The tunnel entrance was bathed in moonlight and tension.

Marcus stood frozen. His hand gripped the rusty dagger so tight his knuckles turned white.

Elowen walked toward them.

She moved with the slow, confident stride of a predator that knew its prey had nowhere to go.

The whip dragged behind her in the dust. It looked like a living tail.

Beside Marcus, the small grey teddy bear stared at the approaching noblewoman.

The bear's button eye glinted in the dim light. He looked serious.

"We are in trouble," Marcus whispered. His voice was tight with fear.

He looked down at the bear.

"You said you can't fight," Marcus hissed. "But surely you have a plan?"

The bear nodded slowly. His fuzzy face was set in a grim expression.

He looked straight at Elowen. Then he looked at the dark forest behind them.

"There is one option," the bear said. His squeaky voice was unusually deep.

He paused for dramatic effect.

Marcus leaned closer. He waited for the strategy.

"The only thing left for us to do," the bear continued gravely. "Is to..."

The bear trailed off.

Marcus waited. He kept his eyes on Elowen, who was closing the distance.

"Is to what?" Marcus urged. "Spit it out!"

Silence answered him.

Marcus frowned. He tore his gaze away from Elowen and looked down.

The space beside his leg was empty.

Marcus blinked. He looked left. He looked right.

"RUN!"

The voice came from twenty feet away.

Marcus whipped his head around.

The bear was already sprinting toward the treeline. His stubby legs pumped furiously.

He was surprisingly fast for a stuffed toy.

Marcus stared at the retreating fluff. His expression went completely flat.

"You have got to be kidding me," Marcus muttered.

He looked back at the tunnel.

Elowen had stopped walking. She was watching the bear run.

A smile spread across her face. It was not a nice smile.

"Oh?" she cooed. "Are we starting the chase already?"

She gripped her whip. Blue mana began to crackle along the leather.

She took a step forward, then another and began walking again. But this time it was faster and she was picking up the pace.

Marcus felt his stomach drop.

He looked down at the dragon girl.

She was shaking so hard her teeth chattered. Her blue eyes were fixed on Elowen with absolute terror.

She was paralyzed.

"Move," Marcus ordered.

She didn't move.

Marcus didn't waste another second. He grabbed her small hand.

"Run!" he shouted.

He yanked her forward.

The sudden motion broke her freeze. She stumbled, then found her footing.

They sprinted after the bear.

They reached the edge of the clearing and plunged into the darkness of the Black Forest.

✧✧✧

The forest was a nightmare of shadows and roots.

Ancient trees loomed overhead. Their branches blocked out the moon.

The ground was uneven and covered in thick undergrowth.

Marcus stumbled over a root. He caught himself on a tree trunk.

His lungs were already burning. This noble body was not built for cardio.

"Faster!" the bear squeaked from ahead.

The toy was navigating the terrain with ease. He bounced over logs and ducked under ferns.

"I am trying!" Marcus gasped.

He pulled the dragon girl along. She was struggling to keep up.

Her bare feet slapped against the cold earth. Thorns scratched her legs.

But she didn't complain. She ran for her life.

Behind them, the sound of pursuit was getting louder.

Crash. Snap.

Elowen wasn't dodging the branches. She was smashing through them.

"I can hear you breathing!" Elowen called out.

Her voice echoed through the trees. It sounded like she was everywhere at once.

"Run, little rabbits! Run until your hearts burst!"

Marcus risked a glance over his shoulder.

He saw a flash of blue light in the distance. She was gaining on them.

She was faster. She was stronger. And she had magic.

"This isn't working," Marcus panted.

He looked at the bear.

"She is catching up!" Marcus shouted. "We can't outrun her!"

The bear slowed down slightly. He looked back.

"I can see that!" the bear yelled. "She is a monster!"

"We need a new plan," Marcus said.

"Do you have one?" the bear asked. "Because my plan was just 'run'."

Marcus scanned the area.

The trees here were massive. Their trunks were as wide as carriages.

The underbrush was thick and dense.

"I have an idea," Marcus gasped.

He spotted a massive oak tree. Its roots created a hollow in the earth.

It was covered by ferns.

"In there," Marcus whispered.

He veered off the path. He dragged the dragon girl toward the tree.

The bear followed, diving into the hollow.

Marcus pushed the girl in first. He squeezed in next to her.

The bear wedged himself between them.

Marcus pulled the ferns back over the opening.

"Quiet," Marcus ordered.

He pressed his hand over the dragon girl's mouth.

She was trembling violently. Her heart beat like a drum against his side.

The bear clamped his paws over his own mouth.

Marcus held his breath.

They waited... and prayed for the monster to pass.

Seconds later, footsteps thundered into the clearing.

They were heavy and fast.

Then, they stopped.

Elowen stood just a few yards away.

Silence fell over the forest.

Marcus pressed himself into the dirt. He tried to merge with the shadows.

"Hmm," Elowen hummed.

Her voice was close. Too close.

"Where did the little rabbits go?" she asked playfully.

She walked slowly. Her boots crunched on dry leaves.

"Did they burrow underground?" she mused. "Or did they climb a tree?"

She paused.

Marcus squeezed his eyes shut.

'Please walk past,' he prayed. 'Please just keep going.'

"You know," Elowen said conversationally. "I used to play hide and seek with my brother."

She took another step.

"He was very good at hiding," she continued. "But I always found him."

She laughed softly.

"Do you know how?"

Her gaze stopped directly towards their hiding spot.

Marcus felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead.

"Because fear has a scent," Elowen whispered.

She sniffed the air loudly.

"And you reek of it."

She wasn't looking around anymore. Her gaze was locked on the massive oak tree.

"Found you," she sang.

Marcus's eyes snapped open.

He saw movement through the gaps in the ferns.

Elowen raised her arm. The whip glowed with intense blue light.

"I wonder if this tree is sturdy," she said sadistically.

She swung.

"MOVE!" Marcus screamed.

He didn't wait to see the strike. He threw himself flat against the ground.

WHOOSH.

CRACK.

The sound was deafening.

Splinters rained down on them like hail.

Marcus looked up.

The massive trunk of the oak tree had been sliced horizontally.

The cut was clean. It was smoking.

It was exactly where their heads had been a second ago.

The top half of the tree groaned. It began to slide off the base.

CRASH.

It hit the forest floor with a tremor that shook Marcus's bones.

"Missed," Elowen pouted.

She stood amidst the falling leaves. She looked disappointed.

"My aim is off," she muttered.

Marcus scrambled to his feet. He grabbed the dragon girl.

"Run!" he yelled again.

The bear was already moving. He scrambled over the fallen trunk.

They bolted into the woods.

The hiding plan had failed spectacularly.

She knew exactly where they were.

"Running again?" Elowen called out. She sounded amused.

She stepped over the massive log effortlessly.

"Fine," she said. "I prefer a moving target anyway."

✧✧✧

Marcus ran until his vision blurred.

His chest felt like it was full of broken glass. His legs were heavy as lead.

He was running on pure adrenaline now.

The dragon girl was slowing down. She was stumbling more often.

"Keep going," Marcus gasped. "Don't stop."

"I... can't," she whimpered.

She tripped over a root and fell to her knees.

Marcus stopped. He turned back.

He reached down to pull her up.

"Gotcha," a voice whispered.

It came from behind him.

Marcus spun around.

Elowen was there. She wasn't even out of breath.

She was ten feet away.

She smiled. It was the smile of a cat that had finally cornered the mouse.

"End of the line," she said.

She flicked her wrist.

The whip snaked out. It moved faster than thought.

Marcus tried to dodge.

Snap.

The leather coiled around his left ankle. It tightened instantly.

"Shit!" Marcus shouted.

Elowen yanked her arm back.

The force was immense.

Marcus was lifted off his feet. He flew through the air, pulled backward toward Elowen.

Time seemed to slow down.

He saw the dragon girl reaching for him. Her face was a mask of horror.

He was still holding her hand.

If he held on, she would be dragged with him.

She would be pulled right into Elowen's reach.

Marcus made a decision.

He looked at the girl.

"Run!" he shouted.

He let go of her hand.

He pushed her away with his last bit of leverage.

Marcus flew backward alone.

The dragon girl stood frozen. She watched him go.

"GO!" Marcus roared. "RUN AWAY!"

She flinched at his voice.

She looked at him. Then she looked at Elowen.

Survival instinct kicked in.

She turned and began running blindly into the dark.

In that moment of Marcus being dragged by Elowen, his mind worked like lightning like a person watching his entire life flashing before death

Marcus gripped the rusty dagger in his right hand. He had never let go of it.

He thought of Seraphina. Her quiet strength.

He thought of Catarina. Her trust in him.

He thought of Vivienne. Her wild spirit.

He thought of Iris. Her curiosity.

He thought of Damien. His partner in crime.

And he thought of Theo. His brother.

'I am not going to die here,' Marcus thought. 'Well at least this time, I want to die for a reason... a purpose, I guess.'

He hoped the dragon girl will survive.

And he needed to keep Elowen occupied with him long enough.

His fear began to turn into anger.

Elowen didn't want to kill him. She wanted to break him.

She wanted a toy.

And that was her weakness. He just needs to make sure the game lasts long enough

'If you want to play,' Marcus thought grimly. 'Let's play.'

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A/N:

First of all, thanks to you all who have read this far. We have finally reached 100 chapters and its just the beginning.

I know a lot of you are thinking that this part is being dragged, well I am trying to make it as realistic and detailed fight scenes.

And don't worry, tomorrow it will be over and I believe it will... interesting (well I hope so).

I will try to make as good as possible.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.