In his heart, Eiran cursed again as the System once more threatened to kill him. He hadn't even spent a whole day transmigrated into this new body, and he had already been threatened twice by this damned System.
"We have to get out of here. They'll find us soon if we stay." Eiran told Runi to climb onto his back.
"But… where are we going?" Runi asked weakly, staggering as he followed his brother's command.
"I don't know. The important thing is we can't stay here," Eiran answered softly as he carried Runi on his back.
Eiran could hear footsteps drawing closer toward them, and his heart pounded with anxiety. Luckily, the forest was very dark, so at the very least, it would be hard for those people to find them.
The atmosphere inside the forest became more tense. Leaves rustling in the wind only added to the eerie feeling of this place. Eiran moved slowly but steadily, away from their pursuers.
Eiran couldn't rush because their movements might be heard. Eiran looked over his shoulder to make sure Runi was alright.
"Just hold on a little longer. I'm sure we'll find another city beyond this forest," Eiran said, trying to keep Runi awake.
"Yes, brother." Runi could only nod weakly.
The voices of their pursuers could still be heard behind them. At first, Eiran stayed calm since they hadn't been discovered yet, but that didn't last long once someone finally spotted them.
"Over here! Captain, I found them!" One of Runi's pursuers had finally found them.
"Damn it, why am I so unlucky!" Eiran cursed under his breath when he realized they had been discovered.
"Chase them, now!"
Since they had been found, Eiran immediately ran as fast as he could. He no longer cared about direction, he just followed wherever his feet took him.
The pounding footsteps behind him followed closely. Eiran gritted his teeth and pushed his legs harder to get away.
Runi, realizing their situation, tightened his grip on Eiran's shoulders. He knew he had already caused trouble for his brother, so he didn't want to become more of a burden.
Eiran charged through bushes and branches without caring that they scratched his body. His eyes scanned the surroundings for a place to hide from those damned pursuers.
Unfortunately, those pursuers didn't give up so easily, especially since they outnumbered him. Eiran started to panic, knowing they could easily surround him with their superior numbers.
"Brother, I remember this forest leads to a port city. We can hide there," Runi said after recalling something he had read in a book about cities in the Kingdom.
"Good. We'll go there. But do you know how we can reach it from this forest?" Eiran hadn't found this knowledge in the body's memory, so he didn't know the route.
Runi looked hesitant and unconsciously twisted the fabric of Eiran's shirt in his hands. "It's too dark here. It's hard for me to tell the direction," he answered anxiously.
"Then try listening to the sound of water. I'm sure that can help us find the city," Eiran responded, racking his brain to find a way out of the forest.
"No problem! You can leave that to me, brother!" Runi beamed brightly, glad he could help.
While Runi focused on his task, it was now Eiran's turn to concentrate on avoiding the people chasing them.
More and more tall, thick trees appeared. The underbrush grew denser, making it harder for Eiran to move. But on the other hand, he couldn't slow down, he had to use this terrain to widen the gap between them.
"Fuck, they're running too fast."
"What should we do, Captain?"
"We can't fail. No matter what, we have to get that brat tonight. It's time to use force. Bring out the equipment!"
It seemed the people chasing Eiran and Runi were starting to get frustrated and panicked. They pulled out several modified arrows. Half of them kept chasing while the rest began aiming at the fleeing Eiran.
"Fire!"
Under the captain's orders, the archers shot their arrows toward Eiran.
Eiran heard the whooshing of air behind him. Sensing danger, he instinctively swerved to avoid whatever was coming his way.
Right before his eyes, an arrow embedded itself into a tree trunk beside him. If he hadn't dodged, Eiran was sure that the arrow would have blown Runi's head off.
"Geez! They've gone insane!" Eiran felt his heart nearly jump out of his chest seeing that happen right in front of his eyes. Without realizing it, he even stopped running for a moment.
"Stop right there! Hand over the boy and we'll let you go!"
"Brother! They're getting closer," Runi said, starting to panic as his concentration broke upon hearing those voices.
Eiran clicked his tongue in irritation and glanced back. He realized Runi was right, they were closing in.
"Runi, don't get distracted. Don't worry, I won't let them take you." Though Eiran's legs trembled from exhaustion, he pushed them again to keep running from their pursuers.
But the arrows continued flying from behind. Eiran had no choice but to run in a zigzag pattern to avoid them.
While adrenaline filled Eiran's body, he heard Runi shout excitedly.
"Brother, I hear it! There's the sound of water ahead!" Runi pointed forward, sure that there was an exit from the forest there.
"Good job!" Eiran grinned in delight, increasing his speed while continuing to dodge the arrows fired at him.
Just as Runi had said, after running 300 meters forward, Eiran saw a glimmer of light and the sound of waves crashing. With his heart pounding in anticipation, he kept going toward that possible escape route.
But when Eiran finally emerged from the forest, what greeted him was a cliff directly overlooking the open sea. Eiran and Runi's expressions stiffened the moment they realized they were cornered.
It didn't take long for their pursuers to catch up. The captain grinned in satisfaction when he saw that Eiran and Runi were trapped.
"There's nowhere left for you to run. Hand over the boy while I'm still being nice," the captain said, blocking the way back into the forest along with his men.
"You'll have to step over my dead body first! As long as I'm alive, I won't hand over my little brother to you." Eiran shot a sharp glare at the captain.
"Tch! Damn slave! Kill him and bring me the boy!"
The captain's subordinates drew their weapons and began charging at Eiran.
Eiran gritted his teeth and glanced at the ocean behind him. "Do you trust me, Runi?"
"I'll always trust you, no matter what happens." Runi's voice was steady, filled with conviction.
A thin smile appeared on Eiran's lips, and he turned around and leapt into the open sea, leaving their pursuers in utter shock.