The thunder of hooves pounded against shattered stones, kicking sparks and dust into the air. The night wind whipped Keita's hair across his pale, drained face. Behind him, the beasts howled—a chorus of hunger and malice, fangs flashing beneath the moon that hung high at its zenith.
Keita sat huddled in the corner of the cart, eyes ghosted—drained of all light.
"Monster… Monster…" he whispered, lips dry and voice cracked.
Repeating those words over and over, long after their meaning had left him.
The shadow of wolf beasts stretched longer and darker, consuming all light.
The pack had caught up.
Their bodies slammed into the horse, claws scraping against the wooden wheels as they lunged and snapped at its flanks. The cart lurched violently, tilting as one of the creatures crashed into its side.
Keita clung to the edge, fingers trembling as his heart hammered against his ribs.
The horse neighed—a high, desperate cry that shook the night. Pushed beyond its limits, muscles straining, veins pulsing like ropes under its skin as it surged forward again, driven by pure terror.
For a moment, the distance widened.
The beasts fell back.
But exhaustion had already rooted itself deep within the animal's bones.
Another beast leapt forward.
Its body struck the cart with crushing force. Sparks flew as wood splintered and metal snapped.
The cart wrenched violently, throwing Keita against the railing. Pain shot through his side, sharp and fiery.
The horse stumbled.
Its legs buckled beneath it, cracking against hard ground.
The cart detached from the collapsing harness.
For a moment, everything slowed.
The world tilted.
The edge of a cliff appeared beneath them as the cart tumbled into the void.
"Why?..." he asked, curling into himself.
There was no answer.
Falling.
Spinning.
Tumbling endlessly through cold air.
His body felt weightless, as though gravity had abandoned him. The air tore at him, yet he could not breathe. A hollow vacuum pressed against his chest, squeezing tighter and tighter.
BANG!
He felt the crushing press of his skull against the earth's invisible wall as the cart slammed against the ground with a sickening crack.
The air disappeared.
"Am I dead?" he thought faintly.
Then nothing—no heat, no smell, no gravity. Only a strange, suffocating weight pressing from every side.
He gasped.
Or thought he did, but breathing failed him. He could feel every fracture in his arms, ribs, legs. Every shard of bone screaming in agony.
A heavy growl tore through the silence. Somewhere in the forest a bear roared, massive and impossibly deep, rattled through the haze around him. It struck Keita's senses like a wave crashing against stone, shivering through the bones he could no longer rely on.
And then, nothing.
Or everything at once.
Keita woke up cold. Sharp, slicing cold that bit into his arms and legs. He sprawled across dirt, the world upside down, and his body unresponsive. His muscles refused to obey.
Every breath felt like inhaling liquid.
Every movement felt like dragging through mud heavier than stone.
"Urgh…" he groaned weakly.
The taste of iron coated his mouth.
With agonizing effort, he stretched his arms. His fingers scraped along the jagged ground, blood running, skin torn. Inch by inch, he dragged himself toward a cluster of bushes.
Pain seared through him, but instincts—pure survival—guided him forward.
Hours passed—or maybe seconds. Time no longer held meaning. Each breath was a battle, each heartbeat a victory against the darkness pressing from all sides.
Finally, his trembling hand brushed against the thin branches of the bushes.
Relief washed over him.
Keita collapsed into the cold cover of the brambles, his body folding unnaturally as the last of his strength faded.
Blood seeped into the soil beneath him.
His vision dimmed as darkness crept in from the edge of his sight.
And then—
Nothing.
Far from the chaos, the night was quieter but heavy with its own weight.
Felicia's boots pressed silently into earth. Her grip on Celestia was firm but careful, holding her limp body close.
The girl's face was streaked with tears, soot, and exhaustion, her silver hair matted.
Felicia stumbled often, every step deliberate, careful to avoid broken stones or twigs.
"Stay with me… just a little longer," she whispered through clenched teeth. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Felicia moved slower, fatigue settling deeper in her muscles, her chest burning from exhaustion and uncried tears.
Finally, through the trees, a quiet structure emerged.
The hidden Lancaster outpost.
A modest home deep within the woods, its walls cloaked in shadow and overgrown ivy. Time had weathered its wooden beams, but it remained sturdy—hidden from the outside world.
Felicia pushed open the creaking door and stepped inside.
The scent of herbs and aged wood filled the air.
Carefully, she carried Celestia into one of the rooms and laid her gently upon the bed.
The girl stirred slightly and her chest rose and fell shallowly.
Felicia's fingers trembled, lingering over the warmth she still felt from Celestia's skin.
The room was quiet.
Felicia leaned back, breath trembling, letting herself feel for the first time since leaving the village. Memories of Aurelia's instructions came flooding back—warnings, lessons, plans for the unthinkable.
"If I am no longer around, Felicia… I entrust Celestia to you."
"I have prepared everything she will ever need."
"But you… she will need more than anything."
For hours, she sat there, leaning against the bedpost.
"I will protect you… even if I have to give my life," she whispered, voice hoarse. "I swear it. I will not fail."
Her eyes closed and her body finally gave out. Her head slipped onto the bed beside Celestia, and she succumbed to sleep. The tears she had not shed finally found their release.
The first rays of morning crept slowly across the valley.
Smoke still drifted faintly above the distant ruins of the village, carried by the quiet wind.
Birds stirred in the trees.
Life continued.
Hidden among the cold bushes at the base of the cliff, Keita's broken body lay motionless. A faint trail of dried blood stained the grass leading toward the brambles.
Footsteps approached.
Crunch.
Crunch.
A shadow loomed over the bushes.
"Well now…" a voice muttered.
"Would you look at that," the figure pushed aside the branches.
Keita's battered form lay beneath them, barely recognizable beneath dirt and blood.
His eyelids fluttered weakly as a thin sliver of light reached his eyes.
"Huh…who are–" he whispered faintly.
His voice faded as darkness swallowed his consciousness once more.
"He still got some life in 'em. Interesting!" The figure smirked.
The stranger lifted the broken boy from the bushes and slung him over his shoulder.
The rising sun glinted off the single jade earring dangling from his ear.
Without another word, the man turned and began walking across the frost-covered grass.
Behind him, the valley remained quiet.
The fires of yesterday had burned themselves into ash. Yet somewhere deep within the ruins of Keita's shattered life, a fragile ember still remained.
Whether it would grow into something greater…
Or fade into darkness…
Only fate would decide.