The Wyverns

Terradin Forest, Hensberg Kingdom, Northern Continent.

The terrifying wyvern carried my body into the air with its monstrous and razor-sharp claws. Those claws tore through and punctured my shoulder. Blood flowed profusely, soaking my arm and body. I could feel the claws grinding against my bones-no, they were gripping my bones tightly.

It was excruciating!

I grabbed the wyvern's massive claws with both hands, hoping to ease the unbearable weight and pain in my shoulder. But it was all in vain.

The wyvern flew through the sky at an incredible speed. Because of that, my body was relentlessly whipped and battered by the sheer force of the wind.

Craacckkk!

I could hear the sound of my own flesh tearing vividly. The wound on my shoulder widened, and my blood poured out even more.

What should I do?

At this moment, I was desperately trying to stay conscious while figuring out a way to escape the grip of this terrifying wyvern.

In my current condition, I had little time left. I had to find a way to free myself as quickly as possible. Otherwise, I would bleed out and die.

I bit my lower lip, enduring the excruciating pain in my shoulder as the wyvern's massive claws ground against my bones. My frantic movements caused my lip to bleed slightly. I felt the warm trickle of blood dripping down to my chin.

My bag... yes, that's it! The Looter Knife! I need to get my Looter Knife from my bag. At the very least, I might be able to cut through the wyvern's flesh and claws with it.

But...

That was when I realized the harsh reality. Because of the pain, I hadn't even noticed I had lost my bag. It must have fallen when the wyvern attacked me.

So... what should I do now? I... I...

"Elena!"

Suddenly, Ryuji-san's voice rang out loud and clear. He was running after me, tearing through the dense trees obstructing his path.

My body felt increasingly hot. Cold sweat poured out, drenching me from head to toe. My breathing grew heavier.

I was starting to lose consciousness, and my vision gradually dimmed.

"Elena... hold on!"

Ryuji-san's shout brought me back to my senses. I turned my head to look at him.

And there he was...

I saw Ryuji-san leaping swiftly from branch to branch of the towering trees below me, chasing after the wyvern carrying me.

At the very least, I had to do something. Yes... this wasn't the time for me to give up. If nothing else, Ryuji-san was risking himself to save me.

I had to stake everything on my final spell.

Summoning every ounce of strength left in me, I began chanting my spell.

"Deus de lumine, ostende nobis divinum lumen ad illuminandas semitas obscuras ante nos... Lux divina!"

I aimed my light magic right at the wyvern's eyes. The blinding brightness of my magic briefly blinded its vision. The wyvern panicked, flailing and flying erratically. Its body jerked wildly, thrown in every direction. My light spell had disrupted its focus.

But... because of this, my wound tore open even further. The wyvern's violent movements worsened my already dire condition.

Even so, I didn't care. I would endure all this pain because it was the only idea I had left-the only chance I saw to act.

"Aaaarrgghhh!"

Without realizing it, a scream of agony escaped my lips.

Ryuji-san, I've given you an opening. So... please... stop this monster!

Then, as the wyvern began to lose altitude, Ryuji-san leapt from the towering branches of a tree. He hurled his Looter Knife directly into the wyvern's left eye.

The wyvern let out an ear-piercing shriek, clearly in unbearable pain. Moments later, it began plummeting at an alarming speed, crashing into the forest canopy below. The impact shook the trees as its enormous body collided with the ground, dragging me along with it.

My body tumbled harshly across the unforgiving terrain. I didn't know how far I was thrown.

"Cough... cough... cough..."

I clutched my chest, choking as I struggled to breathe. My throat burned as if it were on fire from the inside out. Blood splattered out with each cough.

At that moment, my chest felt as if it had been crushed by a heavy block. To make matters worse, the blood from my shoulder pooled on the soil beneath me.

Through blurred vision, I saw the wyvern thrashing its head violently in all directions, trying to shake off the pain in its wounded eye from Ryuji-san's knife throw.

"Elena!"

I heard Ryuji-san's voice calling from a distance. When I turned toward him, I saw him running swiftly in my direction. This time, he was coming to save me. At least, that was what I desperately hoped.

But...

Fate played its cruel hand once more.

Suddenly, another terrifying screech resounded from above. The sound of powerful wingbeats approached from two separate directions.

Another catastrophe unfolded before us. In the sky above Terradin Forest, two more wyverns appeared, flying menacingly. Moments later, they both dove sharply toward Ryuji-san, attacking him nearly simultaneously from different angles.

Why? What was this? How could three wyverns appear here at once? Wyverns were solitary creatures that fiercely guarded their territories. How could three of them coexist in this forest? Was some god playing a twisted game with us?

Ryuji-san looked flustered as the two wyverns launched their coordinated attacks. They swooped low, clawing at him while circling menacingly. Streams of flame erupted from their mouths, incinerating the trees in their path.

I could hear the clash of steel and Ryuji-san's shouts echoing clearly. As for me, I lacked the strength even to lift a finger. I lay motionless on the blood-soaked, dirty ground.

Dimly, I saw the wyvern that had carried me earlier turn its gaze toward me with vengeful ferocity. Step by step, it approached, releasing its bone-chilling screeches.

"Elena... run... Elena!"

Ryuji-san's desperate cries reached me from afar.

I'm sorry, Ryuji-san...

My body could no longer withstand the immense pain of my wounds. Not even my fingertips would move.

But...

Thank you for trying to save me. At the very least, I hope you can escape this nightmare.

I wept, the excruciating pain coursing through me bringing both physical and emotional torment.

Why... why must it end like this?

With the sound of the wyvern's steps growing nearer, I lamented my cruel fate.

The wyvern now loomed over me, lowering its terrifying face toward my battered body. I could feel the gusts of its breath as it drew closer.

Perhaps this was truly the end of my life.

Alongside my surrender, suddenly...

...a wolf's howl echoed from behind me. Shortly after, my eyes caught sight of a direwolf leaping and sinking its fangs into the wyvern's neck. And then, three more direwolves appeared out of nowhere, attacking the wyvern's legs and wings.

The wyvern staggered backward, bewildered by the sudden assault from the direwolves. The three newly arrived direwolves alternated their attacks from all directions, while the one that had bitten the wyvern's neck now stood before me. It stood firm, growling menacingly at the wyvern ahead.

I remembered them. These were the direwolves that had attacked us earlier—the same direwolves I had spared from Ryuji-san's fury.

Could it be that they were trying to protect me now? But why…? Why would creatures like them protect a human like me? To monsters, weren't humans nothing more than prey?

Even so, in the end, they were just direwolves. There was no way they could stand a chance against a wyvern.

No... please stop! Leave. Don't throw away your lives.

I wanted to say those words, but my voice was swallowed by the helplessness of my body. I was far too weak now, unable to utter even the faintest sound.

I watched with sorrow as a tragic scene unfolded before me.

One by one, the direwolves that tried to save me fell to the wyvern's claws and fangs. Seeing this, the direwolf that had stood protectively in front of me charged in to help its companions. But it didn't take long before it too succumbed to the wyvern's savagery. The wyvern trampled it underfoot, its massive clawed foot nearly as large as the direwolf's entire body. I could hear the direwolf whimpering in pain.

Why... why are you helping me?

Unknowingly, tears streamed down my face as I bore witness to the direwolves' suffering. But… even as the wyvern turned its attention to me, the direwolf, injured and unable to stand, bit down on the wyvern's leg. With what little strength it had left, it clung to the wyvern, as if trying to stop it from reaching me.

The wyvern shrieked in rage, stomping furiously in an attempt to dislodge the direwolf from its leg.

No… don't do this! Why would you throw away your lives to save this broken, dying body… why?

Is it wrong of me to hope for a miracle at this moment? A miracle that would save us all from the wrath of these wyverns?

And as I whispered prayers amidst my hopes and despair…

Suddenly, the forest around us erupted in a deafening rumble. The wyvern before me seemed confused. From a distance, a figure approached slowly, moving deliberately toward us while chanting an incantation.

She was an elf—a woman of the Elven race. The same elf woman we had met at our inn. A woman called Aella.

Could she be our hope?

Would she become the savior of me, Ryuji-san, and these poor direwolves before me?

†********************************†

Hello, dear readers...

Thank you for following Elena Fearis's journey up until now.

Speaking of spoilers for the next chapter, who is Aella? Could she have a connection to Elena? The answers will be revealed in the next chapter. So, don't miss Elena's story!

See you again in the next chapter.