Run Like Your Life Depends on it!

Kael faced the ground, his chest heaving up and down as he struggled to catch his breath. The mist around him was dense, it was swirling everywhere, barely allowing one to see their surroundings. Every muscle in his body ached from the intense running he had done, and his mind raced to make sense of what had just happened.

"Rell? Selina?" he called out, with a hoarse voice.

There was no response. He scanned the area, his eyes trying to see through the thick fog, but there was no sign of the two. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.

His heart pounded as he forced himself to his feet. He held ignis in his hand, ready for whatever would come out of the fog to attack him.

He turned slowly, searching for any sign of movement, any clue as to where his companions might have gone. The forest was eerily quiet now, the only sound being his heavy breathing and the sound of crickets.

It had all started when Selina insisted they follow the footsteps after hearing the deafening roar.

"We have to go after it," she said, her voice shaky. "My colleagues might still be alive. That thing could… could…" Her voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes.

Kael wasn't the type to be fooled by tears, so he couldn't help but feel skeptical, her sudden determination was a stark contrast to how scared she was when they found her.

It was doubtful that someone who had been so scared then would suddenly have the courage to run to the very thing she was scared of for no good reason.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to assess her sincerity. "You said everyone was dead," he pointed out. "Why the sudden hope?"

Selina's shoulders shook as she sobbed. "I don't know! Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't just stand here and do nothing. If you won't help, I'll go alone."

Rell sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Kael, we can't just let her go off on her own. If there's even a chance of survivors…"

Kael clenched his jaw. Something about this felt off, but he couldn't let her or Rell walk into danger without him and worst of all, he didn't want to wonder through this scary woods all by himself. "Fine. But we stay together, and we're cautious. Don't try to be heroic or the ladies man."

Selina nodded quickly, relief washing over her face. "Thank you. Thank you."

They followed the massive footprints into a part of the forest that was covered in a lot of mist. The air grew colder, and the fog around them was o dense that it obscured their vision, making the world around them hard to see, except for vague shapes, silhouettes and shadows.

"Did you come through this area before?" Kael asked Selina in a low voice.

She hesitated, her eyes darting around nervously. "I… I don't remember. I can barely see anything, but it seems somewhat seems familiar."

Before Kael could press further, a low growl came from behind them. They froze, Their heartbeats raced as they stood in place, too scared to look behind them.

Through the mist, they could barely make out a figure, a silhouette of a large, wolf-like creature, its size almost matching a grown man. Its yellow eyes pierced through the fog, locked onto them.

They all stood there, their bodies unable to move out of utter fear. Rell, being the most experienced and trained one, was the first to react.

"Run!" Rell shouted, snapping them out of their paralysis.

They bolted, the sound of pounding paws and snapping branches from the creature was close behind them.

"What is that thing?" Kael yelled, his voice filled with panic.

"I don't know!" Selina cried. "Other than the giant beast, this… this is how they disappeared! My colleagues! We never saw anything, but they were just… gone when we looked away!"

Kael's fragment flared in warning, and he ducked instinctively. Something whizzed past where his head had been, slamming into a tree with a loud crack. Splinters of wood flew everywhere as the massive tree fell over.

"What was that?" Kael gasped, glancing back briefly. "Had that thing hit me, my head would have been gone."

But there was no time to figure what the thing was as the beast was gaining on them, its massive form running through the mist like a scene from a nightmare.

"Keep running!" Rell shouted.

Kael's instincts screamed at him to stop and fight, but the beast's speed left no room for hesitation.

He pushed forward with all his might, determined to loose the beast and whatever was shooting at him.

More projectiles flew at him, forcing him to dodge left and right as he ran.

He glanced back at the two and noticed something. "Why are they only aiming for me?" he thought.

He glanced back at Rell and Selina, who were running close together. An idea formed in his mind. "Maybe it's because I'm ahead," he muttered. Without slowing, he fell back to join the others.

To his relief, the attacks stopped. He glanced at the two, his chest heaving. "Stay close. It only targets us when we are alone."

But their let-off was short-lived. Minutes later, the attacks resumed, this time targeting all three of them. Kael dodged to the side, hearing Rell cry out in pain.

"Rell!" Kael shouted, skidding to a halt. He turned just in time to see the beast dark figure lunging at Rell, its massive jaws open wide.

Kael acted on instinct, kicking Rell out of the way and narrowly avoiding the beast's teeth himself. The creature's breath was hot and stinky as it snapped at empty air.

"Run!" Kael barked, shoving Rell forward. "Run like your life depends on it!"

The three of them ran with everything they had, the forest becoming a blur as they moved at full speed. The beast's growls and heavy footsteps thundered behind them, but they didn't dare look back.

Kael's legs burned, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. The primal need to survive drove him forward, blocking out everything else around him.

Then, suddenly, the noise stopped.

Kael stumbled, his tired legs giving out beneath him. He hit the ground hard, gasping for air. The area was eerily quite, and it took him a moment to realize what it meant.

The beast was gone.

He rolled onto his back, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. Relief washed over him. Survived that, now we need to find a way to get out of here,' he thought.

But the relief was short-lived. When he turned back to check on Rell and Selina, they were gone.