I woke to the sound of rustling outside.Not screaming.Not claws.Just fabric shifting, footsteps on dirt, low voices.…Huh?
I blinked, my brain lagging behind my body.A tent.I was inside a tent.
Small, but tall enough to sit up in without smacking my head. The interior was lined with green fur—soft, clean, almost too nice for a place like this. The air smelled faintly of tea and mint.I frowned.
Why the hell does everything here smell pleasant? That feels illegal.
I pushed myself upright. "Okay… what?"
Where was Druhva?
Where was Adrian?
Why was I here?
My eyes scanned the tent again and landed on a small wooden table nearby. On it sat a piece of bread and a cup of steaming tea.Mint.I groaned. "Of course. Mint."
Because why would the nightmare forest give me anything I actually like?
Before I could spiral further, the tent flap shifted.Someone stepped in.Talia.The healer—the one with the steady hands and eyes that looked like they'd seen way too many people almost die.Her face softened the second she saw me sitting up. "Oh—good morning," she said warmly. "You're awake."
I stared at her. Then the food. Then back at her."…Yeah. Why am I here?"
She chuckled lightly, like that was an adorable question. "You slept through most of the night."
"That doesn't answer—"
"Oh!" she interrupted, eyes flicking downward. "You haven't looked at your leg yet, have you?"
That sentence sent ice straight down my spine.My leg.Slowly, I grabbed the blanket and yanked it back.There it was.Whole.Straight.Not bent at a horrifying angle.Not screaming in pain.
"…Huh."I moved it cautiously.Nothing.No fire.No sharp sting.No blinding agony.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood.Still nothing.My eyes snapped back to her. "Shut up," I said flatly. "What did you do?"
Talia smiled, hands clasped behind her back. "Nothing but a few magic tricks," she said lightly. "We fixed it properly. You should be able to walk just fine now."My mouth opened.Closed.Opened again. "No fucking way."
I took a step. Then another.Perfect.I looked down at my leg like it might explode if I acknowledged it too hard. "You're telling me I broke my leg in a nightmare forest… and you just—what—patched it up overnight?"
She tilted her head. "More or less."
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. "I take back every bad thought I had about this place. Some of them. Maybe."
Her smile widened. Then she added casually, "Adrian's been very worried about you."I stiffened.She leaned closer, teasing. "Or should I say… your boyfriend?"
I snapped my head up. "There is nothing between us," I said sharply. "Get that straight."The warmth in her expression vanished instantly.
She froze. "…Ah. I—sorry. I didn't mean—"
"Then don't," I cut in. "Ever. Understood?"
A beat.
She nodded quickly. "Understood. My fault."Silence settled between us.Outside, the forest breathed.And for the first time since entering it…My leg didn't hurt.
Which meant one thing.This place wasn't done with me yet.
I sighed, the tension finally draining from my shoulders—then voices erupted outside the tent.Not calm voices.Arguing.Druhva's, sharp with panic.
Adrian's, low, furious, cutting through everything else.
Before I could sit up fully, the tent flap was yanked open.Adrian stormed in.
And the look in his eyes told me everything had gone to hell while I was asleep.
Something was wrong.Bad wrong.
"Wh—what's wrong…?" I managed to whisper.He didn't slow down. Didn't soften.
"They're back for you," he said flatly. "We move. Now."My blood turned to ice.
Before I could ask who they were, screaming ripped through the camp.Steel clashed.Something howled.Someone died."What's going on?!" I snapped, panic punching through my chest.Druhva rushed in behind him, face pale. "There's no time—LET'S GO!"
Adrian grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the tent.And the second I saw outside—I wished I was blind.
Bodies littered the ground.Not just monsters.
New faces—tall, sharp-featured, elf-like beings I hadn't seen before. Star-bright eyes. Bladed ears. Movements too fast to track.They fought like storms.
Where they stepped, monsters turned to ash—not blood, not bone—just black dust collapsing in on itself. Every kill left a scorched trail behind them, as if the ground itself was burning away.Their eyes glowed white.
Not holy.Not kind.Wrong.The air screamed with it all.
Adrian and Druhva dragged me through the chaos to two horses—one white, one brown—already saddled, muscles tense beneath their hides.
Standing beside them was the caravan leader, tall and armed, his expression hard as iron."You're here," he said coldly. "And you bring death with you."
His gaze locked on me. "If you stay, my people will suffer more. So you will leave. Now. And never return to our land. Is that understood?"
His voice was sharper than before.Adrian didn't answer.He simply stepped forward, ripped the reins from the man's hand, and jerked his head at Druhva.
"White horse. Take her."Druhva didn't hesitate.
Adrian swung onto the brown horse, hauling me up behind Druhva without another word. The leader watched us go—unblinking, unmoving.
The horses bolted.They were strong. Too strong. Smooth, powerful strides eating the ground beneath us.I hated how good it felt.Because every time something feels too right in this place-It means hell is waiting.We rode hard.Then I looked back.And screamed."BEHIND US—!"
A massive shape tore through the trees, dust and debris exploding around it. Not smoke—earth, ripped from the ground like paper.
Something huge.Something fast."Oh GOD, are you kidding me?!" I yelled.Adrian swore and yanked the reins, veering us sharply into the forest."Hold on!"
We zigzagged through the trees, branches whipping past, the ground shaking with every step of the thing chasing us.Its screams echoed—deep, distorted, furious.
Then suddenly—Silence.
The forest swallowed the sound.We slowed.Breathing hard.For a moment, I thought we'd lost it.Then, far behind us—It screamed again.Longer.Angrier.
Like it hadn't given up.
Like it had memorized our scent.
And was coming.