7

ELARA

I limped toward the forest, putting most of my weight on my right foot. Every movement sent painful throbs through my injured ankle.

The distance was not far, but right now, it felt endless.

My vision blurred with tears. I didn’t want to cry, but my body couldn't help it.

I was not a warrior who was trained to bear pain. I was just a healer, and healers were already sensitive to their pain and the pain of others.

I didn’t like the pain at all. It always made me feverish. 

My knees buckled just as I reached the treeline. I almost fell but caught myself at the last second by grabbing a nearby tree trunk.

The rough bark scraped against my palms. I pressed my forehead against it and panted.

The forest spun around me. For a moment, I wondered if I should just stay here for a moment, just sit down and gather some energy.

But then Lucien's face flashed through my mind.

I had always expected others to betray me at some point in life, but Lucien’s betrayal had made me homeless. Even if I escaped, I had nowhere to go.

But…I still wanted to live. There was something I wanted to do, a promise I needed to fulfill before I died.

That’s why…I wouldn’t stop.

My eyes snapped open. I pushed away from the tree and kept moving. Branches tore my dress, and twigs cracked beneath my feet. I didn’t know how long I walked. I just knew the forest was endless, and the night was beginning to fall.

The deeper I went into the woods, the darker everything became. The pain in my ankle worsened. The swelling had already started.

Every time my foot accidentally touched the ground fully, stars errupted in my head, almost pushing me to the brink of fainting.

My breathing became uneven, and sweat trickled down my forehead despite the cool air around me.

Eventually, I reached a small clearing deep in the woods. The moment I stepped into it, my strength finally gave out. My other leg wobbled, and both knees hit the ground.

I gasped as agony made my head spin.  I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and looked toward the dark trees ahead.

They looked endless, too. So…maybe I should stop and rest now. Just for a moment, at least.

I released a shaky breath and leaned my head back against the tree trunk behind me.

I told myself I was staying here just for a minute. But my consciousness began to waver, and the energy left my body.

My unfocused gaze rested on the escape that lay on the other side of those woods. I imagined running to the city and blending among humans, finding a new identity, and surviving.

It all looked so easy inside my head. I chuckled to myself.

Slowly, my hazy vision landed on my left foot. It was double in size now, along with my ankle that looked like a steamed, big potato.

Wonderful. Just great!

What was I supposed to do now?

In this condition, I couldn't run anymore, and I could barely walk when my vision kept going black in between.

For the first time since escaping, panic really set in my heart, making me tremble all over.

What if I died out here from infection or something?

What if an animal came and ate me?

I couldn’t help but scrunch my nose. A wolf born gets eaten by another animal. What a joke!

Suddenly, a twig snapped in the distance. Fear crept up my spine, turning me cold. Just when I thought about a wild animal, it seemed Moon Goddess really sent me one.

Cautiously, I scanned the trees behind me. But I couldn’t see any movement in the dark, and no more sounds were coming from anywhere.

Just when I opened my mouth to sigh, another twig snapped. This time, it was closer than before.

My heart stopped inside my chest. Slowly, I pushed myself upright using the tree behind me.

Pain shot through my ankle immediately. I bit down on my lip and scanned the woods once more.

“ I…I am not food. ” I mumbled, hoping the animal would just go away.

But there were no more sounds again. This silence…it felt so wrong, so heavy.

I felt the heat of someone or something’s gaze fixed on me. I was being watched—I could sense it deep in my bones.

Blood rushed to my head as I pushed myself off the tree. I had to run, and if I couldn’t…then I had to crawl and drag myself.

I was not dying here!

“ Please just go away… ” I squealed as I looked around the woods one last time.

But then…my body froze in its spot. A familiar scent spread in the air around me—Cold rain, storm clouds, and burned wood.

My heart sank to the pit of my stomach.