Star ran faster, his boots slamming into the thick, unforgiving forest floor as he weaved violently between twisted roots and towering trees. Branches lashed at his face and thorns scraped his skin, but he did not slow. He could not.
Above them, the dark snow fell heavier now, thick flakes tumbling from the sky like fragments of a dying world. The clouds churned and bled into one another, spreading darkness at a terrifying speed and swallowing what little light remained.
A bitter, freezing wind surged through the forest, turning the air razor-cold. As it spread, it carried with it a guttural, malignant energy, one that drained every trace of natural life in its path and stripped the forest of its essence.
Tree bark dried and split apart, cracking open as though centuries had passed in a single breath, leaving behind hollow husks where living trees once stood.
And it did not stop with the trees.
Forest animals staggered and collapsed, their bodies trembling as devastation washed over them. A hollow, agonizing sensation bled into the land, warping everything it touched. What had once been bright and alive grew dark, twisted, and silent.
Raw strength flowed through Star. That strength was fueled by the fear hammering in his chest and echoing through his mind.
Ava clutched tighter to him. She needed no one to tell her that danger was right behind them.
Soon, darkness and the corruption of negative emotion swallowed the entire forest.
Star felt heavy.
Ava felt heavier.
Agony dragged them down, pressing deep into their bones.
Sorrow resurfaced, crushing him beneath the unbearable weight of losing their mother. Alongside it burned a sharp, searing anger aimed at a father who had abandoned them when they required him most.
Negative emotions flooded their minds, coated their souls, and crippled their bodies, stealing away the strength needed to keep moving.
Star was still running, but slower now. His steps faltered as weakness seeped into his nerves like poison.
"Aaaaaaah!"
He screamed, forcing himself forward. Veins bulged across his face. His eyes burned blood-red, webbed with ruptured veins. Thick mucus streamed from his nose as each breath tore violently from his lungs.
The bridge was close.
Sixteen steps.
Once he crossed it, once his foot touched the bridge, he would pass beyond the borders of Throvarin. Beyond it lay the New World. Beyond it stood an unbroken Veil sustained by positive resonance, a boundary the Woes could not cross.
Seven steps.
Agony crushed him harder.
Three steps.
One more—
BOOOOM!
A massive force struck.
It hit between Star and Ava, sending them flying apart as Ava was torn violently from his back.
Star was hurled forward onto the bridge, while Ava was thrown backward into the forest.
He slammed against the wooden planks, his body screeching across the rough surface as the bridge swung violently from side to side. The ropes groaned and snapped taut under the sudden strain.
Star groaned, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Uhh…"
He clutched his stomach, trying to rise, but his body refused. Every bone screamed in agony. He had already been weak, and that blow shattered what little strength he had left.
"Ava…" he whispered, his eyes darting frantically.
She was not on the bridge.
His nerves ignited.
"AVA!" he bellowed.
"Star!" her voice answered, trembling and small.
Adrenaline surged through him as he forced himself to his feet. Pain vanished beneath panic.
He followed the sound of her voice, his heart leaping as his eyes widened to their limits.
All the pain he felt was forgotten.
Standing within the forest were six massive, grotesque beasts.
Their bodies were pitch black, thick, and swollen with corruption. Their eyes glowed an unnatural yellow, each slit by a jagged black line that cut through the center like a wound. Their mouths stretched unnaturally wide, lined with uneven, jagged teeth that dripped foul saliva onto the forest floor.
Their faces were enormous and crooked, molded as if by suffering itself. Their skin was tough, cracked, and leathery.
Each beast had four arms. Two oversized front limbs ended in brutal claws, while two twisted, malformed arms jutted from their backs, twitching and scraping the ground as they moved.
They snarled, low and hungry.
But Star barely noticed them.
What held his attention was the hooded figure standing among them.
It was gigantic. Unlike the beasts, it possessed a humanoid structure, yet it was unmistakably inhuman. Star could not see its face, hidden beneath the hood and swallowed by shadow, but the aura it exuded was far darker than the beasts combined. The surrounding air just felt heavy and wrong.
Then Star saw her.
Cradled in its hand was Ava, shaking violently.
"S-Star," she called weakly.
"No, no, no, no, no," Star cried, his lips trembling as panic tore through him. His mind went blank. He did not know what to do. He was not strong enough to face the beasts, and though he bore the Three Crimson Moon Marks, his powers had yet to awaken.
He could not save Ava. Not like this. Not while he was powerless.
If there were any way to trade places with her, he would have done so without hesitation.
The hooded figure did not care.
It lifted Ava higher with one hand, thick fingers wrapping cruelly around her neck.
Ava gasped.
She choked, struggling to breathe, unable to call out as the grip tightened. Tears streamed down her face as she kicked wildly, her small legs flailing with the last scraps of strength she had left. Her movements were desperate and uneven, born of instinct rather than power.
The hooded figure remained unmoved.
With chilling indifference, it drew her closer to the darkness beneath its hood.
Memory struck Star like lightning.
He remembered it.
The same figure had been there when their mother was killed. It was the one who had done it. The same grip around the neck. The same motion.
And what followed was always the same.
Death.
"Nooooooo!" Star screamed as he rushed forward, fists clenched, teeth grinding as he leapt from the bridge back toward the forest.
He no longer cared about the beasts or the corrupted land. All that mattered was saving his sister.
She was everything.
The moment his feet crossed back into Throvarin's borders, the beasts surged toward him, all six at once.
The ground trembled beneath their charge.
The first launched itself into the air, soaring toward Star with terrifying force.
And…