WebNovels

Chapter 17 - The Beast in the Black Water

They walked straight into the forest. Yuhan and Ivan armed themselves with their daggers; Ivan had slipped on a pair of heavy boots he had taken from one of the corpses. For hours they trudged through the dead trees, dense and standing so close together that only a faint, sullen light filtered through. The path was barely visible, and every step felt like wading deeper into hell.

At last, they reached the edge. A narrow river cut across the land, no wider than a hundred meters. Its water was dull and lifeless, dragging filth along its course; silent and stagnant, it felt as abandoned as the forest behind it. The far bank was clear in sight but felt unreachable, divided by the river as if some invisible hand had set it apart.

The Galmoon will rise soon, Yuhan thought. Its green light will spread across the sky again—not real color, just that strange glow it brings, like the heavens breathing in mist.

 

Even in this situation, Yuhan found himself watching the sky. Nature had always accepted him—every time someone cast him aside, it was nature that took him in. His lips curled into a faint smile as he glanced at Mikayle and Ivan.

Now I've got two company, though, he thought. 

The sun sank, its light fading fast, and the galmoon would soon rise. Darkness was closing in. They approached the river cautiously. It was shallow enough to cross on foot—or at least, it seemed that way.

Before Mikayle set foot in the river, the right bank erupted violently. Something colossal rose from the darkness, as if the river itself had cracked. At first, it appeared like a ruined boulder, obsidian and cracked, veins of power crawling across its surface. A ripple of dark water turned red. Slowly, impossibly, the titan stirred, hauling itself from the river. Water cascaded off its massive frame, like a broken mirror shattering in midair. And then its eyes opened—two blinding, glowing white orbs that pierced the gloom, heralding its presence like a nightmare made flesh.

The people inside the wall had whispered tales of this predator. The Diama existed. And it was here.

Yuhan and Ivan froze. Their eyes accepted death, resigned. Only Mikayle's eyes held resolve—a stubborn, steady promise that he would not die here, not before keeping what he had sworn.

The predator moved. Each step shook the riverbank, splashing mud and debris. Its massive forelimb struck with terrifying speed. Mikayle and Yuhan barely had time to react. The claw slammed down, a devastating blow that threw them both into the river.

Ivan hadn't even registered where they fell before the predator turned its focus to him, maw wide, ready to devour. His dagger gripped tightly, he braced himself—but he was frozen with the inevitability of being next.

Then, Mikayle surged forward. Injured moments ago, shaking with pain, he now ran like a predator of his own, a cheetah in human form. "No more! No more! I'm not sitting down any longer!" he shouted, anger raw and sharp as steel.

He collided with Ivan, pushing him off the bank and into the river. The predator reared back, claws snapping toward them in frustration—the prey had been stolen from its jaws.

It redirected, head turning toward Mikayle and. Its white eyes flared, glowing brighter, full of unnatural malice. Yuhan reacted. From the riverbank, he hurled his dagger blindly, aiming for one of its glowing eyes. It struck, sinking just slightly into the surface. The predator roared, a sound that shook the trees and seemed to reverberate in their bones. Pain struck it for a moment, and that split second gave them leverage.

"Let's run!" Yuhan yelled. "We're not killing this thing with knives. Just cross the river—find a wall—hide!"

They scrambled to their feet. Blood and riverwater slickened the ground underfoot. Mikayle helped Ivan stand, took his dagger, and readied himself. The predator lunged again, massive limbs smashing against stones and mud.

Ivan barely had time to dodge before a claw tore across his back. Cloth shredded; three deep lines of blood ran down his spine like rivers of fire. Pain flared, but he didn't cry out. Mikayle steadied him, gripping his own dagger, ready to fight—or flee—at a moment's notice.

The predator roared and charged. Its immense body tore through the riverbank like a tidal wave. Mikayle and Yuhan coordinated silently, running, diving, and striking when they could. Every blow they landed was feeble against its obsidian hide. The river churned red, but the predator barely slowed.

At one point, it lunged for Mikayle, jaws snapping. Mikayle rolled sideways, slashing at its forelimb as he fell, but only left a shallow gash. The predator's claw came down on Ivan, tearing a new wound along his shoulder. He grunted through the pain, gripping his dagger tighter.

Yuhan tried to flank it, throwing another dagger. This one hit a glowing vein along its face. The predator howled, rearing back. Mikayle grabbed the moment: he charged, striking its shoulder with a desperate punch and driving Ivan out of reach.

The predator, enraged, slammed a paw into the riverbank, sending them all sprawling into the shallow water. Mud, blood, and splintered wood flew into the air. But they were alive. For now.

The three staggered to the river's edge and bolted, running with everything they had. Behind them, the predator tore through the dead forest, relentless and unstoppable. Every tree it struck shivered, every branch snapped under its monstrous weight.

They ran blindly into the opposite forest. This one, though dead, gave off the faintest pulse of life. The air felt marginally easier to breathe. Yuhan slipped twice, but kept moving, his eyes never leaving the predator's looming shape behind them. Ivan's back bled freely, yet his gaze remained steady, scanning for the slightest movement of the hunter behind them.

Mikayle glanced at the blood running down Ivan like a waterfall, then back to Yuhan. A grin flickered across his face, even in the chaos.

"Yuhan," he said, calm and even, "you got the stretchy ROM thread with you, right? Let's create our own hunter trap."

The predator roared in the distance, and the three disappeared into the dead forest, running for survival, running for their lives, racing against a nightmare that would not relent.

More Chapters