>>Ophelia

"Your Highness," Clara, my maid, began to speak, "I have news from the forest."

I stopped mid-step, turning to face her. "Well? Speak up!" I snapped, my patience hanging by a thread. I was anxiously waiting for some news while I was in my bedroom.

Clara took a deep breath, "It appears that Saint Amber encountered the miasma-corrupted bear we prepared during the hunt."

My eyes widened, a spark of hope flaring, "And?"

"But the bear did no harm to Saint Amber because Lady Serena was with her. Lady Serena managed to trap the bear with her magic, allowing Saint Amber to purify it."

...

Anger surged through me, hot and fierce, "What?" I balled my fists, "Why was Serena with her?" I was sure that no one would volunteer to go with her! And I told Daddy not to let the guards go in!

And out of nowhere Serena comes into action? Why? For what purpose? Does she know Amber?

"I do not know why she volunteered to go with Saint Amber, but her presence helped the Saint evade danger."

I gritted my teeth, "So, Amber remains unscathed because of Serena's interference?" I hissed in annoyance.

Did Serena do that to get into her good books? Is that it? Or is there something I'm not aware of?

Clara flinched, her eyes darting away from mine. "Y-yes, Your Highness. It seems Serena's presence was instrumental in protecting Saint Amber."

I clenched my fists, feeling my nails bite into my palms. This was supposed to be an opportunity to expose Amber's weaknesses, to show everyone she is not fit for her position. And now, because of that meddling Serena, she has emerged unscathed!

"What about the targets?" I shot my head to look at Clara again.

"We made sure she didn't encounter any targets. She is bound to lose today's game."

"That alone isn't enough," I chewed my lower lip, "I need her to get into enough trouble that she loses face and I don't have to go to the dungeon."

The original plan was to have her take damage from the corrupted bear and have one or two of the targets killed to show how incompetent she is. We were going to show that she can neither save nor heal anyone but herself.

"What do you suggest, Princess?" She asked

"Let me think, I need a foolproof plan this time." I chewed my inner lower lip, "This time, I need something that will make everyone look at her like she's a criminal."

***

>>Illaris

"Lyal," I shook my head at him, "I can't do this anymore," My head spun so bad, it felt like the world around me was spinning, "I've purified eight of the targets!"

"What's wrong?" He asked as he came closer while we stood in the forest. I had just purified the eighth target, who was an adult. Lyal gave him the pin and the man then ran towards the exit of the forest.

"I don't know," I was sweating, it felt like my stomach was on fire, "I haven't been feeling well for a few weeks now." I grabbed my stomach with both my hands.

Everytime I use my power, I feel like I'm burning from inside. The temple told me that it should be a temporary side effect but why hasn't it subsided? Why do I feel like it's getting worse?

I tried to take a step but felt so dizzy that my world spun and I almost fell to the floor, but right before I did, Lyal caught me.

"Illaris?" He panicked, "Hey," I was losing consciousness, "Hey!" He picked me up in his arms, "Let's get out of here, we've won anyway." He adjusted me in his arms.

"Okay," I gave him a meek reply as he began to walk.

"Just stay with me," He said and I nodded

***

>>Amber

I had no intention of winning this game. So it was fine if I didn't get to purify any targets.

"Let's go" I said,

"Sure," She replied and I looked around.

"Where are we?" I asked Serena

She shook her head, "I don't know," She looked around, "We seem to have made our way deeper into the forest."

I looked at the sky, "It's turning dark, we should try and head back."

"But what about the targets?" She asked, "We didn't even find one,"

"It's fine," I said, "I had no intention of winning anyway, so let's just head back." I tried to determine which way we came from and headed into that direction.

"You still hate the elite society, I see," Serena joined me.

"I wouldn't say I hate them, I just don't wish to be a part of that place anymore."

"I get it," She let out a sigh

The forest hues turned orange as the hours passed. Serena and I moved cautiously, every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs setting us on edge. Despite our earlier success, a sense of unease gnawed at me. The forest was vast, and finding our way back was proving more challenging than anticipated.

Are we badly lost?

"We should be getting close to the edge," Serena said, her voice a whisper in the thick silence.

"I hope so," I replied, glancing around warily. The light was fading quickly, and with it, the sense of security we'd felt. "We need to stay alert. I'm getting a bad feeling."

As if on cue, a low growl echoed from the underbrush.

!!!

My heart skipped a beat, and I tightened my grip as we both turned to look at the source of the sound. From the shadows, a pair of glowing eyes emerged, followed by the hulking form of a corrupted wolf.

OH NO

Its fur was matted and its eyes glowed with a sickly black light.

"Get ready," I whispered to Serena, who nodded, her hands already glowing with magical energy.

The wolf lunged at us with terrifying speed. Serena raised her hands, casting a barrier that barely managed to deflect its attack. She then moved quickly, sending a burst of magic toward the creature. The wolf yelped in pain, but instead of fleeing, it seemed to grow more aggressive, its eyes burning with hatred.

I need to work faster! My speed is so slow.

I stared at the wolf

Serena stepped forward, her hands glowing brighter. With a shout, she released a powerful wave of magic that enveloped the wolf and I raised my hands towards the beast.

"Heal!!" The glow from my hands made its way to the wolf and surrounded it. The corruption began to dissipate, and with a final, pained howl, the wolf collapsed, its body returning to a natural state.

We barely had time to catch our breath before another growl sounded from behind us.

WHAT!?!?

Spinning around, I saw a corrupted fox darting toward us. Its movements were erratic, its eyes wild with corruption. Serena swung her body around, her hands moving as she sent a blast of energy to knock it back, but the forest seemed to be closing in on us,

"Serena!" I noticed it before she did.

More pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the encroaching darkness.

"They're everywhere," Serena said, her voice tinged with fear. "We have to run!."

"Agreed," I said, taking her hand as I began to dart away. "Stay close and don't stop."

We ran through the forest, the sounds of corrupted animals echoing all around us. The sky grew darker, and with it, the frequency of the attacks increased. A corrupted deer charged at us, its antlers twisted and blackened. I barely managed to cast my spell in time, trying to purify the animal while I was running but it didn't work. Serena managed to shoot her magic at it, but as untrained as she was, it didn't do much damage.

Our only option was to run, and pray that we get out of the forest..

"This way!" Serena called, pulling me toward a narrow path. "I think I see a clearing ahead." We ran while throwing our powers at random, trying to distract the beasts on our tail and though we weren't good at it, we did manage to get away temporarily.

We pushed forward, our breaths coming in ragged gasps. The clearing offered a brief respite, but it was clear that the corrupted animals were relentless. A corrupted bird swooped down, its talons sharp and its eyes glowing.

Serena cast a net of purple hue, trapping the bird mid-air and I reached my power out to it, purifying it before it could reach us.

"How many more of these things are there?" I muttered, frustration and exhaustion weighing on me.

"I don't know, but we can't let our guard down," Serena replied, her eyes scanning the darkening forest.

As the last light of day faded, the attacks grew even more frequent. A corrupted rabbit, its eyes glowing malevolently, leapt at us from the underbrush. Serena struck it down with a blast of energy, but the effort was taking its toll.

"My limbs feel heavy," I could see it on her face. She was growing pale. The constant barrage of corrupted creatures was draining my strength. I didn't feel like my Holy Power was draining, but my physical health was at its limit.

"We need to find shelter," I said, my voice strained. "Somewhere we can defend ourselves until we figure out how to get back."

"Over there," Serena pointed to a large, hollowed-out tree. "It looks like it could offer some protection."

I nodded and we ran to it, almost stumbling due to the fatigue

We stumbled toward the tree, collapsing inside just as another corrupted creature—this time a boar—charged past. The tree provided a temporary shield, but the sounds of the corrupted animals outside reminded us that we were far from safe.

"What is happening?" Serena was devastated, "Why are there so many corrupted beasts?"

"I don't know," I was out of breath due to all the running, "All of this is too strange,"

"How far are we from the entrance?" She panted as she asked.

I shook my head, "I have no idea," I said and we both quieted down.

...

We were waiting to hear some commotion but oddly enough, there were no more sounds.

We looked at each other.

The forest had grown deathly quiet, the only sounds the distant rustle of leaves and the occasional cry of a nocturnal creature. Serena and I huddled inside the hollowed-out tree, our breaths ragged and our bodies weary.

"Where did the corrupted go?" She whispered and I shook my head at her.

"I don't know, but I don't like this silence." There was so much noise when we were being chased and attacked but now it's dead quiet.

Like all the beasts after us simply vanished.

That's when I heard a chittering sound

???

"What was that?" I whispered, unsure of what I had heard.

"What?" She heard me and looked at me as I peered out into the inky darkness, my eyes strained to make out any shapes or movements. The sense of unease had not diminished; if anything, it had grown stronger.

I didn't see any beasts there. They had all left.

I gulped, then rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the fatigue, when I noticed something.

!!!

My heart skipped a beat when I caught sight of something eerie in the distance.

My body froze and somehow it even felt like it had gotten cold all of the sudden.

"Corvina?" Serena saw how unnerved I got and tried to look at what I was looking at. She peered out while I stood frozen at the sight and it didn't take her long to see what I had seen.

A pair of hollow eyes, glowing faintly in the darkness, stared back at us.

They were eerily still, their gaze piercing through the night. My heart began to pound, my breath catching in my throat. The eyes hung tall, at about eight feet off the ground, their unnatural height sending a chill down my spine.

Other than those white balls I couldn't see anything else, it was too dark.

The eyes didn't blink, didn't move, just stared at us with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

That's when I heard it again.

The Chittering sound.