Death or Survival

After the horrific and terrifying death of the captain of the guards before Leven's eyes, the young boy had no choice but to flee. He ran through the trees, his face soaked in tears, his voice echoing through the forest:

"Ji... where are you?! Please don't leave me alone!"

Meanwhile, Ji was walking alongside Lara, trying to formulate a plan to deal with the situation. He suddenly stopped and looked at Lara, saying seriously:

"We need to split up. Time isn't on our side."

Lara, trying to steady her breath, looked at him hesitantly: "Split up? That's too dangerous!"

Ji replied, attempting to explain his idea: "You'll look for Leven and an exit, and I'll go find Zelistina and bring her back. I'll also search for any way to save your village."

Lara, hesitant and sorrowful: "But Ji, if we don't save my village before dawn, they'll evaporate under the sunlight... they'll all die."

Ji, with determination and confidence: "That won't happen. Trust me."

They exchanged one last glance, filled with worry and hope, before parting ways, each heading in a different direction.

Elsewhere, Zelistina awoke, feeling weak and exhausted. Pain coursed through her body, but she forced herself to stand. She called out in a faint voice:

"Is anyone there?!"

There was no response, only the sound of the wind. But suddenly, heavy footsteps approached. She turned to find five monsters emerging from the shadows. Their bodies were distorted, covered in the glowing toxic liquid under the moonlight. One of them smiled a terrifying smile and said:

"Oh, look who's awake! Don't be afraid; you'll be fine with us... hahaha!"

They rushed toward her with shocking speed. She grabbed a nearby tree branch and tried to defend herself. With one strike, she sent the branch crashing into the head of one of the monsters, causing it to stagger and fall back. But before she could catch her breath, another monster leaped onto her, pinning her to the ground.

She fought fiercely, trying to keep its jaws away from her body using the branch. As the pressure continued, the branch snapped in her hands, leaving her with no choice. She delivered a powerful knee strike to the monster's abdomen, causing it to writhe in pain. She didn't stop; she grabbed the broken branch half and stabbed it into its stomach. The green toxic liquid started pouring from its body, creating holes in the ground wherever it touched.

Zelistina quickly retreated, avoiding the deadly liquid. She picked up some small stones and began throwing them at the remaining monsters. But the stones weren't enough to stop them.

As the monsters approached, she drew two knives from her belt, preparing for battle. They attacked one by one, and she barely dodged their blows while landing quick and precise stabs into their bodies.

During the fight, two of the monsters leaped at her simultaneously. She tried to evade, but one managed to bite her arm. She screamed in agony, but she refused to give up. Blood poured from her arm as she summoned her special power, which required immense concentration. She shouted in a trembling voice:

"Come on... fight!"

The monsters began attacking each other ferociously. Claws and fangs tore through flesh, and their screams shattered the night's silence. Finally, only one monster remained standing, but it was exhausted.

Seeing her opportunity, Zelistina crawled from behind and stabbed it repeatedly with her knife until it collapsed, lifeless. She sat on the ground, breathing heavily, her body covered in blood and sweat.

But suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see the first monster she had struck earlier standing again, smiling wickedly and saying:

"There you are! I knew you'd be delicious... I'll eat you now!"

It charged at her madly, its laughter echoing through the trees. Zelistina, unable to stand, tried crawling away while screaming:

"No... stay away from me!"

Before it could reach her, five bones pierced through its body and head with immense speed, causing it to collapse lifelessly on the ground.

Zelistina, panting and staring at the scene in shock, turned toward the source of the attack. She saw Ji standing a short distance away. The right side of his body had transformed into a skeletal form covered with dark bones, while the left side remained human. His eyes were filled with sorrow as he said:

"I'm here now, Zelistina... I won't leave you alone anymore."

End of chapter...