Chapter 17

"I see him! He's up ahead!" shouted C, pointing at the shadowy figure of Aslan running in the distance.

Aslan heard the shout and tried to quicken his pace, but his body couldn't keep up with his will. His legs felt heavy, and his vision grew blurry. He nearly lost his balance several times but kept running without stopping.

A few moments later, Aslan saw a thick fog ahead and decided to run into it.

Meanwhile, Lukas and his friends saw Aslan enter the thick fog and came to a stop.

"Wait! This place—isn't this…"

"Yes, it's one of the gray zones—uncharted territory. It's said that no one has ever returned after entering this fog," said Lukas.

"What should we do? There's no way we can follow him in there," one of them said.

Back to Aslan. After walking for over two hours, he finally made it out of the fog. He was stunned by what he saw. The trees were far larger than normal, and there were many ruins half-sunken into the ground. Some buildings still stood, but they were covered in moss and creeping vines.

"What is this place?" Aslan muttered. As he looked around, the ground suddenly trembled, and footsteps echoed from behind him.

From a distance, a troll over ten meters tall came into view. Despite its massive size, it could run quite fast.

Aslan felt his heart pounding. His eyes locked onto the giant troll charging toward him, its enormous frame shaking the ground with every step. The troll's growl echoed through the air, making the atmosphere even more tense. Aslan knew he had to act fast.

He turned and started running, even though his legs felt like lead and his body was exhausted from fighting and fleeing. Every breath was labored, but the fear of the giant beast pushed him to keep moving. The troll drew closer, and Aslan could feel the tremors growing stronger beneath his feet.

While running, he spotted a gap between two massive moss-covered trees. He headed for it, hoping the troll wouldn't be nimble enough to chase him through the narrow path. But as he neared the gap, the troll swung its massive arm. A gust of wind whooshed past as the troll's claws nearly struck him. Aslan leaped to the side just in time, tumbling to the ground before quickly scrambling back to his feet.

The towering trees around him cast dark shadows, making it hard to see. Aslan fought to stay focused, even as panic threatened to take over. He spotted a narrow path leading deeper into the forest. Without thinking, he darted down the path, hoping it would slow the troll down.

But that hope vanished when the troll effortlessly smashed through the surrounding trees. The sound of cracking trunks echoed through the forest. The troll roared in fury, seemingly insulted by Aslan's attempt to flee. Aslan knew he couldn't keep running without a plan.

As he ran down the path, Aslan spotted an ancient ruin in the distance. It looked like the remains of a temple, mostly collapsed, with stone walls overgrown with wild plants. He quickened his pace toward the temple, hoping to find shelter inside. The troll continued its relentless pursuit, destroying everything in its path.

As Aslan reached the temple, he saw a large, crumbling bridge. He ran across it, convinced the bridge wouldn't support the troll's massive weight. And he was right—the bridge collapsed, and the troll plunged into the pit below. Although its upper body was still visible and it might climb out, for now, Aslan was safe.

Or so he thought. A giant wolf-like monster suddenly blocked his path. It stood about five meters tall.

The monster lunged at Aslan, but he managed to catch its jaws with his hands (the beast had tilted its head slightly during the pounce).

Before Aslan could deal with the first wolf, a whole pack appeared. Luckily, they seemed more interested in the troll climbing out of the pit. Some of the wolves attacked the troll first, but the troll held its ground with surprising resilience. That provoked the rest of the pack to join in.

The wolf attacking Aslan lifted him and slammed him to the ground before abandoning him to assist the others.

Worried that whichever side won might chase him again, Aslan fled into the ruined temple. He hoped the ruins would slow down any pursuers. Temples usually had many passageways, so he hoped he could escape through one.

As the battle raged outside, the troll slammed a wolf into the ground, but the others kept attacking. Their clash was so intense it felt like an earthquake. Even inside the temple, Aslan felt the tremors. Debris and chunks of the ceiling began to fall.

Aslan was at his limit. His energy was depleted, and his body ached all over. But the collapsing temple forced him to keep moving. Eventually, he reached a massive chamber. There, he collapsed at its center, falling atop a wide stone circle.

As he hit the ground, some of the monster cores in his pouch rolled out and tumbled into a nearby hole.

The ceiling above collapsed onto Aslan. But then, a faint light began to shine from the hole where the cores had fallen. The circle beneath Aslan also began to glow, growing brighter and brighter, until both Aslan and the debris atop the circle vanished.

After that event, Aslan woke up in a grassy field. Heavy rain poured from the sky, and thunder rumbled above. In pain, Aslan staggered forward, searching for shelter.

After walking for some time, he found a cave and decided to rest there. The cave seemed like it was regularly used—it was clean and felt surprisingly comfortable.

Realizing this, Aslan thought about leaving. He was afraid someone might return, and he didn't want to get into trouble again. If the inhabitant was hostile, he'd surely be killed.

Just as Aslan stood and turned to leave, an old man appeared at the mouth of the cave, gazing at him with tired, sorrowful eyes.

To be continued...