Death or Survival

While Ji was walking, he heard the faint sound of crying coming from one of the corners. He cautiously approached, only to find a small girl sitting on the ground, her eyes filled with tears and fear. She looked up at him and said in a trembling voice:

"Please... don't hurt me..."

Ignoring his exhaustion, Ji replied in a calm tone:

"I'm here to help. My friend is injured, and I need your help."

The girl looked at Zilestina and slowly nodded.

"I can try to heal her, but I'm not sure I have enough time."

As the young girl, who introduced herself as Lara, started using some herbs and strange remedies on Zilestina, a sudden growl echoed through the area. A massive beast appeared out of the darkness, its body covered in thick fur, with unnaturally long arms. Tears streamed down its face as it cried out loudly:

"Lara! Where are you?!"

When the beast laid eyes on Lara, its voice shifted to something more menacing, a twisted grin spreading across its face:

"Lara... come to me, my beautiful one!"

Lara screamed in terror, but before the beast could reach her, Ji stepped forward, delivering a powerful blow to the beast's jaw with his sword, sending it stumbling back.

Ji turned to Lara and asked angrily:

"What's going on here? Do you know him?"

Lara, her voice trembling with sorrow and fear:

"He... he's my husband. He turned into a monster, like the rest of my village, because of the toxic gas."

Ji was shocked by her words, but before he could ask more, other monstrous growls started growing louder in the distance. The three of them turned to see a massive horde of mutated creatures closing in, their glowing red eyes and shrill cries creating an atmosphere of sheer terror.

Ji tightened his grip on his sword and said quickly:

"Lara, we need to run now! Grab what you can and follow me!"

As they fled, Lara explained how her village was once protected by a powerful spirit who had created a barrier to keep out the poisonous gas. However, after the spirit's death, the barrier collapsed, and the gas spread, turning all the villagers into monsters.

Ji, thinking aloud as they ran:

"But why was the spirit protecting your village?"

Lara, breathing heavily, replied:

"Long ago, someone from our tribe married that spirit. When he died, she vowed to protect our village no matter what."

At that moment, Don appeared suddenly beside Ji, his voice laced with mockery:

"Oh, what a tragic little tale. But let me tell you the truth: there's no saving everyone without some sacrifices."

Ji, trying to ignore him, muttered under his breath:

"If you know something, tell me!"

Don, with a sly smile:

"Why not pit them against each other? Monsters versus spirits? A brilliant idea, don't you think?"

Ji pushed on, dismissing Don's words, but they lingered in the back of his mind.

Meanwhile, Levin and the captain of the guards were navigating their way through an abandoned area. They entered a small village inhabited by spirits, and the captain instructed Levin to cover his head with a scarf to conceal his human identity.

As they moved cautiously, they learned about the mysterious death of a spirit leader. This raised suspicion among the spirits, who began searching for intruders.

When the spirits discovered the captain's human identity, they attacked him viciously, tearing him apart right in front of Levin's eyes. Levin screamed and cried desperately:

"No! Don't leave me!"

Levin managed to escape from the village, but he didn't realize that the spirits were now pursuing him.

Elsewhere, Ji, Lara, and Zilestina, whose condition had slightly improved, were hiding inside a narrow cave. Outside, the sounds of mutated monsters searching for them grew louder, while spirits were closing in on Levin.

Don appeared once more, his voice dripping with malice:

"Your little friend Levin is staring death right in the eyes! Hahaha!" Then, as quickly as he came, he vanished.

Ji, setting Zilestina in a safe spot, turned to Lara and said:

"I have to find my friend. If we don't move now, he'll die, just like the others."

Lara, her voice trembling with fear:

"But if we leave now, none of us might survive!"

Ji, with unwavering determination:

"That's not an option. We'll find a way, no matter what it takes."

End of chapter...