Chapter 13: Its Game, My Nightmare

I stood frozen. Not out of courage. But because I couldn't move.

Ashen's voice still echoed in my head: "Run, Mira!"

But my body was no longer mine to command.

My heart pounded so hard it hurt in my chest. My breath came in short gasps. My hand trembled at my side. Every instinct screamed at me to run... but my legs wouldn't obey.

Somehow, in that moment, all I could do was watch the monster slowly approach.

When I looked at it, my mind filled with terrifying thoughts I couldn't control.

Could it be... that Kai and Ashen pushing it to the edge of the cliff was exactly what it wanted?

Was it possible... that it had let itself be cornered on purpose, pretending to be weak, to lure them into a trap?

That thought made my heart shiver.

Its intelligence—its terrifying cunning—made me tremble.

It wasn't just a feral beast.

It was a calculating enemy, one that knew how to exploit human weakness to twist the battlefield in ways we couldn't predict.

Before I could escape those spiraling thoughts, it was already standing before me.

I looked up.

The monster stared back.

One of its eyes had been pierced, thick black blood oozing like sludge. That only made its appearance more grotesque. Its sharp, blade-like teeth gleamed as it smiled—wide, inhuman, stretching to its ears. A smile without any emotion but raw brutality.

Up close, I could feel the full weight of its horror. My whole body trembled. Fear swelled, choking my throat.

Yet... it didn't strike.

It just stood there. Watching me.

No roar. No sudden attack. No finishing blow.

Just a chilling stillness, as if it were waiting.

That silence was more terrifying than any scream. I felt like prey under the gaze of a predator who didn't need to rush—because it already knew how the hunt would end.

But then, something stirred inside me. Beneath the panic and fear, my survival instinct began to fight back.

I clenched my fists.

Step by step, my legs began to move. Then faster...

I turned and ran.

Ran from the monster. Ran from that cold gaze.

Clinging to a sliver of hope—that maybe this time, I could escape.

I ran, glancing over my shoulder. Was it chasing me?

This feeling... I'd been through it before. The first time I arrived in this world, I was hunted too. But back then, I wasn't alone. Ashen came to save me.

Now, he wasn't here. Neither was Kai. I didn't even know if they were alive or had fallen into the abyss.

All I had left was myself.

A sudden noise behind me— Before I could react, something slammed into me.

My body hit a cold tree trunk. Pain exploded along my spine, like a hundred shards of metal stabbing into bone. I collapsed, breathless, limbs numb.

In the dim light from the tree beside me, I saw it—the Elderwood Beast.

It was still there.

Not advancing. Not roaring.

Just staring silently, as if savoring the pain and despair of its prey.

It could kill me right now.

But it didn't.

It was waiting.

Waiting for me to get back up and run again.

Waiting to stretch the terror out... inch by inch.

Like it was enjoying this game.

I could only force myself to run, even though I knew... no matter how far I ran, it would catch up.

But what else could I do?

I wasn't strong like Kai. Not experienced like Ashen. I was just someone thrown into this world, empty-handed and unprepared.

I had nothing to fight it with.

The only thing I could do—was run.

Run, and hope for the impossible: that I might survive.

But that hope shattered.

A sudden stab through my shoulder—

I didn't even see it strike.

Only the blinding pain, the numbness that followed, the way I crumpled to the ground.

It pulled its hand back.

Blood gushed from my shoulder, soaking the earth and my trembling fingers.

I bit down and forced myself to move.

Even though my legs gave out, even though I was shaking all over, I had to keep going.

I had to live.

I had to find a way.

I ran, tears streaming down my face.

From pain. From helplessness. From the horror of this cruel game it was playing with me.

I didn't know how far I could go. I didn't know if anyone was out there.

All I knew was—if miracles existed, then please...

Someone... save me.

But that desperate plea... was met with another blow.

I was flung across the ground. Dust and rubble scraped my skin as I rolled. Every muscle screamed as if tearing apart.

I still tried to crawl. Still clung to life slipping through my fingers.

Then, in that moment teetering on death's edge, memories came flooding back.

A voice, warm and angry, echoed in my head:

"They're bullying you again, Mira? Those bastards... don't worry, I'll find them."

I saw myself back there.

A cold school hallway. A corner I used to sit alone. And him—standing there, furious because I was hurt.

"You don't need to... I can take it."

"Take what? They're getting worse every day!"

I remembered the tired smile I gave him. And that naive promise I once believed:

"But... they said... if I can last through this year... they'll stop."

That memory was like another blade to the heart.

I had endured.

I tried to bear it all, tried to live without troubling anyone.

I believed that if I could just endure long enough, things would change.

But what did that bring me?

Now I was being hunted by a monster.

Once again... all I could do was endure and run.

The memory didn't stop. It kept going, wave after wave, drowning me.

"Hey, Mira... Do you want it to end?"

"I do... I really do..."

"Then why do you keep silent, keep enduring?"

His voice rang clearly in my head—so vivid I could see his serious eyes in front of me.

"Don't you see? They'll never stop. To them, you're just a weakling who won't fight back, always running away. You still believe in the 'mercy' they toss you like a gift?"

He stepped closer, stared into my eyes. His voice lowered, but it was firm:

"I know... even if I say this, you probably won't find the courage to fight back. Then—look at me. Learn from me. And you'll understand how to face them."

Without waiting for my reply, he grabbed my hand and led me to confront the bullies.

I remembered that grip—firm and warm. It didn't promise to save me. But it said I wasn't alone.

And in that moment, the memory shattered—

A guttural roar shook my soul.

I snapped back.

The Elderwood Beast was close.

It roared again.

And I... I was still alive.

But something inside me had begun to shift.

For the first time, I felt the need to stand and do something.