Chapter 236
Chapter 236
“Who’s there?!” My voice cut through the stillness of the forest as Raizel and I halted in our
tracks.
“Show yourself!” Raizel’s tone was sharper, more commanding, every inch of him radiating
tension. We strained our ears, waiting for movement or sound, anything to hint at what
rked in the dark shadows among the trees.
Then, we saw it–a pair of faint, gray eyes, wide and unblinking, peering from within the
dense undergrowth. Oddly, the figure didn’t budge; it just stood there like a cornered
animal.
Raizel narrowed his eyes, his body sinking into a crouch as he crept forward, muscles coiled
to strike. I sensed his intent, feeling the predatory energy radiating from him, ready to
deliver a fatal blow.
“I didn’t mean to-!” A panicked voice suddenly broke the silence, rising in pitch and
cracking. The figure sprang out of the trees, stumbling forward with hands covering his
head as he fell to his knees. His shoulders trembled, his words choked by sobs, and his
voice cracked in desperation as he pleaded, “Please… don’t hurt me…”
I jumped in, swiftly blocking Raizel’s fist before it could reach him. Raizel glanced at me, his
eyes dark with suspicion, but I held my ground and turned toward the shivering figure on
the forest floor. “It’s all right,” I said, gently reaching out a hand. “We’re not going to hurt
you. Just… tell us what happened.”
As the figure lifted his head, the glow of the fading sunlight revealed a young boy’s face
smeared with dirt and dried tears. He couldn’t have been more than ten years old. His large gray eyes were wide with a mix of terror and hopelessness, darting between Raizel and me as if expecting us to strike at any moment. His thin shoulders quaked as though each breath
took immense effort, and his hair hung in dirty, matted strands that obscured half his face.
Raizel’s eyes narrowed. “Selen, stay alert. We don’t know who–or what–this is,” he murmured under his breath, his fingers tightening around my arm, a subtle warning. But his words faded into the background as a wave of protectiveness surged within me.
This child, with his muddy face and frightened gaze, reminded me so painfully of Lila. That
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same look of vulnerability, the same unguarded expression. A memory sliced through me,
unbidden–the last image of Lila, her lifeless e
failure to protect her. I couldn’t save Lila, but u
g up at me, a testament to my e, maybe I could save this little boy.
I reached out, brushing the boy’s hair back from his forehead, ignoring Raizel’s steady glare. “It’s okay,” I said softly, my voice carrying a promise. “There’s no need to be afraid
anymore.”
The boy blinked, his gaze flickering between disbelief and tentative relief, as if he were
ruggling to grasp my words.
Slowly, he leaned into my touch, and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close. He melted into my embrace, clinging to me with an intensity that nearly broke my heart. His tiny, bony hands clenched the fabric of my jacket, and I felt his frail body shudder as he fought to keep himself together.
“They… they’re all gone,” he whispered, his voice cracking as he spoke. “My pack… everyone… the forest… the flames…”
“What happened?” I asked, gently rubbing his back as he continued.
“They… they attacked us. They… came out of nowhere. I hid… in the trees… and watched them… die…” He hiccupped, stammering as he choked on the words. “I don’t even know where to go… there’s no one left.”
My heart clenched, and I could feel the familiar sting of anger and sorrow bubbling up. “It’s okay now,” I whispered, gently wiping a tear from his cheek with my thumb. “Those evil, heartless fools… they’re gone. We chased them off.”
“Really?” The boy’s voice was filled with a fragile hope as he looked up at me, his gray eyes glistening with tears.
“Yes, really,” I assured him. But I could feel Raizel’s sharp gaze boring into us. He was still tense, his instincts screaming a warning I was too distracted to heed.
“Selen, we need to move,” Raizel spoke up, his tone low and urgent. He’d shifted his stance to face the boy, his body a wall of tense muscle, every fiber of him radiating distrust.
I sighed, understanding his concern but unwilling to leave the child behind. The boy needed someone to protect him, a place to belong. I wasn’t about to turn my back on him.
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“Raizel,” I said softly, trying to convey the warmth of my own convictions to him, hoping
he’d see the innocence in this broken child.
I turned back to the boy, my heart swelling what a fierce protectiveness. “From now on, we’ll be your family,” I promised him, a small smile playing on my lips. “We’ll keep you safe.”
The boy’s lips trembled as he gazed up at me, his eyes wide. “Really?” His voice was barely a
whisper, laced with bewilderment. “Mom… Mom always said there’d be heroes… heroes
who’d come save us…” A weak, hoarse cough rattled his small frame, and he hunched
rward, covering his mouth.
“You’ve been so brave,” I murmured, patting his back. “Let me get you some water.” I turned
to Raizel, who reluctantly took a step closer to keep watch over the boy, his face still
clouded with distrust. “Stay with him for a moment,” I said, giving Raizel a small nod. “I’ll be right back.”
Raizel gave me a look, his brows knitted. “Be quick, Selen,” he muttered, his eyes never
leaving the boy.
The boy raised a hand, waving at me with a small, shy smile, and for a brief moment, I felt a glimmer of hope. Yet as he lowered his gaze, I thought I saw a shadow flicker across his face, something dark and unreadable.
“Oh, Selen?” He called after me just as I began to turn away. His voice was different–firmer, more confident than before. “Actually… you don’t need to get the water.”
I froze, a sudden sense of foreboding tingling at the base of my spine. I turned around slowly, my eyes narrowing. “Why… why not?”
But my question barely left my lips before he sprang. His frail hand transformed, thinning into sharp, jagged claws as he lunged forward with terrifying speed. His clawed hand drove forward, aiming directly at Raizel’s heart.
“Raizel-!” My scream tore through the clearing, but it was too late. In an instant, blood erupted, painting the air with crimson droplets. I felt the warm, sticky wetness splatter across my face, the scent of iron filling my senses. I could only watch, paralyzed by shock,
as Raizel stumbled back, clutching his chest.
For a moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath, the world suspended in horror. Raizel’s eyes found mine, wide with pain and surprise. The boy–no longer the terrified child but a
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creature wearing a mask of innocence–looked at me with a twisted, satisfied smile, his
gray eyes now hard and unfeeling.
“Why…?” I stammered, my voice breaking, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes.
The boy tilted his head, that dark smile never fading. “You’re so easy to fool,” he said, his voice carrying a coldness I hadn’t imagined possible. “It’s not the first time I’ve played the helpless victim.”
A
stumbled backward, my heart pounding in my chest, bile rising in my throat. All those innocent expressions, those tears–was it all an act? The idea twisted something deep inside me, turning my pity into bitter rage.
Raizel staggered, dropping to his knees, his breaths shallow and labored as he struggled to stay upright. Blood seeped through his fingers, his face pale but defiant as he glared up at the boy. Despite the pain etched across his face, he managed to growl, “You… won’t… win…”
The boy laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the forest. “I already have.”
He turned to face me again, that smug, twisted smile sending shivers down my spine. My fists clenched as I looked at Raizel’s broken form, anger and helplessness mingling within
- me.
I hadn’t been able to protect Lila. And now… was I about to lose Raizel too?
