Tarun stood at the top of a cliff and watched a group of kareths lurk around in the distance.

He tightened his grip around his mace and muttered, "I just want to smash their skulls with my mace."

No one responded to his words as he was alone; this was the place he used to train and watch those hateful kareth lurk around.

He gritted his teeth and looked away from the purple fog forest and continued swinging his mace.

He hated two kinds of beings in this world: the Kareths and the ones who thrived on another's ruin.

Kiroa was one of them — a vulture wrapped in the guise of his late father's friend and using that bond to turn him into a puppet.

He stopped swinging his mace and took a deep breath to calm his thoughts.

He sat down and let the wind brush past him with its freshness to push away the grief and gloom.

He stayed like that for some time until a voice reached him.

"..LP!"

His eyes snapped open, and he looked around before the sound came once again.

".ELP!"

He frowned and followed the sound. He soon reached the edge of the cliff and heard the words clearly.

"HELP!"

His eyes widened in disbelief as they fell upon an injured squad member who was crawling away from a one-horned kareth, one of his legs was already chewed off his body.

Seeing that man crawl, the image of his father resurfaced, and at the same time, the image of his mother and her crimson wrist flooded his mind.

His mind froze, and his heart began to pound loudly.

All he could do was stand there as those images clouded him in despair.

Suddenly, the man screamed even louder; his voice was full of desperation, and that desperation awakened something within him.

He let out a shaky sigh and tightly clutched his mace.

He thought about Rion and the others, but the situation was too dire for him to care about his own life.

"I am sorry, everyone..." he mumbled and looked towards the campsite for a few moments before he began to descend the cliff with expert ease.

A few minutes later, he reached the ground and sprinted towards the injured squad member.

"No, no, no! Stay away! Somebody HELP!" The wounded man screamed in despair, and by hearing him, Tarun could guess that the kareth was about to reach him, but he was still too far away from him.

He gritted his teeth and rushed towards him with all of his might as anger surged through him.

"Fucking vermin!" He exploded, and at the same time, crimson aura flames appeared around his body and mace.

He crashed through the trees, and all of them splintered under his might. He reached the kareth with his mace raised above his head.

Before the kareth even had the chance of turning towards him, his aura-clad mace descended on the kareth's back and crashed into its core.

The kareth let out a sharp cry before falling into dust.

The illusion ended, and the world went dark.

***

Rion jumped from one dead tree to another and watched around the forest from the top while Kahrun walked on the ground.

Both of them were doing the petrol because one of the squad had fallen into the claws of the kareth.

"Are you sure?" Kahrun asked with a frown, and Rion replied with a wide grin, "Sure about what? We are just helping them because they were once Dora's friends. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

Kahrun nodded reluctantly, and both of them continued their petrol.

A few hours passed, and the sun neared the horizon. Suddenly, the sound of steps echoed throughout the forest.

Thk... Thk...

Both of them stopped in their tracks and followed the sound, but it had no fixed direction as it was coming from all sides.

"What is going on?" Kahrun asked darkly.

Rion also looked around in a frown and muttered, "Let's go back..."

Kharun nodded, and both of them turned around to leave.

Tsss!

A sharp and thin tentacle pierced Rion's back.

"Ugh?!" He groaned, and blood dripped down from the corners of his lips.

"RION!" Karhun screamed with a horrified expression and stepped towards him.

However, Rion raised his hand and stopped him.

He looked at him in confusion, and Rion ordered, "Kareths are grouping... go tell everyone..."

"W-what about you?!" He asked worriedly and took a step towards him.

Rion waved his hand and said while freeing himself from the tentacle, "You don't have to worry about me... they can't do anything to me."

Kharun looked into his eyes and suggested in a grave tone, "I am too slow... You leave instead."

Rion's calm exterior cracked, and he shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

Chht!

Kharun slapped him and muttered, "You have to think about the others, I won't reach the campsite before they do."

Rion stared at him with reluctant eyes, and his lips parted to argue, but before he could even say anything, Kahrun said, "Go, Rion."

Rion watched him wear his bear bite gauntlets and ordered, "I'll make sure to kill you if you dare die to these pests!"

Kahrun chuckled and got ready to fight the kareth.

Rion glanced at his wide back for one final time before sprinting towards the den.

A similar tentacle shot towards Kahrun, and before it could pierce him, he caught the tentacle and pulled at it.

The thin tentacle gave way, but the kareth continued to shoot more and more tentacles at him.

He dodged many and broke a few, but his body was already full of gaping wounds.

Yet, he forced himself to push through.

"I won't allow you to reach him!" He growled and caught a tentacle coming towards him, only to be pierced by another.

"OWWAAAHHHH!" He shouted, and the ground shook as blue aura flames flickered around him.

He continued to fight the Kareth, and a voice reached him.

"KAHRUN!"

He smiled and mumbled, "Rion..."

The world went dark.

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