"A… High Elf? What's the difference?" Ashira asked, confused.
But Isabell didn't answer. Her eyes snapped toward the forest, and her entire body went rigid. The heavy silence was broken only by a trembling whisper:"They're coming…"
Ashira frowned."Who?"
Isabell bit her lips, her hands shaking—not from fear of her own death, but from the thought of losing the child before her."I have to protect you…" her voice cracked. "Ashira, listen. They're after you. You must run!"
"But what about you?! Who are they?!" Tyler felt his chest tighten from within. Against all logic, against all cynicism, he had grown attached to her.
There was no time for explanations. Isabell pulled something from her pocket—a simple necklace, yet one that emanated a strange aura, warm and heavy, as if hiding an unseen power. She placed it firmly into the girl's tiny hands and commanded:"Run!"
Ashira took a hesitant step, but Isabell pushed her forward. Soon, the sound of branches snapping echoed through the forest.
And then he appeared.
A man in white robes, emerging from the shadows, his cold, inhuman eyes reflecting the light of the moon.
Isabell didn't hesitate. In a single motion, she drew the dagger from her back. The figure that had seemed fragile and exhausted moments ago burst into speed.
"Honestly…" the man said, his voice cold and dripping with contempt. "I don't know why you insist on protecting that abomination. That impure elf goes against the Universal Law itself!"
Isabell panted, her eyes locked on him, her whole body tense. Then, with a cry that echoed through the forest, she hurled herself at the enemy once more.
"Forgive me… but you must live!"
The dagger sliced through the air with fury, aiming for the man's throat. But Isaac raised his hand with an almost irritated calm, deflecting the strike as though brushing aside a leaf. Even so, the impact made the ground tremble beneath their feet.
"You know you can't hold me back, don't you, woman?" His voice was cold, dripping with cruel confidence.
Isabell clenched her teeth, her eyes blazing with desperate resolve."We'll see about that, Isaac."
She lunged again, swift as wind between the trees. Every step surged with mana, her muscles screaming with effort. The blade swept down in a deadly arc, but Isaac tilted his head aside, and the dagger cut nothing but air. He countered with a dry punch that erupted like a shockwave.
BOOOOM!
Isabell was hurled into a tree, the wood splintering on impact. She coughed blood, but staggered back to her feet, gripping the dagger tighter than ever.
"You… will not lay a hand on her!" she shouted, her voice burning with hatred and fear.
Isaac merely adjusted the white mantle on his shoulders, his cold eyes glinting in the darkness."That child should never have been born. She is an abomination. You know it, Isabell. She defies the natural order. She defies the Universal Law."
"The Universal Law…" Isabell spat blood onto the ground, forcing herself upright once more. "…means nothing to me!"
With the last spark of strength, she charged again, the air around her quaking with gathered energy.
…
Ashira ran through the forest, every sound of battle behind her cutting like a blade into her mind. Explosions, crashes, muffled cries. Her heart pounded with despair, tears blurring her vision.
Damn it… I don't even know why I care this much, Tyler thought with every step the small body took. But… at least… I'm still alive.
Yet deep down, he knew.The tightness in his chest wasn't just fear.It was attachment.