercing that both Yun Jie and Yun Yue flinched. It clawed at its own face, thrashing wildly as black blood gushed down its snout.
Then it ran.
The massive creature stumbled backward, crashed into a tree, and tore off into the forest. Within moments, the sound of its retreat faded into the distance.
Silence fell.
Yun Yue dropped to her knees beside Yun Jie, her whole body shaking. She was panting hard, eyes wide with shock. "Jie-ge… a-are you…?"
Yun Jie winced, then let out a weak, breathless laugh. "Still breathing… don't worry."
She threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. Her small body trembled against his, and he could feel her tears soaking through what remained of his robes.
He winced again as the hug pressed against his wounds, but he didn't push her away. Instead, his eyes scanned the treetops, searching.
That knife hadn't fallen from the sky by accident. Someone had thrown it. Someone had saved them.
"Who's there?" he croaked, voice hoarse.
Silence.
Then, faint and maddeningly familiar, a voice drifted down from above.
"Oh, good. You're not dead. That would've ruined the whole trip."
A figure dropped from the branches, landing softly on the forest floor. Loose robes fluttered around him like smoke, and his feet were bare despite the rough ground. Most striking of all was the black blindfold wrapped around his eyes.
Yun Yue's sobbing stopped. She pulled back, eyes widening. "You—"
"Yun Kai," Yun Jie finished, voice flat.
The blind prince smiled, tilting his head as if he could see them perfectly. "Miss me?"
Yun Jie wanted to strangle him. The idiot had finally arrived.